Tom Tryon

            On Sunday morning I memorized the eleventh verse of “Allons z'enfants” (Join the Ranks Kids) by Boris Vian. There are three verses left to learn. 

            I worked out the chords for most of the verses and the instrumental of “L'amour en soi” (Love in Essence) by Serge Gainsbourg. I should have it done on Monday. 

            I played my Kramer electric guitar during song practice. I audio and video recorded the session as I have for the last 36 days and as I will continue to do for another nine. It was a pretty good session and I got through both “Vomit of the Star Eater” and “Sixteen Tons of Dogma” in one take each. I didn’t finish much ahead of the usual because I ended up doing two or three takes of a lot of the other songs. 

            I weighed 87.55 kilos before breakfast. 

            I weighed 89 kilos before lunch. I had a bowl of cheese sticks and a glass of low sugar iced tea.

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back. 

            I weighed 88.05 kilos at 18:12. 

            I was caught up on my journal just before dinner at 20:30. 

            I made pizza on naan with Basilica sauce, five-year-old cheddar and an egg. I had it with a beer while watching episode 28 of The Big Valley. 

            Audra goes to the swimming hole without her bathing habit because she thinks she’ll be alone. She doesn’t notice that there is already a man in the water. She has stripped down to her very modest 19th Century undergarments but before she can go further he speaks up to praise the view. She runs behind the bushes and calls for him to leave. He says he needs his clothes. She tells him to get them and then as he starts to wade to shore she realizes that she will see him naked when he emerges and so she tells him to stop. Then her brothers and some local ranchers ride up and both Audra and the man stay concealed. The men discuss the approaching drought. It has caused a panic and the bank has closed so none of the ranchers can get their money. When Audra comes home the man she saw in the water is there as a guest and introduced to her as Scott Breckenridge. It turns out he is a wealthy financier and Jarrod will be giving him a tour tomorrow. Victoria tells Audra they call Scott “The Midas Man” because he can make success out of any situation. The next day three neighbour ranchers come to the Barkleys to ask for a loan. Nick says they’ve been hit by the bank failure as well and need the money for payroll and expenses. Breckenridge arrives and offers to loan them the money for ninety days against their land at 12% interest, which is twice what the bank would charge. The next day Audra puts on a very alluring and fashionable dress and goes to town to meet Scott although she pretends to him that she has an appointment with her dressmaker. They end up spending the day together. As the drought kicks in the other ranchers begin to resent the Barkley family’s access to private water while still wanting to use the common watering hole. The ranchers try to make rain with dynamite but it causes the watering hole to become sulphurated. In Scott’s deal with the ranchers he wins either way but he would have no qualms about taking their land if they fail to pay. Scott gives Audra a very expensive pearl necklace and she is sure it means he is going to propose. The next day the two have a picnic and he says he wants her to go away with him. She misconstrues it as a proposal but he clarifies that it isn’t. He wants her to be his mistress and she is insulted and disappointed. She says she never wants to see him again. The drought has become devastating for the ranchers. They beg Scott for an extension but he refuses. When Audra sees how desperate the situation is for the ranchers she goes to Scott and offers herself in exchange for an extension on their loans. He says he’ll think about it and she says he’s despicable. The ranchers see Audra leaving the hotel and think that the Barkleys are in on Scott’s deal. They go to the Barkley home to confront the family. Scott walks in and tells them the Barkleys have nothing to do with it. He tells them he’s extending their loans because he’s accepting Audra’s offer. She goes to pack her things. Then Scott tells Victoria he has no intention of letting Audra keep her promise. He’s rewarding Audra for her courage by extending the loans. Then he says goodbye. Shortly after that the drought ends. Audra is spoken of as having made a brave sacrifice but it’s really not a sacrifice the way it would be if someone were to risk their life. It’s not really a sacrifice if part of you really wants to do what you are offering. 

            Scott was played by Tom Tryon, who was a radio specialist in the US Navy during WWII. After the war he joined the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts as a set designer and stage manager. This eventually led to acting. He graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He made his Broadway debut in 1952 in Wish You Were Here. He worked as a production assistant for television. He made his film debut with a co-starring role in The Scarlet Hour. In 1958 he starred in the series TV Texas John Slaughter. He was in Marilyn Monroe’s final (unfinished) film, Somethings Got to Give. He starred in Screaming eagles, I Married a Monster from Outer Space, The Cardinal (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe), Moon Pilot, Colour Me Dead, and The Glory Guys. He co-starred in In Harm’s Way, Three Violent People, The Unholy Wife, and The Story of Ruth. He was executive producer of Johnny Got His Gun. He wrote the horror novel The Other, which became a best seller and then a successful movie, which he produced. He gave up acting to become a very successful author. His books Dark Secret and Harvest Home were both made into movies. His last novel was Night Magic.