Bobby Rydell: Drafted!
The uniform was thick and itchy and smelled of mothballs. The boots were tight and pinched his toes. His head ached from the heavy helmet and each time he grabbed his rifle the blisters in his hand made him wince with pain. If this was the army, Bobby Rydell didn't like it one bit. What would his fans say if they saw him in uniform? Would they riot like they did over Conrad Birdie? It was crazy man crazy.
Crazy is right, thought Bobby the next day. The sun was beating down on the battlefield like it had nothing else to do. Sergeant Saunders had been nagging him again. But it was what Bobby wanted. It was the part he wanted, and he was glad the "battlefield" was on the back lot of Metro Goldwyn Mayer. He was glad too that Sergeant Saunders was Vic Morrow reading from his script of Combat. Those bullets that were whizzing around were on the soundtrack, that pleased him most of all.
Bobby wanted to prove that he could take dramatic roles. Everyone knew he was a teenage singer who could dance. He proved that in Bye, Bye Birdie. He wanted to try a real dramatic role and turned down many lucrative parts looking for the right one. When he and his manager, Frank Day, read the script, "The Duel," for the Combat TV series, they knew that the role of Pvt Mickey Shay was just suited for Bobby.
The afternoon soon was hotter than ever, and beads of perspiration trickled down Bobby's forehead. The "battle" had started again. The order was given to advance on the enemy position. Slowly and painfully the men crawled forward. Bobby inched his way with the rest of them. Crawling into the "enemy" territory, it all seemed so real. The crackle of machine guns, the shell explosions sounded real enough. Certainly the blisters on his hands were real, and his aching back didn't quit as soon as the camera stopped rolling.
A "German" sniper in the trees was picking off the men one by one. Bobby raised his rifle and took careful aim. "It's either him or me," thought Bobby. Slowly he pressed the trigger and the rifle shook as the blank cartridge exploded. The "German" sniper dutifully fell from the tree, according to the script.
"That was great, Bobby," yelled the director. "Print that take...Okay, take ten."
Another short break, time to relax those aching muscles and have a good drink. Bobby was handed a Coke, and gratefully drank from the bottle.
"Boy this army stuff is hard work, even if it's only for a TV show. Just imagine if it was for real?" he said.
The battle is now over, at least for Mickey Shay, alias Bobby Rydell. The blisters have healed and "The Duel" segment of the Combat TV series is in the can.
But now, Bobby has been drafted for real -- by Uncle Sam. And -- hopefully -- his Army service won't include any battles such as those created on ABC-TV's popular war series.
Of course, Bobby's thousands of fans will miss him, and we join in wishing him good luck and a speedy return. Meanwhile, we'll cherish his pin-ups and fabulous hit records!