Los Angeles, Autumn, 1941

He’d come all the way from Kansas, and this was his last shot.

If he couldn’t get these Hollywood guys to take him seriously, then he’d promised his father, that he would do as he was asked. Peter had been in love with movies and writing since he was a kid.

He loved all those action stories that he saw weekly down on Angel Avenue. Whether it was cowboys, or Vikings, or maybe even the evil Doctor Fu Man Chu,

Peter would act out the stories on his way home. 

When he returned to his little room in the attic, he’d start writing his versions of the world. And boy, did he get good. A treat at Christmas was one of Peter’s own stories being read out to the family.

Each year they just got better and better. His father wanted Peter to join the Navy, just like he had done, and his father before him. There had always been a member of the Brook family in the Services which would come to an end if Peter went down the Hollywood road.

For his own sake, Peter had to give it a try and yeah, if it failed he’d go into the Navy just like he’d promised. He had brought two story ideas with him to Hollywood: one was an adventure set in space about fighting the overlords, and there would be robots and animals and space ships – he wanted to call it the Star War Adventures, but he wasn’t sure about that.

The other story was about a kid who was a magician and who lived with an average family. He wasn’t sure what he was going to call that one, but he loved the idea of it all.

Peter spent three weeks knocking on door after studio door, but no one wanted to talk to him or see him. Yet everyone back home, who had read the stories, had all said the same thing, these should be turned into movies.

So he made himself a promise, he would try the Navy just like his dad wanted, and after Christmas, or perhaps next year, Peter would come back to Hollywood and try again when he was on leave.

A while later, after Peter signed up, he waved goodbye to his father and family  as he set out to meet his first naval ship.

It was based at Pearl Harbor.

bobby stevenson 2020