Saturday, October 19, 2013

Glen or Glenda, Victor/Victoria Flashback

The Eight Sentences:
         Claudia entered a public restroom on the main floor near the ballroom where the breakfast meeting would occur. No one saw her exit. In one of the stalls, she changed from her business suit which consisted of a blouse, skirt and jacket into dark slacks and a white button down men’s oxford shirt. She removed the brunette wig and shook her head letting her fresh cut hairstyle fall into place. Next the makeup was removed with cold cream to reveal her Gulf Coast tan. Her skin was smooth and clear and would pass for the fresh-shaved face of a man. She packed the clothes she had worn coming in and stepped out into the hallway. Claudia Barry disappeared into the crowd. 


The Back Story:

The next morning was the beginning of a personal challenge. She had two self-assignments. First, she wanted to infiltrate the wait staff of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and for at least a few hours, become one of them — as a male. It was important for her thesis to show, how using deception, timing, and disguise, she could move in close to important people in spite of security. Second, her next goal would be to disappear from the premises undetected. Her effective use of group dynamics would be put to the test. She’d have to rely on an unplanned diversion to occur — unless she could come up with something on the spur of the minute.

What now?
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The inspiration:

     This scene from the movie, Victor Victoria made a memorable impression. When it came time for a scene in which Claudia Barry would pull off an amazinge deception, the idea of Julie Andrews portraying a man was a great inspiration. 
     Fast forward to the 4:45 mark in this scene (unless you'd like to enjoy the entire production number):



This just in...

     Friday night, 10-18, I saw this story on Yahoo:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/lady-looks-like-a-dude--female-model-goes-male-to-get-more-jobs-171123533.html

12 comments:

  1. Intriguing. I want to watch and see if she succeeds!
    Nice snippet!
    ~Charley

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    1. Good idea for a future snippett!
      Thanks for the comment.

      Delete
  2. Nice description. I wonder why she has to disguise herself though.

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    1. She's a professional assassin. She wants to be able to approach a target in public places undetected -- and then escape easily without drawing attention to herself.
      Thanks for the comment.

      Delete
  3. I am the BIGGEST Victor/Victoria fan, and I was thinking about Julie Andrews even before I scrolled down to the image.

    Claudia won't have the advantage of cultural bias to the extent that Victoria did, but I'm sure Victoria and Toddy didn't have Claudia's make-up or acting skills, so this should be fun---you know, in a serious assassin exam sort of way.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by Sarah.
      Be sure to ck out the link I added "This just in" and the article about model Elliott Sailors and her gender-changing success.
      I'm pleased to see the relevance of my character's actions.

      Delete
  4. Is it wrong to be intrigued by a professional killer? I'm curious to see if her disguise passes muster.

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  5. I think Claudia is so cool, I just love her character. Excellent scene Chip!
    History Sleuth's Milk Carton Murders

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  6. Frank, this story line is so awesome! I look forward to the snippet each week!

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  7. Claudia is fascinating, how she goes about things...really enjoying this story and especially your heroine. Excellent excerpt!

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  8. I love the way you've backtracked from her assassin days to her college days working on a master's thesis and how the two are related.

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  9. A great snippet there.

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