Thanks, Jenkins

From the first day of auditions when I met John Locke, the man's energy and enthusiasm for One Came Home has helped keep me going. His brief emails, his postings on Facebook, and the occasional personal meetings have consistently provided the necessary buoy to keep my spirits afloat. Obviously, there have been others in the cast and crew who have done the same, but John Locke aka Mr. Jenkins has been a constant reminder of all the wonderful people who worked on this movie. He has been the number one cheerleader for this film, at least from what I have witnessed. I'm sure there are others out there speaking it up, but John has always been there for me personally.

As with any project of this magnitude, there are highs and lows. There are days when a writer, director or actor will ask, "Why in God's name did I get involved with this project? Will it be successful? Is it a huge waste of time and money? Will the audience appreciate the story?" There were countless long nights/early mornings standing in front of Hillwood and looking at the set lights in the distance when I asked myself such questions. And, of course there have been those moments when I watched the magic and really believed we were creating something special. Throughout it all, the rollercoaster of emotions, John Locke's voice would resound: "You betcha buddy. This one here's a winner!" Even if the voice didn't totally quell my anxiety, it did make me smile and gave me hope.

And John certainly kept people laughing. You can't help but be in good spirits when standing alongside "Mr. Jenkins." Willy tells a story of working with John on a corporate training video several years ago. For the sake of the video, Willy needed John to "do something" - anything - just something to keep the video from becoming static. So, together with a company representative, they decided that Locke should loosen a particular valve on a particular pipe. "Sure," said the corporate type. "Okay, let's do it," chimed in Bearden and Locke. And, as Locke turned the valve, oil, lubricant, or some mystery fluid sprayed him and his wardrobe. I can imagine Locke's shock and quick grin. I can also imagine him saying, "Let's do another take; I don't think my reaction was right, Willy."

Most know that John had a role in Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou and did a magnificent job. And, how many times did I ask him to run those great lines to some new cast member or extra to lighten the mood? He always had them laughing. He always made them feel at home on the set.

And, while John's antics, fun-loving spirit, and recitation of his "Oh, Brother" lines made me laugh and saved my spirits when they most needed saving, one memory always makes me laugh: The night of the big party scene, John had a slight glitch in some of his lines, and he was so upset with himself. But, as I stood on the perimeter of the crowd listening to him deliver a magnificent performance, I recognized that the script issues that tripped him were not his fault. They were mine as a writer. This portion of the script had been over-written. There was redundancy, and bad lines cause actors problems. I know from both sides of that fence. And, when John later apologized for "his" problems, I had to smile to myself and say, "No, no, John, that won't do! You were right on the money." Locke/Jenkins being anything but professional? Don't make me laugh! DT

Thanks, Mr. Jenkins. See you at the premier. DT