THE NIGHT OF THE DEADLY OPERA
By Andamogirl
Author's notes: Season 1. Episode-tag. This story takes place directly after the end of "The night of the Whirring Death."
Reference to TNOT Whirring Death and to my story "The Night of the First Mission".
I wanted to write a story focusing on Artie's musical talents and in the first place on Ross Martin's musical talents. We can see Artemus sing (in Italian) in TNOT Whirring death - under the name of Arturo Caruso dell' Artemo (baritone) and he's the playing piano in TNOT Grand Emir (playing an excerpt of The Emperor Waltz by Johann Strauss) and in TNOT Cut-Throats too (he's a piano-man in a saloon). He's playing the flute in TNOT Returning Dead; he's playing the guitar and sings (in Spanish) in TNOT Spanish Curse and he's playing the violin on TNOT Casual Killer (playing a very short excerpt of a Nocturne by Frederic Chopin). Ross Martin was really playing that part in the episode and he was a very talented violinist.
In TNOT Whirring Death, Artemus as Arturo Caruso dell' Artemo tells Bessie Bowen that he will sing Fidelio for her, on the opening night at the opera, but he didn't… Well, he will in my story.
I couldn't help but put a swordfight in my story too, after I watched the famous swordfight in "The Great Race" between Tony Curtis and Ross Martin. It was a good movie. We can see Ross Martin use a sword in TNOT Big Blast and in TNOT Lord of Limbo.
Quote:
Bessie: And all I try to be is a little bit good. And where does it get me? Blown up with a lousy Italian tenor.
Artie: Baritone.
Bessie: Oh, stop that sweet talk.
TNOT Whirring Death
Warning: graphic depiction of violence.
Many thanks to my beta reader Old Toad.
WWW
TEASER
San Francisco railing yard depot
The Wanderer
Signore Giulio Modena shook James West's hand. "Welcome on board the Wanderer, Signore Modena, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The bald little man smiled broadly. "Buongiorno Signore West, it's a pleasure to meet you too." He looked around him both surprised and amazed. "È molto bello! It's a beautiful train that you have here."
Smiling, Jim gestured to the sofa. "Yes, we call it home. Please have a seat. Artemus should be here in a moment. He asked me to tell you that he is sorry not to be able to welcome you personally, but he had an appointment with the Governor. He's on his way back." He took a place on the golden upholstered sofa beside the Italian conductor. "So, you knew Artie when he was a boy? How was he, tell me, I'm very curious."
Signore Modena smiled. "Oh! He was a fine boy, Signore West. He was gentle, always polite, well-behaved, and he was very intelligent and he had a great sense of humor. He was always drawing: plants, trees, dogs and cats… everything! He was sculpting things too, like horses and cows. He was building things too, like miniature paddle wheels on the river, miniature wind mills on top of the hill… For example, he built his first violin when he was seven! It wasn't a working model, just a dummy, but it looked like a real one, in each tiny detail… He started learning to play the violin at six. He was singing in the local church choir too, and he had a strong clear voice for a little boy. He sang come un piccolo angelo! I was his professor of violin and the choirmaster too. A good friend of mine, Alexis Grapper, was giving him piano lessons too and the boy was very good. He could play any instrument. I remember that his first girlfriend, Celia, gave him a flute for his fifteenth birthday, and one week later he was playing like a true professional. I had great hopes for him, he could have made a great professional musician, played concerts… or be a great singer and sang operas… But he chose another path after having graduated from secondary school, when he was seventeen: acting."
Surprised, Jim lifted his eyebrows. "I didn't know that. Artie's a very private man. He almost never talks about himself."
Modena made a face, disappointed. "I was so disappointed he chose that path." Then he smiled broadly, very proud of his former pupil. "Artemus graduated summa cum laude, you know? He was the highest academically ranked student in the class. He was the valedictorian!"
Standing, Jim moved towards the table and lifted the jug of fresh coffee sitting there. "Do you want some coffee Maestro? Artie prepared it before leaving."
Modena shook his head. "No grazie mille, thank you very much Signore West."
Jim poured himself a cup, then he joined the old man sitting on the sofa. "Artie's still playing the violin and the piano you know, and he's very, very, good, very talented," He said. "He could join any famous orchestra, anytime if he wanted to."
Modena nodded. "Yes, but in my opinion he has wasted his talent. His place was in an orchestra as first violin or on the stage of opera houses as a lead singer, not on the stage of showboats playing comedies. He should have accompanied me in Italy when I left for Rome. With his voice and a lot of training he would have made an amazing tenor! And sung at La Scala at eighteen! But he refused and left for Chicago and joined a troupe there." He shook his head bleakly." He huffed out a breath. "So much talent wasted."
Jim took a sip of coffee and defended his best friend, "But he chose acting. He was an excellent actor before the war and played lead roles in famous plays, in many theaters, but it's true that he toured on showboats. He's still a great actor because he uses that talent for playing different roles in our missions. He can play any role – women included – he can take any accent and he speaks several languages fluently: French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, German... Artie's multi-talented, Signore."
Modena nodded. "I'm not surprised; he was already multi-talented at six." Intrigued, he asked, "So… he's a Special Agent now, working for the President?"
Swallowing a mouthful of coffee, Jim nodded. "Yes he's one of the best. Did you plan to stay long in San Francisco?"
Modena shook his head. "I'm here for one performance of Fidelio with the Roma Orchestra, and then I will go back to Paris and after that to Madrid. I'll be here one week only."
Standing, Jim sat the empty cup on the table. "Artie was very excited when he knew that you were here, in San Francisco with your orchestra. He immediately sent someone to fetch you from your hotel to bring you here. When was the last time you saw him?"
The old conductor rubbed his chin pensively, "That was before he left home to join an amateur troupe in Chicago. He was seventeen."
Curious Jim asked, "How was he at seventeen? I mean what he looked like?"
Modena smiled. "He was tall and slender with wild long dark curled hair. He was a handsome young man, and girls were literally fighting each other to have him as their boyfriend. He liked flirting a lot, but it wasn't serious. I remember that he was in love with a lovely brunette girl when he was sixteen. Her name was Lily… Lily Fortune. His heart broke when she left for the West with her parents. Poor boy! He cried for three days and was inconsolable for two weeks."
Jim nodded. "They will meet each other one day, perhaps. Who knows? Life is full of surprises. He's forty four now and he has changed a lot since that time…" The door opened and Artemus Gordon entered the parlor car. "Well, see for yourself…"
Modena stood, smiling broadly. "Artemus!"
Tbc.