Behind the scenes
The Last one
Chapter 2
In this chapter I have tried to capture all the emotions as best I can. Of course, we don't know exactly what happened. Since I didn't have a file for the script, I had to think about when which breaks etc were made.
I've described some scenes a bit, but skipped some of them. I took the ending as it was shown in an interview.
It was really difficult for me to write this chapter, so it took a little longer.
5 o'clock in the morning on the film set
The crew and the entire team have arrived on set.
They will discuss the individual scenes, sequences and scenery that need to be broadened.
The studio buildings are still being prepared. And there's a lot of talk.
Tony Singletary and Cindy Brisker stand on the set and talk . Stage managers Rey Vincenty, David Carter and Paul H. Coderko are also standing together, looking at the set and writing down different things.
Karl Messerschmidt checks the latest changes to the technology.
The entire production team is on site.
Everyone is excited, but also sad. The mood is not like the last days of shooting. Today is the day that Who's Here the Boss is filming his last episode. Where an era comes to an end and where everyone goes their own way afterwards.
In the fitting room, Elaine Saussotte, Christy Ito and Terry Anderson are already waiting for the actors to make the final changes to their costumes.
Patty Bunch, who is responsible for the make-up, sets everything up, even Tim Burke, the hairstylist, pulls out his combs.
Judith arrives and greets everyone warmly. She didn't get much sleep that night. All kinds of thoughts kept her awake. To realize today the last episode of Who's The Boss is being filmed is really very painful. But not only for her. Danny and Alyssa stand at the edge of the set and talk. Alyssa wipes her hand over her eyes.
Judith walks over to them and puts her hand on Alyssa's shoulder. "Hey 'kids', how are you?" She tries to be strong but she can't, the trembling in her voice is clearly audible.
Then she looks at Danny "hey. It goes like this," he looks down at the floor again and takes a deep breath in and out.
Alyssa bites her lip and looks around. "Everyone is there, the whole family. All of them. This is very impressive and really sad! I never thought this day would come so soon." Judith strokes Alyssa's arm with a hand "I know it's dear, I'm not feeling well either. I'm sad that it's all over now. We have had such a wonderful and long time together. We have become a family..." then she is suddenly interrupted when Tony stands behind her and gives her a light greeting kiss on the cheek. "Family is a great word. That's who we are and we'll stay that way," he says, winking at everyone.
Judith turns to him and hugs him. He hugs her tightly. "We'll take care of it," he whispers in her ear. Judith has tears in her eyes and nods.
Katherine arrives on set and greets everyone. She takes Alyssa and Danny in her arms and hugs Tony and Judith tightly.
Tony looks at them all. Be film family. Every day he saw their faces. This farewell hurts his heart. He swallows, then he turns around and looks at the set and then at every single person. All those who have contributed so much to make the series a success. New people and old people who had been around for years. They have all grown together.
"Then let's go," he says, lifts his head, clears his throat and goes to the fitting room.
Judith looks around. It soaks up the atmosphere. Lets it all sink in. She walks a few steps. Look at the spectators' stands. This will fill up in an hour and a half. She walks slowly towards the fitting room. She looks up at the headlights. A technician is aligning the last spotlight.
Arriving at the fitting room, she is greeted by Elaine, Christy and Terry.
Elaine walks right up to her "good morning Miss Light, please come with me, you need to try on the first costume again" Judith follows her. Runs past Tony. He takes her hand briefly as she walks by. He knows how she feels. For everyone, this day is very difficult, but for Tony and Judith, this day also hurts in the heart, because they will not be able to see their best friend every day. The hair is still done and the make-up is put on. Patty is applying extra waterproof mascara to Judith today and winks at her. Judith nods in gratitude and they shake hands in a friendly way.
After a good hour of costume rehearsal, make-up and text exercises, everyone is ready. The emotions boil over on this day, everyone is very sensitive and tries to make the best of it and not immediately burst into tears. The audience has arrived and everyone has taken their seats. All of a sudden, it's very quiet on the set.
For the first scene, everyone lines up in Tony's apartment. All party guests stand on their floor markings.
-AND ACTION-
Tony and everyone present are playing their scene. Judith is standing ready (behind the door) nervously rubbing her hands and pacing up and down. She breathes in and out deeply, trying to hold back her emotions, because the next scene is her Angela being drunk, so tears really don't fit. Her stomach is rumbling, because she hasn't eaten anything today, she hasn't gotten a bite down.
It gets the signal to start. She walks through the door. When Angela, she storms hot, almost stops and stops as everyone shouts 'surprise' at her in the scene. After her sentence, she rushes to the bathroom door. Judith takes another deep breath. She always found playing a drunk Angela amysant, but everything she plays today is really hard for her.
All the party guests in the scene leave the apartment, Judith comes out at another door and says her text "Where is everyone going? I thought this was a party for me and now everyone is leaving..." she says more in a very theatrical crying voice and walks over to Tony. He talks to her "relax relax..." Both continue to speak their text. This scene develops very well, the audience laughs when Angela makes fun of Doctor Grant. Then she takes Tony over her shoulder, turns and says his text.
-CUT-
Everyone leaves the stage. Tony lets Judith down. They laugh out loud. "great, great!" Tony says loudly to her and everyone goes to the dressing room.
Tony changes his clothes within seconds. Judith, too, quickly slips out of her pink costume and puts on her bathrobe.
Everyone is ready.
-AAAAND ACTION-
It sounds loud.
The cameras are aligned.
The next scene takes place in Tony's kitchen, he sits ready and drinks from his cup and looks at the newspaper.
Judith is standing behind the door and gets the signal again that she should go in.
She walks and runs with the side of the door and holds her hands to her head. Because Angela has a severe headache and a hangover. The audience laughs loudly.
„What the hell ist hat noice?" Angela asks.
"It's the rooster Angela.." Tony replies.
"Kill HIM!" says Angela, annoyed. The audience laughs again.
The camera angle switches back and forth between the two of them as they read the newspaper and Angela apologizes to Tony. After the conversation and Ned's visit there is again a loud -CUT-
Judith quickly runs to the dressing room and changes for the next scene. Danny, Katherine, and Alyssa are also getting knocked out. They talk and tell each other jokes so that the mood doesn't get too sad.
The next scene takes place in Tony's kitchen again. Judith is wearing a plaid shirt and jeans and her hair is tied up in a braid.
After a loud ACTION, she sits there and talks on the phone while she cuts out coupons.
This scene is also shot quickly.
In every scene where Judith and Tony meet, talk to each other and look into each other's eyes, the end comes closer and closer, it becomes harder and harder for them bit by bit.
In the next scene, Katherine, Curnal, Danny, and Alyssa finally come on stage. They have suitcases in their hands and talk about Tony's apartment. Danny tries to smile. Backstage they laughed a little together, but he also has a lump in his throat.
During this time, Judith quickly put on the bowling shirt and black trousers.
Angela welcomes her family...
Between these scenes, thank goodness, there is little time to think too much.
After a few bloopers and several cuts, everyone is in the scene where Tony is celebrating the victory with his baseball team and they go to his office.
After everyone leaves the office and Tony and Angela are alone in the scene, Judith has to collect herself. This scene was already sad for her to read in the script.
She speaks the scene in a sad voice, her stomach turning. She tries to hold back her own strong sadness. At the end of the scene, when Angela breaks up with Tony, it's Judith's real tears that come to the fore here, because after the next scene (the last one) is going to be bitter for her and she knows it. This is what she has been struggling with for days and now the end is near. Her heart pounds as she speaks her last sentence in this scene with tears in her eyes: "I'm sorry..." She leaves the room and leaves.
Tony stays back in the room. What you can't see, he also has tears in his eye.
-CUT-
The audience is quiet. Because no one expected Angela and Tony to break up. Light whispering can be heard.
Everyone has a short break of 10 minutes.
Judith sits in the dressing room, her make-up is refreshed, she dabs tears from her cheek.
Then Tony comes up to her and sits down next to her. "Hey," he pats her hand. She gives him a slight smile.
"Please look at me again, miss Light," Patty says, applying the lipstick to her.
Tony watches her. He has known her for so many years, he knows her as a strong woman. But today it is so fragile. As emotional as everybody, seeing her like this hurts him. But there's nothing he can do about it. And that's what bothers him even more.
Patty is done.
Judith stands up, wears her green costume, tosses her hair back and looks at Tony. The two exchange deeper views. They don't have to talk much, they've known each other for so long, you don't need many words to know what's going on inside the two of them.
She goes on stage. Katherine and Danny are already ready.
-AAND ACTION-
All 4 go from the kitchen to the living room.
The scene is a bit funnier again. The family has hired a new housekeeper, but Angela promptly fires her...
After this very short scene, there is another CUT. The audience applauds.
Danny and Katherine go backstage. They shot their last scene. Danny has tears in his eyes. He crosses his arms and walks up and down. Katherine holds him, hugs him tightly in her arms.
During this time, Alyssa and Tony are fully dressed in a tuxedo and Alyssa with a white blazer and skirt. In addition, a green jacket for the scene.
Judith sat down in the dressing room. She takes off her costume and puts on her bathrobe. Her hair is quickly wrapped in a towel, making it look like she's just come out of the bathroom.
She sits in her chair, looks in the mirror, she can't hold on to herself anymore. Tears run down her face. This time she has to deal with the feelings with herself. Everyone is busy. Thank God. Because she still has a scene to shoot and doesn't want to look like an emotional wreck.
Patty comes back a few minutes later. She looks sadly at Judith. She smiles sympathetically at her. And pulls out powder and brushes.
-ACTION- is called and Alyssa and Tony play their scene, the penultimate one for Tony. This is over quickly and Alyssa quickly goes backstage, she runs to Katherine and Danny.
Tony goes to Judith's dressing room. She stands there and adjusts her bathrobe.
"Hey Judy," he says in a low voice. "Our last scene..."
"... oh hey Tony" She looks at him. The tears are hard to hold back.
"Oh Tony, I can't do this, I can't do that...just don't go there...if you're standing at the door, I swear I'll break down!"
"Judy, I know. We'll make it work," he looks at her sadly. Tears run down his face.
"If YOU weren't standing at the door, I wouldn't go there, if it wasn't you standing there, I wouldn't go through it!"
"I know, I know... I'm here for you, we'll do this together. That one last scene, just with you!"
He kisses the back of her hand and takes her tightly in his arms. They stay like this for quite a while until someone shouts loudly: ALL IN THEIR SEATS, PLEASE- LAST SCENE!
"Now the time has come..." Tony says sadly.
Patty comes running quickly and powders his nose. Tony walks to the front door of Angela's house.
Judith is also quickly freshened up within seconds and goes upstairs.
"ALL IN THEIR POSITION-AND ACTION-"
The audience is very quiet.
The next scene begins. The doorbell rings.
Judith is standing at the top. She takes a deep breath in and out. ...I can't do this... When I look at him right away, I have to cry...
She lifts her head up and tries to be strong one last time.
Judith (Angela) calls Jonathan and then runs down the stairs.
She opens the door for the last time. Memories come flooding back. The same scene at the front door that they shot together years ago will now be their last.
She opens the door, Tony is standing there. He looks serious and sad. All the emotions he has that fit this scene belong only to him. Belong to both of them. He tries to remain steadfast.
Judith swallows. This scene is so hard for you. She would love to just close the door again, for her the series could have gone on for years.
Danny and Alyssa stand backstage and watch the final scene between the two, embracing each other and crying.
Tony and Judith speak their lines. No blunders. They have never done anything else and especially today they are very proffesional despite all the emotions. Then it comes to a last kiss. A farewell kiss. Judith knows that she will hold her Tony in her arms for the last time on this set. Tony knows that this is the last time he will kiss his Judith like this. That last kiss means everything to them. They kiss deeply and intimately, the audience applauds loudly.
Tony and Judith are in each other's arms. Until a loud -AND CUT- sounds and the whole audience stands up and applauds even louder. They call and rage.
Tony and Judith break away from each other, Judith bows to the audience and takes off her towel at the same time. Tony says lukewarmly "that's it" and claps his hands. They get a standing ovation.
Judith bows again to the audience, she gives free rein to her emotions and cries.
Tony summons Katherine, Alyssa, and Danny to join him.
Alyssa goes on stage first, bows and runs into Judith's arms. Both are crying. Danny doesn't really dare, it's so hard for him. The prublikum still applauds loudly strongly. The whole team also comes on stage from the side and claps. Tony takes Danny to him, covers his mouth, try to calm him down, he walks on to Judith and hugs her.
Gradually, each of the actors is mentioned by name.
"TONY DANZA" He smiles and continues to clap
„JUDITH LIGHT" Judith also applauds, her tears never end.
„KATHERINE HELMOND"
"ALYSSA MILANO"
„AND DANNY PINTAURO"
They are all on stage together, everyone from the team is hugging, the audience is crying.
Judith hugs Tony again. "It was so wonderful with you, Judy, the best time! The best time!" says Tony, giving her a little kiss on the mouth.
The End