On this day, Ava told Hardy that the song was finally recorded.
Hardy brought Ava to the film company's music department, where several arrangers were present, including director Nolan.
The phonograph turned, and the speakers emitted wonderful music.
"Do you plan... my love."
The beautiful singing filled the studio, and everyone was captivated. Ava tightly held Hardy's arm, unsure if Hardy would ultimately like the final version.
As the song concluded, everyone in the room spontaneously applauded.
"Fantastic, Ava! This is the most wonderful song I've ever heard. I believe this song will surely sweep across the whole of America, even Europe," praised Hardy.
Ava immediately jumped up with joy.
Ava's voice wasn't overly sweet like Sarah Brightman's, it was deeper. Nonetheless, Hardy felt that Ava's rendition of Scarborough Fair was as good as anyone else's.
The head of the music department, Jason, spoke up.
"This song is simply too delightful. Every time I hear it, I am deeply intoxicated. After the record was made last night, I don't know how many times I played it in a loop. I fell asleep to the song, and my dreams were sweet."
"In fact, when I was arranging the accompaniment, I felt overwhelmed by emotions and often forgot about the arrangement."
"I love this song too much. I'm sure this song will become a classic among classics."
Hardy then confessed, "Actually, when I composed this song originally, it was mainly for promotional purposes."
"Our budget is limited, so I came up with an idea: have Ava sing a song, take it to the radio, and promote it as the theme song of a movie. Once people love this song, they'll naturally be curious about the movie. When our movie is released, it will definitely attract a batch of viewers," said Hardy.
Upon hearing this, director Nolan immediately realized it was indeed a good idea.
Using a song to pique curiosity and attract viewers, assistant Hardy's promotional method was brilliant.
Hardy continued, "I also know that this song doesn't quite match the overall style of the movie. My initial thought was to have a scene in the movie where Marissa is locked in a cage, give her a close up, and let her sing a brief portion of this song softly, ending it with subtitles."
"I think it will work perfectly. Let's go with that. Now, we're just missing a true theme song. Benson, any ideas yet?" Nolan looked at the music department's head, Benson, and asked.
Benson shrugged.
"We've thought of a few, but you weren't satisfied with any of them. Good tunes aren't easy to come by. Anyway, the filming hasn't started yet, so we can wait until after filming to compose."
"And will you be able to produce a song I'm satisfied with after filming?" Nolan frowned.
"Uh..."
Benson couldn't guarantee.
Looking at these two, Hardy thought of the theme song in the film The Big Spender. When watching the movie, he particularly liked the whistling tune. Every time he heard the whistle, he immediately envisioned the Western atmosphere.
In the past, Hardy had deliberately learned that whistle part, but he only learned the beginning portion. Of course, the beginning part was also the most classic part of the whole song.
"Benson, I have an idea. Can you see if this tune fits?" Hardy asked.
"Oh, assistant Hardy has a new tune?" Benson asked incredulously.
"It's just a short section. Give it a listen."
Then Hardy began whistling.
The entire song was about three minutes long, but Hardy only whistled for one minute before stopping. That was about all he could do; he would let the arrangers fill in the rest.
"Does it feel okay?" Hardy asked the arrangers.
"Your tune has a great feel to it. It truly evokes a sense of vastness and desolation," said Benson, somewhat surprised.
"Do you think it would be even better with a guitar?" Hardy suggested.
"I think an electric guitar would be better."
A few arrangers began discussing without regard for the others.
Director Nolan looked at Hardy with admiration. "Assistant Hardy, I must say you're one of the most talented people I've ever met. That whistling just now gave me a lot of inspiration. There are areas in the movie that can be improved."
"Nolan, how is the preparation going for the crew?" Hardy asked.
"It's almost ready. The crew and equipment are ready to go. We've found our male lead, and the female lead is also here. The filming location is secured too. It's a filming base in New Mexico owned by MGM. I plan to depart next week," Nolan replied.
"How long do you anticipate the filming will take?" Hardy inquired.
Nolan thought for a moment.
"If everything goes smoothly, filming will take about three months. After that, there's post production, which will probably take two months. Hopefully, the movie will be ready for release in about six months," Nolan explained.
That was under ideal circumstances.
Meanwhile, Benson and the other arrangers were still discussing Hardy's whistling music. Finally, Nolan joined in too. Nolan was a versatile director, much like a conductor. He might not excel at playing any particular instrument, but he knew a bit about everything.
Hardy took a few vinyl records, he planned to take them back to the radio station and start building popularity from now.
Previously, at Siegel's party, Hardy had met several big shots in Hollywood's entertainment circle. In addition to the bosses of MGM and Warner, there was also the head of Columbia Radio in Los Angeles.
They would be perfect contacts.
Hardy took Ava home.
Ava went to take a bath.
Hardy put the record on the turntable in the room. Once again, Ava's singing filled the room. This song was truly enjoyable, so much so that it was never tiresome to listen to.
No wonder this song became a world famous melody and was acclaimed as one of the most beautiful classic English songs ever.
The bathroom door was gently pushed open.
Wrapped in a towel, a woman revealed her slender, beautiful legs, barefoot on the wooden floor. Because she had just showered, a trail of wet footprints remained on the floor.
Approaching the sofa, Ava knelt beside Hardy, her delicate face resting on his thigh, humming along with the song from the record.
Hardy stroked the woman's hair, savoring the solo.
"Jon, I'll be filming next week and probably won't see you for three months," Ava said somewhat reluctantly.
"No worries, remember I'm a film producer. I'll come to New Mexico when I have the time," Hardy reassured her.
As one song ended, both of them hadn't had enough,
so they let the record player continue to loop.
It was a beautiful night, and they listened to it over a dozen times.