Good Horse Sense!

Share

Dream BIG! However, never get too BIG for your dreams.

Inventors want their gadgets and gizmos marketed and used. Entrepreneurs want their products and services to perform well and to be profitable. Does it matter where the ideas and innovations are marketed or how? Not as long as those ideas and innovations are represented honestly and presented fairly.

Writers want to be read — by as wide an audience as possible. Does it really matter if the book is hardcover or a paperback, in print or available in an ebook format? Singers and songwriters want to be heard — in a variety of mediums. Should a musically-inclined dreamer sneer at an opportunity to perform for a local venue, be heard on a small radio station, or be produced by an independent record label? These are steps forward to bigger and better things, after all. So, should we underestimate or devalue any opportunity or venue? The simplest and most straightforward answer comes from God’s Word: “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin….” (Zechariah 4:10 NLT)

Of course, not every person pursuing a dream is a “beginner.” Many may feel they’re well on their way to success, and that they’ve paid their dues; others may feel they’ve already arrived. Still, should these dreamers look down their noses at lesser opportunities to spread their talents and abilities? Before you answer, please allow us to share the following example of an actor who momentarily got just a little too big for his britches — and later regretted it.

Actors want to be seen. Right? And famous! And remembered! Remember Rocky Lane? He was a handsome stage actor discovered in the 1930s by a Fox Studios talent scout. But “Rocky” Allan Lane was never able to make it as a leading man in A-list productions. However, Lane found his niche, when he was in his forties, starring in a string of popular “B” movie westerns. During the 1940s through the early-1950s, Lane enjoyed enough success to be featured on kid’s lunchboxes. But by the late 1950’s he was back to smaller parts, mostly in TV westerns.

Only hardcore western fans and a few nostalgia buffs seem to remember those Rocky Lane horse operas today. Although he made close to four dozen of these short films, only a handful are available now. But the character actor got another — even greater — shot at immortality in 1961. Lane was in his early fifties by then, but apparently he was still tightly gripping the reigns of the idea he had “star” potential. When he was approached by a television producer with a steady job offer, Lane turned it down cold.

It was easy work in a weekly television series, but with good pay. The producer wanted Lane to provide the humorous voice for a wisecracking horse! Lane felt the job was beneath him; which shows how far Hollywood and actors have come since then, because Bradley Cooper, the A-list actor nominated for an “Oscar” for his lead performance in American Sniper (2014), recently supplied the voice for an ornery raccoon in Gaurdians of the Galaxy!

Well, the producer finally convinced Lane to do the voice, but the actor had two stipulations: he didn’t want an acting credit, and he wanted his part in the series kept a big secret. He wanted absolutely no association with the TV show. That wasn’t exactly using good horse sense, however, because Mister Ed ended up being a top-rated series during its six-year run, and is now considered a cult classic.

Make my day: Clint Eastwood happily guest starred in an episode of MISTER ED.

The scheming-but-lovable Mister Ed was so popular, in fact, that some of the biggest stars of the time wanted to play opposite the horse. A few who came on the show, playing themselves, included Clint Eastwood, Zsa Zsa Gabor, George Burns and baseball great Leo Durocher. And today — five decades later — people still fondly remember Mister Ed. He’s immortal, so to speak. Rocky Lane? Not so much. We’d never heard of him before we researched the show.

Leo Durocher (left) played ball with Mister Ed (literally). Right: Ed’s costar, Alan Young, playing Wilbur Post.

After Mister Ed became a hit, Lane decided he wanted that screen credit after all. Too late! The show was already crediting Mister Ed as playing himself — and the producers didn’t want to spoil the fun for all the kids watching by saying otherwise! Snort!

Horses may have been beneath Rocky Lane in all those westerns — literally — but doing  Ed’s voice, as the actor realized too late, was not. Too bad he didn’t come off his high horse sooner! (Sorry.) Moral: lighten up. Don’t take yourself TOO seriously. And above all, stay humble, no matter how much success you encounter. Dream big, but don’t get too big for your dreams! “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11 NLT)

Young (left) as Wilbur, and Mister Ed as himself.  Ed: “All us big celebrities just play ourselves!”
Share

This Has Been a Drill! (Diet for Dreamers)

Share

There’s an old science fiction movie starring George Reeves, titled Superman and the Mole-Men, made in 1951. (Yes, we know! For many of our younger readers, such a distant time constitutes the Dark Ages!) The movie was later edited to create a two-part episode of the first “watercooler show,” The Adventures of Superman — a series which actually prompted hundreds of households to finally buy one of those newfangled boxes that piped “live” entertainment into American living rooms during the Golden Age of Television.

In the movie (and/or two-part episode), newspaper reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane cover the story of the world’s deepest oil well, a venture that required months of drilling and patience, not to mention several damaged and discarded drill bits. Finally, at a depth of nearly six miles, the oil company broke through the last barrier of rock, only to discover the earth is hollow and its interior inhabited by … well, you can imagine.

Life is not like a Superman adventure. But pursuing a dream is a lot like drilling for oil! Companies hoping to “strike it rich” must first find a location suitable for drilling; an area that shows potential. The same can be said of dreams. The first step to achieving a goal or realizing a dream, is discerning precisely what we’re “called” to do. It involves accessing our strengths and talents, evaluating opportunities, and finding the proper venue for our work — and even the right geographic location.

“Does your mother know you boys are out after dark?”

Oil companies rely on geological studies to determine where to drill. We can rely on the Word of God and the guidance of His Holy Spirit, “who leads [us] into all truth.” (John 14:17 NLT) And, just as an oil company may realize it needs to drill in another spot, dreamers sometimes need to relocate — and often reevaluate what they’re pursuing or how they’re pursuing it.

Usually, however, an oil drilling outfit knows it’s where it needs to be, but understands the process is long and involved. THEY KEEP DRILLING! And those who dream big must continue to pursue their goals. Drilling for “black gold” requires steady work and perseverance. So does pursuing a dream.

Supes makes sure the mole-men make it back safely to their home at the center of the earth, via the abandoned oil well.

An oil company continues to go deeper. We dreamers, knowing that success in any venture requires patience and fortitude, would do well to go deeper into our faith. Closer to God equates to more “strength for the journey” (the pursuit of the dream).

As an oil drill burrows ever deeper into the earth, it frequently meets with resistance. It will encounter layers of nearly impenetrable rock. But the drill continues to work — and advance. Its progress slows. Ultimately, though, it breaks through! Similarly, we all encounter resistance in life; regardless of the endeavor, we periodically “hit” a brick wall, a trial or an obstacle. We need to keep drilling! If we do, we’ll eventually receive our “break through”!

In Superman and the Mole Men, persistent drilling unearthed a civilization of hairy little creatures played by midgets in bad makeup — but at least they were peace-loving souls! That’s okay, because life is not a movie. Keep drilling at your goals, go deeper, and persistently pursue your dreams. Your perseverance — especially when guided by God — will eventually be rewarded! “Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry….” (Matthew 24:13-14 MSG)

Share