In 2018, the Comet wanted to produce a commercial for local TV. They hired a company out of Dallas to make it. That company had done hundreds of local and national ads around the country, and their reputation was the best. They wrote lyrics and music to a song called "Catch the Comet" and hired a professional singer and dancer to be the lead in the commercial. He pre-recorded the song to sing on the bus, but the dancing was live. It was a little tricky for him to dance in a narrow aisle on the bus.
I signed up to be in the commercial, as did the current president of the Midlands Transit Riders Association. They also cast some people from the University and the community. Everyone sat at the back of the bus, and the camera equipment was at the front of the bus. I was given a newspaper to "read", while the bus was rolling down the street. I usually get carsick, if I read in a moving vehicle, so I didn't actually read the paper. I just stared at the top of the page. They also gave me a pair of red suspenders to wear. I had not worn suspenders since I was about 3 years old, and I think those were already attached to my pants. This pair was too small for me. I attached them to the front of my pants, but the back wouldn't reach. Every time that I stood up, the back would act like a rubber band and hit me in the head. As I have said before, modesty is not an option in the Theatre. The other MTRA member on set was a woman named Marsha. During one shot outside, I had to walk, and the back would be seen. Marsha took the suspenders and shoved them down the back of my pants. I felt like I was strangling, but she and I had a moment.
We went to several locations around the city to film us riding the bus. When we would get to a spot, the director would cue the singer and listen to the song. It was catchy at first. It got kind of old during the lengthy shoot. My part was to look at the paper, and then watch out of the corner of my eye for the guy dancing down the aisle. When he got to my row, I looked up from the paper and stared at him like he was crazy. I was sitting by the window which made for a better stare. I really wasn't acting much. We did several takes of this scene, because it had to be timed down to the second. The song only ran for 30 seconds.
They fed us lunch at Jimmy John's, and then we were back on the bus for more locations. We went down to the State House at a bus stop. The scene was for us to all be waiting for the bus. I was standing next to a woman, who was looking at her phone. I was told to look over her shoulder at what she was looking at. I felt like a stalker. Then, the bus pulled up for the next shot. We were to board the bus while dancing. Somebody asked the director how he wanted us to dance, and he said, "Like Soul Train". The younger actors didn't know what that meant. Unfortunately, us older ones knew what he meant. So, we formed a line to board the bus and danced. Some looked like ducks on a hot plate. When I got on the bus, I looked into the camera and mouthed "Wow". The cameraman liked my animation, but the director didn't. It was cut out of the final product.
We then went to our last stop of the day. It was at a Mexican restaurant on Main and Lady streets. They had outdoor seating. The plan was to put the lead actor at an outside table and wait for a girl to come join him for lunch. She was a university student that was pulled from the riders. She just had to look cute, and she fit the bill. The rest of us had to get off the bus quickly and move in opposite directions. We only had 30 seconds to do this, while the music was playing. Take after take after take. The timing had to be perfect. I was toward the middle of the line getting off of the bus, and I was walking fast. The people at the end of the line were almost running to make the time.
The commercial came out a few months later and was shown on TV. I was in almost all of the scenes. You can see it on YouTube by searching for "Catch the Comet commercial 2018". Look for the young guy in a hat in the picture. The actual video runs 33 seconds. I had a fun time making the commercial. Just like Soul Train.
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