Then the fire truck siren blared. Twice.
The newsroom is exciting enough without having the street in front of the Observer Publishing Co. transformed into an Appalachian First Bank of Harlan for the FX pilot "Fire in the Hole" robbery scene.
"Rocky" and its multitude of sequels may have put Philly on the movie mogul map, sandwiched between Katherine Hepburn's "Philadelphia Story" and Tom Hanks' HIV/AIDS drama "Philadelphia," but Pittsburgh remains the film capital of Pennsylvania. If the 'Burgh is known as Hollywood on the Mon, what's Washington known as?
"Hollywood on Catfish?" ventured staff writer Christie Campbell, who was doing a good job that afternoon in her role as office wag.
I hadn't seen so many tractor-trailers in the center of town since a serious accident shut down the interstate. Bags were still shrouding the parking meters a week later along West Wheeling Street.
The beehive of activity was fascinating, from the friendly dog that accompanied the artists to the pitching of small tents and the application of touch-ups to a desperado's tattoo.
Christie suggested ORPP tents to shelter reporters covering events that occurred in the midst of inclement weather. Would a tent keep away that scourge of summer black flies? They'd certainly come in handy while handling a sunburn-inducing stake-out on hot pavement of then-candidate Rudy Giuliani under 90-degree-plus temperatures, but I'm not sure the tent would be strong enough to withstand the ensuing thunderstorm, replete with hearty gusts of wind.
Enough of the blazing-hot sun and other June unpleasantness. Back to "Fire in the Hole." Because Washington's afternoon cloudiness dissolved into a steady rain at the end of the 9-to-5 workday, I'd be curious to see if and how the dampness reconciled with the dry streets earlier in the day.
Here's a proposal for the powers behind "FITH," as it was known in directional signs pointed in the vicinity of Interstate 70 and East Beau Street: Show us the pilot. Some of us are cheapskates, and not everyone subscribes to cable television.
By show us, I mean rent out Washington & Jefferson College's Olin Fine Arts Center, the George Washington Hotel ballroom or the party room at the Union Grill and let the community see how the made-for-TV adventure turned out. Are the bank robbers prosecuted and sentenced in the Washington County Courthouse?
Even if it's going to be on television, treat us to an advance screening - a world premiere, if you will. Half the fun would be identifying local landmarks, or figuring out what ended up on the cutting-room floor. Maybe a question-and-answer session would be in order.
In the end, it could make the THROB-THROB-THROB of a headache worthwhile.
Staff writer Barbara Miller can be reached at bmiller@observer-reporter.com.