A Stranger in the Mirror by Sidney Sheldon Page B

At the end, when the daughter marries this rich doctor, we have a big wedding. And do you know what the twist is, Sam? Listen to this � it's great. They won't let the mother in! She has to sneak in to the back of the church to watch her own kid getting married. There won't be a dry eye in the audience.... Well, that's it. What do you think?" Sam had guessed wrong. Stella Dallas. He glanced at the agent, who averted his eyes and studied the tips of his expensive shoes in embarrassment. "It's great," Sam said. "It's exactly the kind of picture the studio's looking for." Sam turned to the agent. "Call Business Affairs and work out a deal with them, Peter. I'll tell them to expect your call." The agent nodded. "Tell them they're gonna have to pay a stiff price for this one, or I'll take it to Wamer Brothers," Dallas Burke said. "I'm giving you first crack at it because we're friends." "I appreciate that," Sam said. He watched as the two men left the office. Strictly speaking, Sam knew he had no right to spend the company's money on a sentimental gesture like this. But the motionpicture industry owed something to men like Dallas Burke, for without him and his kind there would have been no industry.
    At eight o'clock the following morning, Sam Winters drove up under the portico of the Beverly Hills Hotel. A few minutes later, he was threading his way across the Polo Lounge, nodding to friends, acquaintances and competitors. More deals were made in this room over breakfast, lunch and cocktails than were consummated in all the offices of all the studios combined. Mel Foss looked up as Sam approached. "Morning, Sam." ^ The two men shook hands and Sam slid into the booth across from Foss. Eight months ago Sam had hired Foss to run the television division of Pan-Pacific Studios. Television was the new baby in the entertainment world, and it was growing wiA incredible rapidity. All the studios that had once looked down on television were now involved in it. The waitress came to take their orders, and when she had left, Sam said, "What's the good news, Mel?" Mel Foss shook his head. "There is no good news," he said. "We're in trouble." Sam waited, saying nothing. "We're not going to get a pickup on "The Raiders'." Sam looked at him in surprise. "The ratings are great. Why would the network want to cancel it? It's tough enough to get a hit show." "It's not the show," Foss said. "It's Jack Nolan." Jack Nolan was the star of "The Raiders", and he had been an instant success, both critically and with the public. "What's the matter with him?" Sam asked. He hated |Ael Foss's habit of forcing him to draw information from him. "Have you read this week's issue of Peek magazine?" "I don't read it any week. It's a garbage pail." He (uddenly realized what Foss was driving at. "They nailed Nolan!" ^ "In black and white," Foss replied. "The dumb son of a bitch put on his prettiest lace dress and went out to a party. Someone took pictures." "How bad is it?" "Couldn't be worse. I got a dozen calls from the network yesterday. The sponsors and the network want out. No one wants to be associated with a screaming fag." "Transvestite," Sam said. He had been counting heavily on presenting a strong television report at the board meeting in New York next month. The news from Foss would put an end to that. Losing "The Raiders" would be a blow. Unless he could do something.
    When Sam returned to his office, Lucille waved a sheaf of messages at him. "The emergencies are on top," she said. "They need you -- " "Later. Get me William Hunt at IBC." Two minutes later, Sam was talking to the head of the International Broadcasting Company. Sam had known Hunt casually for a number of years, and liked him. Hunt had started as a bright young corporate lawyer and had worked his way to the top of the network ladder. They seldom had any business dealings because Sam was not directly involved with television. He wished now that he had taken the time to cultivate Hunt. When Hunt