Til the Real Thing Comes Along
Read Til the Real Thing Comes Along Online
Authors: Iris Rainer Dart
’TIL THE REAL THING COMES ALONG
“The characters are romantic and lively and the plot moves along with engaging force…. She understands people and that’s Dart’s
strong point as an author. $he takes us into their emotions and makes us understand them, mainly because they make the same
mistakes and have the same dreams as the readers.”
—Ocala Star-Banner
“Iris gives you her world in her voice. The behind-the-scenes of ;i comedy star show, the survival of writers who are used
to big salaries, the male-dominated suites of the networks…. [She can] make you laugh, cry, and think.”
—California Jewish Press
“Dart, the author of
Beaches,
writes with…humor and compassion.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer
on
Tbe, Stork Club
“If Iris Rainer Dart were a performer instead of a writer, she’d almost certainly be Bette Midler…Midler’s brash style is
Dart’s fiction made flesh.”
—Chicago Tribune
’Til the Real Thing Comes Along
Beaches
The Stork Club
Beaches II: I’ll Be There
Show Business Kills
Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint lyrics from the following songs: “CANT TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU”
By Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. Copyright © 1967 Saturday Music, Inc. & Seasons Four Music. Used by permission only. All rights
reserved. “I’M GLAD THERE IS YOU (IN THIS WORLD OF ORDINARY PEOPLE)” by Paul Madeira and Jimmy Dorsey. Copyright 1941,1942
MORLEY MUSIC CO. Copyright © renewed 1969, 1970 MORLEY MUSIC CO. International copyright secured. All rights reserved. Used
by permission “IT’S ALL IN THE GAME” (Dawes-Sigman). Copyright 1912 and 1951 renewed and terminated and assigned to Larry
Spier, Inc. and Major Songs Co. Reprinted with permission of The Copyright Owners. “WHEN YOU WORE A TULIP (AND I WORE A BIG
RED ROSE),” words by Jack Mahoney, Music by Percy Wenrich. Copyright 1914, renewed 1942 LEO FEIST, INC. Rights assigned to
CBS CATALOG PARTNERSHIP. All rights controlled & administerd by CBS FEIST CATALOG INC. All rights reserved. International
copyright secured. Used by permission. “THEY ALL LAUGHED” by George and Ira Gershwin. Copyright 1937 by Gershwin Publishing
Corp. Copyright renewed, assigned to CHAPPELL & CO. INC. International copyright secred. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
“SMALL WORLD, ISN’T IT?” by Stephen Sondheim & Julie Styne. Copyright © 1959 and 1960 by Norbeth Productions & Stephen Sondheim
Williamson Music Co., and Stratford Music, Owner of publication and allied rights throughout the world. CHAPPELL & CO. Sole
selling agent. International copyright secured. All rights reserved. Used by permission. “GETTING TO KNOW YOU” by Richard
Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein IL. Copyright 1951 by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein IL Copyright renewed, Williamson Music
Co., owner of publication and allied rights throughout the Western Hemisphere and Japan. International copyright secured.
All rights reserved. Used by permission “RHINESTONE COWBOY” (Larry Weiss). Copyright © 1974 WB MUSIC CORP and HOUSE OF WEISS
MUSIC. All rights reserved. Used by permission. “YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO YOUNG” (Joseph Myrow and Mack Gordon). Copyright 1946
WB MUSIC CORP. (Renewed). All rights reserved. Used by permission. “I’M FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES” (John William Kellette and
Jean Kenbbrovin) Copyright 1919 WARNER BROS. INC. (Renewed). All rights reserved. Used by permission. “ON THE BOARDWALK IN
ATLANTIC CITY” (Joseph Myrow and Mack Gordon). Copyright 1946 WB MUSIC CORP. (Renewed). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
WARNER BOOKS EDITION
Copyright © 1987 by Iris Rainer Dart
All rights reserved.
This Warner Books Edition is published by arrangement with the author.
Warner Books, Inc.
Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Visit our website at
www.HachetteBookGroup.com
First eBook Edition: October 2009
ISBN: 978-0-446-56761-9
This book is dedicated to the memory of
my parents, Rose and Harry Ratner.
and
to my blessings, my son and daughter,
and
to Stephen Dart,
my knight in shining armor
Prairie Hili Books
6508 Old Independence Rd.
Brenham, TX 77833-6634
(979) 836-9226
Barry Adelman
Doctor Howard Allen
Sylvia Angel
Ann Beckett
Mary Blann
Hank Bradford
Francois R. Brenot
Joyce Brotman
Ethel Eisner
Sandy Ferguson
Joe Mansfield
Elaine Markson
Doctor Alfred Pasternak
Fanny and Benny Rabinowitz
Elliot Ratner
Joe Singer
Meg Sivitz
Susan Sivitz
and a special thank-you to my
editor, Linda Grey, for the confidence,
enthusiasm, and support she’s given
me since the very first day.
Contents
BOOK FOUR: DAVEY AND ROSDE JANE
1979-1981
I
t was three o’clock in the morning and a thick gray cloud of cigar smoke hung in the air over the conference table. R.J. took
another sip of coffee from a white mug that had the words
THE BROAD
printed boldly in red on the side, then held the mug next to her cheek, hoping the heat would soothe her pounding headache.
“Patsy’s gotta say it right out on the air,” Harry Elfand announced. “‘My husband left me for a younger woman.’ America is
gonna love her for tellin’ the truth, so let’s run with it.”
“How young is the other woman?” Eddie Levy asked, knowing the other writers would rise to the bait.