Say, Darling

Originally published in 1957, Say Darling is a novelized semi-autobiographical account of Richard's Bissell journey from book writer to successful Broadway show writer.

From the original dust jacket:

Not since Ring Lardner has there been a writer to match Richard Bissell for originality, irreverent wit and the unerring ability to transcribe the American language in all its garbled, nonconnected, cliché-studded, fragrant, graphic glory. SAY, DARLING is unquestionably his finest, funniest book. The author of A STRETCH ON THE RIVER and 7 1/2 CENTS (the Book of-the-Month Club selection that became The Pajama Game) has crammed all of the wisecracking, big-money, gaudy and glamorous world of Broadway into a book that hardly slows down for the laughs.

Jack Jordan, fresh from Indiana with a best seller to his credit, checked into the hotel with a suitcase rescued from an overanxious redcap, a headache and a large supply of misgivings. He was in New York to collaborate with Broadway's awesome genius Richard Hackett on a musical version of Jack's book.

Jack was prepared for almost anything except what happened.

What happened was the roller-coaster ride called show business, in which the coolest sometimes wonder about their sanity and the rest don't care. The girls were gorgeous, the shirts were loud, the cocktails frequent, the prices outrageous-only talk was cheap. Nobody agreed on anything, yet somehow, out of the endless blowups, the frantic rewriting, the crazy optimism and the Black Thursday despair, a musical began to take shape. And then there was Irene Lovelle, star of the show irresistibly lovely, in love with the theater and with herself, and impossible for any man with eyesight to ignore.

There is no business like show business, and Richard Bissell has proved it irresistibly in the hilarious and unforgettable pages of SAY, DARLING.

Richard Pike Bissell (1913-1977) was an author of short stories and novels, playwright, business executive and riverboat pilot/master. He was best known for his river books, and for his novel 71/2 Cents, based on his experience in the garment industry, which he helped convert into Pajama Game, one of the most popular Broadway musical comedies of the 1950's and made into a movie musical. He wrote a book about the experience called Say, Darling, which chronicled the ins and outs of a Broadway musical production; this book was also turned into a musical of the same name.In 1950 Bissell published his first novel, A Stretch on the River, a largely autobiographical story whose nonstop dialogue portrayed the excitement, humor, and independence of a hard-working steamboat crew on the upper Mississippi. It was published to significant critical acclaim; several commentators compared Bissell to Twain. Both flattered and embarrassed by the frequent comparisons to Twain, Bissell addressed the issue with self-deprecating humor in 1973 with the publication of My Life on the Mississippi, or Why I Am Not Mark Twain.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.