the air.
Ray Volpe had started out with the William Morris Agency after college, and had risen through the huge company by working twice as many hours as everyone else. This was a legacy from his father who had escaped a concentration camp and made a fortune in America by age 35. “You work twice as much, you learn twice as fast,” David Volpe now intoned to his grandchildren. But they were already too rich to care.
Ray had tirelessly prowled the nightclubs and off-Broadway theatres, looking for the standouts that would one day be stars. Bill Cosby and Joan Rivers were his discoveries and they were now regulars with Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen. The resulting torrent of club dates and year-long Las Vegas contracts were now paying for a Beverly Hills life for his growing family.
Luke Trimble was another matter. Ray didn’t know what to do with him. He’d handled the high-powered radio guys who’d moved over to TV. Dick Clark, Gary Larson, Bob Crane, Wink Martindale. Luke was their opposite number. His main interest seemed to be avoiding celebrity and network and book deals. Ray liked this guy because they had a lack of materialism in common. The agent wasn’t really in the business for money. He’d been born rich, and it meant nothing. Like his father, he loved to build. Instead of office buildings and shopping centers, he built careers for the supremely talented.
“So, Luke, another Jew goes to work for Jesus.” Luke smiled lightly at Ray across the suite at the Hotel Del Coronado.
“Zack said I needed you. He said you were a good man.” Ray smiled and shrugged. Contradicting the silk shirt, linen slacks, Bally loafers, Patek Philippe watch and delicate gold
bracelet, the gesture revealed that Ray was a good man, acknowledged it and minimized it, all at once. They returned to silence for a moment, regarding each other.
“Luke, I know you don’t want much for yourself, but there are some things you have to take into account. Mainly, when all of this is over, it’s possible you’ll be unemployable. Do you know that?”
“Why?”
“Because you could be the most type-cast talent in the world. Or you could be too controversial for anyone to touch. You and your family could wind up broke in a few years.” Luke squinted, nodding his concern.
“You have to think of your wife and kids, sock away enough to live comfortably the rest of your life if things go south.”
“So what do we do?”
“I’m already talking to some people about a book deal and lecture series that will take care of your future, and I want ABC Radio to give you a five-year, no-cut contract. They’re twitching a bit on that, but Zack is talking to them on the other side. He’s done a lot for them over the years and they owe him.”
Luke and Eileen sat in front of the fire, warming themselves in the unusually cool night. “It just seems, I dunno, weird to be talking about money for this.”
“But, what if this visitor doesn’t come back ever again? Where does that leave everything?” Now they were thinking of the visitor as some kind of supernatural entity, because of the healings and answers to eternal questions.
Eileen adjusted the logs to burn better. Luke could never get the fireplace to work right.
“Luke, you have to think of the people too. KOGO is a local station. It only goes out about 100 miles. You have to hook into the network so people everywhere can hear.”
“I’m just afraid of losing our lives to this. It’s too big for me. I’m really scared sometimes. Two years ago I was playing records on the radio.”
“He picked you for a reason. So, if he believes in you, you must be the right one.”
Luke would recall that whenever he felt anxious.
Eileen adjusted the pillows and settled back. The first contraction began a moment later. In 18 hours their firstborn arrived, exactly on the due date.
Chapter 9
“Luke Trimble here with Voices in The Night on The ABC radio network. We’re live from the studios
Ray Volpe had started out with the William Morris Agency after college, and had risen through the huge company by working twice as many hours as everyone else. This was a legacy from his father who had escaped a concentration camp and made a fortune in America by age 35. “You work twice as much, you learn twice as fast,” David Volpe now intoned to his grandchildren. But they were already too rich to care.
Ray had tirelessly prowled the nightclubs and off-Broadway theatres, looking for the standouts that would one day be stars. Bill Cosby and Joan Rivers were his discoveries and they were now regulars with Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen. The resulting torrent of club dates and year-long Las Vegas contracts were now paying for a Beverly Hills life for his growing family.
Luke Trimble was another matter. Ray didn’t know what to do with him. He’d handled the high-powered radio guys who’d moved over to TV. Dick Clark, Gary Larson, Bob Crane, Wink Martindale. Luke was their opposite number. His main interest seemed to be avoiding celebrity and network and book deals. Ray liked this guy because they had a lack of materialism in common. The agent wasn’t really in the business for money. He’d been born rich, and it meant nothing. Like his father, he loved to build. Instead of office buildings and shopping centers, he built careers for the supremely talented.
“So, Luke, another Jew goes to work for Jesus.” Luke smiled lightly at Ray across the suite at the Hotel Del Coronado.
“Zack said I needed you. He said you were a good man.” Ray smiled and shrugged. Contradicting the silk shirt, linen slacks, Bally loafers, Patek Philippe watch and delicate gold
bracelet, the gesture revealed that Ray was a good man, acknowledged it and minimized it, all at once. They returned to silence for a moment, regarding each other.
“Luke, I know you don’t want much for yourself, but there are some things you have to take into account. Mainly, when all of this is over, it’s possible you’ll be unemployable. Do you know that?”
“Why?”
“Because you could be the most type-cast talent in the world. Or you could be too controversial for anyone to touch. You and your family could wind up broke in a few years.” Luke squinted, nodding his concern.
“You have to think of your wife and kids, sock away enough to live comfortably the rest of your life if things go south.”
“So what do we do?”
“I’m already talking to some people about a book deal and lecture series that will take care of your future, and I want ABC Radio to give you a five-year, no-cut contract. They’re twitching a bit on that, but Zack is talking to them on the other side. He’s done a lot for them over the years and they owe him.”
Luke and Eileen sat in front of the fire, warming themselves in the unusually cool night. “It just seems, I dunno, weird to be talking about money for this.”
“But, what if this visitor doesn’t come back ever again? Where does that leave everything?” Now they were thinking of the visitor as some kind of supernatural entity, because of the healings and answers to eternal questions.
Eileen adjusted the logs to burn better. Luke could never get the fireplace to work right.
“Luke, you have to think of the people too. KOGO is a local station. It only goes out about 100 miles. You have to hook into the network so people everywhere can hear.”
“I’m just afraid of losing our lives to this. It’s too big for me. I’m really scared sometimes. Two years ago I was playing records on the radio.”
“He picked you for a reason. So, if he believes in you, you must be the right one.”
Luke would recall that whenever he felt anxious.
Eileen adjusted the pillows and settled back. The first contraction began a moment later. In 18 hours their firstborn arrived, exactly on the due date.
Chapter 9
“Luke Trimble here with Voices in The Night on The ABC radio network. We’re live from the studios
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