Best Kept Secret

ultimate sacrifice for their country.’
    Miss Braithwaite bowed her head, and the chairman said, ‘Thank you, Mrs Clifton. Someone will be in touch with you in the near future.’

5
    N ATALIE WAS STANDING in the lobby waiting for him at 6 a.m. She looked just as crisp and perky as she had done when she’d left him the day before.
Once they were seated in the back of the limousine, she opened the inevitable folder.
    ‘You begin the day being interviewed by Matt Jacobs on NBC, the highest-rated breakfast show in the country. The good news is that you’ve been given the prime slot, which means
you’ll be on some time between seven forty and eight a.m. The not-so-good news is that you’re sharing it with Clark Gable, and Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and Tweetie Pie.
Gable’s promoting his latest movie,
Homecoming
, in which he stars alongside Lana Turner.’
    ‘And Mel Blanc?’ said Harry, trying not to laugh.
    ‘He’s celebrating a decade with Warner Brothers. Now, taking into account sponsors’ breaks, I estimate you’ll be on air for four to five minutes, which you must think of
as 240 to 300 seconds. I cannot stress enough,’ continued Natalie, ‘how important this show is for launching our whole campaign. You won’t be doing anything bigger in the next
three weeks. This could not only get you on to the bestseller list but, if it goes well, every major show across the country will want to book you.’
    Harry could feel his heartbeat rising by the second.
    ‘All you have to do is find any excuse to mention
Nothing Ventured
,’ she added as the limousine drew up outside the NBC studios at the Rockefeller Center.
    Harry couldn’t believe the sight that greeted him when he stepped out on to the pavement. The narrow entrance that led to the front of the building had been fenced off and was crammed on
both sides with screaming fans. As Harry made his way through the crowds of expectant onlookers, he didn’t need to be told that 90 per cent of them had come to see Clark Gable, 9 per cent Mel
Blanc, and possibly 1 per cent . . .
    ‘Who’s he?’ someone shouted as Harry hurried past.
    Perhaps not even 1 per cent.
    Once he was safely inside the building, a floor walker escorted him to the green room and briefed him on timings.
    ‘Mr Gable will be on at seven forty. Mel Blanc will follow him at seven fifty, and we’re hoping to get you on by seven fifty-five in the run-up to the news.’
    ‘Thank you,’ said Harry as he took a seat and tried to compose himself.
    Mel Blanc bounced into the green room at 7.30, and looked at Harry as if he was expecting to be asked for an autograph. Mr Gable, accompanied by his entourage, followed a few moments later.
Harry was surprised to see the screen idol dressed in a dinner jacket and carrying a glass of whisky. Gable explained to Mel Blanc that it wasn’t an early morning drink, because he
hadn’t been to bed. Laughter followed him as he was whisked away, and Harry was left alone with Mel.
    ‘Listen carefully to Gable,’ said Mel as he sat down next to Harry. ‘The minute the red light goes on, no one, including the studio audience, will realize he’s had
anything to drink but orange juice, and by the time he comes off, everyone will want to see his new movie.’
    Mel turned out to be right. Gable was the ultimate professional, and the title of his new film got a mention at least every thirty seconds. And although Harry had read somewhere that he and Miss
Turner couldn’t stand each other, Gable was so gracious about his co-star that even the most cynical listener would have been convinced they were bosom pals. Only Natalie didn’t look
pleased, because Gable overran his slot by forty-two seconds.
    During the ad break, Mel was escorted up to the studio. Harry learnt a great deal from Mel’s performance, during which Sylvester, Tweety Pie and Bugs Bunny were all given an outing. But
the thing that most impressed him was that when Matt Jacobs asked what was clearly the final question, Mel just went on talking, and stole another thirty-seven seconds of his precious time.
    During the next ad break, it was Harry’s turn to be led up to the guillotine, where he knew his head was about to be removed. He sat down opposite his host and smiled nervously. Jacobs was
studying the inside flap of a copy of
Nothing Ventured
that looked as if it had never been opened before. He glanced up and returned Harry’s smile.
    ‘When the red light goes