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THE FLESH PEDDLERS by Stephen Longstreet

THE FLESH PEDDLERS

By

Pub Date: Oct. 11th, 1962
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

COK, (Company of Kings) the petulant, arrogant talent organization run by the King Brothers (""money smelled good at the Kings' place"") is the labyrinth through which numerous crudely drawn characters live out their half-lives ""flesh peddling"" big and small talent, locally and internationally. A script-type vernacular and a flood of comment on current authors, ""pop"" idols and affairs (the lesbian scene and the guilt-laden adultery sequences are here typically) relate COK to its human communicators. Our ""hero"" Garrison wends his way through this colorful maze, his fast contemporary ear cocked for the nuances. His demise is an inevitable consequence of COK manipulations, for the organization is loyal to nothing. Here is slick stuff about Storyland, USA to the tune of flashy cars, willing women, and an insatiate business octopus-- all cemented in place with a very obvious, hard- money universe. Garrison finally admitted that ""...the squares had something in their favor...we wise guys were closer (to them) than we ever admitted."" Mr. Longstreet has written at length on promoters in the past; he is still hard at it, but this hits pretty low.