“I hope you had a nice trip,” David said.
“I did,” Harrigan answered.
“Did you fly in?”
“I don’t trust airplanes,” Harrigan said. “I took the train.”
“That’s a long trip.”
“Yes, it is.”
“What brings you to New York, Mr. Harrigan?”
Harrigan looked surprised. He put his Homburg down. “You,” he said.
“Me?”
“At least I understand you’re the man who produces our show,” Harrigan said.
“Yes, I am,” David answered, puzzled.
He had received a call from the advertising agency the day before, telling him that Mr. Harrigan would be in New York and would like to see David, and would David please extend every courtesy to him since Harrigan did represent the company who sponsored the Thursday-night hour-long dramatic show. David had no idea what sort of courtesies were expected of him. In some cases, “every courtesy” meant dinner, tickets to a show, and a little discreet female companionship. But the agency had been somewhat vague about Harrigan’s visit, and now it seemed he had come to New York specifically to see David, and this puzzled him, and also worried him a bit. The show they packaged for Thursday-night viewing was a big one. It had been sponsored by Harrigan’s firm ever since it went on the air the season before. David produced the show, and the ratings were high, and he’d thought the sponsor was pleased with what he was doing. But if that was the case, why would Harrigan... now, wait a minute, he told himself. Let’s not push the panic button. He offered Harrigan a cigarette.
“Thank you,” Harrigan said. “I don’t smoke.”
“Mind if I do?”
“It’s your funeral.”
David lighted a cigarette, mulling over Harrigan’s last words, beginning to get even more worried. “You said you’d come to New York to see me, Mr. Harrigan?”
“Yes. About our show.”
“We’ve been getting some very high ratings,” David said casually. “Last night, we even outpulled—”
“Yes, the ratings are fine,” Harrigan said. “We’re very pleased.”
David smiled a trifle uneasily. If the ratings pleased Harrigan, then what was it that bothered him? He took a deep breath and said, “I think the quality of the show, as a whole—”
“Well, quality is a very nice thing to have,” Harrigan said, “but not unless it sells tickets.”
“It’s selling tickets for you people,” David said, grinning. “I understand sales are up some fifteen per cent since the show went—”
“Yes, that’s true. And we want to keep selling tickets. I’ve heard a theory about television shows, Mr. Regan. I’ve heard that when a show is too good, when the people are too absorbed in what’s happening on that screen, they resent the intrusion of the sponsor’s message, actually build up a resistance to the product. This theory holds that the duller the show is, the better it is for the product.”
“Well, I don’t know how valid—”
“Naturally, we’re not interested in dull shows,” Harrigan said. “It’s the business of the advertising agency we hire to make our commercials interesting enough to compete with the liveliest dramatic presentation.”
“And they’ve been doing a fine job,” David said, figuring a plug for the ad agency wouldn’t hurt at all.
“Yes, and they’re happy with the package you’re giving them, too.”
“Then I guess everyone’s happy all around,” David said, beginning to relax a little. “We’ve got a good show, with a Trendex topping—”
“Yes, and we want to stay happy,” Harrigan said. “As you know, it’s not our policy to interfere in the selection of dramatic material for the show.”
“You’ve certainly given us all the latitude—”
“Yes, we usually see only a synopsis of the script, and aside from certain very minor objections, we’ve been very tolerant of your choice of material and your manner of presentation. I think you’re a bunch of smart creative people up here at Sonderman, Mr. Regan. We are, in fact, thinking of asking you to work up another package for us.”
“That’s very kind of you, sir.”
“Yes, but that’s all in the future, and what we’ve got to talk about now is a script called ‘The Brothers.’”
“‘The Bro—’ oh, yes. That’s two weeks away, sir. Goes into rehearsal next Friday.”
“Yes, I know. I saw a synopsis of the script a little while ago, and I asked our advertising agency to get me a copy of the completed teleplay, and they sent me one last week, and that was when I decided I had better come to New York.”
“We’re getting a judge to introduce that show, you know. We think it’ll add another dimension to it, and point up the allegory.”
“Yes, that’s very interesting. It’s always good to do allegories, especially if they’re clear. And this happens to be an unusually fine script, Mr. Regan, make no mistake about it. I’d like you to get more material from this same writer in the future.”
“That’s easy enough,” David said, smiling.
“Yes, the allegory is very plain, and very fine, especially in these trying days of world tension. A wonderful script. I understand you’ve got two excellent actors for the parts.”
“We were very lucky, Mr. Harrigan. A Broadway show folded last week, and the actors—”
“Yes, and I understand you’ll be doing a chase scene right on the streets, by remote pickup, is that right?”
“That’s right, sir.”
“Yes, it sounds wonderful. A magnificent show.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“But we can’t do it, of course.”
“Sir?”
“I said we can’t do it.”
“You said...” David hesitated. He stubbed out his cigarette. “What did you say, sir?”
“Impossible, Mr. Regan. Believe me, I’ve gone over it thoroughly. I’ve even considered a rewrite, but the entire framework is based on—”
“I don’t understand,” David said. “Why can’t we do it?”
“Tickets,” Harrigan said.
“But it’s a good show. You just said—”
“Yes, but one man in the show is a lawbreaker, and the other is a policeman who actually condones his lawlessness.”
“He doesn’t do that at all,” David said. “He understands it. The whole point of the show is... is... it’s a plea for understanding. Why, even the title of the show is ‘The Brothers.’ Don’t you see what—?”
“Oh, yes, I see, Mr. Regan. And you see. But will our viewers see?”
“Of course they will.”
“We think not. We think they will associate our product with an attitude which seems to condone lawlessness.”
“That’s nonsense,” David said.
Harrigan stiffened slightly in his chair. “Yes, of course it’s nonsense. But if our product becomes associated with—”
“The possibility is extremely remote,” David said, “if not nonexistent. We’re not dealing with a bunch of boobs, Mr. Harrigan. The message is as clear as—”
“Mr. Regan, if we allow this show to be done, and if it is misunderstood, we will never sell another ticket as long as we’re in business.”
“How can anyone misunderstand it?”
“The show seems to condone murder.”
“The murder has nothing at all to do with it! If it’s the murder that bothers you, we’ll change it. We’ll—”
“To what? To another crime? How would that be any different? Mr. Regan, I have gone over this quite thoroughly, believe me.”
“Look, it’s a good show,” David said, a surprised tone in his voice. “It’s a really good show. Now look, we’ve... look, we’ve got two big stars, you couldn’t ask for bigger names, they’ll play beautifully together. Look, Mr. Harrigan, we’ve got one of the best directors in television. And those remote pickups’ll knock the viewer right on his—”