A once-aspiring Broadway playwright of the 1950s, Mark Gessel, now 88, looks back on his life from the dayroom of a New Jersey nursing home. While his body may be infirm, his mind is still razor-sharp and brimming with stories from the heyday of New York City's cultural scene in the middle of the twentieth century. While old age has made it difficult for Mark to physically write his stories, he tells them with passion, humor and self-reflection to his dutiful son, who gives him a computer to make recording them easier. The white lights of Broadway illuminate Mark's story of youthful ambition as he goes from being the son of poor Jewish immigrants to a player in the high-pressure, ego-driven, cut-throat world of show business. Mark candidly explores his struggles with cultural mores, manic-depression, an unhappy marriage and a torrid affair with a young shiksa ingenue. Pull back the curtain on the real-life drama of Broadway and share in the joys and sorrows of a man in the twilight of his life. It's funny. It's sad. It's raw. It's, "The Bitch of Broadway!" "The Bitch of Broadway," is sure to be another fascinating title in Bilker's collection of fictional works which include "The Extras and Extra," "Genetic Faux Pas," "Apartment Hunting," and many, many more.
About the Author: Harvey L. Bilker (1932-2012), wrote "The Bitch of Broadway," in 1992. He was born in Philadelphia, PA and lived in New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA, before settling in Howell, NJ in 1969 and then retiring in Barnegat, NJ in 1999. He was a Broadway Stage Manager ("The Deadly Game"), member of Actors' Equity, and script reader for Broadway Producers, including Herman Shumlin, the original Producer-Director of the stage play "Inherit the Wind," among other hits, including Robert Redford's first major New York stage performance in "Tall Story." Harvey was one of the eight editors (Medical and Associated Sciences) for The Random House Dictionary of The English Language and authored over 200 short stories and articles published in anthologies by book houses that include Simon and Schuster, Putnam, Random House and Pocket Books, and in national and local magazines. He wrote three books published by Contemporary Books: "Photojournalism: A Freelancer's Guide"; co-author (with wife, Audrey) of "Writing Mysteries That Sell"; and "Writing Science Fiction That Sells." Harvey had over 200 short stories and articles published in magazines and in anthologies (hardcover and paperback), including the following: "Genetic Faux Pas," the first fiction published by Paul Krassner in his Underground Publication, "The Realist," later reprinted in the Random House science fiction anthology, STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, ed., Thomas N. Scortia. "Apartment Hunting," (collaboration with wife, Audrey) in FUTURE CITY (Simon & Schuster; reprint: Pocket Books), ed., Roger Elwood, published later in slightly different form in the 1975 annual Mystery Writers of America anthology, EVERY CRIME IN THE BOOK (Putnam). ed., Robert L. Fish. "All You Can Eat," (collaboration), in CHILDREN OF INFINITY (Franklin Watts), ed., Roger Elwood. "The Extras are Extra," (collaboration), The Elks Magazine. "Then You Can Do What You Want" (collaboration), in THE LEARNING MAZE (Julian Messner), ed., Roger Elwood. "The Future of Science Fiction" (collaboration) in LONG NIGHT OF WAITING AND OTHER STORIES (Aurora Publishers), ed., Roger Elwood. "Sincerely Yours" (collaboration), Coast Magazine. "The Extras are Extra" (collaboration), The Elks Magazine. As a Freelance Reporter-Photojournalist for The New York Times, Harvey was a contributor to The Times Camera Column. Many front page photographs were published by: The New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Star Ledger, Asbury Park Press, and Tri-Town News.