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sold for a paperback reprint maybe, even though it's a book of theatrical memoirs. I think maybe you'll net $50,000 out of it.” Moss thereupon decided, “I think that I'll give the whole thing to the kids.” So the royalties of the whole book were divided between Chris and Kathy Hart. They were two very young kids at the time.

Of course the book was an immediate sensation. It was number one for months on end. In addition to everything else, he got about $250,000 for the movie rights. Of course all of the money went to Chris and Kathy. Moss loved to carry on about this, although he really didn't mind. He was rich. But this became one of his routines. He named them the Lear kids. He would complain, “The Lear kids are getting all of this dough,” and then scream at me, “You son of a bitch! You told me that it would never be a real best-seller!”

Moss was the first person that Nan Talese worked with. Of course Nan fell in love with Moss at sight, and Moss was enchanted with her; they had a great time together editing this book.

We had a big party at Leone's when Act I came out and did a show. Moss, being Moss, immediately took charge of the show in his honor; and turned it into one of the greatest entertainments that I've ever been to in my life. Every star in New York was at this party. If something had happened to that restaurant that night, the theater would have ended in New York because everybody that you ever heard of was at this party. The terrible thing is that we didn't