Original subtitles

- [Narrator] Tonight on Wiseguy.

(clapping)

- You gotta renegotiate my deal.

- I don't have to renegotiate nothing.

- You're not being fair to the guy.

- Power changes people.

- Oh yeah?

I hadn't noticed.

- What kinda place you running here?

You're gonna lose it, Sonny, you're gonna lose it.

Patrice is gonna come in here and take everything!

- It's all about to pay off for you, Vinnie.

We connect these cops and Joey to Steelgrave

and he's going down.

(dramatic music)

("Ronnie's Song" by Billy Vera and the Beaters)

(crowd cheering)

♪ Do you remember the day our Johnny died ♪

♪ And Cronkite cried when he gave us the news ♪

♪ And then we all watched Ruby blow Oswald away ♪

♪ Right on the TV

♪ Well I was thinking about those times the other day ♪

♪ And how the years have slipped away ♪

♪ And how much I miss you my old friend ♪

♪ You played the Fender and I played guitar ♪

♪ And we drove to the gig in our own separate cars ♪

♪ 'Cause we might get lucky one never knows ♪

♪ That's the way life is in rock and roll ♪

♪ You played the Fender and I played guitar ♪

♪ And we drove to the gig in our own separate cars ♪

♪ 'Cause we might get lucky one never knows ♪

♪ That's the way life is in rock and roll ♪

♪ Rock and roll

♪ Rock and roll

(mouthing words)

(crowd cheering)

- Hey, Sonny, what's the matter?

What's the crisis?

I gotta wake up and get dressed in the elevator?

Something critical in the liquor cabinet or what?

- Something's critical in the lounge.

Romanowski's manager wants to renegotiate his contract.

He told me that if I was nice...

Can you imagine that, eh?

Talks like that to me!

That if I'm nice he'll give me his boy for Thanksgiving.

What am I?

- So what's the big surprise?

The guy's got a major hit on his hands.

(knocking)

- Come in.

- Sonny.

What'd you do with my manager?

- You gotta get a new manager, Joey.

Abe talked himself into a new line of work.

I think he's in floristry now.

- What'd you do?

- What'd I do?

I threw him out of Atlantic City.

As a matter of fact, I threw him all the way outta Jersey.

You got a problem with that?

- (chuckles) No problem, man.

I'm on top of the world.

I gotta record so hot it's gonna take the album gold,

maybe platinum.

Sonny, I been playing these Jersey bars for two decades,

up and down the shore,

25 years of whiskey and gagging on cigarette smoke

and now I got a hit.

You gotta renegotiate my deal.

- No one's gonna renegotiate nothing.

- Sonny, don't you see what's happening here, man?

I got a chance to make a huge amount of bread,

play to 10, 12 thousand people a night.

That ain't gonna last forever.

It ain't gonna last a year, but that's a year

I can make a million dollars in.

Sonny, let me take the year off.

Look at me.

I'm 44 years old, I'm a rock and roll dinosaur.

I got a chance to make a debut and a farewell tour

all in one fell swoop.

I got a chance to survive when this craps out.

And that could be tomorrow.

- I'll move you up to the main room,

I'll double your salary.

But for four weeks, that's it.

- (sighs) Sonny...

Sonny, I'm on fire!

Let me take advantage of it, huh?

I'll come back, I'll do anything you want.

But don't let me lose this.

I got one little moment in the spotlight.

I'm gonna blink, it's gonna be gone.

Let me have it, Sonny.

Please.

- What I want you to do

is what's called for in your contract.

What?

- Nothing, you know.

- No, no, I don't know!

Tell me.

- Ah, listen, I'm not too good at this.

You guys talk.

- (exhales) All right, smart guy,

make his case, come on.

- You know, this guy's been at this game

long enough to know that life ain't just a limo ride, right?

So it seems to me you let him go for what,

six months?

Let him score some cash.

He not only comes back a happier guy,

but a bigger draw.

You can't use that?

- Hmm.

It makes sense.

- Yeah.

- If he was a boy scout.

You know, sometimes you amaze me, Vinnie.

This guy leaves, he ain't coming back.

He'll catch a break, make some bucks, go on tour.

He'll run into a real smooth talking

west coast rebel who'll convince him

that the right thing to do is to break my deal.

He'll get an expert lawyer who's great at

breaking deals.

He'll sue me, I'll get an injunction against him.

He won't be able to sing anymore, so he'll become an actor.

Except he can't act, so he won't get any work.

Oh, hey, he'll get a couple of shots

on one of those sitcoms or maybe a game show,

Joey Romanowski on uh, Hollywood Squares.

He won't work, he'll go broke.

So what'll he do?

He'll become a drug dealer to one of those

rock and rollers or even worse, a user.

He goes to jail or God forbid he comes back here,

no voice, no nothing,

and he's singing to a group of empty seats

and what about me?

I'm stuck with my hands between my legs.

- You know, you can paint a real grim picture of success,

you know that?

- Life in the fast lane, Vinnie.

- You're not being fair to the guy!

- Oh, what about being fair to me, huh?

Why am I the bad guy because I expect an agreement

to be lived up to?

What are you, a Marxist, Vinnie?

- Sonny, you could throw mud on anything.

I just don't see why you have to.

Especially with Joey, he's always been a good guy.

- Power changes people.

- Oh yeah?

- Mm.

- I hadn't noticed.

- Vinnie.

You were fighting for me, weren't you?

How'd I do?

- I guess I'm a lousy advocate.

- I'm not giving up that easy, man.

- Hey, hey.

Now, you remember where you are.

(dramatic music)

- I said to the guy, "Now listen,

you can't bring the money in,

I'm gonna get myself another bag man."

I mean, who the hell does this guy think he is?

Know what I mean?

Hey, kid, come here! (laughs)

Oh, big shot now, huh?

You don't come and see me no more, right?

Come on in the back, we'll talk. (laughs)

Hey, it's really great seeing you.

- Good to see you, too, Mack.

- Come on.

Oh, you're looking good, Joey.

Big star now, huh?

- Ah, I just got a shot to make a couple of bucks.

- Hey, what else is there?

There's food.

Hey, Sal, bring me a couple of number ones!

Come on, sit down, kid, talk to me.

- (sighs) I need your help.

I need you to intercede with Sonny for me.

Look, I got an offer to tour,

play some arenas, coliseums, make some really big bread.

Sonny won't let me out of my contract.

- Ah gee, kid, a contract is a contract.

- Yeah, but this lawyer tells me

I can breach my contract with Sonny.

Play the dates and argue that my agreement with Sonny

denies me the right to earn my full worth.

And even if I lose, I'm still making more money

than Sonny's paying me.

- Some guy once said a true tragedy

is when a busload of lawyers drives off a cliff

and there's three empty seats.

(Joey laughs)

Who is this guy to give you advice?

- He's with ICA.

- Mm.

You should know better than to trust the government.

- No, no, no, ICA's a big talent agency,

really really big.

I'm not looking to get out of my contract with Sonny,

I just wanna cash in on the moment, you know?

Sock a little bit away for the future.

- Okay, look.

I ain't gonna make no promises, but I'll talk to him,

all right?

Come on, eat your sandwich, hey? (chuckles)

Mm.

(shouting) What kinda place you running here?

- Easy, Mack, you're gonna get a heart attack right here--

- You're gonna lose him, Sonny, you're gonna lose him!

Patrice is gonna come in here and take everything!

- I'm not gonna lose anything to Patrice.

- People think you're weak, Sonny.

This punk crooner comes to me to make you change your mind!

He's getting it from some place you ain't in control.

- [Sonny] The guy's got delusions.

- Yeah, and where is he getting 'em?

What happened to the sanctity of the contract?

What about a deal's a deal?

This causes disharmony.

Disharmony causes dissension.

First thing you know, you got anarchy

and then who needs Sonny Steelgrave?

- The guy needs taking care of.

- Yeah, well, you have your guys take care of him.

He's playing some college joint in my backyard.

I don't want any of my people explaining anything to him.

- I got people in your backyard.

- Taught you pretty good, didn't I, kid?

- Yeah, Mack, you taught the socks off me.

(knocking)

Come in.

- Excuse me, Sonny.

This just came for you.

It's addressed to Dave Steelgrave

in care of Greco Marine.

- Who's it from?

- The Revere Mint.

- It's a present from my brother Dave.

- [Mack] It's funny, isn't it,

how things keep coming back to ya.

Memories.

- [Sonny] It's beautiful, huh?

- [Vinnie] Yeah.

- 001.

Dave was always a bug about limited editions.

- He was one himself.

- Yeah.

- It's beautiful, Sonny.

- Mack.

- Hey, wait, where are you guys going?

Don't go.

- Don't you wanna be alone, kid?

- No, no, no, stay with me.

Stay with me, Mack, come on you stay with me, huh?

I like your company.

Yeah, I uh...

I'm feeling a little uh...

A little funny.

You're right, I'm...

(clears throat) I'm gettin' weak, Mack.

I need to be with people that I knew

before I had all of this.

- Hey, Sonny.

Call Joey Bags.

- Joey Bags.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's a good idea. (laughing)

Thanks, Mack.

- (laughing) Hey, what's family for?

- Yeah.

(pop rock music from inside)

(cars honking)

- Hey, Joey.

Stupid!

- Hey, hey, hey, you're killing him.

- Yeah, you want a turn?

- No.

Easy up!

- Your lucky day, singer.

No more mistakes, huh?

No more mistakes!

(Joey choking)

Hey, stupid!

(slamming)

(lid crashing)

- [Woman] Hey, stop with the noise!

I call the police!

- Did you see that guy?

- I was standing next to you, remember?

Of course I saw him.

- Nah, I mean how dainty he was.

You should have felt his throat,

I don't think he had an Adam's apple.

- Well, he don't now the way you've handled it.

What's the matter with you?

- Hey, what the hell, huh?

The guy's probably a fairy.

(motor revving)

So what do you feel like eating?

- Ah, I don't know.

Beef with gravy, I think.

- [Police Dispatcher] All units in the area

University Alley in Commonwealth,

respond to possible assault.

- Annhart and Phillips, Fifth Division Robbery.

We'll take that call.

- [Police Dispatcher] Ten Four.

- Hey, Jack, that ain't smart.

- It's a job, you gotta do it.

What the hell?

It's one stop shopping, right?

- You're a fun guy, Jack.

(dramatic music)

This just ain't smart.

- (laughing) Yoo-hoo.

Police. (laughing)

(gun cocking)

- And another one.

Yeah, John Wayne.

- Hey, uh, Duke.

If you want me to go see Joey in the hospital,

I better get going, huh?

- Mm, look at the engraving on that, huh?

24K.

24 - oh and the calvary medallion?

That's gold, too.

- Oh yeah? - Oh, yeah.

- Yeah, it's amazing.

- Yeah, right. (clears throat)

Okay, all right now.

I want you to explain to Joey how I feel

about the sanctity of a contract.

You make him understand that show business

isn't just singing in the spotlight.

Especially when the spotlight belongs to me.

(intercom buzzes)

Yeah?

- [Secretary] Mr. and Mrs. Baglia are here.

- Show 'em in.

I got these two people I want you to meet.

Joey Bag!

- Name the double plate combo for the '56 Yanks.

- Billy Boy Martin and Gil McDougald.

- First base?

- Bill Skowron.

- The hot corner?

- Andy Carey with Yogi Berra behind the plate.

You, oh, yeah, those were the days, huh?

With you and my brother at the Stadium, oh.

- Mm.

- Dona Carmella, you look gorgeous.

- Salvatore, aw.

- So, where are the kids?

- Aldo's watching the store.

Theresa's in the john fixing her face.

- Ah!

- What?

What'd I say?

- Listen, Don Baglia, I wanna introduce you

to somebody.

Vinnie Terranova, this is Don Baglia.

- How you doing?

- Joey Bags.

- How are ya?

- You a Bronx boy?

- Nah, Brooklyn.

- Who played right field for the '52 bums?

- I don't know, it's a little before my time.

- So was Columbus, but you know about him.

There are certain things that every Brooklyn boy

should know, irregardless.

- Yes, sir.

- Yeah, well, uh... (clears throat)

Vinnie's gotta make a trip to Philly.

- Uh, yeah.

Don Baglia, pleasure.

- [Sonny] Oh.

- Yeah?

- Let me know how it goes, huh?

- Okay, Sonny.

(Sonny whistling)

- So uh...

This is the kid at your right hand now?

- Yeah, that's him.

- He should be brought into La Familia.

- Ah, he already made his bones, Joey.

- He should be brought in by the council.

The ceremony should be performed.

- Oh, no you mean that bit with the guns and the knives?

Joey, this is the twentieth century.

- And you know what's wrong with America

in the twentieth century?

No sense of tradition.

Don't you want to keep your roots alive?

- My gardener keeps my roots alive.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Don't mind me, don't...

Let me get you a drink, come on.

Let me get you a drink.

How's things in the Bronx?

- [Bags] Good, Sonny, good.

- Good.

Everybody behaving themselves?

- Why not.

- Yeah, well with you up there, I tell ya, I--

Theresa.

Oh, don't you ever get tired of looking gorgeous?

- I only do it when I'm around you, Sonny.

I'm pacing myself.

- (quietly) Me and you tonight, the boardwalk.

- (quietly) You wanna walk on it

or play in the sand underneath it?

- Joey Bags, let me get you something at the crap tables.

(cars honking)

- Hey, hey, hey, relax, will ya?

I'm not gonna touch you.

I'm just delivering a message.

Sonny wants you to know that

as far as he's concerned, there's no hard feelings.

Now, look, what I'm saying is...

Is that he can still be the best friend you ever had

and keep you working.

As long as you play ball.

Look, you can't take these things personal.

Sonny had a business decision to make

and now you do, too.

Now, I think the smart move is to lie here nice and quiet

and when you heal up, you come back and work in the lounge

until your contract's up.

And if your records are still selling,

Sonny'll negotiate you a new deal.

- (raspy) I can't sing.

- What do you mean, you can't sing?

- Voicebox.

Crushed.

(paper cup crushing)

Sonny took away my life.

(dramatic music)

- An abandoned distillery.

Thank god my old man's not alive to see this.

What do you got?

- I got a slam dunk conspiracy case

against Sonny and Mahoney.

- Well, slam dunks are pretty flashy till you miss,

then you look like a jerk.

- No, this one's a can't miss.

Sonny's got a rock and roller under contract

by the name of Joey Romanowski.

- The guy who did Ronnie's Song.

No kiddin'.

Well, I know who he is, what do you think, I live in a tree?

That's a rhetorical question.

- Well, anyway, when his record started selling,

he wanted to get out of his contract.

Then he came here to get Mahoney to help him,

but Mahoney tipped off Sonny.

They found him three nights ago doing a solo engagement

in an alley.

- Dead?

- Nah, just his career.

They crushed his larynx.

I think he'd do anything to get back at Sonny,

including testify against him.

- We throw a net over Steelgrave and Mahoney

all we need is Patrice for the hat trick.

I'll check the police report.

We find the guys who muscled Joey,

maybe he'll ID 'em.

- All right, meet you back here at ten o'clock.

Hey, Frank.

Your father really a boozer?

- Only on days of the week that ended in Y.

(dog barking)

- Uh, Bea?

Here, take care of this, all right?

Put your cheese on.

- You take care of that, huh?

- Hi!

- Hi.

- Yeah, something I can do for you?

- Well, I hope so.

Frank McPike, OCB.

- Whoa.

Tom Annhart.

- How are you Tom?

Nice place you have here.

- Yeah!

Yeah, my partner and I went in on it.

It's great for the weekends, you know?

- Jack Phillips.

- Frank McPike, OCB.

Listen, I wanted to talk to you guys

about the report you turned in on Joey Romanowski.

Says here you found him unconscious in an alley.

- Yeah, we scraped him out of the alley,

paramedics dumped him at the hospital.

That was it.

- Anybody see it?

- No, no, not a soul, Frank.

- Do detectives usually roger these calls?

I mean, don't your uniform types handle that action?

- Well, we just happened to be passing through

the neighborhood, uh...

Truth is, a couple of strip joints

where we know the owners, you know?

- Uh-huh. (laughs)

Well, the report goes on to say

that the injuries appeared to be accidental,

possibly even self inflicted.

- Well, you know how those rock and rollers are.

Get a little famous, spend it on whatever they can

shove up their nose.

They all fall down the stairs a lot.

(chuckles)

- Well, you know that doesn't quite jibe

with the emergency room report.

They didn't find any trace of drugs.

- Look, I don't care what jibes with what, friend.

I've been 12 years out on the street.

I'm running on one kidney 'cause some hophead

stuck me with a screwdriver.

- Jack--

- Jack nothing!

I hate the scum that's out there.

I'll tell you what I hate even more.

A guy who's supposed to be on my side

who questions how I do the job.

- Actually, we thought he was beaten up

by a Colombian connection we were investigating.

I was just trying to tie the loose ends up here.

- Sure.

- Sorry to have bothered you, gentlemen.

(motor revving)

- Hey, forget it, forget it.

He's got nothing, huh?

- He came out here, didn't he?

He must have something.

- Injuries appear to have been self inflicted?

Frank, have you ever known anybody to fracture

their skull and crush their voice box on purpose?

Come on.

- Once.

The guy was evading the draft.

Now, listen, when I talked to the detectives about this one,

one of them went off like Mount Vesuvius.

If these guys submitted a bogus report,

then they're the ones that scrambled Joey.

They're on Steelgrave's pad.

18 months in the slam, six months undercover,

it's all about to pay off for you, Vinnie.

We connect these two cops and Joey to Steelgrave,

he's going down.

(camera clicking)

- Let me see.

Hmm.

You make the guy McPike's with?

- Totally unfamiliar.

But only for a moment, huh?

- What the hell is the matter with you, huh?

I told you to slap Joey around a little bit,

not make him a mute!

What good is he to me now, huh?

- Yeah, well I guess I got carried away.

Now look, we got a problem.

There's a Fed named McPike,

he's asking questions about your musical genius

and we followed him last night

and he met some guy.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what guy?

What guy, who?

- I don't know.

But we took some shots of him

and we'll bring 'em over to you to figure it out.

- What are you, stupid, huh?

Are you really that stupid?

Tell me.

You'll send me nothing.

I will call you and arrange a time and a place

for a pickup.

(intercom buzzing)

- [Secretary] Yes, Mr. Steelgrave.

- Find Vinnie.

I got an errand I want him to run.

- [Secretary] Yes, sir.

(Sonny sighs)

- [Sonny] I want you to pick up an envelope for me.

You'll meet these guys at Mom's off of Exit Five

on the turnpike.

A couple of guys in the back booth,

you'll recognize them as two sides of beef in cheap suits.

- We should charge a premium for this.

- Yeah, I'd just like to forget about it.

We should forget about doing this kinda thing

or we're gonna end up toast here.

- If I owned this place, I'd charge you for that ketchup.

- Aw.

You need some ketchup.

- That's disgusting. - Hey.

You guys got something for me or what?

- (laughs) I'm gonna be sick.

- You're not getting sick.

- Oh, yeah, yeah I am, Jack.

- [Jack] Shut up.

- Hey, what's the problem here?

- [Jack] You tell me.

- Maybe I got the wrong table.

- Maybe you got a lotta things wrong, pal.

- Man, we are toast.

We are toast, we are--

(slaps)

- Hey, hey, what are you doing?

What's going on here?

- One jackass for breakfast is all I can handle.

Now, beat it.

- Hey, look, I don't know who the hell you are, pal,

but somebody sent me here to pick something up.

Now you don't not wanna give it to me.

- I know why you're here.

And for you I got bupkis!

- What the hell's the matter with you?

- (shouting) Nothing's the matter with me!

I'm perfect.

I don't know who that guy was, a hood, the G.

Who knows, maybe we're being set up by Sonny.

- Come on.

Don't say that.

I mean, I told you I do not wanna know

where the money comes from.

Now, we're supposed to be doing a little

extracurricular disciplining and that is all.

I don't plan on spending hard time as an assassin

for some outfit honcho.

- Money's made you a coward, Annhart.

- Oh, great, are you hearing anything that I am saying?

- Hey, hey, hey, you gotta pay the price for the pleasure.

You wanna enjoy that place by the lake?

Well, every once in a while you get called upon

to bury a body in the forest.

- Oh yeah?

You can forget it.

- Hey, I got the evidence.

All the money from him to me to guys like you.

Only the other guys aren't wearing pantyhose.

Now, look, who or whatever this patsy is,

his picture with McPike is worth a lotta bucks

for me and you.

We gotta keep it moving.

And you can't go south on me, Tommy, 'cause you're afraid.

Fear'll cost us the job.

Maybe more.

Now, come on.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I can deal with it.

(dramatic music)

- Sonny.

Everybody's available for tomorrow night.

- Joey, I uh...

- Sonny, please.

You're gonna argue with me?

- No.

If it means that much to you, tomorrow night's fine.

- Sonny.

- [Sonny] Yeah?

- Come here.

- What's all the huff and puff?

- Sonny, those guys are nuts.

They didn't give me anything.

Who are these guys anyway?

I don't like going on errands

if I gotta be dealing with wackos.

- They gave you nothing?

- Nothing.

- These are stupid people.

It's dangerous to do business with stupid people.

Don't worry about, I'll take care of it.

I'll be back tonight, all right?

- All right.

- Hey, Cap, let's go!

- Anybody home?

Hello!

Hello, oh, come on, hello.

- You came alone?

- Yeah, I came alone.

You think I'm gonna bring a party?

Well, if you're not gonna shoot me, sport,

you better put the gun down.

Spit it out.

- Well, maybe I don't know what to spit out.

- No, you don't know what I know

and what I don't know.

Which makes it real hard to decide

just how clean you wanna get.

I'll tell you what I do know.

I know you and your partner beat the hell

outta Joey Romanowski, you did it for Steelgrave,

you're on his pad.

Do you want me to keep talking till you

don't have anything left to cop to?

Now, here are the short hairs, detective.

You tell me something I need to know right now

or you're gonna do federal time.

- All right!

We followed you when you left, okay?

And uh...

We got surveillance photos of you and a guy

who claims to work with Steelgrave.

Phillips has the negative, he deals direct with Steelgrave.

- Did he tell him?

- No, no, he plans on selling it to him.

He thinks the photos are worth a fortune.

(scoffs) The guy's a plant, right?

(McPike scoffs)

(Tommy grunts)

- You cheap, nickel and dime corrupt bastard.

You're gonna wear a wire.

- I can't.

I've seen the guy work.

I've seen him pick up on wires hidden in places

you wouldn't even look.

Even I don't know how he does it.

I won't wear a wire.

- When's the deal going down?

- It's soon, I think.

Phillips isn't gonna wanna wait.

- All right.

You get in touch with me as soon as you know.

I don't care if you have to send up smoke signals,

but right now you are gonna stand there

and you're not gonna move, right?

Right!

Son of a...

(telephone ringing)

- Yeah, Lifeguard.

- Pull Terranova in now.

(ringtone)

- Come on, come on.

Come on!

- Mr. Romanowski?

I'm Frank McPike, OCB.

I'm a big fan of yours.

How you feeling?

- (raspy) Listen to me.

- Is that permanent?

- No, just till I die.

- I'm sorry.

- Yeah.

- You were beaten by two men.

You think you can identify either one of them?

- One, I see him in my sleep.

- Will you testify?

- I wanna kill him.

- Now, you realize in testifying against these men

you'll be testifying against Sonny Steelgrave.

- He took away my career, why shouldn't I take away his?

- [McPike] Is this the man?

- Yeah.

How'd you find him?

- Don't you worry, Joey.

These guys are gonna get their justice.

I'll be in touch.

- How'd you find out?

- You're gonna destroy your throat.

- I wanna know.

I'll go to the police, they'll tell me.

- Joey, you just rest.

You concentrate on healing.

I really am a fan of yours.

You take it easy.

(dramatic music)

(camera clicking)

- Who is that?

Stop that guy.

Get that camera!

- Hey, you!

Yeah, you!

Stop that.

- Oh, huh.

This guy's a stinkin' cop!

- You want my picture?

Do it right.

2200 dollars.

(camera clicks)

Louisiana alligator, 1500 dollars.

(camera clicks)

(laughing)

Give it to him.

(camera clicks)

Send me a contact sheet.

Maybe I'll like something, huh?

If there's any change, buy yourself a better suit.

You look like death.

- You going wacko on me?

- Hey, I've always delivered, huh.

- Lately you've been delivering a mess.

Maybe what you've got I don't want.

- I got photos of a Bureau Field Director

and somebody very close to you.

- Who?

- Who? (chuckles)

Who is gonna cost you, who. (chuckles)

But I'm a good guy, Sonny.

I'll let you set the price, okay?

I'll see ya.

(ringtone)

(foreboding music)

Hey.

- Hey!

(indistinct chatter)

(ringtone)

- [Lifeguard] Sailor Hardware, Mike Terranova.

- Agent 4587--

- Can the procedure, Vinnie!

I've been trying to phone you every 20 minutes.

McPike wants to pull you out.

- What's wrong?

- Two detectives got pictures of you and McPike together.

Now, Frank made a deal with the one guy,

but this other guy, his name's Phillips,

this guy is an accident waiting to happen

and he's got copies of the photos of you and Frank.

- I can't pull out now,

I'm too close to putting the rope around

Sonny and Mahoney.

- Yeah, Frank figured you'd say that.

He's gonna be Sonny's shadow until Phillips makes his move.

Now, this guy has got to be intercepted

before he gets to Sonny with those pictures.

- (sighs) Look, I'm gonna be with Sonny all night.

There's some ceremony with La Familia,

but I don't know who's on the guest list,

but I'll report, all right?

- Yeah, well, I'll be here, Vinnie.

I'll be here.

(dramatic music)

- This is McPike.

I'm moving west on Neptune Boulevard, near the park.

I got Steelgrave in his canoe along with Terranova

and an old codger from the Bronx named Joey Baglia.

I'm outside a very swanky rat trap

at the corner of Lawrence and Birch.

The hoi polloi is gathering,

I think we can rule out a bar mitzvah.

- [Tommy] What are we doing in this neighborhood?

- Patrice and Mahoney are in town.

If there's a major pow wow, it'll be at Don Capuzzi's.

Sonny'll be there, too.

Gimme.

- Hey, what are you doing?

- Checking out our retirement program.

Beats the hell out of an IRA.

- Now, you wait, come on.

Steelgrave's gonna be in there any second.

- What the hell are these?

These aren't the pictures we took.

What the hell is this?

- Okay, Jack, now listen--

- (laughs) I knew the money made you a coward.

I didn't think it made you stupid!

- Listen, will you--

(Jack shouting)

- Stupid!

Stupid.

Stupid!

(motor revving)

(suspenseful music)

- Don.

Don Chiro Capuzzi.

This is Vincento Terranova.

(Capuzzi speaks foreign language)

- Speak English.

(Capuzzi continues in foreign language)

- What?

- [Older Man] Speak English.

- It is through the shedding of blood

that our sacred brothership continues to exist

over the centuries.

And tonight we repeat again the ancient ritual.

This represents that you live by the gun

and the knife.

And you die by the gun and the knife.

After tonight, and for the rest of your life,

you will use these weapons as ordered by your capo

and the Familia.

To defend our sacred brotherhood

from all who'd dare to harm us.

(door shuts)

Make a cup of your hands.

- Where I come from, we bleed 'em.

(Capuzzi speaks in foreign language)

I've done this ceremony 100 times!

- Then you've done it wrong 100 times!

- Then you've done it wrong, right?

(men bickering)

- Oh, look what's the difference whether

you bleed him or you burn him?

Let's get it over with!

Listen, you guys, I don't care which way we do it,

let's just do it!

- Silencio!

The flame.

(Vinnie clears throat)

- Now say these words.

This is the way I will burn.

- This is the way I will burn.

- If I betray the secrets of our sacred brotherhood.

- If I betray the secrets of our sacred brotherhood.

- Mamma mia.

(suspenseful music)

- Ah, bingo!

(cheering)

- Vincenzo, this is your goomba, your godfather!

- (laughs) I'm Sonny's goomba, too.

Now I gotta look after both of ya.

Hey, give me a smack right here. (laughs)

Hey!

Now, give me the finger you shoot with.

(Vinnie winces)

- This blood means we are all family!

La Familia!

- [All] La Familia! (clapping)

- All right, everybody, okay, listen, uh...

I'm gonna throw a bash for our brand new made man over here.

So everybody get in their cars,

meet me over at the Megazinne.

(clapping)

(suspenseful music)

- All right, gentlemen, look alive.

- Hey.

Carl Furillo.

- What?

- You asked me who played right field for the '52 Dodgers.

- [Both] Carl Furillo.

- Yeah, that's it.

(Baglia laughing) - Kid's just a little shy.

- All right, move in now.

(thrilling music)

- Sonny, I got something for you.

But you'll get nothing till I get my money!

- You're lucky you get anything.

- Phillips! (gun firing)

- Wait, wait, wait!

Federal officers, nobody move!

Joey, drop the gun now!

- Sonny, listen to what you did to me.

- Joey, don't!

(gun firing)

(gun firing)

- Hey, that belongs to me, pal.

- Don't you push me.

You don't know how close I came to letting him kill you.

- Excuse me.

I'm Marvin Ketchell, Mr. Steelgrave is my client.

- You know you have your hand on me?

- Unless you want me to press charges

for the theft of Mr. Steelegrave's property,

I suggest you return it immediately.

- (scoffs) Ketchell, when your parents sent you

to law school, they know you were gonna make a career

out of defending human slime?

(rustling)

(dramatic music)

(exhales)

(Sonny clears throat)

- I thought the entertainment was gonna take place

at the restaurant.

- Let me ask you a question, Patty.

Since when do you take night time meets

with Frank McPike of the OCB?

- It's a doctored picture, Sonny.

- How can you tell?

- It's not my good side.

- Hmm.

(rock song)

(Sonny clapping)

Billy, that was dynamite.

Take a break, guys.

I wanna talk to you about a little business.

Uh, you got a manager, yet?

- No, Mr. Steelgrave.

- Oh, you got a lawyer?

Ah, that's okay, it's no big deal.

I just wanna make sure you don't get

stuck with the wrong people.

You know, you step into a sewer, you get covered with stink.

Sit down, make yourself comfortable.

There you go, there.

Okay.

Now, I think that you could become a professional.

All you gotta do is have it upstairs in your head.

I'm a professional.

Are you a professional, Billy?

- I am a professional, Mr. Steelgrave.

That's all I think about.

- Okay, here's the deal.

I'm gonna offer you a five year contract to play the lounge.

I'm gonna start you off at three grand a week

with a raise every year.

What do you think?

- That's fantastic!

Do you mind if I ask you a question?

- You're supposed to ask me questions, you're a smart kid.

- Well, what if me and the boys get a chance to record?

Will you let us?

- Are you kidding me, huh?

Did Joey Romanowski record his big hit when he was with me?

'Course you can record.

I'm here to help you, kid.

- All right, thanks a lot!

- Hey, uh, Billy.

Now, remember.

A deal's a deal.

("Ronnie's Song" by Bill Vera and the Beaters)

♪ 'Cause we might get lucky one never knows ♪

♪ That's the way life is in rock and roll ♪

♪ Rock and roll

♪ Rock and roll

(dramatic music)

(whimsical music)