Northern Exposure (1990–1995): Season 6, Episode 18 - Little Italy - full transcript

The acetaminophen
should help.

Just keep her in bed,
give her plenty of fluids.

She should be
up and around
by the weekend.

Thank you, Doctor.
Okay. I'll check in
with you tomorrow.

(SNlFFlNG)

(SNIFFS)

Chris! Chris!

Hey, what's up?

Smell that.
Do you smell that?

Am I burning oil again?

No, no, no,
nothing like that.



I'm thinking the wind shifted.

What are we
shooting for, Doc?

It's a cooking smell.

Onions.

Gemma's sauce.

That's what it is.
It's my Aunt Gemma's
spaghetti sauce.

I don't believe it.

(SNlFFlNG)

Aunt Gemma's
spaghetti sauce.

Spaghetti sauce, huh?

No, not just any sauce.

My Aunt Gemma's
spaghetti sauce.

The way they used to make it
in our part
of the old country.

Razor-sliced garlic,



bay leaves, veal bones.

Who'd be cooking
like that here?

Beats me.

Boy, I'd give anything
to know where that smell
was coming from.

Well, I've got to
get over to Cantwell.

Little ltaly.

What?

You were in Little ltaly.

Little ltaly?

In this town?
There's a Little ltaly?

On the corner
of Caribou and Third.

Four houses.

Used to be five.

You're kidding.
There are four
ltalian families here?

The Cusomanos, the Grippos,
the Trapanis,
and the Masellos.

Cusomanos.

Wait a minute. Joe Cusomano.
The peptic ulcer.
That Cusomano.

Uh-huh.
PHIL: Tell me
about the others.

Well, there's
Cesare Trapani,
he's retired.

Bob Masello, he writes
service manuals
for Olivetti.

And Lowell Grippo,
he's got a
contracting firm.

And a restaurant.

A restaurant?
Well, it's not much
of a restaurant.

Stella Del Nord.

Well, how come I never
heard of this place?

Don't get your gonads
in an uproar, Capra.

It's not much
of a restaurant.

Momma Grippo
just occasionally
cooks a little extra

and serves some friends
in the basement, that's all.

Well, that sounds great.

What's the number?
It's unlisted.

They only serve
people they know,
anyway.

Well, how 'bout it, Maurice,
are you gonna
put in a word for me?

Maybe. We'll see.

I'd really appreciate it,
Maurice.

He likes to keep it a secret.

Why?

He thinks success
will spoil it.

SIEGEL ON RADIO: This is
All Things Considered,
I'm Robert Siegel.

Now, the view from Cicely.

Not the balmy
Mediterranean isle,

but Cicely, Alaska,

where Ruth-Anne Miller,
age 76,

runs a store that sells
a wide assortment of goods

to a wide assortment
of characters.

Quiet, back there!

RUTH-ANNE ON RADIO: I want to
tell you about the time
my friend, Chris Stevens,

flung a piano
with a medieval siege weapon

known as a trebuchet.

Chris is our local DJ.

A self-taught, ex-con,
mail-order minister,

with a passion
for the transcendent.
All right.

The piano in question
was a 1943 Baldwin upright,

good, solid mahogany,

which had been hauled
all the way to Alaska
from Last Chance, Idaho...

...Ed knew that Maggie
ended up with this piano
and had little use for it.

Chris got it free of charge
and the fling was on.

Chris told us all to meet him
out at Ivory Springer's farm,
where he...

...where it flew into space,
leaving a vapor trail
of broken keys in its wake.

And when at last it fell
to Earth and broke into
a million pieces,

our spirits were elsewhere.

Somewhere still aloft,
in the clouds.

SIEGEL: Ruth-Anne Miller
writes Tales of Cicely...

(ALL CHEERING)

She comes to us via
radio station KBHR.

And this is NPR,
National Public Radio.

Ruth-Anne Miller!

Do you really think
we should do this?

Well, why not?
Maurice said it was
in the basement.

You know, I've been dying
for an ltalian meal
since we left LA.

Even there, it was all that
northern ltalian cooking,
you know, Tuscan.

(DOG BARKING)

All that risotto, and polenta,
and white beans.

Oh, I'm telling you,
this sauce was as red
as your nail polish.

This sauce was home.

Yes?

Hi, is Momma
cooking tonight?

Scusi?

This is Stella Del Nord,
right?

We are not serving tonight.

What is that I smell?
Is that eggplant parmigiana?

Signore, Signore, please.

(SPEAKING lTALlAN)

I'm Phil Capra.
I'm the town doctor.

My wife and I
were hoping for
a home-cooked meal tonight.

Capra?

Calabrese.

Please, come in.

Grazie.

(lTALlAN MUSIC PLAYING)

Benvenuto.

Oh, my God.

Signora?

(SPEAKING lTALlAN)

Thank you.
Thank you.

Enjoy.
Thank you.

Would you like to see
the wine list?

Yes, please.

Phil.

Maurice.

Thank you.

Oh, hi, Ruth-Anne.

Celebrating her
radio debut.

Walt.
I recommend the
ptarmigan cacciatore.

What they do
with wild game here...

This wine list
is incredible.

Yes, sir.

We'd like the number 136,
please. The Brunello.

Excellent.

Smoked buffalo mozzarella,
roasted peppers,
clams oreganato.

Enjoy.
Thank you.

(MOANS lN PLEASURE)

I'm in heaven.

I have died
and gone to heaven.

(MACHINE BEEPING)

Third time's a charm,
so they say.

WAITER: Order's up.

(MACHINE BEEPING)
Shelly.

Didn't you follow
the directions I wrote out?

Well, it's connecting,
but it doesn't seem
to wanna work.

Did you enter
the last four numbers
of Hayden's card?

The last four?

Hayden, I'm gonna
void this out
and start over, okay?

I just wanna
get out of here.

It's a new machine.

We've had it
a week, Holling.
Well, uh...

Miranda's going to know
how to use this
before you do.

That Holling,
he never gets mad
at Shelly.

Uh-huh.

And she can get on him,
all he does is smile.

You take my tables, H.
I'll take the register,

or pretty soon
we'll be serving
these people breakfast.

Yeah.

Sign here, Hayden.
Good idea.

Oh! I can't move.

Me neither.

(lN lTALlAN)

Momma's
special cookies.

Oh, please,
we couldn't.

No, no, no,
just one. Just one.

You know, my Aunt Gemma
used to make cookies
just like this.

Where are you from, Lowell?
In Calabria, I mean.

Catanzaro.
Catanzaro?

Please, you must let me
buy you a drink.

Honey, Catanzaro!
Yes?

My mother's family
is from Catanzaro.

No!
Si!

Ma! Ma!

Ma, come here, Ma.

Meet a nice boy
from Catanzaro.

Ah, fantastic meal.

(THANKING
lN lTALlAN)

Yes, fabulous.
Good.

Good, grazie.

(SPEAKING lTALlAN)

Ma says you need to
come back more often.

(LAUGHS)
Well, we'd love to.

Lowell, do you like cigars?

I stopped off on the way over
and I picked up
two fine cigars. Please...

Phil, it's late.
I'm sure Mr. Grippo...

Partagas.
Ah, my favorite.

Good.

Calogero, bring us
some grappa.

(SPEAKING lTALlAN)

The best.

I can't believe it.
Both from Catanzaro.

We're compari.

Heard you
on the radio.

Did you?

Hope the next one's funnier.

Well, I'll try.

Okay, bye.

Bye.

Hey, Marilyn.
Hi.

Hey, Ruth-Anne, getting lots
of good feedback
down at the station.

Me, too.

It's funny,
some people really dig
the thematic subtext.

The what?

Well, the way you
linked the Christ imagery
with the reborn piano.

I did no such
a thing, Chris.

Unintentionally, maybe.

I was just trying
to tell a good yarn.

Well, you know, Ruth-Anne,
art operates on lots
of different levels,

and all I know is
the semiotic crowd can't wait
till your next piece.

Hey, did those
Hot Tamales come in?

Aisle two.

So this is it, huh?
Little ltaly.
Yeah.

My father, a stone mason,
came to Anchorage in '39

to build a cathedral.

The archdiocese
never happened, of course.

The old man fell in love
with this country.

Ended up in farming.

Broccoli, mostly.

What about the Trapanis?

Nuclear physicist
out of Chicago.

No kidding!
Yeah.

Worked with Fermi
on the Manhattan Project.

Now he's retired mostly,
but keeps his hand in
by modem, you know.

And the Cusomanos?

(SPEAKING lTALlAN)

You know Joe Cusomano?

Yeah, he's a patient.

(LAUGHS)

No kidding.
What's he in for?

Well, I'm really not
supposed to say, Lowell...

All right, all right,
that's okay.

As long as it's painful
and terminal.

What?

Our families haven't exactly
socialized in years.

Is that right?

Look, he's got
the Christmas lights
up still.

What a cafone.

The Feast of San Giuseppe
in three days, and he's still
got his lights up.

You wanna see something?
Come here. Look at this.

Cusomano's dog.

He's got an entire
national forest
for a backyard,

lets his dog
use my front lawn
as a pisciatoio.

(CURSING lN lTALlAN)

Hey!

Hey!

What do you think
you're doing?

What does it look
like I'm doing?

I don't know.
You don't know?

I don't know!
You don't know?

If I see your dog
in my yard again,

I'm going to take a backhoe
to your solarium.

What?
You heard me.

Your first-edition
James Joyce,
that phony Chagall litho.

Mulch! History!

Hold me! Somebody hold me!
Or what? Come on!

ANGELA: Joey!
Joe, remember your ulcer.
Take it easy, okay?

Hey, ulcer! How nice!
Your wife must be
cooking for you again.

Son of a...

Joey!

You with him?
Yeah, he's with me.

You want to do something
about it?

No, no, no.
I'm not with anybody.

LOWELL: Come on,
do something about it.

I should have known.
Well, what's that
supposed to mean?

You call that an exam
you gave me last week?

You didn't even scope me.

I didn't have to,
your symptoms were classic.

Don't argue with him,
he doesn't know anything.

I don't know anything, huh?
I know I'm not
getting any better.

Maybe if I had
an lvy League physician
I'd see some results.

Well, maybe if you cut back
on the Scotch,

I wouldn't have to prescribe
Zantac every damn week,
all right?

(LOWELL LAUGHING)

Now we know where we stand.

Everybody into the house!

Oh, I shouldn't
have said that.

Oh, come on,
what are you gonna do
with people like that?

Come on, I'll make you
a nice espresso. Come on.

Don't worry
about this guy.

(SPEAKING lTALlAN)

Ma, would you please?
Give me a break, already.

Like I don't know
acute gastritis
when I see it.

Ah, he's a cafone.
Don't worry...

The guy's killing himself
and blaming me.

MICHELLE:
You insulted him?

He insulted me first.

You should
apologize, Phil.

Why?
Well, because Joe Cusomano
is your patient.

So?

So, you shouldn't
get involved in a tiff
between him and Lowell Grippo.

It is not a tiff, Michelle.

It may be less
than a vendetta,

but it's definitely
more than a tiff.

Well, even worse.

Well, don't worry about it,
I'm not that involved.

Ah, here we are.

You're not involved?

You trade insults
with the man,
he threatens you.

You're involved, honey.

(OPERA PLAYING)

(PHIL VOCALlZlNG OPERATICALLY)

I think that you should
apologize, Phil.

I'll apologize to him
when he apologizes to me.

(RESUMES VOCALlZlNG)

You know,
Joey's wife, Angela,
is a friend of mine.

He brought it
on himself, Michelle.

Well, wait, I thought
it all began when Lowell kicked
snow on Cusomano's property.

Because Cusomano's dog
peed in Lowell's yard.

Oh...

Cusomano's a cafone,
all right? He's low-class.

He's a peasant.

Says who?

Says Lowell,
and Lowell is
mi compare.

So what about Cusomano?
lsn't he your goombah, too?

I thought you said
he's Calabrese.

No, Cusomano's
not Calabrese.
He's Campanese.

From Campania,
it's a whole
different region.

Calabria is in,
like, the toe of ltaly.

Campania is on, like,
the lower shin.

Oh, well, that makes
a lot of difference.

It does. It's like comparing
Cleveland and Cincinnati.

I mean, you're either a Browns
fan or you're a Bengals fan,
you can't be both.

Do you know how ridiculous
you sound right now?

I'm just getting back
to my roots, that's all.

(SCOFFS)
Your roots, Phil?

God, the only time you act
even remotely ltalian

is after you've seen
a Scorsese picture.

That is not true.
It is true.

You don't even
speak the language.
Oh...

Oh, okay,
restaurant ltalian.

Look, the ball is
in Cusomano's court,
all right?

If he wants to apologize
to me, fine. If not...

Hey, do we have
my mother's recipe
for zeppole?

Remember those little
fried dough things?

I promised Lowell that
we'd man a booth with him
at the Feast of San Giuseppe.

Hey, Ruth-Anne.
Working on your next piece?

Uh-huh.

You know, Ruth-Anne,
I was thinking.

People are really
fascinated by bush pilots.

No, really. Whenever I'm
in Michigan, people can't
get enough of my stories.

Well, I mean, not that
I'm a writer like you,
of course,

but I have had
all these really
interesting experiences.

Close calls,
unusual passengers.

So, I don't know,
I was just sort of thinking

that maybe you and I
could sit down

and I could give you
my material and
you could write it up.

Oh, maybe I should
come back another time.

If you wouldn't mind.

Sorry. Okay.

Hello, Ruth-Anne.

Mind if I join you?

Frankly, yes.

What's this?
Open it.

I don't want to open it.

Oh. Well, all right,
I will.

You know, we may have
our hands on a very
powerful franchise here.

Your little radio talks
may just be the tip
of the iceberg, young lady.

Take a look at this.

„Tales of Cicely:
The Catalog”?

(CHUCKLES) Yeah, that
Garrison Keillor fella,

he had the right idea
before he flipped out
and moved to Sweden.

His Lake Wobegon merchandise
is a marketing bonanza.

I'm not interested
in marketing, Maurice.

Oh, come on, Ruth-Anne,

your shelves
could be teeming with
Tales of Cicely merchandise.

Never underestimate
the ability of the American
public to buy tee-shirts.

Not to mention coffee mugs,
beach towels,

refrigerator magnets.

Why don't you just
take that and go?

Oh, come on.
Think about it.

I don't have to.
I think it's a terrible idea.

Any luck?

Nothing.

What's up, babe?

Darnedest thing.

You know those little
ltalian flag centerpieces
we used to use

for the Feast
of San Giuseppe?

I can't find them
anywhere.

That's because
I threw them out.

What?

Well, last month,
I was going through
the cellar,

just in a cleaning
mood, I guess.

You threw them out?

Well, there's a lot of junk
down there, Holling.

I liked those flags,
Shelly.

Those flags have been
a part of this bar

for as long as I've
been here. I...

What I mean
to say is,

what are we gonna use
for centerpieces instead?

Well, we haven't had a feast
in eight years, Holling.

It always gets canceled
at the last minute.

Still...

Besides, we never make
any money off of it.

I don't know why
we even stay open.

By the time people get here
after the parade, they're so
stuffed with sausages,

all they want is a bromo
and a nap.

HOLLING:
Fiddlesticks!

What?

Nothing. I'm fine.

(UTENSILS CLATTERING)

Yeah.

I'm just fine.

(PEOPLE MURMURING)

You talking to me?

You talking to me?

(CHUCKLING)
That's a good one.

I got one for you,
here you go.

What are you doin'?
Don't overcook the steak.

It's like charcoal,
it defeats
its own purpose.

Bring it over here!

Raging Bull.
Excellent.

Can I get you
something, Joe?

A ream of computer paper

and a half a pound
of provolone.

Whoa.

(ENGINE STALLING)

Great.

Oh!

Please, stop!

(TIRES SQUEALING)

Thank God.

Angela. Hey, Angela!

I think I just
need a jump.

I've got some cables, Angela,
if you could just pull around.

Do you know what your husband
said to my Joey?

Yeah, I heard about it.

In front of that no-good
Grippo, no less?

Yeah, but what does that
have to...

He had no right
to talk like that.

Maybe not, Angela, um...

There'll be other cars.

What? You're not
going, are you?

Come on!

You're my friend.

Maybe I'll radio
the service station.

Angela.

What he said...

Angela, wait!

Tequila sunrise.

I'm waiting.

Waiting for what?

What do you think?
An apology.

You? I'm the one
who should get an apology.

I'm not the one who
punched out a moose
and embarrassed his wife

in front of
the entire town.

What did I do to you?

If you don't know,
I'm not going to tell.

Oh, really?

There's no point
in talking to you.

Tequila sunrise.

PHIL: I don't believe it.
I do not believe it.

It's got to stop, Phil.

Did you hear me?
This has gone
far enough.

Lowell, Phil. Yeah.
Listen, you're not going
to believe this.

Michelle was out on Route 6,
taking pictures, right?
Her car wouldn't start.

Angela Cusomano
pulls over,

she sees that it's Michelle,
and she just drives right off.

She just leaves her
out there in the open.

Yeah, she could have been

frozen to death,
or eaten by a bear...

Phil!
Let me tell you something,
my friend.

You were right.
Cafone is too nice a word
for those people.

Hang on one second,
he wants to talk to you.

Hi, Lowell.

No, I'm fine.

Really.

No, Phil is exaggerating.

She called the gas station,
they came right out...

Well, gee, that's
awfully nice, Lowell,

but we have dinner plans
for tonight.

No, we don't.
I don't want to go.

Michelle, give me
the phone.
I...

Give me...

Lowell, we'd love
to come over.

7:30 is great.
Okay, ciao.

Perfect.

Michelle, you don't
insult a man

when he invites you
to his house for dinner.

It's disrespectful.

Oh, excuse me,
Godfather.

Phil, I don't want
to go out.

I want you to call
Joe Cusomano and
tell him you're sorry

and just forget
this whole thing.

After what they
did to you? Eh!

And what is this „Eh”?

This ltalian stuff
is driving me nuts, Phil.

It's time to come home!

See, that's what
you don't understand.

In the middle of nowhere,
in Cicely, Alaska, I have
finally found my home.

The Grippos are not family,
Phil. You barely know them.

Look, I know this seems
strange to you,

but some things
you don't have to know.

Some things
you just have to feel.

Holling, Shelly,
what a surprise.

HOLLING: May we
come in?

Yes, I was just heading down
to the movie theater.

See? I told you
we should have
called first.

Oh, no, no, no, it's okay.
I mean, I've got a minute.

What can I do for you?
I mean, you want to sit down?

I'll let Holling tell you.
It was his idea.

Well, we were wondering
if you could help
settle a domestic dispute.

What?
In your capacity, you know,
as the mayor, I mean.

Uh, I recall mediating
several squabbles

when I was mayor myself.

It's in the charter, you know,
under mayoral powers.

Being isolated like
we are here, you know,

the mayor is somewhat
like the captain of a ship.

You can perform
marriages, you know.
Act as a judge,

and then
there's that clause about
ensuring domestic tranquility.

Well, um...
Have a seat.

I mean, if it's
in the charter,

I'll certainly give it a try.

So what seems
to be the problem?

(OPERA PLAYING ON STEREO)

So, how are you coming with
your Saint Joseph's Day plans?

I spoke to my mother
this morning,

she gave me her recipe
for zeppole.

Let me tell you, my friend,
if we get some Amerena
cherries, we are in business.

Excellent.

It's really a big deal
here, huh?

The feast?
Oh, yeah, yeah.

That is, if the Cusomanos
don't spoil it
like they do every year.

What do you mean?

(SCOFFS)
It's always something
with them.

They got to carry
Saint Joseph,

or they don't have enough
booth space, whatever.

We've had to cancel
eight years in a row.

How did this get started?
The feud, I mean.

(SIGHS)

It was la busta.

I'm sorry?

Tell her.

Well, when somebody dies,
it's customary for
the family to give a busta.

It's like a boost, to help
the family defray the funeral
expenses, you know.

So eight years ago,

when Grandma Grippo,
rest her soul, passed away,

Joe Cusomano gave us
an envelope of $5.

No, $5?

I should have stopped
speaking to that lousy bum
right then.

But I got an idea.

(CHUCKLES)
I'm going to build a wall,

eight feet high,
between the two houses.

In fact, I'm going to sneak in
on his side of the property.

(LAUGHS) Good, good.

(SPEAKING lTALlAN)
What, Ma?

She wants to show you
her new dress.

Oh, come here,
sweetheart.

Come on, come on,
come on, show Nonno.

Oh, look
how beautiful.

JOEL: Ah,
che bella.

LOWELL: It's for the feast.

(SPEAKING lTALlAN)

It's bedtime now.

Give Nonno a kiss.

Buona notte.

Excuse me,
but I just can't believe
what I'm seeing here.

I mean, one minute
you're plotting
against your neighbor,

and the next, you're fawning
all over a little girl's
patron dress

for a Catholic holiday

honoring the patron saint of
all families, of community.

Yeah?

I'm sorry about
the change of venue,

it's just that we're a little
shorthanded tonight.

So who wants
to start first?

Go ahead, Holling.
You're the one
who wanted to do this.

(MAN CLEARING THROAT)
Well, I...

Well, I suppose it goes
all the way back to
April of last year.

April?

A year ago?

You remember
those videotapes
you didn't return,

like you said
you would?

Unforgiven and
My Little Pony,
as I recall.

So what?

It costs us $2
in extra rental fees.

But that's not
the point.

The point is Shelly told me
she was going to
return those tapes.

Now I could have
taken them myself.

In fact, I had
business at Ruth-Anne's
later that day.

But I just assumed that Shelly
was going to do what she said
she would.

And that made you mad?

Well, what really
made me mad was later,

when I was
pointing this out
to Shelly,

politely, I might add.

You know what she said?

„Big wow.”

Yeah. So?

Well, and Holling,
what did you say?

Nothing.

I just returned
the tapes the next day.

Ancient history.

Anyway, about
two weeks later,

I was taking
this photography course

in Cantwell, over at the
community college.

Holling, could you
hand me that popcorn?
Sorry.

Thank you.

Anyway, one Sunday,
I came back early

because Shelly told me
that we were having dinner
with Walt and Ruth-Anne.

And so I came back in a rush,
got home, Shelly wasn't there.

She'd gone to a movie
with Marilyn instead.

So, I forgot. Shoot me.

What did you say then,
Holling?

Nothing.

Holling,

(CLEARING THROAT)

you know
what I want you to do?

I want you to pretend that
Shelly's not here, okay?

Not here?
Uh-huh.

And I want you to tell me
what you'd like to tell Shelly
if you could.

Well, um...

I guess what I'd
like to say is

sometimes you make me
mad, you know?

Yes.

What did I tell you?
Huh? I talked to you
before, didn't I?

Huh? Didn't I say,
„Don't go out
and buy anything?”

Didn't I say, „Don't buy
anything, don't get
anything. Nothing big”?

What's the matter
with you, huh?

It's a wedding present, Jimmy.
It's under my mother's name.

I don't care
whose name it's under.

What's the matter with you?
You stupid or what?

I apologize.

What's the matter
with you?
I'm sorry, Jimmy.

Are you nuts?
What's the matter
with you? What...

(CHUCKLES)

It's Robert De Niro.

Goodfellas.

I'm going to lunch.

Okay, whoa, whoa.
Don't we have a 1 2:00?

Canceled.

Oh? Who was it?

Joe Cusomano.

Canceled?
Uh-huh.

What do you mean
he canceled?

What, all of a sudden his
stomach isn't hurting anymore?

He has to
come in, Marilyn.

How could I treat him,
if he won't let me see him?

What does he want?
A perforated ulcer?

Sorry.

What the hell's
the matter with him?

I apologize, Jimmy.

Okay, that's enough,
all right?

It was a wedding present.

That's enough, already.

Sorry, Jimmy.

That's enough with
the De Niro, already.

I'm tired of it.

Oh!

Sorry, Dr. Capra.

Tales of Cicely,
take one.

I want to tell you about
my friend, Holling Vincoeur,

and a bear
named Jesse. I...

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

BOBBY: Hey,
Ruth-Anne!

GIRL OUTSIDE: (MUFFLED)
Don't forget the ice sculpture!

I'm sorry, Chris.
Could we start over?

Sure, we'll just let it roll.
Tales of Cicely, take two.

I want to tell you about...

RUTH-ANNE: Look at that.

Suddenly everyone
wants to get cutesy

just to get into
one of my stories.

I haven't seen Bobby Spellman
on that thing in years.

Hey!

Enough!

Bob, get off
that contraption
right now!

I'm not doing it!

(ITALIAN OPERA PLAYING)

(PHONE RlNGlNG)

Hon, could you
get that, please?

I'm neck deep
in zeppole, here.

Hello?

PHIL: Hey!

Hello Lowell.

I'm afraid
he's busy right now.

Really?

Oh, that's too bad.

Yeah, I'll tell him.

I'm sure he'll want
to call you back.

Okay, thanks, Lowell.
Mmm-hmm, bye.

That was Lowell, honey.

He and Cusomano
had words today.

The feast is
canceled, Phil.

Oh.

Hi, Shelly.

Hey.

Is Holling around?

He's taking a walk
with Randi.

Oh, good. Listen,

I think I've got this
whole thing figured out.

The reason Holling
exploded the other day

is I think he doesn't know
how to express anger with you.

I mean, he
loves you, Shelly.

He doesn't want to
upset you,
so consequently

he tends to
keep everything inside.

I know.

You do?

He lets me
get away with murder.

You know that?

Sure.

And I feel bad about it,
too, sometimes,

but I just
can't help it, Maggie.

I hate apologizing.

It's such an un-chick-like
thing to do.

„I'm sorry.”

(SHIVERS lN REVULSION)
I mean,

I know there's
plenty of times
when I'm wrong,

and Holling should
just blow his stack,

but I know if
I don't cop to it,
he'll just let it slide.

So what you're saying is,

you knowingly
take advantage of Holling's
emotional vulnerability?

Yeah.

Kinda.

Oh, Shelly, that's not
a very healthy pattern,

I mean, especially
for Holling.

I know.

Well, as mayor,
I suggest

that you sit down
with Holling

and let him air
all of his grievances.

And apologize.

Do I have to?

Gentlemen, please.

Cesare Trapani.

PHIL:
And the other one?

Running Bear Masello.

Siciliano on
his grandfather's side.

Well, gentlemen,
let's begin.

Before we start, I would like
to thank our good friend,
Dr. Capra, here,

for calling a meeting
of the four families.

Thank you.

It's been much too long
since we last
broke bread together.

I only came out of
respect for you, Cesare.

As for certain others...

We all have to talk.

That's right.

About what?

Lowell, for the ninth year
in a row now,

you've canceled
the Feast of San Giuseppe.

Huh.

As for you, Joe,

your family
abandoned my wife
in a time of need.

What about you?

I'm guilty, too.

I let a valued patient
refuse treatment

for a serious
medical condition.

And why?

Spite.

That's right.
The old country ways.

What's wrong with us?

Is that why we came
all the way to America,
to this town?

We ltalians
invented the vendetta.

I don't know,
maybe that's a good thing.

Some people
never invented anything.

What I mean is that
we're a passionate people.

That's what makes us
great painters,
great poets.

Makers of
what everyone
acknowledges

are the world's
finest shoes.

We're emotional,

we're a people of honor,
we're easily insulted.

But this can
get in the way.

Turn brother
against brother.

We never turn
the other cheek.

We love to hang on
to our pain.

What is that
supposed to mean?

What went on this week
is neurotic behavior.

I myself, I was
responding to a deep
yet unacknowledged feeling

of homesickness,
isolation.

But this is
the frontier.

We need to put
our differences aside
and work together.

I don't know.
I never put much credence
into this melting pot theory.

Not gonna start
defending multiculturalism
to me again, are you?

If you would reread
your Moynihan
and your Glazer,

you would understand my
objection to Dr. Capra's
plea for assimilation.

The trouble with
the melting pot,

some people melt,
others get scalded.

When Fermi and I
came here to this country,

you learned English
and that was that.

There was none
of this „English as
a second language.”

Gentlemen, please.

I didn't come here
to moderate a discussion

on the changing views
of the immigrant experience.

I just want to put
this feast back on track.

Now, what do you say?

Can we put
this feud aside?

You expect me
to forget what he did
at my grandmother's funeral?

What?
What?

You give me a busta of $5
and you say „what?”

Five?

There was 25 bills
in that envelope

when I gave it
to my cousin to deliver.

You remember. It was
your brother-in-law's kid.

Anthony.

Not Anthony.

The kid thought
he'd cut himself in.

I wondered how
he could afford
that Raiders jacket.

(SIGHS)

Lowell, I'm ashamed.

Dr. Capra,
with all respect,

I believe this is a matter

the four families
must now discuss
among themselves.

When are you going
to reschedule with Chris,
Ruth-Anne?

I don't think
I'm going to do
any more radio spots, Ed.

Early burnout, huh?

No, nothing like that.
I just did it to have fun.

But people have taken
the fun right out of it.

They all want to get
their two cents' worth in,
you know.

Some even want to
cash in somehow.

Get a piece
of the action.

It's not worth it.

Oh.

All right, you want
to know the truth?

You want to direct?

The truth, Ed,
is I'm scared.

The first piece
was such a hit,

and now everybody
expects so much.

Sophomore slump.

You mean there's
a name for it?

Oh, sure, happens to
all kinds of people,
Ruth-Anne.

Steven Soderbergh, he made
Sex, Lies and Videotape.

That took the Palme d'Or
at Cannes.

It took him a long time
to come out with
his second picture.

What was
his second picture?

Kafka.

Oh.

Paul Brickman?
Risky Business?
Now that was a smash hit.

He fell off the map
for five years.

Even me, Ruth-Anne.
Remember that short film
I made three years ago?

Uh-huh, and it won
honorable mention

at a student
film festival,
didn't it?

If Bogdanovich hadn't
gotten on my case,

I don't think
I ever would have finished
the shaman script.

You know what I learned?

That good reviews
can be more damaging
than bad ones.

Don't take yourself
too seriously.

And get your second project
done as quickly as possible

so you can move on
to your third.

(PONDERING) Hmm.

(SPEAKING lTALlAN)

Good.

That's good.

You're sure
you want to do this, now.

Yeah. I'm sure.

Well, there was
that time that
I mentioned before,

you know,
about the videotapes.

Right,

I'm sorry.

In September you ruined
my good number-three
wood chisel,

when you used it
to remove the kitchen tile.

Sorry.

Oh, yeah, here.

There was that time
that you gave away

my old hunting jacket
without asking.

It smelled.

I'm sorry.

Now, I don't know why
this sticks in my mind,
but it does.

July of '92?

We'd just come back
from a trip to Sleetmute.

SIEGEL: You know,
the most frequently
asked question

we get about
your pieces is,

where do you
get your material?

Mostly by looking
out the window.

Really?
Is that true?

Absolutely.

Well, what's going on there
now, for example?

(PARADE BAND PLAYING)
Right now,

I'm watching the parade
for the Feast of San Giuseppe

coming up the street.

First time in nine years.

Why is that?

Well, it's a long story.

And one we'd like
to hear sometime, too.

But right now
we're out of time.

Ruth-Anne,
may I call you again?

Anytime, Robert.

Thank you, Ruth-Anne.

Tales of Cicely is
a regularly produced feature

for All Things Considered.

Ruth-Anne Miller comes to us
courtesy of radio station KBHR

in Cicely, Alaska.

I'm Robert Siegel,
and this is NPR,
National Public Radio.

The news is next.

Hi. Nice to see you.
MAN: Hey, Doc.