The Untouchables (1959–1963): Season 1, Episode 14 - The Noise of Death - full transcript
When Eliot Ness and Agent Martin Flaherty raid a small butcher shop looking for illegal liquor, they find more the cheap booze: they find the body of the store's owner, Arturo Vittorini, in the meat locker. The dead man's wife Barbara accuses the neighborhood Mafia chief, Joe Bucco, of ordering the killing. Bucco denies having anything to do with it - the dead man was his wife's cousin - but is pretty sure his collector, Little Charlie Sebastino, is responsible. He also learns to his shock and dismay that the Mafia hierarchy has pushed him out and Little Charlie has been named as his replacement. Bucco strikes back and sabotages Sebastino's trucks but the Mafia sends him a message when they kill his driver and he knows that unless he backs off, he will be next. He gives Eliot Ness a present just in case he's knocked off.
Paper, Mr. Garfinkel?
You got the late?
I had it. You got it.
Change of a dollar.
Change of a dollar. Right.
Go on, boy, finish. You
start something, finish.
( dramatic theme playing)
ANNOUNCER: The Untouchables.
A Desilu production.
( dramatic theme playing)
ANNOUNCER: Tonight's
episode: "The Noise of Death".
Starring: Robert Stack.
Co-starring: J. Carroll Naish.
Henry Silva.
And Norma Crane.
( menacing theme playing)
NARRATOR: A nice day in Chicago,
March 31, 1933.
At number 1229 Hauser Boulevard
lived Joseph H. Bucco,
his wife and daughter.
Everybody knew Joe
Bucco and liked him.
Mr. Bucco.
Mr. Bucco!
Mr. Bucco. I know
you're home, Mr. Bucco.
Talk to her, please, Joe.
Please. Talk to her about what?
I got nothing to say to her.
She's my cousin's
wife. Flesh and blood.
At least say hello.
Your cousin? What cousin?
Fourth cousin? Fifth cousin?
What kind of cousin is that?
Killer! Murderer! Assassin!
Butcher!
Cousin or no cousin,
don't you interfere.
My husband. What have
you done with my husband?
He's been missing
for three days.
Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday. Today is Saturday.
What have you done with
him, Mr. Bucco? Tell me.
Tell me. Tell me, what
have you done with him?
What have you
done with him? Abe.
Good morning, boss.
Beautiful weather.
Wake up. I'm awake, boss.
You only think you
are. Put on your hat.
Take this young lady
home. 231 Docker Street.
Buono Gusto Restaurant.
Home? I ain't going
home. What for?
My husband is
gone. Arturo is gone.
Behave yourself, Mrs. Vittorini.
Will you please behave yourself?
You are going home, believe me.
He's dead, isn't he?
He is dead. He is dead.
(wailing): He is dead!
More likely dead drunk.
(car door slams)
Gabriela.
Sweetheart, go upstairs,
get Papa's jacket, huh?
And bring me down
a nice tie. Nice one?
What's the matter?
She gave me the sign.
With the fingers.
Oh, dio mio.
How does she think she
can kill me with two fingers?
They shot me four times,
the Kuzak boys, but I lived.
They shot me in the kidney.
It come out here, but I lived.
Lived. I did more than live.
I'm somebody. I...
I'm Joe Bucco, I am.
When I walk down Sullivan
Street or up 22nd Avenue,
it's nothing for
the people to say:
"Hello, Mr. Bucco. How
you feel, Mr. Bucco?
You got a job for
my son, Mr. Bucco?"
Yeah, that's something.
Joe.
Joe, tell me the truth.
Did you...?
Did you hurt my cousin Arturo?
I told you. Don't
interfere in my business.
Giuseppe.
I want to know, Giuseppe.
Anna.
I swear before God, I
don't know where he is.
( dramatic theme playing)
(car doors slam)
What do you want?
The restaurant is closed.
It looks closed, don't it?
My name's Eliot Ness.
I have a federal warrant to
search the premises for liquor.
Liquor? What's that?
I hear we have
Prohibition, not liquor.
Are you Mrs. Vittorini?
Maybe yes. Maybe no.
Your husband's been
missing for three days.
Why didn't you
notify the police?
Will you open this restaurant
for me, Mrs. Vittorini?
Omertà. Silence.
The Mafia's got them
scared speechless.
Smells familiar.
Yeah, cheap whiskey.
Cheap stuff.
They don't even
bother to filter out
the poison anymore.
I could have the place
shut down. But what for?
It would only open up
again across the street.
(glass shatters)
Get me a crowbar.
Never mind.
Some haul.
Yes.
What do you think you're doing?
I'm gonna sue you for every
bit of damage here, do you hear?
Don't go in Mrs. Vittorini.
(gasps)
Arturo!
I would like to talk to
you, if you don't mind.
It wasn't me that killed
your husband, Mrs. Vittorini.
What do you want outta me?
The name of the
man that killed Arturo.
Do you know my husband?
No.
Then don't call him Arturo.
He is dead, but he
is still Mr. Vittorini.
All I want is for you
to help me, just a little.
Give me one fact.
One name. Anything.
Some clue to go on to stop
other people from being murdered.
I know nothing about nothing.
Tell me this: Do you know the
Capo Mafioso of this district?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
The chief. The Mafia chief
that runs this neighborhood.
Not the man that
murdered your husband,
but the one who
ordered it and paid for it.
You never heard of the Mafia?
That's right.
Well, it was the Mafia
that locked your husband
in the meat locker.
They tied him up the
way the Mafia does
with people it doesn't like.
They tied him by the wrists,
by the ankles and
around the neck.
Then they hung him on a hook.
Oh.
Hey, you!
His name is Joseph Bucco.
( suspenseful theme playing)
( dramatic theme playing)
( menacing theme playing)
NARRATOR: In the battered
secondhand files of Eliot Ness,
there was a fat folder
on Joseph Bucco.
His character, his habits,
the places where he lived,
where he kept his family
and where he kept his friends.
Because Joe Bucco
was a very friendly man.
(knock at door)
Nobody home.
(knocking persists)
Who's that?
Nobody home!
Federal agents. My
name's Eliot Ness.
Hey, wait a minute. I never
done any federal offense.
Not yet anyway.
Mr. Bucco.
I'd like to see you.
I'd like to talk
to you. That's all.
I'll only take ten minutes
of your time, Mr. Bucco.
Well, Mr. Ness.
I saw your picture in the paper.
You had an axe in your hand.
What's the matter,
you don't like beer?
Grand Canyon. That's good.
Well, what can I do for you?
Do you know a
man named Vittorini?
Arturo Vittorini?
Oh, sure. He's my wife's cousin.
Do you know of any reason why
anybody should want to kill him?
Dead?
Vittorini?
Mm, that's bad.
He was killed by the Mafia.
What's that Mafia? Mafia?
There's no such thing
as a Mafia. It don't exist.
In the old country,
Sicily, yeah,
but not in this country.
That's a lie, Mr. Bucco.
Heh-heh.
You know, I like you,
Mr. Ness. You're a good boy.
You got guts. I like
a man with guts.
Hey, what kind of grease
you got on your hair, huh?
Well, it don't matter.
Whatever it is, it's cheap.
You can bet on that,
because you're poor. You...
You can't afford no better.
I want something, I buy it.
Look at Abe Garfinkel.
Take a took at him.
He's my friend. Does
anything I tell him.
Abe?
Come on, make like a chimp, huh?
Come on, make. Make.
(gibbers)
(Georgina and Joe laugh)
He's more of a
chimp than a chimp.
It's all right. He was
middleweight champion.
Yeah, he was middleweight
champion for three months,
and that's why I hired
him, punch-drunk or no.
Abe Garfinkel
works for Joe Bucco.
He makes plenty.
Lives a good life.
You could do the
same. You understand?
Why don't you give up
this gumshoe business?
Come into business with me.
Hey, you could be like me.
A hundred shirts in the closet.
Suits. I got 40 of
them. Pure Italian silk.
And the shoes.
What kind of shoes
you got there?
Sheesh. You don't even have
time to go to the shoemaker.
You know, I could put you to
collect for the monkey powder.
It's a big business, and I
don't have time to do it myself.
You say yes, you'll
be a happy man, huh?
All right, Abe.
It's all right. Abe,
he works for me.
He does anything I tell him.
You know, you could
be dead if I told him.
He would do that for me.
Did you have him kill Vittorini?
Oh, Mr. Ness.
(laughs)
Oh, Mr. Ness, you
know, you're smart,
but... But you're ignorant.
What do you think? I would
have Arturo Vittorini killed?
Do you think I could leave
home, even for one day
if I had my wife's
cousin killed?
What's the matter with you?
Put that away, will you?
It's getting me nervous.
Maybe you're right, Mr. Bucco.
Sure, maybe you didn't even
know about it until I told you.
Maybe they don't even
bother to inform you.
Hey, wait.
You know who did
it. Come on, tell me.
Don't be bashful.
In my opinion, it
was your collector.
Collector? What
collector? I got no collector.
All I got is good friends.
They lend me money.
That's how I live.
It was your collector.
It was Little Charlie.
Him? That punk? Ha-ha!
You must be kidding.
He's got no mind of his own.
He's got no hands, no feet.
I pulled him out of a
poolroom on Jackson Avenue.
He's a machine. I push, he does.
Maybe everything's changed.
Maybe he's the boss, not you.
Who said?
Who said?
I don't know.
The Mafia, maybe.
NARRATOR: Eliot Ness was
guessing about Little Charlie.
But his guess was based on facts
he had known for a long time.
And his guess touched a
sore nerve in Joseph Bucco.
He went back to
his neighborhood,
the streets where he
was feared and loved,
to confront his
collector, Little Charlie.
Wait here.
If you go to
sleep, I'll kill ya.
Boss, I don't sleep.
I dream, but I don't sleep.
If you see Charlie, give
me a blast on the horn, hm?
(indistinct chattering)
Hey, Mr. Bucco. Ah, heh.
What a surprise.
What a pleasure.
From now on, you
don't keep no books.
What's the matter?
What did I do?
Wha...? Wha...?
Why are you so mad?
How much do you
owe me, Mr. Kalinak?
Well, business
is bad, Mr. Bucco.
So I notice.
Look, if I could pay you
more, I'd pay you more.
I asked you how
much you still owe me.
You loaned me 10 G's.
I paid you back 2,300,
but, you know, the
interest is very high.
Twenty-five percent a month.
I hear you're not
paying 25 percent.
I hear you're paying
more. Am I right?
Who told you that?
I heard.
You can't take a shine,
a shave or a shower
without me knowing
about it, and remember that.
Well, if you know that,
then, uh, I don't
have to tell you, do I?
You think I lost my strength?
You think I'm not the same?
You're wrong.
I'm the same as in the old days.
I can still break a man's
leg with one kick in the shin.
Little Charlie, he
told me 30 percent.
He's choking me to
death, but I gotta do it.
Little Charlie works for me.
I can fire him any
day in the week.
He obeys what I tell him to.
Or don't he?
Does he or don't he?
(car horn honks)
Little Charlie is yellow.
I'll cut him up, and you'll
see the yellow he's got
instead of blood.
And you watch,
it'll be educational.
(knock at door)
Well.
Joe, you're looking good.
I feel good.
Why not? I lead a good life.
Don't give it to me.
Give it direct as long
as Mr. Bucco is here.
Don't give me no presents.
I give you presents.
Not you, me.
Go on, tell him.
Don't be scared.
There was a big
shindig out in the country.
That's what I heard, you know.
Big men, uh, high muckety-mucks.
Don Pasquale, Don Lambretta.
Dons from all over, as
far as St. Louis, even.
How would you know about it?
Go on, tell.
Everybody knows
about it, Mr. Bucco.
The whole street.
About what?
That you're out,
and Charlie's in.
Some joke.
Sure.
A joke.
New car? Yup.
How do you like it?
Beautiful job.
What's that for?
That's my autograph.
Don't you want my autograph?
I want to know
about Arturo Vittorini.
Oh, him, your, uh,
wife's cousin, ain't he?
Why did you kill
him? Kill him? Me?
I didn't kill him.
He killed himself.
Why, Charlie?
Simple. He wouldn't pay.
He took four cases a
day. Paid pretty good.
Even when he didn't... Joe, Joe.
I'm not talking about booze.
I'm talking about garbage.
About what?
Garbage. I branched out.
I got 14 trucks, Joe.
Didn't I tell you about it?
I collect garbage.
I charge by the table.
Ten dollars a week.
A 20-table restaurant, $200.
I figured out, why should the
beer trucks come back empty?
So now we're in the
garbage business?
That's right.
We just went out of
the garbage business.
I'll have to check on that.
With who?
With higher up.
With Don Pasquale.
I'll drive up to the country.
You want to come out?
If I want to go, I go by myself.
I don't need you.
You ought to visit, do you
good. It's nice out there.
Take trees.
You got trees every
which way you look
when you retire.
What retire?
I heard a prediction which you
was gonna quit the business.
Relax, take it easy.
It's a nice thing to
have ahead of you.
(engine starts)
NARRATOR: The Mafia no
longer needed Joseph Bucco.
But he could not
accept this fact.
He refused to
withdraw voluntarily
and gracefully retire.
But unless he did,
by tradition, Joseph Bucco
was condemned to die.
( dramatic theme playing)
ANNOUNCER: And now,
back to The Untouchables.
What?
Honey, of course I had supper.
I don't know, cheese on
rye, something like that.
Well, look... Look,
honey, we got two choices.
Now, either I quit or you quit.
No, I think we ought to both
stay and make the best of it.
Let's be unhappy
together, shall we?
(door opens)
I know, I know.
Betty. How are
you feeling, Betty?
Good.
Good. Well, then get some
rest. Get some rest for me too.
Fine.
See you soon, honey. Goodbye.
My name is Abe Garfinkel.
I, uh... I used to fight.
You ever see me fight?
I never had the privilege.
You, um... You got
a nice place here.
It's ugly.
You like information,
I got information.
As to what?
I know who killed Vittorini.
Little Charlie.
How do you know?
I was there. I watched.
I saw Charlie shoot Vittorini
and take and hang
him up in the icebox.
I swear.
Vittorini was alive
when they hung him up.
Oh, he was alive.
Thank you. I'll... Ill
testify he was alive.
Mr. Garfinkel, do you
know what "perjury" means?
Perjury means, um... perjury.
You don't know what it means,
but I'll tell you anyway.
Perjury means lying under oath.
It can get you as little as
three years or as many as 20.
I think you'd get the maximum.
Mr. Garfinkel, who
told you to come here?
Go back and tell Joe
Bucco it won't work.
It won't work? Absolutely not.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Mr. Ness, you
just saved my life.
Which, if I ever
walked in a witness box,
I'd step out a dead man.
A dead man, Mr. Ness.
They'd... They'd kill me.
Joe Bucco couldn't protect you?
He's finished.
Mr. Ness.
They told Joe Bucco
to step down or else die.
They told him, Mr. Ness.
They? Who's "they"?
The Mafia?
There's no such thing.
Bucco, Bucco, Bucco, Bucco.
There must be ten
Buccos on this chart. Why?
Because this is the
family of the Mafia.
They're all related.
Uncles, cousins, children.
They marry among themselves.
They have their own
rules, their own morals,
their own money.
You don't fit in here, Abe.
Your name is Garfinkel.
Nothing you can ever do or
say is gonna change that fact.
Your life means
nothing to Bucco.
Help us, Mr. Garfinkel,
and I promise you this:
I'll get you a decent job,
so you can look the
world straight in the eye,
if you'll tell us everything
you ever heard or saw
about this family of lice
we're trying to exterminate.
Will you help us, Mr. Garfinkel?
I can't.
I can't. Why not?
I love the man.
( dramatic theme playing)
What are you doing so long?
Fixing. Fix it
when I get back in.
Let's go.
Let's go.
( suspenseful theme playing)
NARRATOR: Joe Bucco
struck back wildly at Little Charlie
to try and show the Mafia
that he was
still fit for his job.
(tires screeching)
(ringing)
Hello?
Hello?
It's me.
Charlie.
Oh, I'm fine. How
are you, Mr. Bucco?
(sighs)
Well, you know something,
to tell you the truth,
I'm no longer in the
garbage business.
No, no, no. From now
on, I work strictly for you.
That all right?
No, no, no, no,
no, no. No grudge.
I can't afford it.
What?
Uh, yeah, I... I got
last night's collection.
Anything you say.
Thanks, Joe.
Paper, there.
She killed him because
she loved him, there.
Get your paper, there.
She killed him because
she loved him, there.
Get your paper, there.
She killed him because
she loved him, there.
Get your paper, there.
She killed him because
she loved him, there.
Get you paper, there...
Don't fall asleep. You're
liable to wake up dead.
Paper! Get your paper.
She killed him because
she loved him, there.
Hello, Tommy. Hi, Mr. Bucco.
Ha-ha! You're
growing up all the time.
Did you learn
how to drive a car?
I don't know, Mr. Bucco.
I ain't tried yet.
I got a new button for your cap.
"Honorary delegate,
Fourth Annual Bra
and Lingerie Show."
Boy, thanks, Mr. Bucco!
Paper, Mr. Garfinkel?
You got the late?
I had it. You got it.
Change of a dollar.
Change of a dollar. Right.
Go on, boy, finish. You
start something, finish.
NARRATOR: The Mafia could
not kill one of its own without a ritual.
First, a warning:
The assassination
of an underling.
And now Joe Bucco
knew if he didn't step down,
he would be the next to die.
I respectfully
request permission
to phone in to my lawyer.
I haven't asked
you anything yet.
I'm not investigating
a murder, Mr. Bucco.
That's the job of
the Chicago Police.
I'm simply curious as to why
anybody should take the trouble
to kill a broken-down,
punch-drunk prizefighter
in broad daylight.
I have no statement to make.
I respectfully
request permission
to phone in to my lawyer.
Has it anything
to do with the fact
that the high
councils of the Mafia,
the dons meeting
out in the country,
decided that you're
getting too old?
That it's time for you
to gracefully resign
and you can't bring
yourself to do it?
I respectfully
request permission
to phone in to my lawyer.
And that this murder was meant
as a final warning
to you, Mr. Bucco?
I respectfully
request permission
to phone in to my lawyer.
Abe wasn't shot
like this for nothing.
The shots were aimed
to sever the carotid artery
which runs through
the neck to the brain,
so that even if the victim
lives for 30 seconds,
the power of speech
has been paralyzed.
He finds that even in the face
of death, he must keep silence.
That's true, isn't
it, Mr. Bucco?
Mr. Bucco, the only one
that can save you is me.
I can send you to federal
prison for a term of years.
Safe behind bars and walls.
You'll be in prison.
You'll be alive.
Yeah, I know.
A Mafia code of silence. Omertà.
A code invented by criminals.
They killed your
friend, Mr. Bucco.
They're gonna kill you.
I know the code. I know
how how it blinds you.
But I ask you in
all humility, help us.
Break the code.
Break the Mafia.
I respectfully
request permission
to phone in to my lawyer.
You're not in
custody, Mr. Bucco.
You're not under arrest.
You're free to go any time.
Uh, Mr. Ness?
I want to talk to
you without him.
Time is quick, Mr. Ness.
The little hand goes
round and round.
Tick-tick, and you're finished.
But a man wants to
live after he's dead.
Well? Go on.
This little key.
Beautiful key, 14-carat
solid gold, guaranteed.
I wanna give it to you.
No obligation. No charge.
A little present so you'll
remember me when I'm gone.
Why?
Because you're
the dearest friend
I got in the whole
world, Mr. Ness.
You're a good boy.
I admire you from
the bottom of my heart.
And this little key,
someday you're gonna have it.
When? Who knows?
But it'll tell you everything
you wanna know.
All right, Mr. Ness?
You satisfied?
I want to make you happy.
( dramatic theme playing)
( menacing theme playing)
NARRATOR: One
long April afternoon,
Joseph Bucco had this strange
silent duel with Eliot Ness,
the cop who had become
his guardian angel,
because he had an appointment
he preferred to keep alone.
An appointment with death.
The Mafia had ordered
the final dinner ritual
that night, with Little Charlie.
Hello, Mr. Ness. I'm...
I'm sorry I'm late. I
said only ten minutes.
And it would have only been
ten minutes, but, uh, Francie...
She had to show
me Niagara Falls.
You know, it was
well worthwhile.
This is a great country.
A great, great country.
And I ain't seen nothing.
Where I been all my
life? You tell me, Mr. Ness.
Mr. Bucco, look,
I can save you,
Mr. Bucco, if you'll let me.
Ever occur to you I might
be the winner, not Charlie?
No.
(chuckles)
( melancholy theme playing)
(revs engine)
It's getting close
to dinnertime.
His, not ours.
(knocks)
Marty.
Go and find out
without making a fuss,
who's at Joe Bucco's table.
If it's Little Charlie,
arrest them both.
Without a warrant?
Without a warrant.
That would be a
mistake, Mr. Ness.
Sure, but maybe the mistake
will last just long enough
to prevent murder.
(knocks)
I think you don't like
to see Joe Bucco die.
I have Joe Bucco's file in
the top drawer of my desk.
I look at it at least
ten times a day.
Directly or indirectly,
he's guilty of six murders.
Six murders. He
was arrested for three.
He was tried in one case
only. He was acquitted. Why?
The chief witness fell
out of a six-story building.
Joseph Bucco's a monster.
But maybe I can use that monster
to break open the
secrets of the Mafia.
If he lives.
He's not there.
What do you mean, "not there"?
Not there. I checked.
He's been swallowed up.
Did you question the doorman?
I did. He never saw him.
Did you search the restaurant?
Mr. Ness, today is Tuesday.
So?
The restaurant is
closed on Tuesdays.
( somber theme playing)
(women laugh)
NARRATOR: And the time had come,
always after dinner,
with good food,
good wine and good company,
when a stranger would come
up behind him, and he would hear,
like all the guns in the
world shot off together,
the terrible short
noise of death.
All right, what's
your proposition?
I'm not the richest
man in the world.
I'm not the poorest neither.
(band playing soft music)
Divvies.
Fifty percent?
You think I'm gonna
listen to 50 percent?
I'm supposed to say
"yes" to a heist like that?
You asked my
offer. That's my offer.
That's what they told you?
They? Who?
The people in the country.
The fortuneteller on the farm.
He spoke to you, but
he didn't speak to me.
He promise you 50 percent?
No.
How much?
One hundred percent.
What?
Go out and ask him.
The old man in the
country wants you retired.
Same as he is.
Me? Ha-ha! Retire?
(laughs)
No. I say no.
Beat it, girls. It's time.
Now, go on home
and sleep it off.
I don't wanna go.
Mr. Bucco gave us the
invite, not you, skinny.
I want some more
vino, drinky-winky.
You're a tiger.
You're a real tiger.
Come on, drink some more.
Come on, a little more.
Come on, drink.
Oh, come on, a little more.
No. Oh, come on!
Well, go on. Who
told you to stop?
(band resumes playing)
Here.
For your dress. Now, go
on home, the both of you.
I'll take the deal.
It changed.
Sixty-five, 35. I take 65.
Charlie, it's not
that I don't trust you,
but how do I know you're
gonna keep the bargain?
You don't.
Bread and salt. Eat.
Finish that.
What's the matter?
I feel, um, a little
bit not so good.
Why?
The wine.
I guess.
I'm going to the men's
room, wash my face.
Ha-ha! Go on. Go on, boy.
(laughs)
Give me a clean towel.
Yes, sir.
(music slows)
(cocks)
(music stops)
Put down the
instruments, all of you.
Hurry up.
I never saw you, but
I know who you are.
You were gonna
trigger me, weren't you?
I know a million
tricks like that.
And you know what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna throw
you to Lake Michigan,
let you sink to the bottom.
Now, turn around, all of you.
You know what else I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna tie an iron
bell around your neck,
so it'll ring when
you're going down.
How you gonna like that, huh?
(gunshots)
NARRATOR: The Mafia
was sudden, but careful.
Joseph Bucco never
saw his assassins.
You hear any fireworks, boy?
No, sir.
You heard it.
I was in here when you heard it.
Yes, sir.
What did I just give you?
Ten-dollar bill, sir.
That's right.
You're a good boy.
Brush me off.
(praying in Italian)
Can he talk?
No. Nothing.
If he's lived this long,
he's gonna recover.
No.
He's finished.
All that blood he lost.
They can't put it back.
Not his blood.
He was a bull.
And he's hard to die.
Poor man.
I love him worse today
than the day I married him.
Do you know what I'm
gonna do when he's gone?
I'm gonna go out on the
street and commit a mortal sin
so I can go down to
hell and marry him there
all over again.
If there's anything I
can do, Mrs. Bucco...
You can talk to
him if you want to.
Thank you.
It's me, Eliot Ness.
Now, I don't want you to talk.
I just want you to tell me the
name of the man who shot you
or the person who hired him.
That's all.
The name. Just the
name. That's all I need.
He's got nothing to say.
No.
He's dead.
I know.
NARRATOR: On April 23rd, 1933,
Eliot Ness got a judicial order
to open Joe Bucco's
safety-deposit box.
Yes.
Dates, figures and maybe names.
Nobody knows what names.
This is gonna hit the
Mafia like an earthquake.
JOE (over record player):
My name is Joe Bucco.
My right name is Giuseppe Bucco.
I'm 51 years old,
I'm in good health,
and I got a good mind.
Nevertheless,
I'm... I'm gonna sing.
♪ Ya-da-dum
Dah-dah-dah-dum-dum ♪
♪ Ya-da-da Da-da-da-dum ♪
♪ La-da-da-da-da-dum Bum-bah ♪
Get out of the game, Mr. Ness.
Quit the gumshoe job,
or else people such as me is
gonna get crazy and kill you.
They got to. You
drive them to it.
You're too honest. And
that's bad for business.
You gonna lose, Mr. Ness.
You gonna lose.
And the pity of it is,
you ain't even got a
good singing voice,
have you, Mr. Ness?
Ha-ha, ha, ha.
What do you say, huh?
What do you say, huh?
What do you say, huh?
What do you say, huh?
You want this filed with
the rest of his crimes?
Marty, get my wife
on the phone, will you?
Joe Bucco.
NARRATOR: Eliot Ness had
no pity for the death of a monster,
only for the man
entangled inside of him.
For Eliot Ness, the Joe
Bucco case was ended,
but the fight against
the Mafia only beginning.
( dramatic theme playing)
( menacing theme playing)
ANNOUNCER: The Untouchables.
You got the late?
I had it. You got it.
Change of a dollar.
Change of a dollar. Right.
Go on, boy, finish. You
start something, finish.
( dramatic theme playing)
ANNOUNCER: The Untouchables.
A Desilu production.
( dramatic theme playing)
ANNOUNCER: Tonight's
episode: "The Noise of Death".
Starring: Robert Stack.
Co-starring: J. Carroll Naish.
Henry Silva.
And Norma Crane.
( menacing theme playing)
NARRATOR: A nice day in Chicago,
March 31, 1933.
At number 1229 Hauser Boulevard
lived Joseph H. Bucco,
his wife and daughter.
Everybody knew Joe
Bucco and liked him.
Mr. Bucco.
Mr. Bucco!
Mr. Bucco. I know
you're home, Mr. Bucco.
Talk to her, please, Joe.
Please. Talk to her about what?
I got nothing to say to her.
She's my cousin's
wife. Flesh and blood.
At least say hello.
Your cousin? What cousin?
Fourth cousin? Fifth cousin?
What kind of cousin is that?
Killer! Murderer! Assassin!
Butcher!
Cousin or no cousin,
don't you interfere.
My husband. What have
you done with my husband?
He's been missing
for three days.
Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday. Today is Saturday.
What have you done with
him, Mr. Bucco? Tell me.
Tell me. Tell me, what
have you done with him?
What have you
done with him? Abe.
Good morning, boss.
Beautiful weather.
Wake up. I'm awake, boss.
You only think you
are. Put on your hat.
Take this young lady
home. 231 Docker Street.
Buono Gusto Restaurant.
Home? I ain't going
home. What for?
My husband is
gone. Arturo is gone.
Behave yourself, Mrs. Vittorini.
Will you please behave yourself?
You are going home, believe me.
He's dead, isn't he?
He is dead. He is dead.
(wailing): He is dead!
More likely dead drunk.
(car door slams)
Gabriela.
Sweetheart, go upstairs,
get Papa's jacket, huh?
And bring me down
a nice tie. Nice one?
What's the matter?
She gave me the sign.
With the fingers.
Oh, dio mio.
How does she think she
can kill me with two fingers?
They shot me four times,
the Kuzak boys, but I lived.
They shot me in the kidney.
It come out here, but I lived.
Lived. I did more than live.
I'm somebody. I...
I'm Joe Bucco, I am.
When I walk down Sullivan
Street or up 22nd Avenue,
it's nothing for
the people to say:
"Hello, Mr. Bucco. How
you feel, Mr. Bucco?
You got a job for
my son, Mr. Bucco?"
Yeah, that's something.
Joe.
Joe, tell me the truth.
Did you...?
Did you hurt my cousin Arturo?
I told you. Don't
interfere in my business.
Giuseppe.
I want to know, Giuseppe.
Anna.
I swear before God, I
don't know where he is.
( dramatic theme playing)
(car doors slam)
What do you want?
The restaurant is closed.
It looks closed, don't it?
My name's Eliot Ness.
I have a federal warrant to
search the premises for liquor.
Liquor? What's that?
I hear we have
Prohibition, not liquor.
Are you Mrs. Vittorini?
Maybe yes. Maybe no.
Your husband's been
missing for three days.
Why didn't you
notify the police?
Will you open this restaurant
for me, Mrs. Vittorini?
Omertà. Silence.
The Mafia's got them
scared speechless.
Smells familiar.
Yeah, cheap whiskey.
Cheap stuff.
They don't even
bother to filter out
the poison anymore.
I could have the place
shut down. But what for?
It would only open up
again across the street.
(glass shatters)
Get me a crowbar.
Never mind.
Some haul.
Yes.
What do you think you're doing?
I'm gonna sue you for every
bit of damage here, do you hear?
Don't go in Mrs. Vittorini.
(gasps)
Arturo!
I would like to talk to
you, if you don't mind.
It wasn't me that killed
your husband, Mrs. Vittorini.
What do you want outta me?
The name of the
man that killed Arturo.
Do you know my husband?
No.
Then don't call him Arturo.
He is dead, but he
is still Mr. Vittorini.
All I want is for you
to help me, just a little.
Give me one fact.
One name. Anything.
Some clue to go on to stop
other people from being murdered.
I know nothing about nothing.
Tell me this: Do you know the
Capo Mafioso of this district?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
The chief. The Mafia chief
that runs this neighborhood.
Not the man that
murdered your husband,
but the one who
ordered it and paid for it.
You never heard of the Mafia?
That's right.
Well, it was the Mafia
that locked your husband
in the meat locker.
They tied him up the
way the Mafia does
with people it doesn't like.
They tied him by the wrists,
by the ankles and
around the neck.
Then they hung him on a hook.
Oh.
Hey, you!
His name is Joseph Bucco.
( suspenseful theme playing)
( dramatic theme playing)
( menacing theme playing)
NARRATOR: In the battered
secondhand files of Eliot Ness,
there was a fat folder
on Joseph Bucco.
His character, his habits,
the places where he lived,
where he kept his family
and where he kept his friends.
Because Joe Bucco
was a very friendly man.
(knock at door)
Nobody home.
(knocking persists)
Who's that?
Nobody home!
Federal agents. My
name's Eliot Ness.
Hey, wait a minute. I never
done any federal offense.
Not yet anyway.
Mr. Bucco.
I'd like to see you.
I'd like to talk
to you. That's all.
I'll only take ten minutes
of your time, Mr. Bucco.
Well, Mr. Ness.
I saw your picture in the paper.
You had an axe in your hand.
What's the matter,
you don't like beer?
Grand Canyon. That's good.
Well, what can I do for you?
Do you know a
man named Vittorini?
Arturo Vittorini?
Oh, sure. He's my wife's cousin.
Do you know of any reason why
anybody should want to kill him?
Dead?
Vittorini?
Mm, that's bad.
He was killed by the Mafia.
What's that Mafia? Mafia?
There's no such thing
as a Mafia. It don't exist.
In the old country,
Sicily, yeah,
but not in this country.
That's a lie, Mr. Bucco.
Heh-heh.
You know, I like you,
Mr. Ness. You're a good boy.
You got guts. I like
a man with guts.
Hey, what kind of grease
you got on your hair, huh?
Well, it don't matter.
Whatever it is, it's cheap.
You can bet on that,
because you're poor. You...
You can't afford no better.
I want something, I buy it.
Look at Abe Garfinkel.
Take a took at him.
He's my friend. Does
anything I tell him.
Abe?
Come on, make like a chimp, huh?
Come on, make. Make.
(gibbers)
(Georgina and Joe laugh)
He's more of a
chimp than a chimp.
It's all right. He was
middleweight champion.
Yeah, he was middleweight
champion for three months,
and that's why I hired
him, punch-drunk or no.
Abe Garfinkel
works for Joe Bucco.
He makes plenty.
Lives a good life.
You could do the
same. You understand?
Why don't you give up
this gumshoe business?
Come into business with me.
Hey, you could be like me.
A hundred shirts in the closet.
Suits. I got 40 of
them. Pure Italian silk.
And the shoes.
What kind of shoes
you got there?
Sheesh. You don't even have
time to go to the shoemaker.
You know, I could put you to
collect for the monkey powder.
It's a big business, and I
don't have time to do it myself.
You say yes, you'll
be a happy man, huh?
All right, Abe.
It's all right. Abe,
he works for me.
He does anything I tell him.
You know, you could
be dead if I told him.
He would do that for me.
Did you have him kill Vittorini?
Oh, Mr. Ness.
(laughs)
Oh, Mr. Ness, you
know, you're smart,
but... But you're ignorant.
What do you think? I would
have Arturo Vittorini killed?
Do you think I could leave
home, even for one day
if I had my wife's
cousin killed?
What's the matter with you?
Put that away, will you?
It's getting me nervous.
Maybe you're right, Mr. Bucco.
Sure, maybe you didn't even
know about it until I told you.
Maybe they don't even
bother to inform you.
Hey, wait.
You know who did
it. Come on, tell me.
Don't be bashful.
In my opinion, it
was your collector.
Collector? What
collector? I got no collector.
All I got is good friends.
They lend me money.
That's how I live.
It was your collector.
It was Little Charlie.
Him? That punk? Ha-ha!
You must be kidding.
He's got no mind of his own.
He's got no hands, no feet.
I pulled him out of a
poolroom on Jackson Avenue.
He's a machine. I push, he does.
Maybe everything's changed.
Maybe he's the boss, not you.
Who said?
Who said?
I don't know.
The Mafia, maybe.
NARRATOR: Eliot Ness was
guessing about Little Charlie.
But his guess was based on facts
he had known for a long time.
And his guess touched a
sore nerve in Joseph Bucco.
He went back to
his neighborhood,
the streets where he
was feared and loved,
to confront his
collector, Little Charlie.
Wait here.
If you go to
sleep, I'll kill ya.
Boss, I don't sleep.
I dream, but I don't sleep.
If you see Charlie, give
me a blast on the horn, hm?
(indistinct chattering)
Hey, Mr. Bucco. Ah, heh.
What a surprise.
What a pleasure.
From now on, you
don't keep no books.
What's the matter?
What did I do?
Wha...? Wha...?
Why are you so mad?
How much do you
owe me, Mr. Kalinak?
Well, business
is bad, Mr. Bucco.
So I notice.
Look, if I could pay you
more, I'd pay you more.
I asked you how
much you still owe me.
You loaned me 10 G's.
I paid you back 2,300,
but, you know, the
interest is very high.
Twenty-five percent a month.
I hear you're not
paying 25 percent.
I hear you're paying
more. Am I right?
Who told you that?
I heard.
You can't take a shine,
a shave or a shower
without me knowing
about it, and remember that.
Well, if you know that,
then, uh, I don't
have to tell you, do I?
You think I lost my strength?
You think I'm not the same?
You're wrong.
I'm the same as in the old days.
I can still break a man's
leg with one kick in the shin.
Little Charlie, he
told me 30 percent.
He's choking me to
death, but I gotta do it.
Little Charlie works for me.
I can fire him any
day in the week.
He obeys what I tell him to.
Or don't he?
Does he or don't he?
(car horn honks)
Little Charlie is yellow.
I'll cut him up, and you'll
see the yellow he's got
instead of blood.
And you watch,
it'll be educational.
(knock at door)
Well.
Joe, you're looking good.
I feel good.
Why not? I lead a good life.
Don't give it to me.
Give it direct as long
as Mr. Bucco is here.
Don't give me no presents.
I give you presents.
Not you, me.
Go on, tell him.
Don't be scared.
There was a big
shindig out in the country.
That's what I heard, you know.
Big men, uh, high muckety-mucks.
Don Pasquale, Don Lambretta.
Dons from all over, as
far as St. Louis, even.
How would you know about it?
Go on, tell.
Everybody knows
about it, Mr. Bucco.
The whole street.
About what?
That you're out,
and Charlie's in.
Some joke.
Sure.
A joke.
New car? Yup.
How do you like it?
Beautiful job.
What's that for?
That's my autograph.
Don't you want my autograph?
I want to know
about Arturo Vittorini.
Oh, him, your, uh,
wife's cousin, ain't he?
Why did you kill
him? Kill him? Me?
I didn't kill him.
He killed himself.
Why, Charlie?
Simple. He wouldn't pay.
He took four cases a
day. Paid pretty good.
Even when he didn't... Joe, Joe.
I'm not talking about booze.
I'm talking about garbage.
About what?
Garbage. I branched out.
I got 14 trucks, Joe.
Didn't I tell you about it?
I collect garbage.
I charge by the table.
Ten dollars a week.
A 20-table restaurant, $200.
I figured out, why should the
beer trucks come back empty?
So now we're in the
garbage business?
That's right.
We just went out of
the garbage business.
I'll have to check on that.
With who?
With higher up.
With Don Pasquale.
I'll drive up to the country.
You want to come out?
If I want to go, I go by myself.
I don't need you.
You ought to visit, do you
good. It's nice out there.
Take trees.
You got trees every
which way you look
when you retire.
What retire?
I heard a prediction which you
was gonna quit the business.
Relax, take it easy.
It's a nice thing to
have ahead of you.
(engine starts)
NARRATOR: The Mafia no
longer needed Joseph Bucco.
But he could not
accept this fact.
He refused to
withdraw voluntarily
and gracefully retire.
But unless he did,
by tradition, Joseph Bucco
was condemned to die.
( dramatic theme playing)
ANNOUNCER: And now,
back to The Untouchables.
What?
Honey, of course I had supper.
I don't know, cheese on
rye, something like that.
Well, look... Look,
honey, we got two choices.
Now, either I quit or you quit.
No, I think we ought to both
stay and make the best of it.
Let's be unhappy
together, shall we?
(door opens)
I know, I know.
Betty. How are
you feeling, Betty?
Good.
Good. Well, then get some
rest. Get some rest for me too.
Fine.
See you soon, honey. Goodbye.
My name is Abe Garfinkel.
I, uh... I used to fight.
You ever see me fight?
I never had the privilege.
You, um... You got
a nice place here.
It's ugly.
You like information,
I got information.
As to what?
I know who killed Vittorini.
Little Charlie.
How do you know?
I was there. I watched.
I saw Charlie shoot Vittorini
and take and hang
him up in the icebox.
I swear.
Vittorini was alive
when they hung him up.
Oh, he was alive.
Thank you. I'll... Ill
testify he was alive.
Mr. Garfinkel, do you
know what "perjury" means?
Perjury means, um... perjury.
You don't know what it means,
but I'll tell you anyway.
Perjury means lying under oath.
It can get you as little as
three years or as many as 20.
I think you'd get the maximum.
Mr. Garfinkel, who
told you to come here?
Go back and tell Joe
Bucco it won't work.
It won't work? Absolutely not.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Mr. Ness, you
just saved my life.
Which, if I ever
walked in a witness box,
I'd step out a dead man.
A dead man, Mr. Ness.
They'd... They'd kill me.
Joe Bucco couldn't protect you?
He's finished.
Mr. Ness.
They told Joe Bucco
to step down or else die.
They told him, Mr. Ness.
They? Who's "they"?
The Mafia?
There's no such thing.
Bucco, Bucco, Bucco, Bucco.
There must be ten
Buccos on this chart. Why?
Because this is the
family of the Mafia.
They're all related.
Uncles, cousins, children.
They marry among themselves.
They have their own
rules, their own morals,
their own money.
You don't fit in here, Abe.
Your name is Garfinkel.
Nothing you can ever do or
say is gonna change that fact.
Your life means
nothing to Bucco.
Help us, Mr. Garfinkel,
and I promise you this:
I'll get you a decent job,
so you can look the
world straight in the eye,
if you'll tell us everything
you ever heard or saw
about this family of lice
we're trying to exterminate.
Will you help us, Mr. Garfinkel?
I can't.
I can't. Why not?
I love the man.
( dramatic theme playing)
What are you doing so long?
Fixing. Fix it
when I get back in.
Let's go.
Let's go.
( suspenseful theme playing)
NARRATOR: Joe Bucco
struck back wildly at Little Charlie
to try and show the Mafia
that he was
still fit for his job.
(tires screeching)
(ringing)
Hello?
Hello?
It's me.
Charlie.
Oh, I'm fine. How
are you, Mr. Bucco?
(sighs)
Well, you know something,
to tell you the truth,
I'm no longer in the
garbage business.
No, no, no. From now
on, I work strictly for you.
That all right?
No, no, no, no,
no, no. No grudge.
I can't afford it.
What?
Uh, yeah, I... I got
last night's collection.
Anything you say.
Thanks, Joe.
Paper, there.
She killed him because
she loved him, there.
Get your paper, there.
She killed him because
she loved him, there.
Get your paper, there.
She killed him because
she loved him, there.
Get your paper, there.
She killed him because
she loved him, there.
Get you paper, there...
Don't fall asleep. You're
liable to wake up dead.
Paper! Get your paper.
She killed him because
she loved him, there.
Hello, Tommy. Hi, Mr. Bucco.
Ha-ha! You're
growing up all the time.
Did you learn
how to drive a car?
I don't know, Mr. Bucco.
I ain't tried yet.
I got a new button for your cap.
"Honorary delegate,
Fourth Annual Bra
and Lingerie Show."
Boy, thanks, Mr. Bucco!
Paper, Mr. Garfinkel?
You got the late?
I had it. You got it.
Change of a dollar.
Change of a dollar. Right.
Go on, boy, finish. You
start something, finish.
NARRATOR: The Mafia could
not kill one of its own without a ritual.
First, a warning:
The assassination
of an underling.
And now Joe Bucco
knew if he didn't step down,
he would be the next to die.
I respectfully
request permission
to phone in to my lawyer.
I haven't asked
you anything yet.
I'm not investigating
a murder, Mr. Bucco.
That's the job of
the Chicago Police.
I'm simply curious as to why
anybody should take the trouble
to kill a broken-down,
punch-drunk prizefighter
in broad daylight.
I have no statement to make.
I respectfully
request permission
to phone in to my lawyer.
Has it anything
to do with the fact
that the high
councils of the Mafia,
the dons meeting
out in the country,
decided that you're
getting too old?
That it's time for you
to gracefully resign
and you can't bring
yourself to do it?
I respectfully
request permission
to phone in to my lawyer.
And that this murder was meant
as a final warning
to you, Mr. Bucco?
I respectfully
request permission
to phone in to my lawyer.
Abe wasn't shot
like this for nothing.
The shots were aimed
to sever the carotid artery
which runs through
the neck to the brain,
so that even if the victim
lives for 30 seconds,
the power of speech
has been paralyzed.
He finds that even in the face
of death, he must keep silence.
That's true, isn't
it, Mr. Bucco?
Mr. Bucco, the only one
that can save you is me.
I can send you to federal
prison for a term of years.
Safe behind bars and walls.
You'll be in prison.
You'll be alive.
Yeah, I know.
A Mafia code of silence. Omertà.
A code invented by criminals.
They killed your
friend, Mr. Bucco.
They're gonna kill you.
I know the code. I know
how how it blinds you.
But I ask you in
all humility, help us.
Break the code.
Break the Mafia.
I respectfully
request permission
to phone in to my lawyer.
You're not in
custody, Mr. Bucco.
You're not under arrest.
You're free to go any time.
Uh, Mr. Ness?
I want to talk to
you without him.
Time is quick, Mr. Ness.
The little hand goes
round and round.
Tick-tick, and you're finished.
But a man wants to
live after he's dead.
Well? Go on.
This little key.
Beautiful key, 14-carat
solid gold, guaranteed.
I wanna give it to you.
No obligation. No charge.
A little present so you'll
remember me when I'm gone.
Why?
Because you're
the dearest friend
I got in the whole
world, Mr. Ness.
You're a good boy.
I admire you from
the bottom of my heart.
And this little key,
someday you're gonna have it.
When? Who knows?
But it'll tell you everything
you wanna know.
All right, Mr. Ness?
You satisfied?
I want to make you happy.
( dramatic theme playing)
( menacing theme playing)
NARRATOR: One
long April afternoon,
Joseph Bucco had this strange
silent duel with Eliot Ness,
the cop who had become
his guardian angel,
because he had an appointment
he preferred to keep alone.
An appointment with death.
The Mafia had ordered
the final dinner ritual
that night, with Little Charlie.
Hello, Mr. Ness. I'm...
I'm sorry I'm late. I
said only ten minutes.
And it would have only been
ten minutes, but, uh, Francie...
She had to show
me Niagara Falls.
You know, it was
well worthwhile.
This is a great country.
A great, great country.
And I ain't seen nothing.
Where I been all my
life? You tell me, Mr. Ness.
Mr. Bucco, look,
I can save you,
Mr. Bucco, if you'll let me.
Ever occur to you I might
be the winner, not Charlie?
No.
(chuckles)
( melancholy theme playing)
(revs engine)
It's getting close
to dinnertime.
His, not ours.
(knocks)
Marty.
Go and find out
without making a fuss,
who's at Joe Bucco's table.
If it's Little Charlie,
arrest them both.
Without a warrant?
Without a warrant.
That would be a
mistake, Mr. Ness.
Sure, but maybe the mistake
will last just long enough
to prevent murder.
(knocks)
I think you don't like
to see Joe Bucco die.
I have Joe Bucco's file in
the top drawer of my desk.
I look at it at least
ten times a day.
Directly or indirectly,
he's guilty of six murders.
Six murders. He
was arrested for three.
He was tried in one case
only. He was acquitted. Why?
The chief witness fell
out of a six-story building.
Joseph Bucco's a monster.
But maybe I can use that monster
to break open the
secrets of the Mafia.
If he lives.
He's not there.
What do you mean, "not there"?
Not there. I checked.
He's been swallowed up.
Did you question the doorman?
I did. He never saw him.
Did you search the restaurant?
Mr. Ness, today is Tuesday.
So?
The restaurant is
closed on Tuesdays.
( somber theme playing)
(women laugh)
NARRATOR: And the time had come,
always after dinner,
with good food,
good wine and good company,
when a stranger would come
up behind him, and he would hear,
like all the guns in the
world shot off together,
the terrible short
noise of death.
All right, what's
your proposition?
I'm not the richest
man in the world.
I'm not the poorest neither.
(band playing soft music)
Divvies.
Fifty percent?
You think I'm gonna
listen to 50 percent?
I'm supposed to say
"yes" to a heist like that?
You asked my
offer. That's my offer.
That's what they told you?
They? Who?
The people in the country.
The fortuneteller on the farm.
He spoke to you, but
he didn't speak to me.
He promise you 50 percent?
No.
How much?
One hundred percent.
What?
Go out and ask him.
The old man in the
country wants you retired.
Same as he is.
Me? Ha-ha! Retire?
(laughs)
No. I say no.
Beat it, girls. It's time.
Now, go on home
and sleep it off.
I don't wanna go.
Mr. Bucco gave us the
invite, not you, skinny.
I want some more
vino, drinky-winky.
You're a tiger.
You're a real tiger.
Come on, drink some more.
Come on, a little more.
Come on, drink.
Oh, come on, a little more.
No. Oh, come on!
Well, go on. Who
told you to stop?
(band resumes playing)
Here.
For your dress. Now, go
on home, the both of you.
I'll take the deal.
It changed.
Sixty-five, 35. I take 65.
Charlie, it's not
that I don't trust you,
but how do I know you're
gonna keep the bargain?
You don't.
Bread and salt. Eat.
Finish that.
What's the matter?
I feel, um, a little
bit not so good.
Why?
The wine.
I guess.
I'm going to the men's
room, wash my face.
Ha-ha! Go on. Go on, boy.
(laughs)
Give me a clean towel.
Yes, sir.
(music slows)
(cocks)
(music stops)
Put down the
instruments, all of you.
Hurry up.
I never saw you, but
I know who you are.
You were gonna
trigger me, weren't you?
I know a million
tricks like that.
And you know what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna throw
you to Lake Michigan,
let you sink to the bottom.
Now, turn around, all of you.
You know what else I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna tie an iron
bell around your neck,
so it'll ring when
you're going down.
How you gonna like that, huh?
(gunshots)
NARRATOR: The Mafia
was sudden, but careful.
Joseph Bucco never
saw his assassins.
You hear any fireworks, boy?
No, sir.
You heard it.
I was in here when you heard it.
Yes, sir.
What did I just give you?
Ten-dollar bill, sir.
That's right.
You're a good boy.
Brush me off.
(praying in Italian)
Can he talk?
No. Nothing.
If he's lived this long,
he's gonna recover.
No.
He's finished.
All that blood he lost.
They can't put it back.
Not his blood.
He was a bull.
And he's hard to die.
Poor man.
I love him worse today
than the day I married him.
Do you know what I'm
gonna do when he's gone?
I'm gonna go out on the
street and commit a mortal sin
so I can go down to
hell and marry him there
all over again.
If there's anything I
can do, Mrs. Bucco...
You can talk to
him if you want to.
Thank you.
It's me, Eliot Ness.
Now, I don't want you to talk.
I just want you to tell me the
name of the man who shot you
or the person who hired him.
That's all.
The name. Just the
name. That's all I need.
He's got nothing to say.
No.
He's dead.
I know.
NARRATOR: On April 23rd, 1933,
Eliot Ness got a judicial order
to open Joe Bucco's
safety-deposit box.
Yes.
Dates, figures and maybe names.
Nobody knows what names.
This is gonna hit the
Mafia like an earthquake.
JOE (over record player):
My name is Joe Bucco.
My right name is Giuseppe Bucco.
I'm 51 years old,
I'm in good health,
and I got a good mind.
Nevertheless,
I'm... I'm gonna sing.
♪ Ya-da-dum
Dah-dah-dah-dum-dum ♪
♪ Ya-da-da Da-da-da-dum ♪
♪ La-da-da-da-da-dum Bum-bah ♪
Get out of the game, Mr. Ness.
Quit the gumshoe job,
or else people such as me is
gonna get crazy and kill you.
They got to. You
drive them to it.
You're too honest. And
that's bad for business.
You gonna lose, Mr. Ness.
You gonna lose.
And the pity of it is,
you ain't even got a
good singing voice,
have you, Mr. Ness?
Ha-ha, ha, ha.
What do you say, huh?
What do you say, huh?
What do you say, huh?
What do you say, huh?
You want this filed with
the rest of his crimes?
Marty, get my wife
on the phone, will you?
Joe Bucco.
NARRATOR: Eliot Ness had
no pity for the death of a monster,
only for the man
entangled inside of him.
For Eliot Ness, the Joe
Bucco case was ended,
but the fight against
the Mafia only beginning.
( dramatic theme playing)
( menacing theme playing)
ANNOUNCER: The Untouchables.