The Untouchables (1959–1963): Season 2, Episode 4 - The Waxey Gordon Story - full transcript
Waxey Gordon is known as the beer baron of New York and he decides that the time has come to expand his territory. He sets his sights on the New Jersey side of the river and successfully eliminates his three competitors there, including mobster Bugs Donovan. Ness and his men are trying to bring Waxey down and are sure they have located his warehouse but every time they raid the place, the building is completely empty. When they do finally figure out how he is moving his beer, they plan a little surprise for him with the help of the Elizabeth, New Jersey Fire Department.
I write you off, Mr. Ness.
It's the same when we was kids.
There was always some kids
that wouldn't play
along with the others.
Maybe they didn't
like your rules.
No, no, that's not it!
It's because you
guys are all alike.
You're yellow!
The last time
somebody did that to me,
he had an accident for good.
(theme music plays)
Tonight's episode...
Starring Robert
Stack as Eliot Ness.
Co-starring Frank De Kova.
With special guest
star Nehemiah Persoff
and narrated by Walter Winchell.
WALTER WINCHELL: On
the night of April 16, 1931,
Waxey Gordon, public
enemy number one,
the unchallenged beer boss
of New York, began his
campaign to take over
the illegal beer traffic
in the entire state
of New Jersey.
It was controlled
by Frankie Dunn,
Bugs Donovan and Roger Wieden.
Good luck, suckers!
Give me that.
The following
morning, Eliot Ness
and his squad of Untouchables
were assigned by John Carvell,
United States attorney for the
southern district of New York,
to investigate the
mass gangland murder
in the New Jersey brewery.
Looks like Waxey's got
his eye on New Jersey now.
Yeah, but Donovan
and Wieden won't sit still
and let Waxey move in
without putting up a fight.
You can be sure of that.
Bill, you and Jack
pay a call on Donovan.
Find out what you can. Right.
Rico, you have a
talk with Wieden.
Right.
What are you doing tonight, Lee?
Oh, nothing, a movie, maybe.
How'd a musical comedy suit you?
Well, I'm no snob.
You got a date.
Can I help you, boys?
Just looking around, pop.
Who are you looking for?
Just a couple of girls.
How do you do?
Tell Waxey we'd like to see him.
He's busy.
So are we.
WAXEY: What's the matter?
It's the law.
Oh, I'll be right there.
Hey, Flo, don't take all night.
I want to catch the last
show at the Hotsey Totsey.
Oh, I know you.
You're Eliot Ness, right?
I know all about you.
What do you know
about Frankie Dunn?
Must I know something?
Don't you read the newspapers?
Sure, Variety.
Frankie Dunn was
killed last night.
(gasps, tsks)
What's that got to do with me?
He's in your line of business.
My "line of business"? Beer.
Oh, come on, boys, will ya?
I got nothing to do with beer
or any of the other rackets.
I gamble, play
the horses a little,
back a few shows,
and... And commit murder.
That's nice. That's nice.
And what do I do for an encore?
Let's go for a walk, Gordon.
Somewhere nice and quiet
where we can have a little talk.
Oh, come on, Ness!
Let's not waste
each other's time.
You can't pin nothing on me!
I'm sure going to try.
Flo, come out here, will ya?
I want you to meet
some friends of mine.
Say, baby, tell these gentlemen
where we was last night.
Waxey, don't embarrass me.
That's our, uh,
personal business.
Miss Ingalls is
a little bashful.
You know, Miss Ingalls,
lying can be a very
serious business
where murder is concerned.
But I'm not lying, Mr. Ness.
I swear I'm not.
There, you satisfied?
For now.
Hey, give the boys
a couple of drinks.
Uh, seltzer.
We sell it here in
the intermission.
No, thanks.
I'm just trying to be friendly.
Say, I'm investing in a
couple of new shows.
I'll get you some tickets.
Bugs Donovan and Roger Wieden,
the two remaining beer
bosses of New Jersey,
had no intention
of letting Waxey
move into their territory
without putting up a fight.
On the night of April 18,
two days after the
shooting of Frankie Dunn,
a Council of War was held
in Bugs Donovan's office
at the swanky Nest Club.
If it's a fight he wants,
we'll give it to him.
We'll carry it to
his home grounds,
right to New York.
We'll need a lot more men.
So, we'll get 'em.
Jim, I want you and Vito here
to get a dozen more
men, do you understand?
And make sure they
know how to pack a gun.
Leave it to us, Boss.
Who does he think
he's foolin' around with,
a couple of slobs?
It took us years to
build up this business,
and I'm not about to sit back
and let that leech suck us dry.
Waxey's probably got the whole
New York Syndicate behind him.
So. You afraid of them?
You know me better than that.
We kept that New York crowd
out of here ten years ago.
We'll keep them out again.
I'm with you all the way, Bugs.
You call it.
Okay.
These Katzenjammer kids,
they as good as you say?
The best.
They were Frank
Nitti's busiest guns.
(gunshots)
She's dead, Boss.
She's dead.
That kid saved my life.
How do you li...?
I want her to have
the biggest funeral
Broadway ever had.
There'll be no
Wednesday matinee.
I want the whole cast at church.
The following
night, Waxey Gordon
called his own Council of War.
He invited a dozen assorted
specialists in contract murder
to his new home
outside Union City.
To call Waxey's place a "home"
would be the
understatement of all time.
It wasn't a home,
it was a castle.
Waxey was holding court.
He was King Arthur, and
his assorted hoodlums
were his loyal knights.
Come on in, boys!
(noisy greetings)
Sit down. Sit down, boys.
Sit down, make
yourselves at home.
(overlapping chatter)
That's some chicken, Waxey.
"Chicken" he calls it.
I'll hit you over
the head with this.
This is "Squab Venessoise."
(men laughing)
All right, leave the bottle.
We'll pour our own brandy.
Come on, you monkeys, beat it!
Beat it! Out! Out!
Out! Get out!
We're in for a fight, boys.
Donovan and Wieden have
added 20 men to their payroll.
It won't be easy
getting to them.
They got armored cars,
bodyguards night and
day, the whole smear.
Just means it'll
take a little longer
than we figured, Waxey.
How do you know what I figured?
Donovan's tougher
than you think.
I know him, he'll fight.
Suppose we don't fight
him, suppose we join him?
Join him?
What are you saying, Waxey?
I thought I might have a
little talk with Donovan.
Aw, not a chance.
He'd never see us.
Did I say "us"?
I said "me," alone.
See him alone with that
army of gorillas around him?
(groans)
Forget it, Waxey, forget it.
He'd never meet you anyplace.
He'd suspect a trap.
Not if I met him at
his club by myself.
I wouldn't if I was you, Waxey.
Donovan's bad enough, but
those two bodyguards of his,
Jim Okie and Vito Baron,
they'd kill you just for laughs.
I know them. Louie, you used
to work for Donovan, right?
Yeah, that's why I told you.
Louie, tomorrow I want
you to call Donovan.
Tell him I want to discuss
our little differences, hmm?
At his place.
Well, if that's the
way you want it.
That's the way I want it!
Tomorrow night at The Nest.
You got it?
Okay. All right.
The meeting is over, boys.
Good night.
We'll meet here tomorrow night
for a little celebration.
Pheasant and champagne.
Good night, boys!
(overlapping chatter)
Good night, keep smiling.
Buona sera, good night.
Good night. Good night, Waxey.
Good night.
Great party. Good night.
Say hello to the wife.
(sighs)
I'm not gonna let
you do it, Waxey.
You'd be a sitting
duck in that office.
Yeah, Charley's right, Waxey.
I mean, maybe we ought to
find a different way to do it,
you know what I mean?
We'll do it my way.
Charley, tomorrow morning,
I want you to bring
me 50 Gs, cash.
What for?
Grease. I learned
a long time ago
that a little bit of
grease goes a long way.
You got it?
Now, let's drink a toast.
BOTH: To the Beer
Baron of New Jersey!
To Jersey, my Jersey!
WINCHELL: The meeting between
Waxey Gordon and Bugs Donovan
was arranged the following night
in the back office of
the swanky Club Nest.
This way.
Nobody can complain
about the service around here.
(woman singing)
♪ Birds were singing,
skies were blue ♪
♪ Now I don't appeal to you ♪
♪ The thrill is gone ♪
♪ This is the end ♪
♪ So why pretend? ♪
♪ And let it linger on ♪
♪ The thrill is ♪
♪ Gone. ♪
That girl's got style.
I could use her in my next show.
(applause)
(knocking)
(distant crowd chatter)
Well, ain't you gonna frisk me?
You won't try anything.
The odds are too great.
I wouldn't try anything if I
was you, either, Donovan.
My friends in New
York... They wouldn't like it
for anything to happen to me.
Be a gentlemen.
Invite me to sit down.
Okay. Sit down.
Now talk.
I got a proposition
to make to you.
I better like it.
What's the proposition?
I want a little of your action.
That's reasonable.
I'm not a pig.
Look, Waxey, I
don't want any trouble
with you or your New York crowd,
and I'm sure you don't
want any trouble with us.
I like everything
to go smooth, too.
Me and Roger have
already talked it over.
We're prepared to give
you Frankie Dunn's territory.
How much is that?
About 30% of the whole take.
No grudges, no hard feelings.
Let bygones be bygones.
What do you say?
I've been thinking of
a little more than 30%.
More?
70% more.
I want it all.
Well, is it a deal?
Take this bum out of here!
I don't care if I
never see him again!
You know what I mean, boys?
Never!
Well, what are you
standing there for?
Didn't you hear what I said?
Why, you cheap,
double-crossing punks!
You sold me out!
50 grand ain't cheap.
All right, Waxey.
I know when I'm licked.
You win.
You can run the show, okay?
51 percent.
Controlling interest
in everything.
I can't do any more than that.
I think you can.
Have a heart, Waxey!
I was willing to
play ball with you.
Play ball with me now!
I'll give you 70% of the action,
and I'll take Frankie
Dunn's territory.
How's that?
What about Wieden?
What about him?
When he comes over tonight,
uh, we can take care of him.
You'd ditch your own partner?
What do you think of that, boys?
And he called you
double-crossers.
Now, listen to me,
Waxey, listen to me.
What about your...?
I'm listening.
Waxey, I'm not asking for much.
I'm not a kid any more.
I don't need much.
Just give me a little
piece of the action.
Five or six points, that's all.
I don't care!
Anything you say!
(muffled gunshot, grunt)
(knocking)
If that's Wieden,
bring him in alone.
Waxey in there?
Yeah, but keep the boys there
in case somebody
tries to get in.
Stay here.
(muffled gunshot)
(thudding)
How do we get rid of 'em?
How?
Cement 'em and
throw 'em in the river.
First, bring the
Katzenjammer kids in here.
Your boss wants to see you.
Meet our new boss... Waxey.
It's okay with me.
Me, too.
WINCHELL: The bodies of Bugs Donovan
and Roger Wieden were never found,
and Eliot Ness knew
they never would be found.
He also knew
that Waxey Gordon
was now the beer baron
of New York and New Jersey.
Ow!
A little out of practice, Rico.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
I must be losing my
touch with the clippers.
Well, it's your fault.
You changed my trade.
I used to be a pretty
good barber once.
Eliot, have you thought of
hanging a tax rap on Gordon?
Ah, it wouldn't be easy.
Waxey only makes
cash transactions.
How about smashing his
breweries, drying him up?
That's a good idea.
We'll have to find 'em first.
I still like the tax angle.
If we can catch one of
Waxey's brew master's
and get him to
testify in court...
I got a better idea.
We go in the malt business.
If we can find out who
Waxey's buying his malt from,
we might be able to
build a case against him.
Okay, that's it.
How do you like it?
Yeah, not bad.
Here's a list.
22 malt manufacturers,
a record of their
annual gross sales.
First dozen companies
are too respectable
for Waxey to be
doing business with
and too big to intimidate.
My guess... it's one of
the smaller companies.
Which one?
We'll stake them out and see.
Since Waxey only deals in cash,
one of his satchel men
must make the deliveries.
Yeah, but if the payoff
is only once a month,
we might be in
for a long stakeout.
Well, let's hope the
payoff isn't once a year.
(laughs)
ANNOUNCER: Now
back to The Untouchables.
WINCHELL: On the
following morning,
Eliot Ness and his men began
five simultaneous stakeouts
of the smaller
malt manufacturers.
From a waterfront rooming house,
Rossman watched the entrance
of the Arthur Fenton
Malt Company.
Enrico Rossi
watched the entrance
of the Wilson Malt
& Hops Corporation.
Youngfellow took a temporary job
as a soda jerker in a drugstore
just across the street from
the Ainslee Malt Company.
Hobson watched the
Jenson Grain Company.
And Eliot Ness,
from a boarding
house across the way,
watched the entrance
of the Waverly Malt
& Hops Corporation.
For more than a week,
nothing happened.
Then, on the afternoon
of June 2, 1931,
their dogged vigilance
was rewarded.
(phone ringing)
Hello. Ness.
Hello, Eliot? This is Bill.
I just saw Vannie Higgins
and Charley Sherman
go into Ainslee's.
I'll be right over.
They just left.
You can turn in your
cap and apron now, Bill.
I've got a little business
with Mr. Ainslee.
Good afternoon.
I'd like to see Mr. Ainslee.
Do you have an
appointment, Mr...?
Ness.
No, I haven't got
an appointment,
but I'd like to see him
on some malt business.
A Mr. Ness is here to see
you about buying some malt.
Mr. Ness? Well, show him in.
Go right in, Mr. Ness.
Well, what can I do
for you, Mr. Ness?
I'm a federal agent.
Won't you... sit down, Mr. Ness?
Do you know Waxey Gordon?
No, that is, just what I read
about him in the papers.
How about Charley
Sherman or Vannie Higgins?
You know them?
Mr. Ness, I don't know
what you're driving at,
but let me assure you that I am a
respectable legitimate business man!
My business may be small,
but it's over a hundred years old!
Your company may be a
hundred years old, Mr. Ainslee,
but they just left here
a few minutes ago.
Where's the money they left?
They were here on business.
They left no money!
I can get a search warrant
and have this opened.
The Internal Revenue
Department might like to know
about your unreported
cash transactions.
They wouldn't find anything.
You sure?
We've been watching this
place for over a week now.
I suggest you
cooperate, Mr. Ainslee.
It'll go easier for you.
I suppose I deserve this.
It's too late for excuses.
I didn't want to do business with
Mr. Gordon or his gang of hoodlums,
but they threatened
me... And my wife.
It was a nightmare...
five years of terror.
Why didn't you go to the police?
I would have.
I didn't care about myself,
but I was afraid of what
they'd do to my wife.
She wasn't a strong woman.
Wasn't?
Yes... She died last year.
And it was this illegal
business that killed her.
Mr. Ainslee, you can help us.
Your testimony on the amount
of malt you've sold Waxey
for the past five years will help
us put him away for a long time.
You don't know
them. They'll kill me.
They've already
killed your wife.
What do you want
me to do, Mr. Ness?
Dig up every piece of business
you conducted with Waxey
over the past five years.
Then bring the records
to my office tonight.
I'll bring them.
Thanks, Mr. Ainslee.
See you tonight.
Miss Larkin, you've been
with me a long time now.
Eight years next month, sir.
I don't suppose it would
be fair not to tell you.
You have a right to know.
I might have to
close up the business.
Close the business?
But why?
Well, the details are
too sordid to go into.
That man who was just
here was a federal policeman.
I have to see him tonight,
and I don't know what'll happen,
but you'll be taken care of.
You may go early, Miss
Larkin, if you'd like to.
I have to stay and
collect some papers.
Good night.
Good night.
WINCHELL: That night,
after the factory shut down,
Mr. Ainslee left with a
briefcase full of sales slips
and invoices to keep his
appointment with Eliot Ness.
When Eliot Ness and his
men arrived later that night
at the scene of the disaster,
he found many scattered
shreds of paper strewn about...
With numbers
written all over them...
Numbers that, with
Ainslee's testimony,
would have sent Waxey
Gordon to the federal pen
for a very long stretch.
But now they were meaningless.
There goes our tax angle.
Now what?
We'll try it your way, Rico.
Let's dry him up.
WINCHELL: To launch the
campaign to dry up Waxey Gordon,
Eliot Ness staked out the
most famous night spots
in New York City.
For a week they
watched trucks of all kinds,
which serviced those
clubs, hoping for a clue.
From here they all look
like legitimate trucks.
They always look legitimate.
(honking horn)
Well, that's a big help.
Blocked our view.
Well, anyway, it's the
sweetest smelling stake-out
we were ever on.
There's our answer.
What is?
If one of those trucks
is shipping beer,
the smell of beer
would still be there.
Waxey might be able
to camouflage the trucks,
but he can't
camouflage the smell.
Be right back.
It's the fruit truck.
Well, in a little while
we should know
where that brewery is.
I don't think it'll
be that easy.
If I know Waxey, he'll use
the double delivery system.
You're probably right.
He's a pretty shrewd operator.
Here he comes.
(car horn honking)
WINCHELL: Eliot
Ness and Lee Hobson
followed the fruit
and vegetable truck
through New York's maze
of crowded side streets
to the Market District.
Looks innocent, all right.
Who could suspect anything?
A vegetable truck comes
up to a vegetable market
to pick up vegetables and,
instead, he picks up beer.
We might as well relax, Lee.
That brewery truck may
be a long time getting here.
WINCHELL: Later that afternoon,
a big ten -ton truck drove up
to the platform alongside
the fruit and vegetable truck
they had been following.
Looks like a
truckload of carrots.
You can bet there's something a lot
more potent than carrots in those crates.
WINCHELL: Two hours later,
just as the sun was going down,
the brewery truck had
transferred its cargo of beer
to the other truck.
Now the driver was ready
to return to the brewery,
and Eliot Ness and
Lee Hobson tailed it.
Through the Holland Tunnel
and across the flat plains
towards Elizabeth, New Jersey.
(horn honking)
Well, there it is.
Let's call the boys.
Tonight, we dry Waxey up.
WINCHELL: Shortly
before 11:00 that same night,
Eliot Ness and his
special agents drove up
to the entrance of the
innocent-looking warehouse
on Mill Road on the outskirts
of Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Open up!
What for?
We're closing up this brewery.
Brewery? What brewery?
This is a warehouse,
We'll see for ourselves.
You got a warrant?
All right, come on in.
You're making a big mistake.
Take off your shoes if
you want to, I don't care.
WINCHELL: There was
nothing in the warehouse
that remotely
resembled a brewery.
There were no vats,
no distilling equipment,
nor the tell-tale
odor of a brewery.
Eliot Ness had been
led by Waxey Gordon
up the well-known garden path.
Satisfied?
Guess we made a mistake.
Whatever gave you the
idea this was a brewery?
Beer is against the law.
Didn't you know that?
Tell that to your boss.
Come on, boys!
Waxey, I can't!
Listen, baby... honest, I don't
know what you're upset about.
I tell you that you
sang beautifully.
I never heard you sing better.
I was terrible. I know it.
My voice was
shaking like my knees!
So what?
Don't you know
that it's good luck
to have a bad dress rehearsal?
You ask anybody
in show business.
Waxey, I can't do it.
What do you mean
you can't do it?
Tomorrow night,
take it from Waxey,
you're gonna be the toast
of Broadway. (phone ringing)
And what's more
important, after the show,
I'm gonna have a private party
and you will be my own little toast.
A call for you, Waxey.
Now, go get yourself dressed.
We'll have dinner...
Just you and I alone.
Waxey.
Charley, Waxey.
I just thought
you'd like to know.
We had a visit by the feds.
Did they find anything?
Not a thing.
Good.
Just the way Waxey figured it.
WINCHELL: Despite the
Untouchables' round the clock efforts
to find a chink in
Waxey Gordon's armor,
he continued to operate
with arrogance and
disdain for the law.
(knocking)
Think of the devil, right?
You gentlemen
mind if I join you?
Mind? We insist.
(chuckles)
This kind of food
will give you ulcers.
It's no good for growing boys.
It makes me kind of nervous
to feel that the
odds are against me.
Do you mind if I have a
little private conversation
with the boss?
The customer's
always right, Rico.
It won't be long.
I'll just stay a few minutes.
I got an opening
tonight... one of my shows.
Well, you gonna
ask me to sit down?
I venture a guess, Mr. Ness.
I venture a guess that,
when I came in here,
you was thinking
about Waxey Gordon
and all the trouble he's
been giving you, right?
I was also thinking
how, one of these days,
you'll make the
one slip, Gordon,
and I'll jump down on you
hard enough to break your back.
I'll tell you
something, Mr. Ness.
If I have trouble with
one of my shows,
I'll bring you in to fix it up.
You got a big sense
of humor, there.
I'm glad you're laughing.
I'll tell you why I'm laughing.
It's like I'm on a
roof looking down
at you playing
blind man's bluff...
Going around in a circle
and bumping into things.
All you get from
that is a sore nose.
Now if you was really smart,
you'd switch to something
that's more lucrative.
Like what?
Well, like, uh, follow
the leader, for instance.
You remember that game
when you was a kid? Go on.
It's simple.
All you do is play along...
Do like the other guys do
and pick up a
fortune on the way.
And what happens to
my amateur standing?
Oh, get wise, Mr. Ness.
You're not the only one.
There are other guys
working for the government...
For instance?
You think I'd tell you?
Just testing in case
you convince me.
Well, that's wise, Mr. Ness.
You see, now you
learned something.
I protect my playmates.
What are you so anxious
about, if you're not running beer?
So far, even if I was in beer,
I've outfoxed you
on every turn, right?
Okay. You say I got beer
in the empty warehouse...
I got nothing.
But you keep following me,
worrying me, for no good reason.
Now, come on, wise up, Ness.
I know what you make
a year to the very penny.
The clothes your wife wears,
the squeeze she's gotta
make that budget go all the way,
It's time you turned pro.
You risk your life.
You stick your neck out.
You might as well make it pay.
You just talking or
making a bona fide offer?
I put my money
where my mouth is.
Now, a lot of guys reach
in that waste paper basket
and come out with gold,
other guys, not so smart,
come out with the garbage.
Now which is it gonna be?
That's quite a
waste paper basket.
(laughing)
It's like magic... all you
gotta do is say the word.
What do you say?
Like the man says...
"No comment."
Now take your blood
money and get out of here
before I sweep you out
with the rest of the trash.
Mister, I come up the
hard way from nothing,
from the cellar to the roof.
Now I got the best suits...
A new suit every day
with a tie to match.
I drive the best
cars... You know why?
Because I got brains
and I take it as a gift...
A gift that I wasn't
born like you.
You know why?
Because you belong in
that waste paper basket.
Aw, what's the use?
I write you off, Mr. Ness!
It's the same when we was kids.
There was always some kids
that wouldn't play
along with the others.
Maybe they didn't
like your rules.
No, no, that's not it!
It's because you
guys are all alike!
You're yellow!
The last time
somebody did that to me,
he had an accident for good.
Get out.
Okay, public servant number one.
Here's a sample
of my real racket...
A couple of seats to
the opening tonight.
Take some time off,
Mr. Ness, you need it.
Have a party?
I just turned down
a proposition:
a new suit for every
day in the week
with a tie to match.
What did you do,
settle for theater tickets?
You and Bill go. I'd like to go
to the other show
he's putting on.
What other show?
The one he's putting
on after the theatre;
the big party he's
throwing at the castle.
That's exclusive.
Only his best friends
are invited to that one.
That's right.
I'd like to know just
who his best friends are.
WINCHELL: That night at the
Hippodrome Theater, Forty Naughty Girls
starring Elaine Warren
proved to be a very big smash,
and Waxey Gordon, patron of
the arts had added another hit
to his growing list of
Broadway musical comedies.
Nearly 1:00.
They should be here soon.
(horn beeping in distance)
Lights.
(beeping continues)
(horn beeping)
New York plates: "5R-2330."
New York plates: "7P-8632."
New York plates: "3Z-4325."
That's it.
They're all from New York.
I was hoping for one or
two Jersey license plates.
You think Waxey's getting help
from some big shot in Jersey?
Could be. It's all
we've got to go on.
Well, it looks like everybody
that's been invited
to the party is here.
Let's stick around anyway.
I'd sure like to be up there.
Can you imagine
what kind of a wild party
that one's gonna be?
Roughly.
What time is it now?
1:30.
We might as well go.
Turn it off, Lee!
New Jersey plates: "HKA..."
A small important one.
Let's go.
WINCHELL: The following
morning, Eliot Ness ascertained
from the New Jersey
Division of Motor Vehicles
that license plate number
H-K-A had been issued
to U.K. Andersen, Commissioner
of the Department
of Public Works
for Union County, New Jersey.
A half hour later,
Eliot Ness and Lee
Hobson were in the office
of the Department of Water and
Power of Elizabeth, New Jersey,
talking to Orville Watson,
the Chief Engineer.
This is a record of all
the work we've done
in the past six months.
Have you put down any pipeline
near a warehouse on Mill Road?
Yes, I remember that job.
It was a six-inch line.
Did you approve the job?
I approve of most of them,
but that one was approved
by Commissioner Andersen.
Mr. Watson, could
I have a blueprint
of where that line was laid?
I can have another
blueprint run off for you,
but first I'll have to get
Mr. Andersen's permission.
Mr. Watson, I'm going
to have to ask you
for your cooperation.
We wouldn't like Mr. Andersen
to know anything about
this, if you know what I mean.
I think I do.
I'll run off that Photostat.
Good.
WINCHELL: Chief Engineer Orville
Watson led them to the exact spot
where the recently laid
pipeline had been set down
near the Mill Road warehouse.
It was covered
with fresh asphalt.
As you can see, the
asphalt goes right up
to the back of that
large warehouse.
Only it's not a
warehouse, Mr. Watson.
That's the way it's listed here.
I know. You can call it
a warehouse if you like,
but it's a kind of a station
where trucks fill up with beer
that's pumped to
it from a brewery.
A brewery? That's
what we're looking for,
Mr. Watson, a brewery.
Can you tell from the plan
where the six-inch
pipeline originates?
That's where the
brewery should be.
That's hard to say.
From the maze of
interconnecting pipelines,
it could be anyplace.
You'd have to know
exactly where he's tapped in.
How can we find out?
Well, you'd have to dig
up a couple miles of street.
How do you like that?
I thought we were finally
gonna be able to dry Waxey up.
You a hydraulic
engineer, Mr. Watson?
Yes.
Could you spare us
another hour or so?
What do you have in mind?
If we can't dry Waxey up,
let's see if we
can't drown him out.
WINCHELL: Eliot
Ness' plan was simple:
to force the beer back
through the six-inch pipeline
and flood the brewery.
To do this, he enlisted
the cooperation
of the Elizabeth, New
Jersey, fire department.
The fire commissioner
volunteered the use
of one the department's
high-pressure pumping trucks.
Chief Engineer Watson estimated
that the beer could be pumped
from the warehouse to
its origin, the brewery,
using a force of 400-pounds
pressure to the square inch.
(engine starts)
(loud knocking)
You back?
That's right.
Come on in.
You're wasting your
time, believe me.
I don't.
Okay.
Okay, drive her in!
You know what to do now, Rico.
If this works, I've
got a hunch Waxey
will get an urgent
call from the brewery.
I'll trace the call
and phone you here.
Right.
You might as well tell us,
because we're going
to find out anyway.
Where's the brewery?
What brewery you talkin' about?
Where this beer comes from.
Beer don't come out of
there, that's a water valve.
Beer.
This is it. Connect
the hose there.
Start her up!
What are you doing?!
Drowning a bunch of rats!
WINCHELL: Less than a
mile from the warehouse
in what was purportedly a
boiler factory, Otto Schneider,
Waxey's portly brewmaster,
was shocked to see
the beer begin to back up
and pour over the top
of one of the large vats.
(men clamoring)
Turn it off! Stop
it! Stop it! Stop it!
♪ The thrill is gone... ♪
(phone rings)
Hey, yeah?
Hello, Waxey?
This is Otto... Otto?
I told you never...
to call me here
unless it was urgent.
This is it, Jack!
I know, but this is urgent!
This is urgent!
Trace this call!
The beer, it's backing up!
It's all over the brewery!
I don't know...
Something's gone wrong.
We'll be right over.
Okay, Operator, thanks.
Now, get me Union
City 0-7414, please.
(clamoring)
What?! What happened?!
I don't know!
Something keeps
forcing the beer back!
You must be drinking
too much of your own stuff,
forcing it back!
Who's forcing back?!
Get a man up on that vat!
You get that hose on top of it!
Who is forcing it back?!
Come on! Come on! Come on!
Forcing it back!
Who's forcing it back?
Come on! Come on! Come on!
All right, hands
up! Nobody move!
It's all over, Waxey!
Come on out!
All right!
WINCHELL: Commissioner
Andersen was sentenced
to serve ten years in prison.
The court was lenient with
Otto Schneider, the brewmaster.
His testimony enabled the
federal court to piece together
Waxey Gordon's
lucrative beer operation.
According to Otto Schneider,
7,000 barrels of beer
were turned out each week,
each barrel selling for
$20, making a gross income
of $140,000 a week,
more than $7 million a year,
a truly princely sum for
which Waxey grudgingly gave
the tax collector
only $1,000 a year.
Waxey Gordon might
have been slippery,
but he wasn't slippery
enough to get out of Alcatraz
where he died on
June 24th, 1952.
It's the same when we was kids.
There was always some kids
that wouldn't play
along with the others.
Maybe they didn't
like your rules.
No, no, that's not it!
It's because you
guys are all alike.
You're yellow!
The last time
somebody did that to me,
he had an accident for good.
(theme music plays)
Tonight's episode...
Starring Robert
Stack as Eliot Ness.
Co-starring Frank De Kova.
With special guest
star Nehemiah Persoff
and narrated by Walter Winchell.
WALTER WINCHELL: On
the night of April 16, 1931,
Waxey Gordon, public
enemy number one,
the unchallenged beer boss
of New York, began his
campaign to take over
the illegal beer traffic
in the entire state
of New Jersey.
It was controlled
by Frankie Dunn,
Bugs Donovan and Roger Wieden.
Good luck, suckers!
Give me that.
The following
morning, Eliot Ness
and his squad of Untouchables
were assigned by John Carvell,
United States attorney for the
southern district of New York,
to investigate the
mass gangland murder
in the New Jersey brewery.
Looks like Waxey's got
his eye on New Jersey now.
Yeah, but Donovan
and Wieden won't sit still
and let Waxey move in
without putting up a fight.
You can be sure of that.
Bill, you and Jack
pay a call on Donovan.
Find out what you can. Right.
Rico, you have a
talk with Wieden.
Right.
What are you doing tonight, Lee?
Oh, nothing, a movie, maybe.
How'd a musical comedy suit you?
Well, I'm no snob.
You got a date.
Can I help you, boys?
Just looking around, pop.
Who are you looking for?
Just a couple of girls.
How do you do?
Tell Waxey we'd like to see him.
He's busy.
So are we.
WAXEY: What's the matter?
It's the law.
Oh, I'll be right there.
Hey, Flo, don't take all night.
I want to catch the last
show at the Hotsey Totsey.
Oh, I know you.
You're Eliot Ness, right?
I know all about you.
What do you know
about Frankie Dunn?
Must I know something?
Don't you read the newspapers?
Sure, Variety.
Frankie Dunn was
killed last night.
(gasps, tsks)
What's that got to do with me?
He's in your line of business.
My "line of business"? Beer.
Oh, come on, boys, will ya?
I got nothing to do with beer
or any of the other rackets.
I gamble, play
the horses a little,
back a few shows,
and... And commit murder.
That's nice. That's nice.
And what do I do for an encore?
Let's go for a walk, Gordon.
Somewhere nice and quiet
where we can have a little talk.
Oh, come on, Ness!
Let's not waste
each other's time.
You can't pin nothing on me!
I'm sure going to try.
Flo, come out here, will ya?
I want you to meet
some friends of mine.
Say, baby, tell these gentlemen
where we was last night.
Waxey, don't embarrass me.
That's our, uh,
personal business.
Miss Ingalls is
a little bashful.
You know, Miss Ingalls,
lying can be a very
serious business
where murder is concerned.
But I'm not lying, Mr. Ness.
I swear I'm not.
There, you satisfied?
For now.
Hey, give the boys
a couple of drinks.
Uh, seltzer.
We sell it here in
the intermission.
No, thanks.
I'm just trying to be friendly.
Say, I'm investing in a
couple of new shows.
I'll get you some tickets.
Bugs Donovan and Roger Wieden,
the two remaining beer
bosses of New Jersey,
had no intention
of letting Waxey
move into their territory
without putting up a fight.
On the night of April 18,
two days after the
shooting of Frankie Dunn,
a Council of War was held
in Bugs Donovan's office
at the swanky Nest Club.
If it's a fight he wants,
we'll give it to him.
We'll carry it to
his home grounds,
right to New York.
We'll need a lot more men.
So, we'll get 'em.
Jim, I want you and Vito here
to get a dozen more
men, do you understand?
And make sure they
know how to pack a gun.
Leave it to us, Boss.
Who does he think
he's foolin' around with,
a couple of slobs?
It took us years to
build up this business,
and I'm not about to sit back
and let that leech suck us dry.
Waxey's probably got the whole
New York Syndicate behind him.
So. You afraid of them?
You know me better than that.
We kept that New York crowd
out of here ten years ago.
We'll keep them out again.
I'm with you all the way, Bugs.
You call it.
Okay.
These Katzenjammer kids,
they as good as you say?
The best.
They were Frank
Nitti's busiest guns.
(gunshots)
She's dead, Boss.
She's dead.
That kid saved my life.
How do you li...?
I want her to have
the biggest funeral
Broadway ever had.
There'll be no
Wednesday matinee.
I want the whole cast at church.
The following
night, Waxey Gordon
called his own Council of War.
He invited a dozen assorted
specialists in contract murder
to his new home
outside Union City.
To call Waxey's place a "home"
would be the
understatement of all time.
It wasn't a home,
it was a castle.
Waxey was holding court.
He was King Arthur, and
his assorted hoodlums
were his loyal knights.
Come on in, boys!
(noisy greetings)
Sit down. Sit down, boys.
Sit down, make
yourselves at home.
(overlapping chatter)
That's some chicken, Waxey.
"Chicken" he calls it.
I'll hit you over
the head with this.
This is "Squab Venessoise."
(men laughing)
All right, leave the bottle.
We'll pour our own brandy.
Come on, you monkeys, beat it!
Beat it! Out! Out!
Out! Get out!
We're in for a fight, boys.
Donovan and Wieden have
added 20 men to their payroll.
It won't be easy
getting to them.
They got armored cars,
bodyguards night and
day, the whole smear.
Just means it'll
take a little longer
than we figured, Waxey.
How do you know what I figured?
Donovan's tougher
than you think.
I know him, he'll fight.
Suppose we don't fight
him, suppose we join him?
Join him?
What are you saying, Waxey?
I thought I might have a
little talk with Donovan.
Aw, not a chance.
He'd never see us.
Did I say "us"?
I said "me," alone.
See him alone with that
army of gorillas around him?
(groans)
Forget it, Waxey, forget it.
He'd never meet you anyplace.
He'd suspect a trap.
Not if I met him at
his club by myself.
I wouldn't if I was you, Waxey.
Donovan's bad enough, but
those two bodyguards of his,
Jim Okie and Vito Baron,
they'd kill you just for laughs.
I know them. Louie, you used
to work for Donovan, right?
Yeah, that's why I told you.
Louie, tomorrow I want
you to call Donovan.
Tell him I want to discuss
our little differences, hmm?
At his place.
Well, if that's the
way you want it.
That's the way I want it!
Tomorrow night at The Nest.
You got it?
Okay. All right.
The meeting is over, boys.
Good night.
We'll meet here tomorrow night
for a little celebration.
Pheasant and champagne.
Good night, boys!
(overlapping chatter)
Good night, keep smiling.
Buona sera, good night.
Good night. Good night, Waxey.
Good night.
Great party. Good night.
Say hello to the wife.
(sighs)
I'm not gonna let
you do it, Waxey.
You'd be a sitting
duck in that office.
Yeah, Charley's right, Waxey.
I mean, maybe we ought to
find a different way to do it,
you know what I mean?
We'll do it my way.
Charley, tomorrow morning,
I want you to bring
me 50 Gs, cash.
What for?
Grease. I learned
a long time ago
that a little bit of
grease goes a long way.
You got it?
Now, let's drink a toast.
BOTH: To the Beer
Baron of New Jersey!
To Jersey, my Jersey!
WINCHELL: The meeting between
Waxey Gordon and Bugs Donovan
was arranged the following night
in the back office of
the swanky Club Nest.
This way.
Nobody can complain
about the service around here.
(woman singing)
♪ Birds were singing,
skies were blue ♪
♪ Now I don't appeal to you ♪
♪ The thrill is gone ♪
♪ This is the end ♪
♪ So why pretend? ♪
♪ And let it linger on ♪
♪ The thrill is ♪
♪ Gone. ♪
That girl's got style.
I could use her in my next show.
(applause)
(knocking)
(distant crowd chatter)
Well, ain't you gonna frisk me?
You won't try anything.
The odds are too great.
I wouldn't try anything if I
was you, either, Donovan.
My friends in New
York... They wouldn't like it
for anything to happen to me.
Be a gentlemen.
Invite me to sit down.
Okay. Sit down.
Now talk.
I got a proposition
to make to you.
I better like it.
What's the proposition?
I want a little of your action.
That's reasonable.
I'm not a pig.
Look, Waxey, I
don't want any trouble
with you or your New York crowd,
and I'm sure you don't
want any trouble with us.
I like everything
to go smooth, too.
Me and Roger have
already talked it over.
We're prepared to give
you Frankie Dunn's territory.
How much is that?
About 30% of the whole take.
No grudges, no hard feelings.
Let bygones be bygones.
What do you say?
I've been thinking of
a little more than 30%.
More?
70% more.
I want it all.
Well, is it a deal?
Take this bum out of here!
I don't care if I
never see him again!
You know what I mean, boys?
Never!
Well, what are you
standing there for?
Didn't you hear what I said?
Why, you cheap,
double-crossing punks!
You sold me out!
50 grand ain't cheap.
All right, Waxey.
I know when I'm licked.
You win.
You can run the show, okay?
51 percent.
Controlling interest
in everything.
I can't do any more than that.
I think you can.
Have a heart, Waxey!
I was willing to
play ball with you.
Play ball with me now!
I'll give you 70% of the action,
and I'll take Frankie
Dunn's territory.
How's that?
What about Wieden?
What about him?
When he comes over tonight,
uh, we can take care of him.
You'd ditch your own partner?
What do you think of that, boys?
And he called you
double-crossers.
Now, listen to me,
Waxey, listen to me.
What about your...?
I'm listening.
Waxey, I'm not asking for much.
I'm not a kid any more.
I don't need much.
Just give me a little
piece of the action.
Five or six points, that's all.
I don't care!
Anything you say!
(muffled gunshot, grunt)
(knocking)
If that's Wieden,
bring him in alone.
Waxey in there?
Yeah, but keep the boys there
in case somebody
tries to get in.
Stay here.
(muffled gunshot)
(thudding)
How do we get rid of 'em?
How?
Cement 'em and
throw 'em in the river.
First, bring the
Katzenjammer kids in here.
Your boss wants to see you.
Meet our new boss... Waxey.
It's okay with me.
Me, too.
WINCHELL: The bodies of Bugs Donovan
and Roger Wieden were never found,
and Eliot Ness knew
they never would be found.
He also knew
that Waxey Gordon
was now the beer baron
of New York and New Jersey.
Ow!
A little out of practice, Rico.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
I must be losing my
touch with the clippers.
Well, it's your fault.
You changed my trade.
I used to be a pretty
good barber once.
Eliot, have you thought of
hanging a tax rap on Gordon?
Ah, it wouldn't be easy.
Waxey only makes
cash transactions.
How about smashing his
breweries, drying him up?
That's a good idea.
We'll have to find 'em first.
I still like the tax angle.
If we can catch one of
Waxey's brew master's
and get him to
testify in court...
I got a better idea.
We go in the malt business.
If we can find out who
Waxey's buying his malt from,
we might be able to
build a case against him.
Okay, that's it.
How do you like it?
Yeah, not bad.
Here's a list.
22 malt manufacturers,
a record of their
annual gross sales.
First dozen companies
are too respectable
for Waxey to be
doing business with
and too big to intimidate.
My guess... it's one of
the smaller companies.
Which one?
We'll stake them out and see.
Since Waxey only deals in cash,
one of his satchel men
must make the deliveries.
Yeah, but if the payoff
is only once a month,
we might be in
for a long stakeout.
Well, let's hope the
payoff isn't once a year.
(laughs)
ANNOUNCER: Now
back to The Untouchables.
WINCHELL: On the
following morning,
Eliot Ness and his men began
five simultaneous stakeouts
of the smaller
malt manufacturers.
From a waterfront rooming house,
Rossman watched the entrance
of the Arthur Fenton
Malt Company.
Enrico Rossi
watched the entrance
of the Wilson Malt
& Hops Corporation.
Youngfellow took a temporary job
as a soda jerker in a drugstore
just across the street from
the Ainslee Malt Company.
Hobson watched the
Jenson Grain Company.
And Eliot Ness,
from a boarding
house across the way,
watched the entrance
of the Waverly Malt
& Hops Corporation.
For more than a week,
nothing happened.
Then, on the afternoon
of June 2, 1931,
their dogged vigilance
was rewarded.
(phone ringing)
Hello. Ness.
Hello, Eliot? This is Bill.
I just saw Vannie Higgins
and Charley Sherman
go into Ainslee's.
I'll be right over.
They just left.
You can turn in your
cap and apron now, Bill.
I've got a little business
with Mr. Ainslee.
Good afternoon.
I'd like to see Mr. Ainslee.
Do you have an
appointment, Mr...?
Ness.
No, I haven't got
an appointment,
but I'd like to see him
on some malt business.
A Mr. Ness is here to see
you about buying some malt.
Mr. Ness? Well, show him in.
Go right in, Mr. Ness.
Well, what can I do
for you, Mr. Ness?
I'm a federal agent.
Won't you... sit down, Mr. Ness?
Do you know Waxey Gordon?
No, that is, just what I read
about him in the papers.
How about Charley
Sherman or Vannie Higgins?
You know them?
Mr. Ness, I don't know
what you're driving at,
but let me assure you that I am a
respectable legitimate business man!
My business may be small,
but it's over a hundred years old!
Your company may be a
hundred years old, Mr. Ainslee,
but they just left here
a few minutes ago.
Where's the money they left?
They were here on business.
They left no money!
I can get a search warrant
and have this opened.
The Internal Revenue
Department might like to know
about your unreported
cash transactions.
They wouldn't find anything.
You sure?
We've been watching this
place for over a week now.
I suggest you
cooperate, Mr. Ainslee.
It'll go easier for you.
I suppose I deserve this.
It's too late for excuses.
I didn't want to do business with
Mr. Gordon or his gang of hoodlums,
but they threatened
me... And my wife.
It was a nightmare...
five years of terror.
Why didn't you go to the police?
I would have.
I didn't care about myself,
but I was afraid of what
they'd do to my wife.
She wasn't a strong woman.
Wasn't?
Yes... She died last year.
And it was this illegal
business that killed her.
Mr. Ainslee, you can help us.
Your testimony on the amount
of malt you've sold Waxey
for the past five years will help
us put him away for a long time.
You don't know
them. They'll kill me.
They've already
killed your wife.
What do you want
me to do, Mr. Ness?
Dig up every piece of business
you conducted with Waxey
over the past five years.
Then bring the records
to my office tonight.
I'll bring them.
Thanks, Mr. Ainslee.
See you tonight.
Miss Larkin, you've been
with me a long time now.
Eight years next month, sir.
I don't suppose it would
be fair not to tell you.
You have a right to know.
I might have to
close up the business.
Close the business?
But why?
Well, the details are
too sordid to go into.
That man who was just
here was a federal policeman.
I have to see him tonight,
and I don't know what'll happen,
but you'll be taken care of.
You may go early, Miss
Larkin, if you'd like to.
I have to stay and
collect some papers.
Good night.
Good night.
WINCHELL: That night,
after the factory shut down,
Mr. Ainslee left with a
briefcase full of sales slips
and invoices to keep his
appointment with Eliot Ness.
When Eliot Ness and his
men arrived later that night
at the scene of the disaster,
he found many scattered
shreds of paper strewn about...
With numbers
written all over them...
Numbers that, with
Ainslee's testimony,
would have sent Waxey
Gordon to the federal pen
for a very long stretch.
But now they were meaningless.
There goes our tax angle.
Now what?
We'll try it your way, Rico.
Let's dry him up.
WINCHELL: To launch the
campaign to dry up Waxey Gordon,
Eliot Ness staked out the
most famous night spots
in New York City.
For a week they
watched trucks of all kinds,
which serviced those
clubs, hoping for a clue.
From here they all look
like legitimate trucks.
They always look legitimate.
(honking horn)
Well, that's a big help.
Blocked our view.
Well, anyway, it's the
sweetest smelling stake-out
we were ever on.
There's our answer.
What is?
If one of those trucks
is shipping beer,
the smell of beer
would still be there.
Waxey might be able
to camouflage the trucks,
but he can't
camouflage the smell.
Be right back.
It's the fruit truck.
Well, in a little while
we should know
where that brewery is.
I don't think it'll
be that easy.
If I know Waxey, he'll use
the double delivery system.
You're probably right.
He's a pretty shrewd operator.
Here he comes.
(car horn honking)
WINCHELL: Eliot
Ness and Lee Hobson
followed the fruit
and vegetable truck
through New York's maze
of crowded side streets
to the Market District.
Looks innocent, all right.
Who could suspect anything?
A vegetable truck comes
up to a vegetable market
to pick up vegetables and,
instead, he picks up beer.
We might as well relax, Lee.
That brewery truck may
be a long time getting here.
WINCHELL: Later that afternoon,
a big ten -ton truck drove up
to the platform alongside
the fruit and vegetable truck
they had been following.
Looks like a
truckload of carrots.
You can bet there's something a lot
more potent than carrots in those crates.
WINCHELL: Two hours later,
just as the sun was going down,
the brewery truck had
transferred its cargo of beer
to the other truck.
Now the driver was ready
to return to the brewery,
and Eliot Ness and
Lee Hobson tailed it.
Through the Holland Tunnel
and across the flat plains
towards Elizabeth, New Jersey.
(horn honking)
Well, there it is.
Let's call the boys.
Tonight, we dry Waxey up.
WINCHELL: Shortly
before 11:00 that same night,
Eliot Ness and his
special agents drove up
to the entrance of the
innocent-looking warehouse
on Mill Road on the outskirts
of Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Open up!
What for?
We're closing up this brewery.
Brewery? What brewery?
This is a warehouse,
We'll see for ourselves.
You got a warrant?
All right, come on in.
You're making a big mistake.
Take off your shoes if
you want to, I don't care.
WINCHELL: There was
nothing in the warehouse
that remotely
resembled a brewery.
There were no vats,
no distilling equipment,
nor the tell-tale
odor of a brewery.
Eliot Ness had been
led by Waxey Gordon
up the well-known garden path.
Satisfied?
Guess we made a mistake.
Whatever gave you the
idea this was a brewery?
Beer is against the law.
Didn't you know that?
Tell that to your boss.
Come on, boys!
Waxey, I can't!
Listen, baby... honest, I don't
know what you're upset about.
I tell you that you
sang beautifully.
I never heard you sing better.
I was terrible. I know it.
My voice was
shaking like my knees!
So what?
Don't you know
that it's good luck
to have a bad dress rehearsal?
You ask anybody
in show business.
Waxey, I can't do it.
What do you mean
you can't do it?
Tomorrow night,
take it from Waxey,
you're gonna be the toast
of Broadway. (phone ringing)
And what's more
important, after the show,
I'm gonna have a private party
and you will be my own little toast.
A call for you, Waxey.
Now, go get yourself dressed.
We'll have dinner...
Just you and I alone.
Waxey.
Charley, Waxey.
I just thought
you'd like to know.
We had a visit by the feds.
Did they find anything?
Not a thing.
Good.
Just the way Waxey figured it.
WINCHELL: Despite the
Untouchables' round the clock efforts
to find a chink in
Waxey Gordon's armor,
he continued to operate
with arrogance and
disdain for the law.
(knocking)
Think of the devil, right?
You gentlemen
mind if I join you?
Mind? We insist.
(chuckles)
This kind of food
will give you ulcers.
It's no good for growing boys.
It makes me kind of nervous
to feel that the
odds are against me.
Do you mind if I have a
little private conversation
with the boss?
The customer's
always right, Rico.
It won't be long.
I'll just stay a few minutes.
I got an opening
tonight... one of my shows.
Well, you gonna
ask me to sit down?
I venture a guess, Mr. Ness.
I venture a guess that,
when I came in here,
you was thinking
about Waxey Gordon
and all the trouble he's
been giving you, right?
I was also thinking
how, one of these days,
you'll make the
one slip, Gordon,
and I'll jump down on you
hard enough to break your back.
I'll tell you
something, Mr. Ness.
If I have trouble with
one of my shows,
I'll bring you in to fix it up.
You got a big sense
of humor, there.
I'm glad you're laughing.
I'll tell you why I'm laughing.
It's like I'm on a
roof looking down
at you playing
blind man's bluff...
Going around in a circle
and bumping into things.
All you get from
that is a sore nose.
Now if you was really smart,
you'd switch to something
that's more lucrative.
Like what?
Well, like, uh, follow
the leader, for instance.
You remember that game
when you was a kid? Go on.
It's simple.
All you do is play along...
Do like the other guys do
and pick up a
fortune on the way.
And what happens to
my amateur standing?
Oh, get wise, Mr. Ness.
You're not the only one.
There are other guys
working for the government...
For instance?
You think I'd tell you?
Just testing in case
you convince me.
Well, that's wise, Mr. Ness.
You see, now you
learned something.
I protect my playmates.
What are you so anxious
about, if you're not running beer?
So far, even if I was in beer,
I've outfoxed you
on every turn, right?
Okay. You say I got beer
in the empty warehouse...
I got nothing.
But you keep following me,
worrying me, for no good reason.
Now, come on, wise up, Ness.
I know what you make
a year to the very penny.
The clothes your wife wears,
the squeeze she's gotta
make that budget go all the way,
It's time you turned pro.
You risk your life.
You stick your neck out.
You might as well make it pay.
You just talking or
making a bona fide offer?
I put my money
where my mouth is.
Now, a lot of guys reach
in that waste paper basket
and come out with gold,
other guys, not so smart,
come out with the garbage.
Now which is it gonna be?
That's quite a
waste paper basket.
(laughing)
It's like magic... all you
gotta do is say the word.
What do you say?
Like the man says...
"No comment."
Now take your blood
money and get out of here
before I sweep you out
with the rest of the trash.
Mister, I come up the
hard way from nothing,
from the cellar to the roof.
Now I got the best suits...
A new suit every day
with a tie to match.
I drive the best
cars... You know why?
Because I got brains
and I take it as a gift...
A gift that I wasn't
born like you.
You know why?
Because you belong in
that waste paper basket.
Aw, what's the use?
I write you off, Mr. Ness!
It's the same when we was kids.
There was always some kids
that wouldn't play
along with the others.
Maybe they didn't
like your rules.
No, no, that's not it!
It's because you
guys are all alike!
You're yellow!
The last time
somebody did that to me,
he had an accident for good.
Get out.
Okay, public servant number one.
Here's a sample
of my real racket...
A couple of seats to
the opening tonight.
Take some time off,
Mr. Ness, you need it.
Have a party?
I just turned down
a proposition:
a new suit for every
day in the week
with a tie to match.
What did you do,
settle for theater tickets?
You and Bill go. I'd like to go
to the other show
he's putting on.
What other show?
The one he's putting
on after the theatre;
the big party he's
throwing at the castle.
That's exclusive.
Only his best friends
are invited to that one.
That's right.
I'd like to know just
who his best friends are.
WINCHELL: That night at the
Hippodrome Theater, Forty Naughty Girls
starring Elaine Warren
proved to be a very big smash,
and Waxey Gordon, patron of
the arts had added another hit
to his growing list of
Broadway musical comedies.
Nearly 1:00.
They should be here soon.
(horn beeping in distance)
Lights.
(beeping continues)
(horn beeping)
New York plates: "5R-2330."
New York plates: "7P-8632."
New York plates: "3Z-4325."
That's it.
They're all from New York.
I was hoping for one or
two Jersey license plates.
You think Waxey's getting help
from some big shot in Jersey?
Could be. It's all
we've got to go on.
Well, it looks like everybody
that's been invited
to the party is here.
Let's stick around anyway.
I'd sure like to be up there.
Can you imagine
what kind of a wild party
that one's gonna be?
Roughly.
What time is it now?
1:30.
We might as well go.
Turn it off, Lee!
New Jersey plates: "HKA..."
A small important one.
Let's go.
WINCHELL: The following
morning, Eliot Ness ascertained
from the New Jersey
Division of Motor Vehicles
that license plate number
H-K-A had been issued
to U.K. Andersen, Commissioner
of the Department
of Public Works
for Union County, New Jersey.
A half hour later,
Eliot Ness and Lee
Hobson were in the office
of the Department of Water and
Power of Elizabeth, New Jersey,
talking to Orville Watson,
the Chief Engineer.
This is a record of all
the work we've done
in the past six months.
Have you put down any pipeline
near a warehouse on Mill Road?
Yes, I remember that job.
It was a six-inch line.
Did you approve the job?
I approve of most of them,
but that one was approved
by Commissioner Andersen.
Mr. Watson, could
I have a blueprint
of where that line was laid?
I can have another
blueprint run off for you,
but first I'll have to get
Mr. Andersen's permission.
Mr. Watson, I'm going
to have to ask you
for your cooperation.
We wouldn't like Mr. Andersen
to know anything about
this, if you know what I mean.
I think I do.
I'll run off that Photostat.
Good.
WINCHELL: Chief Engineer Orville
Watson led them to the exact spot
where the recently laid
pipeline had been set down
near the Mill Road warehouse.
It was covered
with fresh asphalt.
As you can see, the
asphalt goes right up
to the back of that
large warehouse.
Only it's not a
warehouse, Mr. Watson.
That's the way it's listed here.
I know. You can call it
a warehouse if you like,
but it's a kind of a station
where trucks fill up with beer
that's pumped to
it from a brewery.
A brewery? That's
what we're looking for,
Mr. Watson, a brewery.
Can you tell from the plan
where the six-inch
pipeline originates?
That's where the
brewery should be.
That's hard to say.
From the maze of
interconnecting pipelines,
it could be anyplace.
You'd have to know
exactly where he's tapped in.
How can we find out?
Well, you'd have to dig
up a couple miles of street.
How do you like that?
I thought we were finally
gonna be able to dry Waxey up.
You a hydraulic
engineer, Mr. Watson?
Yes.
Could you spare us
another hour or so?
What do you have in mind?
If we can't dry Waxey up,
let's see if we
can't drown him out.
WINCHELL: Eliot
Ness' plan was simple:
to force the beer back
through the six-inch pipeline
and flood the brewery.
To do this, he enlisted
the cooperation
of the Elizabeth, New
Jersey, fire department.
The fire commissioner
volunteered the use
of one the department's
high-pressure pumping trucks.
Chief Engineer Watson estimated
that the beer could be pumped
from the warehouse to
its origin, the brewery,
using a force of 400-pounds
pressure to the square inch.
(engine starts)
(loud knocking)
You back?
That's right.
Come on in.
You're wasting your
time, believe me.
I don't.
Okay.
Okay, drive her in!
You know what to do now, Rico.
If this works, I've
got a hunch Waxey
will get an urgent
call from the brewery.
I'll trace the call
and phone you here.
Right.
You might as well tell us,
because we're going
to find out anyway.
Where's the brewery?
What brewery you talkin' about?
Where this beer comes from.
Beer don't come out of
there, that's a water valve.
Beer.
This is it. Connect
the hose there.
Start her up!
What are you doing?!
Drowning a bunch of rats!
WINCHELL: Less than a
mile from the warehouse
in what was purportedly a
boiler factory, Otto Schneider,
Waxey's portly brewmaster,
was shocked to see
the beer begin to back up
and pour over the top
of one of the large vats.
(men clamoring)
Turn it off! Stop
it! Stop it! Stop it!
♪ The thrill is gone... ♪
(phone rings)
Hey, yeah?
Hello, Waxey?
This is Otto... Otto?
I told you never...
to call me here
unless it was urgent.
This is it, Jack!
I know, but this is urgent!
This is urgent!
Trace this call!
The beer, it's backing up!
It's all over the brewery!
I don't know...
Something's gone wrong.
We'll be right over.
Okay, Operator, thanks.
Now, get me Union
City 0-7414, please.
(clamoring)
What?! What happened?!
I don't know!
Something keeps
forcing the beer back!
You must be drinking
too much of your own stuff,
forcing it back!
Who's forcing back?!
Get a man up on that vat!
You get that hose on top of it!
Who is forcing it back?!
Come on! Come on! Come on!
Forcing it back!
Who's forcing it back?
Come on! Come on! Come on!
All right, hands
up! Nobody move!
It's all over, Waxey!
Come on out!
All right!
WINCHELL: Commissioner
Andersen was sentenced
to serve ten years in prison.
The court was lenient with
Otto Schneider, the brewmaster.
His testimony enabled the
federal court to piece together
Waxey Gordon's
lucrative beer operation.
According to Otto Schneider,
7,000 barrels of beer
were turned out each week,
each barrel selling for
$20, making a gross income
of $140,000 a week,
more than $7 million a year,
a truly princely sum for
which Waxey grudgingly gave
the tax collector
only $1,000 a year.
Waxey Gordon might
have been slippery,
but he wasn't slippery
enough to get out of Alcatraz
where he died on
June 24th, 1952.