Wiseguy (1987–2009): Season 1, Episode 7 - A Deal's a Deal - full transcript

- [Narrator] Tonight on Wiseguy.

(clapping)

- You gotta renegotiate my deal.

- I don't have to
renegotiate nothing.

- You're not being
fair to the guy.

- Power changes people.

- Oh yeah?

I hadn't noticed.

- What kinda place
you running here?

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

Patrice is gonna come in
here and take everything!



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

We connect these cops
and Joey to Steelgrave

and he's going down.

(dramatic music)

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

(crowd cheering)

♪ Do you remember the
day our Johnny died ♪

♪ And Cronkite cried when
he gave us the news ♪

♪ And then we all watched
Ruby blow Oswald away ♪

♪ Right on the TV

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

♪ And how the years
have slipped away ♪

♪ And how much I miss
you my old friend ♪

♪ You played the Fender
and I played guitar ♪



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

♪ 'Cause we might get
lucky one never knows ♪

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

♪ You played the Fender
and I played guitar ♪

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

♪ 'Cause we might get
lucky one never knows ♪

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

♪ Rock and roll

♪ Rock and roll

(mouthing words)

(crowd cheering)

- Hey, Sonny, what's the matter?

What's the crisis?

I gotta wake up and get
dressed in the elevator?

Something critical in the
liquor cabinet or what?

- Something's critical
in the lounge.

Romanowski's manager wants
to renegotiate his contract.

He told me that if I was nice...

Can you imagine that, eh?

Talks like that to me!

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

What am I?

- So what's the big surprise?

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

(knocking)

- Come in.

- Sonny.

What'd you do with my manager?

- You gotta get a
new manager, Joey.

Abe talked himself into
a new line of work.

I think he's in floristry now.

- What'd you do?

- What'd I do?

I threw him out
of Atlantic City.

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

You got a problem with that?

- (chuckles) No problem, man.

I'm on top of the world.

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

maybe platinum.

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

up and down the shore,

25 years of whiskey and
gagging on cigarette smoke

and now I got a hit.

You gotta renegotiate my deal.

- No one's gonna
renegotiate nothing.

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

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

play to 10, 12 thousand
people a night.

That ain't gonna last forever.

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

I can make a million dollars in.

Sonny, let me take the year off.

Look at me.

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

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

all in one fell swoop.

I got a chance to survive
when this craps out.

And that could be tomorrow.

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

I'll double your salary.

But for four weeks, that's it.

- (sighs) Sonny...

Sonny, I'm on fire!

Let me take
advantage of it, huh?

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

But don't let me lose this.

I got one little moment
in the spotlight.

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

Let me have it, Sonny.

Please.

- What I want you to do

is what's called for
in your contract.

What?

- Nothing, you know.

- No, no, I don't know!

Tell me.

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

You guys talk.

- (exhales) All
right, smart guy,

make his case, come on.

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

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

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

six months?

Let him score some cash.

He not only comes
back a happier guy,

but a bigger draw.

You can't use that?

- Hmm.

It makes sense.

- Yeah.

- If he was a boy scout.

You know, sometimes
you amaze me, Vinnie.

This guy leaves, he
ain't coming back.

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

He'll run into a
real smooth talking

west coast rebel
who'll convince him

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

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

breaking deals.

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

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

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

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

on one of those sitcoms
or maybe a game show,

Joey Romanowski on
uh, Hollywood Squares.

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

So what'll he do?

He'll become a drug
dealer to one of those

rock and rollers or
even worse, a user.

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

no voice, no nothing,

and he's singing to a
group of empty seats

and what about me?

I'm stuck with my
hands between my legs.

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

you know that?

- Life in the fast lane, Vinnie.

- You're not being
fair to the guy!

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

Why am I the bad guy because
I expect an agreement

to be lived up to?

What are you, a Marxist, Vinnie?

- Sonny, you could
throw mud on anything.

I just don't see
why you have to.

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

- Power changes people.

- Oh yeah?

- Mm.

- I hadn't noticed.

- Vinnie.

You were fighting
for me, weren't you?

How'd I do?

- I guess I'm a lousy advocate.

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

- Hey, hey.

Now, you remember where you are.

(dramatic music)

- I said to the
guy, "Now listen,

you can't bring the money in,

I'm gonna get myself
another bag man."

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

Know what I mean?

Hey, kid, come here! (laughs)

Oh, big shot now, huh?

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

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

Hey, it's really
great seeing you.

- Good to see you, too, Mack.

- Come on.

Oh, you're looking good, Joey.

Big star now, huh?

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

- Hey, what else is there?

There's food.

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

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

- (sighs) I need your help.

I need you to intercede
with Sonny for me.

Look, I got an offer to tour,

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

Sonny won't let me
out of my contract.

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

- Yeah, but this lawyer tells me

I can breach my
contract with Sonny.

Play the dates and argue
that my agreement with Sonny

denies me the right
to earn my full worth.

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

than Sonny's paying me.

- Some guy once
said a true tragedy

is when a busload of
lawyers drives off a cliff

and there's three empty seats.

(Joey laughs)

Who is this guy to
give you advice?

- He's with ICA.

- Mm.

You should know better than
to trust the government.

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

really really big.

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

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

Sock a little bit
away for the future.

- Okay, look.

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

all right?

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

Mm.

(shouting) What kinda
place you running here?

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

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

Patrice is gonna come in
here and take everything!

- I'm not gonna lose
anything to Patrice.

- People think
you're weak, Sonny.

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

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

- [Sonny] The guy's
got delusions.

- Yeah, and where
is he getting 'em?

What happened to the
sanctity of the contract?

What about a deal's a deal?

This causes disharmony.

Disharmony causes dissension.

First thing you
know, you got anarchy

and then who needs
Sonny Steelgrave?

- The guy needs taking care of.

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

He's playing some college
joint in my backyard.

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

- I got people in your backyard.

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

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

(knocking)

Come in.

- Excuse me, Sonny.

This just came for you.

It's addressed to
Dave Steelgrave

in care of Greco Marine.

- Who's it from?

- The Revere Mint.

- It's a present
from my brother Dave.

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

how things keep
coming back to ya.

Memories.

- [Sonny] It's beautiful, huh?

- [Vinnie] Yeah.

- 001.

Dave was always a bug
about limited editions.

- He was one himself.

- Yeah.

- It's beautiful, Sonny.

- Mack.

- Hey, wait, where
are you guys going?

Don't go.

- Don't you wanna be alone, kid?

- No, no, no, stay with me.

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

I like your company.

Yeah, I uh...

I'm feeling a little uh...

A little funny.

You're right, I'm...

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

I need to be with
people that I knew

before I had all of this.

- Hey, Sonny.

Call Joey Bags.

- Joey Bags.

Yeah.

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

Thanks, Mack.

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

- Yeah.

(pop rock music from inside)

(cars honking)

- Hey, Joey.

Stupid!

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

- Yeah, you want a turn?

- No.

Easy up!

- Your lucky day, singer.

No more mistakes, huh?

No more mistakes!

(Joey choking)

Hey, stupid!

(slamming)

(lid crashing)

- [Woman] Hey, stop
with the noise!

I call the police!

- Did you see that guy?

- I was standing next
to you, remember?

Of course I saw him.

- Nah, I mean how dainty he was.

You should have felt his throat,

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

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

What's the matter with you?

- Hey, what the hell, huh?

The guy's probably a fairy.

(motor revving)

So what do you feel like eating?

- Ah, I don't know.

Beef with gravy, I think.

- [Police Dispatcher]
All units in the area

University Alley
in Commonwealth,

respond to possible assault.

- Annhart and Phillips,
Fifth Division Robbery.

We'll take that call.

- [Police Dispatcher] Ten Four.

- Hey, Jack, that ain't smart.

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

What the hell?

It's one stop shopping, right?

- You're a fun guy, Jack.

(dramatic music)

This just ain't smart.

- (laughing) Yoo-hoo.

Police. (laughing)

(gun cocking)

- And another one.

Yeah, John Wayne.

- Hey, uh, Duke.

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

I better get going, huh?

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

24K.

24 - oh and the
calvary medallion?

That's gold, too.

- Oh yeah?
- Oh, yeah.

- Yeah, it's amazing.

- Yeah, right. (clears throat)

Okay, all right now.

I want you to explain
to Joey how I feel

about the sanctity
of a contract.

You make him understand
that show business

isn't just singing
in the spotlight.

Especially when the
spotlight belongs to me.

(intercom buzzes)

Yeah?

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

- Show 'em in.

I got these two people
I want you to meet.

Joey Bag!

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

- Billy Boy Martin
and Gil McDougald.

- First base?

- Bill Skowron.

- The hot corner?

- Andy Carey with Yogi
Berra behind the plate.

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

With you and my brother
at the Stadium, oh.

- Mm.

- Dona Carmella,
you look gorgeous.

- Salvatore, aw.

- So, where are the kids?

- Aldo's watching the store.

Theresa's in the
john fixing her face.

- Ah!

- What?

What'd I say?

- Listen, Don Baglia,
I wanna introduce you

to somebody.

Vinnie Terranova,
this is Don Baglia.

- How you doing?

- Joey Bags.

- How are ya?

- You a Bronx boy?

- Nah, Brooklyn.

- Who played right
field for the '52 bums?

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

- So was Columbus, but
you know about him.

There are certain things
that every Brooklyn boy

should know, irregardless.

- Yes, sir.

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

Vinnie's gotta make
a trip to Philly.

- Uh, yeah.

Don Baglia, pleasure.

- [Sonny] Oh.

- Yeah?

- Let me know how it goes, huh?

- Okay, Sonny.

(Sonny whistling)

- So uh...

This is the kid at
your right hand now?

- Yeah, that's him.

- He should be brought
into La Familia.

- Ah, he already
made his bones, Joey.

- He should be brought
in by the council.

The ceremony should
be performed.

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

Joey, this is the
twentieth century.

- And you know what's
wrong with America

in the twentieth century?

No sense of tradition.

Don't you want to
keep your roots alive?

- My gardener keeps
my roots alive.

Oh, I'm sorry.

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

Let me get you a drink, come on.

Let me get you a drink.

How's things in the Bronx?

- [Bags] Good, Sonny, good.

- Good.

Everybody behaving themselves?

- Why not.

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

Theresa.

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

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

I'm pacing myself.

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

- (quietly) You wanna walk on it

or play in the
sand underneath it?

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

(cars honking)

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

I'm not gonna touch you.

I'm just delivering a message.

Sonny wants you to know that

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

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

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

and keep you working.

As long as you play ball.

Look, you can't take
these things personal.

Sonny had a business
decision to make

and now you do, too.

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

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

until your contract's up.

And if your records
are still selling,

Sonny'll negotiate
you a new deal.

- (raspy) I can't sing.

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

- Voicebox.

Crushed.

(paper cup crushing)

Sonny took away my life.

(dramatic music)

- An abandoned distillery.

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

What do you got?

- I got a slam dunk
conspiracy case

against Sonny and Mahoney.

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

then you look like a jerk.

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

Sonny's got a rock and
roller under contract

by the name of Joey Romanowski.

- The guy who did Ronnie's Song.

No kiddin'.

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

That's a rhetorical question.

- Well, anyway, when his
record started selling,

he wanted to get
out of his contract.

Then he came here to
get Mahoney to help him,

but Mahoney tipped off Sonny.

They found him three nights
ago doing a solo engagement

in an alley.

- Dead?

- Nah, just his career.

They crushed his larynx.

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

including testify against him.

- We throw a net over
Steelgrave and Mahoney

all we need is Patrice
for the hat trick.

I'll check the police report.

We find the guys
who muscled Joey,

maybe he'll ID 'em.

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

Hey, Frank.

Your father really a boozer?

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

(dog barking)

- Uh, Bea?

Here, take care of
this, all right?

Put your cheese on.

- You take care of that, huh?

- Hi!

- Hi.

- Yeah, something
I can do for you?

- Well, I hope so.

Frank McPike, OCB.

- Whoa.

Tom Annhart.

- How are you Tom?

Nice place you have here.

- Yeah!

Yeah, my partner
and I went in on it.

It's great for the
weekends, you know?

- Jack Phillips.

- Frank McPike, OCB.

Listen, I wanted
to talk to you guys

about the report you turned
in on Joey Romanowski.

Says here you found him
unconscious in an alley.

- Yeah, we scraped
him out of the alley,

paramedics dumped
him at the hospital.

That was it.

- Anybody see it?

- No, no, not a soul, Frank.

- Do detectives usually
roger these calls?

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

- Well, we just happened
to be passing through

the neighborhood, uh...

Truth is, a couple
of strip joints

where we know the
owners, you know?

- Uh-huh. (laughs)

Well, the report goes on to say

that the injuries
appeared to be accidental,

possibly even self inflicted.

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

Get a little famous, spend
it on whatever they can

shove up their nose.

They all fall down
the stairs a lot.

(chuckles)

- Well, you know that
doesn't quite jibe

with the emergency room report.

They didn't find
any trace of drugs.

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

I've been 12 years
out on the street.

I'm running on one kidney
'cause some hophead

stuck me with a screwdriver.

- Jack--

- Jack nothing!

I hate the scum
that's out there.

I'll tell you what
I hate even more.

A guy who's supposed
to be on my side

who questions how I do the job.

- Actually, we thought
he was beaten up

by a Colombian connection
we were investigating.

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

- Sure.

- Sorry to have
bothered you, gentlemen.

(motor revving)

- Hey, forget it, forget it.

He's got nothing, huh?

- He came out here, didn't he?

He must have something.

- Injuries appear to
have been self inflicted?

Frank, have you ever
known anybody to fracture

their skull and crush
their voice box on purpose?

Come on.

- Once.

The guy was evading the draft.

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

one of them went off
like Mount Vesuvius.

If these guys submitted
a bogus report,

then they're the ones
that scrambled Joey.

They're on Steelgrave's pad.

18 months in the slam,
six months undercover,

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

We connect these two cops
and Joey to Steelgrave,

he's going down.

(camera clicking)

- Let me see.

Hmm.

You make the guy McPike's with?

- Totally unfamiliar.

But only for a moment, huh?

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

I told you to slap Joey
around a little bit,

not make him a mute!

What good is he to me now, huh?

- Yeah, well I guess
I got carried away.

Now look, we got a problem.

There's a Fed named McPike,

he's asking questions
about your musical genius

and we followed him last night

and he met some guy.

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

What guy, who?

- I don't know.

But we took some shots of him

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

- What are you, stupid, huh?

Are you really that stupid?

Tell me.

You'll send me nothing.

I will call you and
arrange a time and a place

for a pickup.

(intercom buzzing)

- [Secretary] Yes,
Mr. Steelgrave.

- Find Vinnie.

I got an errand I
want him to run.

- [Secretary] Yes, sir.

(Sonny sighs)

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

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

on the turnpike.

A couple of guys
in the back booth,

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

- We should charge
a premium for this.

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

We should forget about
doing this kinda thing

or we're gonna
end up toast here.

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

- Aw.

You need some ketchup.

- That's disgusting.
- Hey.

You guys got something
for me or what?

- (laughs) I'm gonna be sick.

- You're not getting sick.

- Oh, yeah, yeah I am, Jack.

- [Jack] Shut up.

- Hey, what's the problem here?

- [Jack] You tell me.

- Maybe I got the wrong table.

- Maybe you got a lotta
things wrong, pal.

- Man, we are toast.

We are toast, we are--

(slaps)

- Hey, hey, what are you doing?

What's going on here?

- One jackass for breakfast
is all I can handle.

Now, beat it.

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

but somebody sent me here
to pick something up.

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

- I know why you're here.

And for you I got bupkis!

- What the hell's
the matter with you?

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

I'm perfect.

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

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

- Come on.

Don't say that.

I mean, I told you
I do not wanna know

where the money comes from.

Now, we're supposed
to be doing a little

extracurricular disciplining
and that is all.

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

for some outfit honcho.

- Money's made you
a coward, Annhart.

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

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

You wanna enjoy that
place by the lake?

Well, every once in a
while you get called upon

to bury a body in the forest.

- Oh yeah?

You can forget it.

- Hey, I got the evidence.

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

Only the other guys
aren't wearing pantyhose.

Now, look, who or
whatever this patsy is,

his picture with McPike
is worth a lotta bucks

for me and you.

We gotta keep it moving.

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

Fear'll cost us the job.

Maybe more.

Now, come on.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I can deal with it.

(dramatic music)

- Sonny.

Everybody's available
for tomorrow night.

- Joey, I uh...

- Sonny, please.

You're gonna argue with me?

- No.

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

- Sonny.

- [Sonny] Yeah?

- Come here.

- What's all the huff and puff?

- Sonny, those guys are nuts.

They didn't give me anything.

Who are these guys anyway?

I don't like going on errands

if I gotta be
dealing with wackos.

- They gave you nothing?

- Nothing.

- These are stupid people.

It's dangerous to do
business with stupid people.

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

I'll be back tonight, all right?

- All right.

- Hey, Cap, let's go!

- Anybody home?

Hello!

Hello, oh, come on, hello.

- You came alone?

- Yeah, I came alone.

You think I'm gonna
bring a party?

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

you better put the gun down.

Spit it out.

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

- No, you don't know what I know

and what I don't know.

Which makes it
real hard to decide

just how clean you wanna get.

I'll tell you what I do know.

I know you and your
partner beat the hell

outta Joey Romanowski,
you did it for Steelgrave,

you're on his pad.

Do you want me to
keep talking till you

don't have anything
left to cop to?

Now, here are the
short hairs, detective.

You tell me something I
need to know right now

or you're gonna do federal time.

- All right!

We followed you
when you left, okay?

And uh...

We got surveillance
photos of you and a guy

who claims to work
with Steelgrave.

Phillips has the negative, he
deals direct with Steelgrave.

- Did he tell him?

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

He thinks the photos
are worth a fortune.

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

(McPike scoffs)

(Tommy grunts)

- You cheap, nickel and
dime corrupt bastard.

You're gonna wear a wire.

- I can't.

I've seen the guy work.

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

you wouldn't even look.

Even I don't know
how he does it.

I won't wear a wire.

- When's the deal going down?

- It's soon, I think.

Phillips isn't gonna wanna wait.

- All right.

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

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

but right now you
are gonna stand there

and you're not
gonna move, right?

Right!

Son of a...

(telephone ringing)

- Yeah, Lifeguard.

- Pull Terranova in now.

(ringtone)

- Come on, come on.

Come on!

- Mr. Romanowski?

I'm Frank McPike, OCB.

I'm a big fan of yours.

How you feeling?

- (raspy) Listen to me.

- Is that permanent?

- No, just till I die.

- I'm sorry.

- Yeah.

- You were beaten by two men.

You think you can identify
either one of them?

- One, I see him in my sleep.

- Will you testify?

- I wanna kill him.

- Now, you realize in
testifying against these men

you'll be testifying
against Sonny Steelgrave.

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

- [McPike] Is this the man?

- Yeah.

How'd you find him?

- Don't you worry, Joey.

These guys are gonna
get their justice.

I'll be in touch.

- How'd you find out?

- You're gonna
destroy your throat.

- I wanna know.

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

- Joey, you just rest.

You concentrate on healing.

I really am a fan of yours.

You take it easy.

(dramatic music)

(camera clicking)

- Who is that?

Stop that guy.

Get that camera!

- Hey, you!

Yeah, you!

Stop that.

- Oh, huh.

This guy's a stinkin' cop!

- You want my picture?

Do it right.

2200 dollars.

(camera clicks)

Louisiana alligator,
1500 dollars.

(camera clicks)

(laughing)

Give it to him.

(camera clicks)

Send me a contact sheet.

Maybe I'll like something, huh?

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

You look like death.

- You going wacko on me?

- Hey, I've always
delivered, huh.

- Lately you've been
delivering a mess.

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

- I got photos of a
Bureau Field Director

and somebody very close to you.

- Who?

- Who? (chuckles)

Who is gonna cost
you, who. (chuckles)

But I'm a good guy, Sonny.

I'll let you set
the price, okay?

I'll see ya.

(ringtone)

(foreboding music)

Hey.

- Hey!

(indistinct chatter)

(ringtone)

- [Lifeguard] Sailor
Hardware, Mike Terranova.

- Agent 4587--

- Can the procedure, Vinnie!

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

McPike wants to pull you out.

- What's wrong?

- Two detectives got pictures
of you and McPike together.

Now, Frank made a
deal with the one guy,

but this other guy,
his name's Phillips,

this guy is an accident
waiting to happen

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

- I can't pull out now,

I'm too close to
putting the rope around

Sonny and Mahoney.

- Yeah, Frank figured
you'd say that.

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

Now, this guy has
got to be intercepted

before he gets to Sonny
with those pictures.

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

There's some ceremony
with La Familia,

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

but I'll report, all right?

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

I'll be here.

(dramatic music)

- This is McPike.

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

I got Steelgrave in his
canoe along with Terranova

and an old codger from the
Bronx named Joey Baglia.

I'm outside a very
swanky rat trap

at the corner of
Lawrence and Birch.

The hoi polloi is gathering,

I think we can rule
out a bar mitzvah.

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

- Patrice and
Mahoney are in town.

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

Sonny'll be there, too.

Gimme.

- Hey, what are you doing?

- Checking out our
retirement program.

Beats the hell out of an IRA.

- Now, you wait, come on.

Steelgrave's gonna be
in there any second.

- What the hell are these?

These aren't the
pictures we took.

What the hell is this?

- Okay, Jack, now listen--

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

I didn't think it
made you stupid!

- Listen, will you--

(Jack shouting)

- Stupid!

Stupid.

Stupid!

(motor revving)

(suspenseful music)

- Don.

Don Chiro Capuzzi.

This is Vincento Terranova.

(Capuzzi speaks
foreign language)

- Speak English.

(Capuzzi continues
in foreign language)

- What?

- [Older Man] Speak English.

- It is through the
shedding of blood

that our sacred brothership
continues to exist

over the centuries.

And tonight we repeat
again the ancient ritual.

This represents that
you live by the gun

and the knife.

And you die by the
gun and the knife.

After tonight, and for
the rest of your life,

you will use these weapons
as ordered by your capo

and the Familia.

To defend our sacred brotherhood

from all who'd dare to harm us.

(door shuts)

Make a cup of your hands.

- Where I come
from, we bleed 'em.

(Capuzzi speaks in
foreign language)

I've done this
ceremony 100 times!

- Then you've done
it wrong 100 times!

- Then you've done
it wrong, right?

(men bickering)

- Oh, look what's the
difference whether

you bleed him or you burn him?

Let's get it over with!

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

let's just do it!

- Silencio!

The flame.

(Vinnie clears throat)

- Now say these words.

This is the way I will burn.

- This is the way I will burn.

- If I betray the secrets
of our sacred brotherhood.

- If I betray the secrets
of our sacred brotherhood.

- Mamma mia.

(suspenseful music)

- Ah, bingo!

(cheering)

- Vincenzo, this is your
goomba, your godfather!

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

Now I gotta look
after both of ya.

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

Hey!

Now, give me the
finger you shoot with.

(Vinnie winces)

- This blood means
we are all family!

La Familia!

- [All] La Familia! (clapping)

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

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

So everybody get in their cars,

meet me over at the Megazinne.

(clapping)

(suspenseful music)

- All right,
gentlemen, look alive.

- Hey.

Carl Furillo.

- What?

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

- [Both] Carl Furillo.

- Yeah, that's it.

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

- All right, move in now.

(thrilling music)

- Sonny, I got
something for you.

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

- You're lucky you get anything.

- Phillips!
(gun firing)

- Wait, wait, wait!

Federal officers, nobody move!

Joey, drop the gun now!

- Sonny, listen to
what you did to me.

- Joey, don't!

(gun firing)

(gun firing)

- Hey, that belongs to me, pal.

- Don't you push me.

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

- Excuse me.

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

- You know you have
your hand on me?

- Unless you want
me to press charges

for the theft of Mr.
Steelegrave's property,

I suggest you return
it immediately.

- (scoffs) Ketchell, when
your parents sent you

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

out of defending human slime?

(rustling)

(dramatic music)

(exhales)

(Sonny clears throat)

- I thought the entertainment
was gonna take place

at the restaurant.

- Let me ask you
a question, Patty.

Since when do you
take night time meets

with Frank McPike of the OCB?

- It's a doctored
picture, Sonny.

- How can you tell?

- It's not my good side.

- Hmm.

(rock song)

(Sonny clapping)

Billy, that was dynamite.

Take a break, guys.

I wanna talk to you
about a little business.

Uh, you got a manager, yet?

- No, Mr. Steelgrave.

- Oh, you got a lawyer?

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

I just wanna make
sure you don't get

stuck with the wrong people.

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

Sit down, make
yourself comfortable.

There you go, there.

Okay.

Now, I think that you could
become a professional.

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

I'm a professional.

Are you a professional, Billy?

- I am a professional,
Mr. Steelgrave.

That's all I think about.

- Okay, here's the deal.

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

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

with a raise every year.

What do you think?

- That's fantastic!

Do you mind if I
ask you a question?

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

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

Will you let us?

- Are you kidding me, huh?

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

'Course you can record.

I'm here to help you, kid.

- All right, thanks a lot!

- Hey, uh, Billy.

Now, remember.

A deal's a deal.

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

♪ 'Cause we might get
lucky one never knows ♪

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

♪ Rock and roll

♪ Rock and roll

(dramatic music)

(whimsical music)