Casino Page #18

ACE:

(To SHOWGIRL)

You're still eight pounds over.

(To MANAGER.)

What's the reason for this?

STAGE MANAGER:

Mr Rothstein, sir, let me put her on

suspension.

ACE:

Never mind the 'sir'. Never mind the

'sir'.

STAGE MANAGER:

Well, sir, I was just...

ACE:

Why is she eight pounds over?

STAGE MANAGER:

...trying to offer you the respect

that your...

ACE:

I...

STAGE MANAGER:

...position...

ACE:

'Mr Rothstein' is good enough.

STAGE MANAGER:

Mr Rothstein... well, sometimes,

when you reach that pressure point,

when you put that pressure point on

them, you know, it shows...

ACE:

She could at least lose half a pound

or a quarter. Listen...

STAGE MANAGER:

...and she doesn't always -

ACE:

...all you do is give me answers.

Just - just give me the right answer.

STAGE MANAGER:

But, sir. Well, I don't know why. I

guess, maybe, because she's frightened

that if she doesn't lose the weight

she may even get fired.

ACE:

That's right. She will get fired. In

fact, I want you to send her back to

Paris.

STAGE MANAGER:

It's always been our policy -

ACE:

No. Just stop everything.

SHERBERT and ACE walk away across a huge stage.

SHERBERT:

(To ACE)

This woman's an institution.

ACE:

I don't care what she is. She's an

institution, that's the problem.

She's lazy.

INT. TANGIERS CASINO SPORTSBOOK - NIGHT

ACE standing in a large space surrounded by giant TV screens

showing sports events. Around him, long rows of bettors are

seated at betting stations, lined up at windows, or wandering

around at the bar. It's like a NASA control room on launch

day.

NICKY (V.O.)

Hey, I gotta give the guy credit. He

does the most obvious thing. This is

the only town in the country where a

bookie joint is legit, so, why not

take advantage, right? So... he

took bookie joints off the street

and then opened them up inside the

casino. Well, within a few years, by

doin' all of this, he had every casino

on the Strip trying to copy off him.

ACE (V.O.)

Between...

EXT. BACK ALLEY - NIGHT

NICKY, with MARINO, punching and kicking a man next to the

open door of his luxury car.

ACE (V.O.)

...my innovations...

The man falls to the ground.

ACE (V.O.)

...and Nicky's dedication to his

job...

NICKY starts kicking him.

ACE (V.O.)

...I soon had the best operation on

the Strip.

NICKY lifts an empty trash can and shatters the car's

windshield.

INT. TANGIERS CASINO FLOOR - NIGHT

ACE and NICKY are standing on the casino floor near the slot-

machines. Gamblers are milling about behind them.

ACE:

You better watch yourself. There's a

lot of heat on you already.

NICKY:

Why, somebody's complaining?

ACE:

I'm - I'm hearin' things from

security. They're all ex-cops. The

Sheriff's lookin' to bust your balls.

They want to put you in the Black

Book.

NICKY:

That Black Book is a bunch of

bullshit. They got two names in there

for the whole country and one of

them is still Al Capone.

ACE:

Bullshit or no bullshit, they put

you in that book, you're gonna be in

a lot of trouble. You will not be

able to walk into the casino. I'm

tellin' you.

NICKY:

What am I doin' out here? I'm tryin'

to make a livin', that's all.

ACE:

I'm just tellin' you. Don't say I

didn't warn you.

NICKY:

All right.

INT. VEGAS VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB, 1974 - NIGHT

Tight on the filaments of a flash bulb as they ignite.

TV news crews and still photographers are taking pictures of

ACE and GINGER surrounded by clusters of celebrities and the

Vegas power elite, including SHERBERT and GREEN, at a black

tie event.

PHOTOGRAPHER #1

Mrs Rothstein, look straight ahead.

Very nice. Thank you.

PHOTOGRAPHER #2

Thank you.

PHOTOGRAPHER #1

Yes, nice smile.

PHOTOGRAPHER #3

Just look right at the camera. Hold

that pose.

We hear GREEN making a speech over flashing cameras and freeze

frames of himself, SHERBERT, ACE and GINGER.

GREEN (O.S.)

Considering all of his hard work and

dedication and the new lifeblood he

has instilled in Las Vegas...

We now see GREEN at a mike speaking in front of the seated

club members.

GREEN:

Sam has established himself as an

indispensable member of the gaming

community. As the head of the Tangiers

Gaming Corporation, it's my pleasure

to welcome Sam Rothstein to the Vegas

Valley Country Club.

Members cheer and applaud as GREEN hands ACE a framed

citation. It reads: 'This Certificate of Appreciation. Sam

Rothstein. Charitable Foundations of Greater Las Vegas'.

They shake hands for the photographers.

ACE (V.O.)

Back home, they would have put me in

jail for what I'm doing. But out

here, they're givin' me awards.

ACE:

(Into the microphone)

It's with great pleasure that I accept

this certificate of appreciation

from the...

CAMERA TILTS UP TO A MOUNTED PLAQUE ON THE WALL, READING:

'CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONS OF GREATER LAS VEGAS'.

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