Mobsters Page #11

FRANK:

I'm sorry, but I sleep better when I

know I'm with the winning side.

LANSKY:

We're gonna be the winning side.

It's like Rothstein said about that

guy in Austria. We're gonna use

Maranzano and Masseria. Let 'em knock

each other bloody. And then, when

everybody's screamin' for peace, we

step in to make it. What they're

fight in' over, everybody will beg

us to take.

FRANK:

I thought we just wanted to be left

alone to run our business.

LUCIANO:

It's past that. We take over the

whole show, or we're all dead.

Bugsy perks up.

SIEGEL:

So we're gonna knock 'em both off?

LUCIANO:

If it comes to that. Yeah.

Bugsy breaks into a broad grin.

SIEGEL:

Well, sh*t. Why the f*** ya didn't

come right out and say so!

FADE TO:

INT:
CHARLIE'S LIVING ROOM - EVENING

Charlie lays stretched out in his bathrobe. Unshaven. The

mess from earlier still scattered across the coffee table.

The telephone rings. Charlie hesitates before answering.

LUCIANO:

Luciano.

GAY ORLOVA:

(ON TELEPHONE)

I was calling yesterday.

LUCIANO:

Something came up.

GAY ORLOVA:

(ON TELEPHONE)

I needed to see you again.

LUCIANO:

Same here.

GAY ORLOVA:

(ON TELEPHONE)

You're sure?

Under his robe, Charlie adjusts his suddenly swelling member.

LUCIANO:

Yeah.

CUT TO:

CLOSE - ON A DOOR

Charlie opens it from inside the apartment. Decked out in

his tuxedo. He pulls Gay inside. Kicks the door shut in our

faces.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT:
CHARLIE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Charlie and Gay float on a cloud of post-coital bliss. She

lays back, gently stroking the nape of his neck. He rubs his

cheek on her belly, gazing longingly over the swell of her

breasts. He inhales deeply, his face suffused with dreamy

pleasure.

LUCIANO:

Why do you bother with perfume when

you smell like this?

GAY ORLOVA:

It's a mask.

LUCIANO:

You got something to hide?

GAY ORLOVA:

It's too late.

LUCIANO:

Have you thought about this?

GAY ORLOVA:

Why? You're the innocent one.

LUCIANO:

Guess I'm too confused to think.

She lifts his face in her hands.

GAY ORLOVA:

Don't worry, Charlie. I've never

hurt a man.

CUT TO:

INT:
HALLWAY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOTEL - DAY

the elevator doors slide open, and Luciano and Costello step

out into the hallway, looking down the empty corridor to a

broken-nosed LUG who stands guard by a door.

DOWN THE HALLWAY

as the Lug swings the door open for them.

LUG:

Hope ya come hungry.

JOE MASSERIA:

sits in the center of the room, at a table covered with hors

d'oeuvres, meats and shellfish, antipasto, bowls of pastas,

cheeses, sauces, fruits, and pastries. Enough to feed a dozen

men. He looks up from a pork loin he holds in both hands.

MASSERIA:

Excuse me bein' rude. Lookin' at

food always makes me hungry.

Laying the pork loin aside, Masseria rises to greet Charlie

and Frank, wiping his hands on his napkin before shaking

theirs.

MASSERIA:

I'm glad ya come.

LUCIANO:

What's with the banquet? This is

supposed to be a private meet.

MASSERIA:

It's only us and Sonny. Hey, Sonny.

Come on out.

Sonny Catania enters by a side door and stands by a wall,

regarding Charlie with barely concealed contempt.

MASSERIA:

You boys carryin' pieces?

LUCIANO:

You tryin' ta tell me something? I

don't come to a meet with a weapon

unless it's with an enemy.

MASSERIA:

See if these two are my friends.

Catania frisks them. Masseria grabs the pork loin and bites

in.

MASSERIA:

So eat.

SOMETIME LATER:

Frank and Charlie sit back in their chairs, the remnants of

their lunches before them. Across the table, Masseria has

managed to consume an incredibly large amount of food. He

shoves an entire pastry in his mouth, washing it down with

wine. He scratches his distended belly, and belches.

MASSERIA:

You're a smart boy, Charlie, but

there's somethin' you ain't learned

yet. A man needs a family.

LUCIANO:

I know. When the storm hits, it don't

pay to be caught outside.

MASSERIA:

I got a place for you. In my family...

or in the cemetery.

LUCIANO:

Never threaten me, Boss.

Masseria's only response is a cold stare.

LUCIANO:

But yeah, I'll join up.

Beaming with pleasure, Masseria picks up another pastry.

LUCIANO:

Under the right conditions.

Masseria's enthusiasm fades as he chews on the pastry.

LUCIANO:

I'm number two. Above everybody but

you, including Catania here.

Catania bristles. After a moment's hesitation, Masseria nods.

LUCIANO:

We get a fair piece of all the action,

and everything from me and my

associates goes into the pot.

Masseria nods again.

LUCIANO:

Everything, that is, except not one

f***in' drop of whiskey. That stays

with me and my friends.

A moment's dead silence. Masseria's expression widens in

fury, his eyes bulging from his head. The half-eaten dessert

EXPLODES from his mouth, followed by a ROAR of protest.

MASSERIA:

YOU F***IN' WEASEL! YOU STUPID SH*T

EATIN' WEASEL!!

Masseria leaps up and smashes his wine goblet against the

wall. Madly, he grabs dishes and tosses them left and right.

Catania, frightened, backs away. Costello grips the arms of

his chair.

LUCIANO:

regards the tantrum with amused detachment.

MASSERIA:

picks up his chair, raising it over his head and bringing it

crashing down into the table, sending debris flying. He grabs

the table and flips it over, clearing his path to Charlie.

COSTELLO:

edges backward in his chair, but Charlie doesn't flinch.

MASSERIA GRABS THE ARMS OF CHARLIE'S CHAIR

and leans into his face, BELLOWING like wild beast. Then, as

quickly as the storm began, it dies. He grips Charlie by the

shoulders.

MASSERIA:

You skinny son of a b*tch! You're

the only paisan in this whole f***in'

town ain't afraid a Joe the Boss!

Masseria throws his arms around Charlie and busses his cheek.

Charlie looks over to Frankie and shrugs.

LUCIANO:

I guess we got a deal.

CUT TO:

INT:
A WOOD-PANELED CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT

A dozen of Masseria's operatives sit around the table. Joe

Masseria at one end, Charlie at the other, with Tommy Reina

and Frank Costello at his side.

LUCIANO:

I'll be spending most of my time

helpin' the Boss with the day to

day. Frank Costello will be in charge

of all the gambling, and my good

friend Sonny Catania will oversee

burglary and the other strong-arm

operations.

Charlie lays a friendly hand on the shoulder of Tommy Reina.

LUCIANO:

We will maintain a special

relationship with Tommy Reina and

his boys in the Bronx. Treat them as

your brothers.

Charlie rises out of his seat and circles the table.

LUCIANO:

We will maintain a respectful

relationship with the Profaci family

in Staten Island and with Maranzano's

outfit in Brooklyn. They don't f***

with us, we don't f*** with them.

CATANIA:

What about Lansky and Siegel?

LUCIANO:

I got a liquor business with them,

and they've also got the toughest

enforcement operation in town, so I

expect you will treat them very

respectfully.

The guys all laugh.

MASSERIA:

Charlie, Vito has an idea for a job.

I wanna hear what you think.

Masseria nudges Vito Noto, who sits to his left. Vito,

nineteen and unsure of himself, looks around to Charlie.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes