Raging Bull Page #7

JAKE:

Never felt better.

TOMMY:

Tony Janiro's gotta watch out, eh?

JAKE:

He should.

TOMMY:

(to Salvy)

This Janiro's a good fiahter,

pretty good-lookin' kid.

SALVY:

Bet on him three times. Always come

through for me.

JAKE just stares, holding his anger in.

There is a pause.

TOMMY:

How's the weight? Ok?

JAKE:

Yeah, the weight's Ok.

Another pause. TOMMY smiles and moves closer to

JAKE.

TOMMY:

All right, lemme ask you something.

Let's say I was a good friend of

yours. And I was telling you I was

gonna bet a lot of money on you in

this Janiro fight. What would you

tell me?

JAKE:

I'd tell you to bet a bundle.

TOMMY sips his drink.

INT. PELHAM PARKWAY HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT

VICKIE is in bed trying to sleep. JAKE comes out of

the bathroom half-dressed, and sits on the edge of

the bed (preoccupied). Silence.

JAKE:

Vickie?... Vickie, you asleep?

VICKIE:

What?

JAKE:

You asleep?

VICKIE:

Yeah.

JAKE:

Huh?

VICKIE:

Yeah, what?

JAKE:

Tell me, you think of anybody else

when I'm making love to you?

VICKIE:

Nobody. I love you, remember?

JAKE:

Then why'd you say that thing about

Tony Janiro?

VICKIE:

What did I say?

JAKE:

That he's got a pretty face.

VICKIE:

I never noticed his face.

JAKE:

You sure you're not thinking of him

right now?

VICKIE:

Positive.

JAKE:

You're the one who said he was good

looking. You think he's good

looking 'cause I know you think

he's good-looking. I'll smash his

face inside out. I'll make him into

dog meat.

Nobody's gonna think he's good

looking when I get through with

him. So you just go ahead and think

about who you want.

VICKIE freezes.

INT. WORTH STREET BASEMENT - DAY

TONY JANIRO, wearing boxer trunks, steps off the

scale. Commissioner COL. EDDIE EAGAN, a white

haired, heavyset man in his mid-forties, calls out

the weight.

The basement of the New York Boxing Commission on

Worth Street is a sparse room, crowded with

REPORTERS, TRAINERS and MANAGERS.

EAGAN:

Tony Janiro, 151 lbs. and one half.

JAKE steps on the scale. He looks weak and woozy.

After the customary adjustments, EAGAN calls out:

EAGAN (CONT'D)

Jake LaMotta, 155 lbs. and one

fourth.

There's a commotion in JAKE's camp. JANIRO smiles.

JAKE:

Just a minute.

JAKE, JOEY, and TONY confer.

JAKE gets off the scale and enters the men's room.

An OFFICIAL follows him.

INT. THE MEN'S ROOM

JAKE forces himself to urinate.

INT. WORTH STREET BASEMENT

JAKE comes out of the bathroom, and gets back on

the scale.

EAGAN:

Ok. This is official.

LAMOTTA stares at JANIRO.

EAGAN (CONT'D)

LaMotta, 155 lbs. on the nose.

JAKE throws JANIRO a kiss.

INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - NIGHT

It's the last round and JAKE is pouring it on a

beaten and virtually helpless JANIRO.

The CROWD chants:

CROWD:

LaMotta.

HALF THE AUDIENCE is already on its feet. The kill

is imminent -- and they love it.

JAKE lands one blow after another. He is

relentless.

Several rows back, TOMMY COMO, SALVY and SEVERAL

OTHER "MADE" GUYS sit with sober looks on their

faces.

JAKE moves in fast, and with a powerful barrage,

smashes JANIRO's nose -- plastering it against his

left cheek.

The final bell rings. JANIRO, his legs all rubber,

staggers back to his corner.

JAKE prances about, kissing his fists and throwing

them to the CROWD. JOEY rushes out, throws JAKE's

leopard skin robe over him and embraces him. TONY

follows. JAKE looks right at COMO and SALVY.

AN ANNOUNCER steps into the center of the ring:

ANNOUNCER:

The winner, by unanimous decision,

in ten rounds, Jake LaMotta!

JOEY:

I love you.

JAKE, weak from losing the weight and winning the

fight, still manages to prance around the ring

victoriously.

VICKIE, now near the ring, throws kisses to JAKE.

JAKE:

(shouts to Vickie)

This is my night! Listen to them!

I'm gonna be champ!

He bends down and gives her a kiss through the

ropes.

JAKE (CONT'D)

I'm making everything up to you.

INT. COPACABANA - NIGHT (1947)

JOEY is at the bar with a DETROIT PROMOTER and

JACKIE CURTIE.

DETROIT PROMOTER

When we gonna get Jake back in

Detroit? Jesus, he really did a job

on Janiro. Who you after next,

Joey?

JOEY:

(evasive)

I dunno. We're working on it. He's

training at the camp now.

JACKIE CURTIE:

After what I seen, they gotta give

him a shot at the title.

JOEY:

We're gonna get our shot.

The DETROIT PROMOTER introduces JOEY to JACKIE

CURTIE.

DETROIT PROMOTER

Oh Joey, this is Jackie Curtie. He

handles a lot of business in South

Ohio.

JACKIE CURTIE:

I like your brother. Made a lot of

money on him.

JOEY:

Betcha more than he has.

JACKIE CURTIE:

Made a little cabbage on the Tommy

Bell fight too. Whatever happened

to him?

JOEY:

Ain't he dead?

DETROIT PROMOTER

Nah. He's got a job downtown. Runs

an elevator in some building.

JOEY:

Yeah?

DETROIT PROMOTER

Went down to see him the other day.

I says, "Tommy, take me up to the

fifth floor." And you know, he took

me right up there.

JACKIE CURTIE:

Yeah, Tommy always was a stand-up

guy.

SALVY and PATSY arrive with VERA, SANDY (two

neighborhood girls), and VICKIE. They go to a

nearby table.

The bar area:
JOEY sees this.

DETROIT PROMOTER

Joey, let me get you another drink.

JOEY:

(distracted)

Just a minute. Excuse me. I'll be

right back.

The table area:
JOEY arrives at SALVY's table.

VICKIE is nervous. There is a cold exchange

of'"hellos."

JOEY (CONT'D)

(to Vickie)

C'mere, let me talk to you for a

minute.

There is an awkward silence as he grabs VICKIE by

the arm and takes her over to the hat-check area.

JOEY (CONT'D)

What're you doin' with Salvy? You

shouldn't be here with him. Jake's

away killin' himself. Suppose he

found out.

VICKIE:

What the hell am I doing wrong?

Just because Jake is training, I

can't go out? What am I, a goddamn

prisoner?

JOEY:

No, you're his wife.

VICKIE:

I'm not doing anythina wrong. I'm

just trying to have a good time. Do

I have to be cooped up in the house

all the time?

JOEY:

It don't look right.

VICKIE:

Well, go ahead, tell Jake. He's

gonna kill me anyway. It's a matter

of time.

JOEY:

I'm not gonna tell him nothing; but

if he finds out, he will kill you.

What's the matter with you? Aren't

you happy? You got everything you

want.

VICKIE:

You don't sleep with him. I do. I

don't get to breathe without

tellin' him. He keeps me in a cage.

If he thinks I'm lookin' at

somebody the wrong way, I get used

as a punching bag. He don't trust

nobody. If he saw the two of us

talking together right now, you'd

be in trouble too -- believe me.

Look at me, Joey. I'm 19 years old.

I wanna enjoy my life. I love Jake,

but you don't know. He gets crazy

sometimes. I'm scared.

JOEY:

Try to understand, Vickie. Jake's

got a lotta aggravation. He's been

a top contender too long.

VICKIE:

That's right, take his part. You're

his brother.

He's never gonna be champ. Too many

people are against him.

JOEY:

And you're drinking with them right

now.

VICKIE:

And I'm gonna finish my drink. And,

I'm gonna have a good time, because

I ain't doing nothing wrong.

She starts to go back to the table.

JOEY:

(grabbing her)

You're wrong to be here. Let's go.

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