Sweet And Lowdown Page #6

guitar player for a husband?

Okay, he's a brilliant musician,

but who can live with him?

Not me.

I'll bet it's no picnic for you.

He wants me to tell you

he's learned his lesson.

Do you think

I was born yesterday?

- I know you think he's great.

- Great? His playin' makes me cry.

Does he bring in customers?

Some.

Mostly aficionados.

When he shows up.

We found him the other night

staring at freight trains at 9:00.

- He's gonna turn over a new leaf.

- Right.

He's through drinkin'.

Right. All right, look.

I'm a soft touch, but I don't

like to be made a fool.

Out of respect for you, who I like,

I'm gonna give him one more shot.

But if you want my advice,

no genius is worth too much heartache.

- How'd you do?

- He's such a nice man.

You wanna celebrate?

- Celebrate?

- Yeah, have a drink with me.

Come on.

Well, I guess.

There are a few things

I wouldn't mind finding out.

I'm a writer, and extreme characters

always fascinate me.

I ain't so extreme.

Everybody I ever rubbed out

deserved it.

"Rubbed out"?

That's so colorful and...

What goes through your mind

when you're rubbing someone out?

Through my mind?

What do you think about

when you pull the trigger?

Well, I don't know.

Yet you're able

to just shoot someone.

I don't want to shock you, but...

it always came natural to me.

Really?

Ever since I was 15

and I first picked up a gun...

I discovered that

I had a knack for it.

Fascinating.

- What are you doing?

- You have very soft hair.

- Don't.

- Why?

I'm scared.

Because I kill for a living.

Because I find you attractive.

Blanche was a writer.

Some kind of a writer.

Not famous or anything,

but she was published.

In fact, she wrote a story called...

"Strutting and Fretting."

And it's vaguely about some of the

stormy times she and Emmet were having.

Why am I bored with my husband?

It's all so complicated.

In the end, I married

for the wrong reasons.

And why Emmet rushed into marriage

with me is a mystery.

Five in the corner.

- That's all she wrote.

- Lucky shot.

You couldn't make

that shot again if you tried.

Don't give me that.

Just hand it over.

I'm one of the two, three top

pool players in the country.

No shame in losin' to me.

Thank you very much.

- Come here. I want to talk to you.

- Yeah.

Look, we know each other, right?

I don't like to cause

any problems...

so I wanted to give you

a little tip.

On a horse? Couple of beers.

No, not on a horse.

I want to give you a tip.

Keep an eye on your wife.

- What do you mean?

- Just keep an eye on her.

Why?

Because she's been spendin'

a lot of time with Al Torrio.

Who?

Al Torrio. The hood

that hangs around Bedloe.

The bodyguard? And Blanche?

Are you nuts?

- Just tellin' you what's goin' around.

- What kind of mind you got?

Blanche'd never make a fool outta me

with some strong- arm stooge.

- Where'd you hear this?

- Here and there.

That's why I'm telling you. I didn't

think you'd want people laughin' at you.

Laughin' at me?

You know how rumors get started.

Come on. This is what happens when you

have a wife everybody's envious of.

It's jealousy,

but I'm not the jealous type.

- They're tryin' to knock me down.

- Hope you're right.

I've heard stories about this

from musicians...

I've read about it,

but I don't really know.

I know that...

apparently, Emmet tried

to follow Blanche one day.

I believe she told him she was

going to the dentist or something...

and he followed her.

You gotta go home right away?

I think Emmet's at the poolroom.

Come on.

Let's go for a drive.

You know, I didn't

care too much for that movie.

- No?

- I like Cagney.

Guns, bullets, shootin',

a little action.

How does it feel

when you actually kill?

What goes through your mind?

What do you gotta ask

the questions for all the time?

Because I wanna know.

Emmet has a violent side, but it

all turns to passion in his music.

With you there's just not

a shred of sublimation.

It's incredible.

Let me ask you one question.

Who makes love to you better,

me or him?

Emmet is an artist,

and because he's an artist...

he needs no one.

Even making love, he seems to exist

in a world all of his own.

With you I feel like I'm looking

right into the heart of darkness.

I become crazy when you touch me.

Okay, so now Emmet is fuming.

Okay, so now Emmet is fuming.

I mean, he found out

that Torrio and Blanche...

have gone to bed with each other,

that they're lovers.

And he's consumed with rage.

Now, just at that moment,

Torrio decides to pull off the road...

and go into a gas station

to buy some cigarettes.

And there's Emmet

in the back of the car...

and he's trying very hard to

figure out who he wants to shoot.

Does he want to shoot Blanche?

Torrio?

Should he shoot

both of them together?

He's working on this problem.

They go into the store,

and exactly at that moment...

a holdup is taking place.

Two guys come running out.

They don't know what to do.

All hell is breaking loose.

There's gunshots.

Instead of taking their car...

Torrio's got a big car.

They jump in that and pull off.

Calling all cars.

I'm Emmet Ray.

I'm the greatest guitar player

in the world.

Except maybe this gypsy.

Perhaps you heard my recording of

"You Were Meant For Me," RCA Victor.

You were meant for me

That's not what I heard.

That's not what I heard.

But like all Emmet Ray stories...

you never know what's made up,

exaggerated, true.

You never know what to believe.

What I heard was this.

I heard that when they

pulled into the gas station...

Blanche gets out

to get some cigarettes...

and that's

when he confronted them.

How could you? How could you

cheat on me with a bum like that?

Emmet, don't!

Make a fool out of me

in front of everybody!

So I slept with him.

But I was just researching a book!

I loved you!

Don't be crazy. Do something!

I'm sorry. My tire blew out.

Believe me, he never tried to kill

himself, because Emmet Ray was...

He had much too much ego

for anything like that.

A story that Eddie Condon

tells about...

And Eddie Condon definitely

was not a reliable source...

'cause he was

a big embellisher himself.

But the story Eddie Condon tells,

I believe...

is that Torrio was aware...

that the fact that he was a gangster

was a big turn- on for Blanche.

And so he decided...

And so he decided...

that he would

pull into this gas station...

and he would stick it up.

- Can I help you, sir?

- Get your hands in the air, Pops.

Give me everything

in the register!

Emmet was so panicked

by hearing gunshots...

he crept into the front seat

and took off.

He didn't get more than 50 feet

before he crashed into an oncoming car.

Now there's this terrible crash.

Miraculously, no one is hurt.

And who gets out of the car

but a group of musicians.

I can't remember who it was.

It was like Buck Clayton, Coleman

Hawkins, Teddy Wilson or something.

But there, suddenly,

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