The Godfather Page #23

JOHNNY:

Sure, I'll do anything for my

Godfather. You know that, Mike.

There is knock on the door. NERI rises, looks at MICHAEL,

who nods. NERI opens the door, and MOE GREENE enters,

followed by TWO BODYGUARDS. He is a handsome hood, dressed

in the Hollywood style. His BODYGUARDS are more West Coast

style.

MOE:

Mike, good to see you. Got

everything you want?

MICHAEL:

Thanks.

MOE:

The chef cooked for you special;

the dancers will kick your tongue

out and you credit is good!

(to his BODYGUARDS)

Draw chips for all these people so

they can play on the house.

MICHAEL:

Is my credit good enough to buy you

out?

MOE laughs.

MOE:

Buy me out?...

MICHAEL:

The hotel, the casino. The Corleone

family wants to buy you out.

GREENE stops laughing; the room becomes tense. NERI eyes

the BODYGUARDS.

MOE:

(furious)

The Corleone family wants to buy me

out. I buy you out. You don't buy

me out.

MICHAEL:

Your casino loses money. Maybe we

can do better.

MOE:

You think I scam?

MICHAEL:

(the worst insult)

You're unlucky.

MOE:

You goddamn dagos. I do you a

favor and take Freddie in when

you're having a bad time, and then

you try to push me out.

MICHAEL:

You took Freddie in because the

Corleone family bankrolled your

casino. You and the Corleone

family are evened out. This is for

business; name your price.

MOE:

The Corleone family don't have that

kind of muscle anymore. The

Godfather is sick. You're getting

chased out of New York by Barzini

and the other families, and you

think you can find easier pickings

here. I've talked to Barzini; I

can make a deal with him and keep

my hotel!

MICHAEL:

(quietly, deadly)

Is that why you thought you could

slap Freddie around in public?

FREDO:

(his face turns red)

Ah Mike, that was nothing. Moe

didn't mean anything. He flies off

the handle sometimes; but me and

him are good friends. Right, Moe?

MOE:

Yeah sure. Sometimes I gotta kick

asses to make this place run right.

Freddie and I had a little argument

and I had to straighten him out.

MICHAEL:

You straightened my brother out?

MOE:

Hell, he was banging cocktail

waitresses two at a time. Players

couldn't get a drink.

MICHAEL rises from his chair, and says in a tone of dismissal:

MICHAEL:

I have to go back to New York

tomorrow. Think of your price.

MOE:

You son of a b*tch, you think you

can brush me off like that? I made

my bones when you were going out

with cheerleaders.

FREDO:

(frightened)

Tom, you're the Consigliere; you

can talk to the Don and advise him.

MICHAEL:

The Don has semi-retired. I'm

running the Family business now.

So anything you have to say, say it

to me.

Nobody answers. MICHAEL nods to NERI, who opens the door.

MOE exits angrily.

MICHAEL:

Freddie, you're my older brother.

I love you. But don't ever take

sides with anybody against the

Family again.

EXT DAY:
N.Y. AIRPORT (1955)

KAY sits in the back of a limousine parked by the Newark

AIRPORT. ROCCO LAMPONE is leaning against it.

She has a little three year old boy; MICHAEL's son, who

plays with a cardboard bird on a string.

Two other cars are stationed discreetly, with men we have

learned to tell are bodyguards.

MICHAEL, HAGEN and NERI exit the airport with TWO NEGRO

PORTERS carrying luggage.

NERI sees something, and taps MICHAEL on the shoulder.

MICHAEL turns, and sees KAY.

LAMPONE opens the car door; KAY steps out with the BOY, and

MICHAEL embraces her, and kisses his son. Automatically,

the luggage is put in. NERI replaces LAMPONE as the driver;

and LAMPONE joins the other men. HAGEN gets into one of the

other cars.

And the limo drives off, preceded and followed by the other

sedans.

INT DAY:
LIMO (1955)

The little BOY looks out the window as they drive.

MICHAEL:

I have to see my father and his

people when we get back to the Mall.

KAY:

Oh Michael.

MICHAEL:

We'll go to the show tomorrow

night--we can change the tickets.

KAY:

Don't you want dinner first?

MICHAEL:

No, you eat...don't wait up for me.

KAY:

Wake me up when you come to bed?

The little BOY flies his cardboard bird out of the speeding

limousine window.

EXT DAY:
MALL (1955)

The limousine arrives at the Mall. We are inside.

KAY:

Your sister wants to ask you

something.

MICHAEL:

Let HER ask.

NERI opens the door. KAY wants to talk just a little more.

KAY:

She's afraid to. Michael...

MICHAEL nods to NERI; who gives them their privacy a moment

longer.

KAY:

Why are you so cold to her and

Carlo? They live with us on the

Mall now, but you never get close

to them.

MICHAEL:

I'm busy.

KAY:

Connie and Carlo want you to be

godfather to their little boy.

NERI opens the door; MICHAEL starts to get out; KAY too.

He smiles at her, tired, and a little sad.

KAY:

Will you?

MICHAEL:

Let me think about it, O.K.?

She smiles; MICHAEL goes with NERI to the Main House; KAY

and the little BOY move to the house that was Sonny's.

INT DAY:
DON'S OFFICE (1955)

VIEW ON DON CORLEONE, much older, much smaller in size. He

wears baggy pants, and a warm plaid shirt. He sits in a

chair, gazing out through the window, into the garden.

TESSIO (O.S.)

Barzini's people chisel my territory

and we do nothing about it. Pretty

soon there won't be one place in

Brooklyn I can hang my hat.

MICHAEL (O.S.)

Just be patient.

TESSIO:

I'm not asking you for help, Mike.

Just take off the handcuffs.

MICHAEL (O.S.)

Be patient.

CLEMENZA (O.S.)

We gotta fight sometime. Let us at

least recruit our regimes to full

strength.

MICHAEL (O.S.)

No, I don't want to give Barzini an

excuse to start fighting.

TESSIO (O.S.)

Mike, you're wrong.

CLEMENZA (O.S.)

Don Corleone...Don Corleone.

The OLD MAN looks up. CLEMENZA stand before him in the Den.

Beside him is an anxious TESSIO. NERI stands by the door;

HAGEN is seated; MICHAEL sits behind the big desk.

CLEMENZA:

You said there would come a day

when Tessio and me could form our

own Families. Only with your

benediction, of course. I ask

permission...

DON CORLEONE:

My son is head of the Family now.

If you have his permission, you

have my good will.

MICHAEL:

In six months you can break off

from the Corleone Family and go on

your own. Carlo, I'm counting on

you to make the move to Nevada;

you'll be my right-hand man out

there. Tom Hagen is no longer the

Consigliere.

Everyone is a bit surprised; look to see HAGEN's reaction.

He remains inexpressive.

MICHAEL:

He's going to be our lawyer in

Vegas. Nobody goes to him with any

other business as of now, this

minute. No reflection on Tom;

that's the way I want it. Besides,

if I ever need any advice, who's a

better Consigliere than my father.

CLEMENZA:

Then in a six month time we're on

our own; is that it?

MICHAEL:

Maybe less...

TESSIO:

Let us fill up our Regimes.

MICHAEL:

No. I want things very calm for

another six months.

TESSIO:

Forgive me, Godfather, let our

years of friendship be my excuse.

How can you hope for success there

without your strength here to back

you up? The two go hand in hand.

And with you gone from here the

Barzini and the Tattaglias will be

too strong for us.

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