The Racket

Get your morning paper. Read all about it.

Get your morning paper.

Crime commission gonna clean things up.

Sure. Sure.

Get your morning paper.

Get your morning paper. Read all about it. | Get your morning paper. Read all about it.

Read all about it in the paper. | Get your morning paper. Read all about it.

- Governor, Mr. Craig has arrived. | - Have him come in.

Governor, we need your help.

It's no longer a question | of dealing with local crime.

The big syndicate, national in scope,

has already moved into our city | and is starting to operate.

Governor, this is our chief investigator, | Harry Craig.

- How do you do, Craig? | - How do you do, sir?

- Sit down. | - Thank you.

Let's have the dirt.

Go ahead, Harry.

Well, Governor, I don't suppose | you've seen all the morning papers.

I see we made the headlines.

- What's really happening? | - Big stuff.

I'd like to begin by calling your attention | to a small item buried in the back.

It says that Police Captain Tom McQuigg, | has been transferred again,

- this time to Precinct 7. | - Yes.

Captain McQuigg is an honest, | hard-hitting, able police official.

- Not a black mark on his record. | - Proving what?

Official corruption is helping | promote crime.

McQuigg is an honest cop, | therefore an enemy.

Therefore he gets pushed around.

- Who does the pushing? | - The men the underworld elect.

- You have proof? | - We're working on it.

First, there's Nick Scanlon, | the old boss of the rackets.

He's operated in our city for years. | He calls it "his" city.

But now he's part of a big syndicate.

A very smooth, a very big-time operation.

The syndicate, as I explained to you, | Governor,

is run by a man, very powerful, | but unknown,

referred to only as the "old man."

This syndicate hopes to operate | unchecked, as a vast monopoly,

controlling all gambling, all vice, | all rackets

and the millions of dollars that entails.

Thousands of which are to be used | for purposes of bribery.

Right now they've got the assistant state's | attorney in their pocket.

- Mortimer Welsh. | - They're running him for judge.

Once he gets on the bench...

Serious charges, Craig. | You have to prove them.

We need the power of subpoena.

And above all, Governor, our biggest need

is to break our evidence | just before the election

in order to stop this barefaced steal | of the city.

Gentlemen, let me say this. | I'm with you to the finish.

I'll take up the matter of subpoenas | at once.

But in regard to all the rest, | I must have proof, absolute proof!

Give it to me, and you have my word | I'll go with you all the way down the line.

How about the rest of you gentlemen?

Have you anything to add?

- No, Governor. | - That's it, Governor.

All right. Thank you very much.

- How's Nick this morning? | - Kind of restless.

- When did you get in? | - Last night.

- What's Durko doing here? | - Back working for Nick.

You know how burned Nick was | when they sent him up.

- Did the old man spring him? | - No. Nick.

Here we go again.

Listen, Mannick, | did Nick seem to be okay today?

- Outside of being restless? | - Yeah, I guess so.

All right, here's the score card.

That guy, Higgins, | that guy the old man was grooming,

spilled to the crime commission.

- I just got the tip. | - Wow!

Yeah, straight. And it's a cinch | Nick don't know about it yet...

- Where's Tony? | - Just about due, Nick.

- What are you guys cooking up? | - How do you mean, Nick?

We got to think of something.

Nick's going to blow his top | when he hears about Higgins,

now that he's got that old torpedo back.

Nick's got to be softened up some way.

Yes, that's right. The old man will | take care of Higgins his way,

and it'll be neat.

None of this rip-and-tear stuff, providing...

- He's waiting for you. | - I'm right on time.

Always right on time for Nick.

- He doesn't like to wait. He gets nervous. | - Tony.

You've been shaving Nick | a long time, right?

- Sure. Long time. Why? | - You and him, you're pretty close, right?

- Sure, close. Say, I better... | - He's paid you out plenty of dough, right?

- You wanna do him a favor? | - Me do Nick a favor? How?

Look, Tony, nobody can talk to Nick.

Nobody can tell him anything. | You know what I mean?

- Sure, I know. | - Maybe you could.

Mr. Mannick, please, | I mind my own business. I don't...

Off-hand, you know what I mean? | Like barber conversation, yak, yak, yak.

Only it means something, | like how the world's changing,

how things aren't the same anymore,

how a guy's got to be careful | and not keep on in the same old rut.

- Get smart. | - Yeah, Tony, see what he means?

Just conversation. | Nick can't get sore with that.

Yeah, sure, I give him that kind | of conversation all right, but...

- But, what? | - But Nick is no fool.

Tony may be not so smart like Nick, | but he understands.

Oh, no, no, no. I do this for Nick.

You know, I don't seem to get around | as fast as I used to, Nick.

- I got two grandchildren now. | - That so?

Yeah. I got a son married and a daughter.

Sons-in-law, they're all the same, | not like me.

We talk. We talk.

I don't understand.

Yeah? How's that?

Well, the world is changing, maybe. | Too fast. Maybe I stay the same.

My kids are different.

My son-in-law, my daughter-in-law, | she's different.

No, things seem is very easy for them, | hard for me.

- Go ahead, Tony. This is interesting. | - That's all, Nick.

The world has changed. Maybe, | I have trouble because I don't change.

What's the matter?

That's what I say. I'm getting old.

My hand is not so steady like it used to be.

That's too bad. I got a tender skin.

Wait a minute.

Were you talking to Mannick | before you came in here?

- Yes, Nick. | - What about?

What about?

- About me, Tony? | - No.

Tony, when you let guys use you,

be sure they're smart guys.

I'll be back.

Get inside.

- All right. Spill. What is it? | - What is what, Nick?

You got something to say, say it to me. | Don't try to prime Tony.

- Why, that... | - Do you think he had to tell me?

How do you think I got where I did?

Not by being outsmarted | by clucks like you.

Well?

It's your story.

Nick, I got to tell you, this Higgins guy.

- Yeah? | - He spilled to the crime commission.

- He did, eh? | - Yeah, straight tip.

Yeah, Nick. And the old man's | sure gonna take care of him.

How, by paying his fare out of town | so he can come back and talk again?

Nick, the old man, he'll...

I guess I didn't spring Durko | none too soon.

- Harry! | - Good morning, Foster.

- Good morning. | - How did it go?

- Thank you. Fine. | - How was the trip?

- Not bad. | - How'd the Governor take it?

- Like a man. | - And the commission?

Shocked and fighting mad.

- Are they really going to back us? | - Playing rough?

- Get any sleep? | - Not much.

They're meeting here Saturday.

To consider our evidence?

If we can prove it, they'll hang them.

Well, look at Higgins alone. | I figure 126 years.

- Only Higgins? | - Earning for tax reports, $60 a week.

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