The Sting Page #6

Hooker's not quite sure what that means, but there's

something about Billie that makes him know that you don't ask.

INT. CAROUSEL - DAY

Hooker walks past the now motionless carousel to the room in

the back and knocks on the door. No answer. He gives the

door a little push and it swings open.

INT. GONDORFF'S ROOM - DAY

The room inside if small and cluttered, consisting of a bed,

a sink, and a bathroom, all covered by a layer of books,

dirty clothes and beer bottles. Draped over a chair, fully

dressed, but completely passed out is the one and only Henry

Gondorff.

HOOKER:

(to himself)

The great Henry Gondorff.

CUT TO:

INT. A SHOWER - DAY

Water blasting out of the fixture. We see Gondorff, still

fully clothed, sitting in the bottom of the shower, the

spray streaming off his face. An imposing figure, with deep

set eyes and full beard, he just sits there stoically,

looking like a soggy lumberjack. Hooker, sitting on the

floor between the toilet and the sink, watches listlessly.

Finally --

GONDORFF:

Turn the goddamn thing off, will ya.

HOOKER:

You sober?

GONDORFF:

I can talk, can't I?

Hooker makes no move to get up. Gondorff struggles to his

knees, turns off the water, and slumps back against the wall.

The two men just look past each other a second. Down in the

bottom.

GONDORFF:

Glad to meet ya, kid. You're a

real horse's ass.

HOOKER:

Yeh, Luther said you could teach me

something. I already know how to

drink.

Gondorff wipes his face with his hand. His mood softens a

little.

GONDORFF:

(quietly)

I'm sorry about Luther. He was the

best street worker I ever saw.

HOOKER:

He had you down as a big-timer.

What happened?

GONDORFF:

Aw, I conned a Senator from Florida

on a stocks deal. A real lop-ear.

He thought he was gonna take over

General Electric. Some Chantoozie

woke him up, though, and he put the

feds on me.

HOOKER:

You mean you blew it.

GONDORFF:

(pause)

Luther didn't tell me you had a big

mouth.

HOOKER:

He didn't tell me you was a f***-

up, either.

(Gondorff looks at

him coldly)

You played the Big Con since then.

GONDORFF:

No, I lammed it around for a while

while things cooled off. Philly,

Denver, Baltimore, nuthin' towns.

Hooker's disappointment is obvious.

GONDORFF:

But don't kid yourself, friend, I

still know how.

Hooker nods, unconvinced.

GONDORFF:

(getting up from the

floor and emptying

the water out of his pockets)

You gonna stay for breakfast, or do

you already know how to eat?

HOOKER:

(tired)

I picked something up on the way.

GONDORFF:

(sensing something)

Lonnegan after you, too?

HOOKER:

I don't know. Haven't seen anybody.

GONDORFF:

You never do, kid.

We go to Hooker. He hadn't thought of that.

EXT. A BEAUTIFUL OLD COLONIAL COUNTRY CLUB - LONG ISLAND -

DAY:

Lonnegan, in plus fours and argyles sits on a bench as other

members of his foursome tee off. Floyd comes up to him.

FLOYD:

We got word from Chicago. They got

one of the grifters last night.

The n*gger.

LONNEGAN:

What about the other one?

FLOYD:

They're still looking for him.

LONNEGAN:

Who's got the contract?

FLOYD:

Combs gave it to Reilly and Cole.

LONNEGAN:

Hackers.

FLOYD:

They staked out the other guy's

place last night, but he never

showed. They figure maybe he

skipped town. You wanna follow 'em

up?

Lonnegan regards Floyd patiently and then pats the bench

beside him. Floyd sits gingerly.

LONNEGAN:

You see the guy in the red sweater

over there?

We cut to one of Lonnegan's foursome, a short, squat little

Irishman in a red sweater. He was a good-time, friendly

manner and a winning Irish smile. We like him immediately.

LONNEGAN:

Name's Danny McCoy. No Neck McCoy

we called him. Runs a few

protection rackets for Carnello

while he's waiting for something

bigger to come along. Me and Danny

been friends since we were six.

Take a good look at that face,

Floyd, cause if he ever finds out

we let one lousy grifter beat us,

you'll have to kill him and every

other hood in Chicago who'd like to

do the same thing. You understand

what I'm sayin'?

FLOYD:

Yes sir.

LONNEGAN:

Good lad.

Lonnegan is called to the tee by one of his foursome. He

exchanges a friendly smile with McCoy and belts the ball

down the fairway.

CUT TO:

INT. THE CAROUSEL AGAIN - DAY

Gondorff, dried off now and in a new set of clothes, is

pulling up the shades of the large facing windows of the

carousel building. The morning light pours in, illuminating

fully for the first time the ornate merry-go-round and its

massive oaken horses. Hooker watches him go about his

business. Billie calls down from the mezzanine which

surrounds the carousel.

BILLIE:

You feeling all right this morning,

Henry?

GONDORFF:

Fine, Billie.

BILLIE:

You mind opening the round a little

early today? We got some business

coming in before hours.

Gondorff waves okay.

GONDORFF:

(to Hooker)

Great little countess, that Billie.

Runs a good house up there, too.

One of the few left that Luciano

doesn't own.

Gondorff walks around on the carousel, checking straps,

bearing and poles. Hooker follows him.

HOOKER:

(getting impatient)

Gondorff, you gonna teach me the

Big Con or not?

GONDORFF:

(on his back, checking

underneath one of the horses)

You didn't act much like you wanted

to learn it.

HOOKER:

I wanna play for Lonnegan.

GONDORFF:

(getting up)

You know anything about him?

HOOKER:

(exploding)

Yeh, he croaked Luther. What else

do I gotta know.

Gondorff just sits tight and waits for him to cool off.

HOOKER:

(waving Gondorff off,

embarrassed at his

own outburst)

Aw right, he runs the numbers outta

the south side.

GONDORFF:

(going over to start

the machinery)

And a packing company, a chain of

Savings and Loans and half the

politicians in Chicago and New York.

There ain't a fix in the world

gonna cool him out if he blows on ya.

HOOKER:

I'll take him anyway.

GONDORFF:

(whirling on him)

Why?

HOOKER:

(like steel)

'Cause I don't know enough about

killin' to kill him.

It's the right answer. Gondorff didn't know it himself until

now.

GONDORFF:

You can't do it alone, ya know. It

takes a mob of guys like you and

enough money to make 'em look good.

HOOKER:

We'll get by without 'em.

GONDORFF:

This isn't like playin' winos on

the street. You gotta do more than

outrun the guy.

HOOKER:

(incensed)

I never played for winos.

GONDORFF:

(going right on,

ignoring Hooker's remark)

You gotta keep Lonnegan's con, even

after you spent his money. And no

matter how much you take from his,

he'll get more.

HOOKER:

You're sacred of 'em, aren't ya?

GONDORFF:

Right down to my socks, turkey. If

I'da been half as scared a that

lop-ear, I wouldn't a fallen asleep

on 'em. Lonnegan might kill me,

but at least he won't bore me to

death.

HOOKER:

Then you'll do it?

GONDORFF:

If I can find a mob that'll risk it.

But no matter what happens, I don't

want you comin' back to me halfway

through and sayin' it's not enough...

cause it's all you got.

Hooker nods. Gondorff switches on the carousel and steps

back to admire his handiwork. The carousel makes a grinding

sound, does a few lurches and stops cold.

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