Thunder Bay Page #2

Mr. MacDonald,

of course l'm not,

but if l were in your place, l'd go

along with the board of directors,

take the loss,

and proceed with much

more caution in the future.

Yeah, but why take the loss when l

can turn it into a profit for you?

Profit?

l had Rawlings

check your record, Martin.

We found the word "profit"

conspicuous by its total absence.

Well, yes, l've had a little

bad luck every once in a while.

And all

on offshore operations.

Well, lots of times you

can learn more from failure

than you can from success.

You ought to know that,

Mr. MacDonald.

You've done a lot of

wildcatting in your day.

Don't you

agree with me?

Fortunately, in my position,

l can forget my failures.

Let me see that list,

Rawlings.

l see.

1938, Mexican coast, failed.

Oh, yeah, well,

there's no

government cooperation.

There was sort of shaky

financing there, too, you know...

1939, Guatemala, failed.

Yeah.

Well, there's...

There was a revolution.

How are you gonna drill oil when

you got a revolution on your hands?

1940, Venezuela, failed.

Yeah.

Well, l...

l didn't know how to handle

hurricanes then. l do, now.

Then you stayed out of trouble

the next five years,

probably because

you were in the Navy.

Yeah, in spite of which

we won the war,

isn't that right?

Well, yes.

Now would you

please just sit down

and enjoy

the Louisiana scenery.

l got something to show you.

lt won't take long.

Where are we going?

We're going 26 miles

out to sea.

Now, just... Just make

yourselves comfortable.

DOMlNlQUE:
Mr. Martin,

we're just about

over the spot you wanted.

All right, skipper. Hold

her up here for a while.

Well, this is it.

Right in the heart

of your lease.

But why here?

Come over here

a minute.

Mr. MacDonald...

Now look down there.

All you can see is water,

but if you dream real hard,

you can smell the oil.

There. Can't you smell it?

Maybe you've got

a better nose than l have.

Maybe you've been cooped up

in that office too long.

Twenty years ago

l'll bet you could smell it in the

middle of a wheat field in Oklahoma.

Mr. MacDonald...

The only difference here

is 48 feet of water,

and my platform

will take care of that.

Mr. MacDonald...

This is something brand new.

Nobody ever wildcatted

like this before

and that oil is down there

waiting for us.

How much would it cost?

With what you've got

invested already, $1 million.

Another million?

Why, we could drill

30 wells on land for that.

There's $2 billion

in oil down there.

Mr. MacDonald, for your

own good, you can't do this.

You know what

the board is saying.

They're blaming you for

this whole fiasco as it is,

and there isn't a chance of

their voting you any more money.

When can you start?

When? Tomorrow.

Today.

Mr. MacDonald, you say

l protect your interests.

Then why won't

you listen to me?

Why don't you sit down

someplace?

Maybe you and the board will learn

something about the oil business.

You heard

the man, junior.

Place it where

it won't get kicked.

As you can gather

from Rawlings,

the board thinks

l was a little off

for even coming down

to meet you.

l came because l had the

same kind of dream you had.

You've got three months, but if

you don't bring in a well by then,

the company will be looking

for a new president.

We'll keep you

president.

What did you see down there?

The Golden Shrimp?

No, no,

just some dirty, old oil.

Well, come on.

Let's get back to port.

We got work to do.

Come on.

l'll have

$500,000 deposited

in our New Orleans bank

for you.

lt'll be there in the

morning. That's fine.

Gambi and l'll

be over there tonight.

Get things moving

in right away.

Mr. Martin.

Yeah?

There was some

mention of $50.

$50?

The boat.

Oh!

Oh, the...

Yes, the...

Do you have my wallet?

Seem to have

lost the wallet.

You cheap,

lying fakes.

Now, wait a minute, miss.

We have a...

What's the matter,

Stella?

Did moneybags

cheat you, too?

Look at him and answer that.

He's even run out of talk.

For that l think l'll

take $20 out of your hide.

Did you want that advance

in cash or by check, Martin?

Well, l think maybe cash would

save a few hospital bills.

Would $300

last you until tomorrow?

$300?

l think we can

squeeze through on that.

Let's see. Five.

One, two, three,

four, five.

Fifty for you.

Ten, twenty...

You ought to have more faith

in people. Thirty, forty...

Mr. MacDonald, l don't wish

to overstep my position,

but l just can't

understand this.

Why, these men are nothing

but penniless wastrels.

You've never been one,

have you, Rawlings?

Never had to talk yourself

out of a jam.

Never had the privilege

of gambling your last

penny on a dream.

l feel sorry for you.

You lost a lot of education

by going to college.

Well, perhaps...

And l'll tell you

another thing.

lf this penniless wastrel

hadn't called me,

l would've looked him up,

because l know he's the

only man in the country

that can lick

this offshore problem.

l'm going with him

all the way.

Thank you, Mr. MacDonald.

lt's all right.

l've been there myself.

Yeah?

Good luck.

Thank you, sir.

Good luck to you, Gambi.

Seems to me we've already had our share.

You'll need more.

So long.

There's a real one, pal.

Yeah.

But that one small point you

sort of tossed away worries me.

What's that?

The fact that nobody can do a

job like this in three months.

How do you know?

Nobody ever tried it.

Hey, Julius, what kind

of boats are those?

Look like a Navy LS and a couple of crash boats.

You gonna have

another war already?

lt's a little classier

than our first arrival.

New shoes and everything.

A whole blasted navy.

That's pretty good going

for two weeks,

from con man

to commodore.

We even got

a welcoming committee.

We're gonna have to have another

boat for that seismograph work.

You try and round up

Dominique's. All right.

l'll arrange for the mooring

for all these things.

All we need is

a bigger river.

Dominique!

Hey, Dominique.

He's not aboard.

All of a sudden, l don't care.

But does he have a corner on

all the beautiful dames in town?

What do you mean?

Why, you're the second one

that's popped out of that cabin.

Who are you?

The younger daughter,

Francesca.

Francesca.

lt's a pleasure.

l'm Johnny Gambi.

Oh, the oil man.

Father spoke of you.

lf it was a bad report,

it's a pack of lies.

Do you know

where l can find him?

l want to rent

his boat again.

Payment in advance

this time.

That's an improvement.

l was just leaving

to meet him.

lf you want me

to show you the way.

There.

l don't have to answer

that, do l? Where to?

La Bonne Chance.

The best this place can do

in the way of a night club.

La Bonne Chance?

Honey, with you in it, it's

gonna look like The Stork Club.

What's he got to sing about?

He sings about love.

You think

the whole world stops

just because

the shrimp go bye-bye?

l have nine kids

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