All language subtitles for The.Making.of.the.Mob.New.York.Part 4.480p.WEB-DL.x264-DDMKV

(narrator)
Previously on "The Making

of the Mob: New York"...

All right,
this is how it's gonna work.

(narrator)
Charles "Lucky" Luciano

takes control
of the New York Mafia...

and with his crew--

Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel,

Frank Costello
and Vito Genovese...

Easy, Joe, easy.

(narrator)
...Luciano establishes

a powerful commission
of five families

to rule the underworld...

The five New York families.

They will have the final say
in all matters,

even life and death.

(narrator)
...enlisting notorious

hit squad Murder, Inc.

to enforce its power.

(Luciano)
You guys'll be like ghosts.

Nothing gets left behind.

Nothing.

(man grunts)

♪♪

(narrator)
But a threat
to Luciano's organization

emerges from within...

Get another bottle of vino
over here for the ladies.

(narrator)
...as rogue gangster
Dutch Schultz...

(gunshot, people scream)

...plans to assassinate the man

on a mission
to take down the Mob,

New York prosecutor
Thomas Dewey.

I don't care
how much it costs.

Get me Dutch Schultz!

(narrator)
Dewey launches a crusade
against organized crime...

and to save the Mafia,

the New York kingpin
orders a hit...

on one of his own.

(gun cocking)

♪♪

(man)
♪ This ain't no time ♪

♪ To feel sorry
for myself ♪

♪ I can't help it ♪

♪ 'Cause there's nobody else ♪

♪ And I walk these streets ♪

♪ With your name on my tongue ♪

♪ But I dare not speak ♪

♪ Only there it belongs ♪

♪ There's got to be
a better way ♪

♪ Better way ♪♪

(gunshot echoes)

(man groaning and gasping)

(narrator)
In a single move,

the New York Mafia

has eliminated the greatest
threat to its power:

uncontrollable gangster
Dutch Schultz.

(men laughing)

(all talking, clinking glasses)

(narrator)
With Schultz
out of the picture,

the Mob is back in business.

He doesn't have anything in--
that's all natural.

It's all natural--
I'm Sicilian, come on.

(narrator)
Charles "Lucky" Luciano,
Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel,

Frank Costello and Vito Genovese
are living the high life.

(Vincent Pastore)
Guys like Lucky

came up from the bottom,

clawed their way up,
and wind up being on top,

and when they became the boss,

it was almost like their
"Man of La Mancha" dream.

This is what they wanted.

♪♪

All right? Drink up.

A salute!

(men)
Salute!

God bless.

♪♪

(Chazz Palminteri)
In my neighborhood growing up,

we didn't have money,

and now all of a sudden
you see these guys,

they have a diamond pinkie ring,
gorgeous suits,

beautiful women with them.

They were gods to us.

(narrator)
By 1935,

Luciano and his crew
had built an empire

pulling in
the modern-day equivalent

of over $100 million a year.

♪♪

Meyer Lansky
is leading the charge,

revolutionizing
their gambling rackets,

turning their low-rent
gambling dens

into high-class establishments.

(Rich Cohen)
Well, Lansky saw opportunities

where other people saw nothing,
and he saw treasure

where other people saw trash.

He was the first guy to take
craps, which was a street game,

and put it up
on green felt on a table

and thereby make it
respectable and fancy.

(narrator)
As Lansky is inventing
the first modern casinos...

Look, I want all these
collected today!

Collected today.

(narrator)
...Vito Genovese
has a heroin racket

that's pulling in
millions of dollars a year,

but he decides to diversify,

and begins running
high-stakes poker games...

Three of a kind.

(narrator)
...luring in unsuspecting
wealthy businessmen

and fixing the outcome
to make sure he always wins.

Full house.

Jacks over nine.

Gambling was the strength
of the American Mafia.

The reason gambling
was appealing to Mob guys

was because their life
was a gamble,

and it was only a reflection
of the way they lived.

♪♪

(narrator)
While business is booming,

Bugsy Siegel makes sure
the money is collected...

and that the Mob's authority
is understood.

And as part of the Mob's
hit squad, Murder, Inc.,

Siegel carries out orders
sent down by the Commission.

♪♪

Frank Costello keeps
the authorities at bay,

using his connections

with corrupt politicians
and law enforcement

to ensure the Mob's business
runs smoothly.

Now that they were running
these criminal organizations,

very profitable ones,

they had to pay off
police and politicians

to continue thriving,

because they didn't want
any outside interference,

you didn't want to be arrested.

(Rudy Giuliani)
"The Godfather"

was based on Frank Costello

with all the judges and all
the politicians in his pocket.

(narrator)
At the top of the operation
is 38-year-old Lucky Luciano.

(Selwyn Raab)
The best way to describe
Lucky Luciano

was that he was
a creative genius,

but a criminal creative genius.

He knew entrepreneurship.

He knew how organizations
should function

and how to get rid
of rivalries and competition.

In effect,
he was an early equivalent,

a criminal equivalent,

of a Warren Buffett
or a Steve Jobs.

♪♪

(orchestra playing,
people talking and laughing)

(applause)

Hey.

Where are you going?

None of your business.

You know who I am?

(scoffs)

Everybody knows who you are.

Am I supposed to be
impressed?

Hey.

You haven't given me
the chance yet.

(Frank Vincent)
Well, goodfellas are sexy guys.

They got money, they got power,

they have, uh, new cars,
they have the best clothes,

and they're notorious
and they're bad boys.

I think certain women
are attracted to that.

He's mesmerized
over here, huh?

(chuckles)

♪♪

And soon... soon we can
go traveling together.

Go to Paris,
take you shopping.

You like that?

(Rich Cohen)
Lucky Luciano lived
in the Waldorf-Astoria.

Normal people with normal lives
don't live in fancy hotels.

That's for
rock stars and gangsters.

(narrator)
From his residential suite
at the Waldorf-Astoria,

Luciano begins to build a life
with his new girlfriend,

a 20-year-old Broadway dancer
named Gay Orlova.

(man)
Luciano's relationship
with women

was similar to the relationship
of a lot of these guys.

One-night stands.

Occasionally you met someone.

He had a longer relationship
with a woman named Gay Orlova.

Well, she was an entertainer,
she was fancy.

I'm gonna take care of you,
you understand?

No matter what happens to me,
you'll be taken care of.

Do you understand?

(horns honking)

♪♪

(people talking and laughing)

(narrator)
While his girlfriend's at home,

Luciano looks
to diversify his business

into the seedier side
of the underworld.

♪♪

♪♪

All right, fellas, well,
it's pretty self-explanatory.

As you see,
the man in the middle...

What do you have on Luciano?

(narrator)
For years, Luciano

has been New York special
prosecutor Thomas Dewey's

number-one target...

but Luciano's rackets
are so well-organized,

pinning a crime on him
will be nearly impossible.

(Rudolph Giuliani)
Well, being a prosecutor,

you come up in a tradition

in which you're here
to do the right thing.

You're constantly reminded

that the correct result
in America is justice

and the government wins
when we achieve justice.

(narrator)
But what Dewey doesn't know

is Luciano is about to play
right into his hands.

♪♪

♪♪

(narrator)
At the height of his power,

Lucky Luciano is determined
to expand his criminal operation

and take advantage of the oldest
profession in the world...

prostitution.

In the 1930s, prostitution is
illegal in the United States,

but Luciano knows underground
brothels are still thriving...

and he wants
a cut of their profits.

Luciano realized
that crime could cash in

on free enterprise.

That was what he was gonna do.

They weren't gonna
limit themselves

to one or two occupations

like Prohibition or gambling
or loan-sharking.

They would do everything.

(narrator)
Like all of his other rackets,

Luciano streamlines
the prostitution business.

He has madams
to oversee the customers

and bookers to bring prostitutes
to his brothels around the city.

Prostitution was
a socially accepted thing

on high levels of government,

where politicians
would go into the houses

in the company
of their gangster friends

and spend a couple of hours
and just slip out the back door.

(narrator)
Soon, the criminal kingpin
has a citywide network

of up to 200 brothels
and 1200 prostitutes.

Lucky Luciano has created
a prostitution empire

that will bring in
$12 million a year,

the modern-day equivalent
of over 200 million.

♪♪

Well, I don't like it.

It's a dirty business.

It's a business.

Look, these girls,
they get sick,

they get diseases,
they get pregnant,

they need doctors.

That's trouble.

It's a dirty business.

And we're
in a dirty business.

Charlie, let me ask you this.

Are you all right
being connected

to hundreds
of drug-addicted girls

who will turn on you in a second
for another hit of heroin?

Are you okay
with an army of pimps

who are loyal
only to themselves?

Are you okay risking
everything we've built...

for this?

(narrator)
For Luciano, Meyer Lansky

has been a trusted friend and
business partner for decades...

and while he's always trusted
Lansky's advice...

this time Luciano
ignores his friend's warning.

♪♪

(church bell ringing)

It's too long.

I can't.

Come on,
take me to lunch.

I wish I could.

You don't have time for me?

I'll always have
time for you.

You're my girl.

(narrator)
Within months,

Luciano begins leading
a double life,

spending days
with his girlfriend

and nights at his brothels.

(Drea de Matteo)
Lucky Luciano, he had a woman

that was like his main woman,
his main squeeze.

He adored her.

But he cheated on her.

It's a power thing,
yeah, I think...

and then men are also just pigs.

(man on record)
♪ Why am I so happy
I could cry? ♪

It's always great
to see you, Lucky.

(narrator)
Luciano begins frequenting
one of his own brothels,

run by a madam named Cokey Flo.

(Cokey Flo)
You happy with the merchandise?

Very.

(women giggling)

Here.

Anything you want...
it's yours.

(man on record)
♪ Why? 'Cause I found you,
that's why ♪♪

♪♪

(Sal Polisi)
I was involved with prostitutes,
working girls.

There's something about them
that you have in common

which you don't have in common
with your wife.

They're con artists.

They're movers, they're shakers.

They're criminals also,
so you feel at ease with them.

You could spend a night
with a prostitute

and let her know more
about your life

than you want your wife to know.

♪♪

(narrator)
As Thomas Dewey builds his case
against Luciano,

he brings in an ambitious young
prosecutor named Eunice Carter.

(Ellen Poulsen)
Eunice Carter was
an assistant district attorney

and the very first
African-American woman

to serve in that capacity
in New York City.

(narrator)
Carter soon discovers

the break in the case

Dewey has been looking for.

More than half
the prostitutes arrested

had the same bail bondsman
and the same attorney.

They're all working together.

What I need is how Luciano
is connected to these people.

It's not a coincidence.

(narrator)
Dewey and Carter discover

that the man bailing out
the prostitutes

is a known criminal
with ties to the Mob.

This booker, Ralph.

Get him in here.

On what charge?

Littering, jaywalking,
I don't care.

Bring him in.

(narrator)
Thomas Dewey believes

he's found the weak link
in Luciano's operation.

Now he just has to
make the booker talk.

"What charge?"

♪♪

(narrator)
Special prosecutor Thomas Dewey
has finally caught a break

in his case
against Lucky Luciano

and brings in a booker tied
to Luciano's prostitution ring.

Now Dewey just has to
get him to talk.

So, Ralph, I'm wondering
what you know

about Lucky Luciano's
prostitution ring.

Who?

Sometimes he's known
as Charles Luciano.

Ringing any bells?

Never seen him before.

Never?

I have a lot of evidence
showing the contrary.

Are you sure that's the answer
you want to give me?

I've never seen the guy before.

That's real cute, Ralph...

but I'm almost
out of patience here.

What do you know
about Lucky Luciano?

If you were a rat, you were...

you couldn't be tolerated
in any way, shape or form.

I mean, they would kill you
for that.

That's their unwritten law.

You and I have
nothing more to talk about.

(slaps Ralph's shoulder hard)

♪♪

(truck horn honking)

(Lansky)
You've gotta be careful.

Dewey's coming for you
and he's got the Mayor

and half the City Council
behind him.

Well, then it's a good thing
we got the other half.

You can't buy Dewey.

Okay?
He's not like the others.

Meyer,
everybody's got a price.

(narrator)
Dewey lets the booker walk,
but he has a plan...

as assistant district attorney
Eunice Carter

has introduced a new
crime-fighting technology.

(Ralph)
I have two shifts tonight,
sometimes, um, six to 12 girls.

It all depends.

(on recording)
Sometimes more, sometimes less.

(woman) Ralph...

Hold on one second.

Beat it!

Yeah.

(Thomas Dewey III)
The use of wiretaps

was very much of an innovation
at the time.

Um, no need for a court order.

Um, it's really become one of
the staples of law enforcement.

(narrator)
Dewey's investigators listen
to hundreds of hours of calls...

(Ralph)
Nothing at all-- I'm just

trying to enjoy my cigar.

...waiting to hear evidence
against Luciano.

Uh, about one every hour.

Hey, Ralph.

(man)
Your numbers are off, damn it.

(Ralph)
I did the books,
so... they're not off.

(man)
I'm looking at the numbers,
they're off.

(Ralph)
Listen, if you're
having trouble,

you're gonna have to talk
to Lucky about it, all right?

♪♪

Well, you talk to Lucky
and then you get back with me.

All right?

Always busting my balls.

(horns honking)

♪♪

What am I listening to?

One of Luciano's bookers.

(man)
Your numbers are off, damn it.

(Ralph)
I did the books,
so... they're not off.

(man)
I'm looking at the numbers,
they're off.

(Ralph)
Listen, if you're
having trouble,

you're gonna have to talk
to Lucky about it, all right?

You talk to Lucky
and then you get back with me.

Find out
where Mr. Luciano is.

♪♪

So... why do they
call you Lucky anyway?

You're not from around here,
are you?

What makes you say that?

Just a hunch.

♪♪

(raised voices, women screaming)

Police!
This is a raid!

Hey, hey, hey, wait, wait!

Come on, let's move!
Come on, everybody out!

Let's go, let's go!
Move it!

(voices overlapping)

Everybody out!
Time's up! Let's go!

♪♪

(narrator)
Thomas Dewey
organizes a citywide raid

to find Lucky Luciano.

He's not in here.

♪♪

(narrator)
Luciano escapes,

but for Dewey, the raid isn't
a total loss,

as he brings in a prostitute

who works
in one of Luciano's brothels.

So, how do you know
Lucky Luciano?

I don't.

You're lying to me.

You and me both know
I'm gonna be outta here...

two hours... three, tops.

Not this time.

I have you on solicitation,
disorderly conduct,

resisting arrest,
assaulting a police officer,

public lewdness,
narcotics possession...

and sodomy.

Given your record, I'd say
you're looking at five to 10.

Or you can walk...

and I can expunge
your prior convictions.

Just tell me
everything you know

about Lucky Luciano.

All right.

♪♪

(man)
He's gone.

Find him...

no matter what it takes.

♪♪

(narrator)
Special prosecutor Thomas Dewey

is determined to find
Mafia kingpin Lucky Luciano.

(man)
He's gone.

Find him...

no matter what it takes.

(narrator)
But Luciano is in the last place
Dewey would look...

more than 1200 miles away,
in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

(birds chirping)

(Luciano)
Hustle-bustle of the city
streets, the subway,

who needs that, right?

This is where it's at.

You're safe here, right?

Yeah.

What about
the local police?

You don't have to worry
about that here.

No?

No.

(narrator)
With one of the most corrupt

police forces in the country,

Hot Springs is
the most sought-after hideout

for gangsters on the run
from the law...

a haven filled with casinos,
overrun with gamblers,

and completely
under the control of the Mob.

(Ellen Poulsen)
When Lucky landed
in Hot Springs,

it was controlled
by organized crime.

Any gangster could check in
and enjoy the hospitality,

as long
as that gangster promised

not to bring his criminal
activities into the town.

♪♪

(narrator)
Back in New York, Dewey knows
if he can't find Luciano,

all the evidence he's collected
will mean nothing.

With Luciano
nowhere to be found,

Dewey expands
his citywide search

into a nationwide manhunt.

♪♪

On April 3, 1936,

Dewey's big break won't come
from effort or strategy,

but from pure coincidence.

♪♪

Lucky!

Yeah?

Lucky Luciano.

That's right.

(narrator)
A New York detective

working an unrelated case

recognizes Luciano while passing
through Hot Springs.

You're coming with me.

Hands off me...
get your hands off me.

(narrator)
After months on the run,

the most powerful gangster
in America

has finally been arrested.

♪♪

Hey, Sheriff,
let me make a phone call.

(narrator)
Luciano believes if he can
arrange his trial in Arkansas,

he'll be able to bribe his way
out of Dewey's charges.

(phone rings)

Hello?

Frank, what's going on?

Charlie, don't worry,
we're handling it.

We're pulling
every string that we can.

Trust me, I'm on it--
we're calling in all the favors.

All right.

Just do whatever you have to do,
you understand?

(Sal Polisi)
The police department,
attorneys, they're all for sale.

We had them all in our hand.

Like "The Godfather," they said,

"He had the politicians."

We had them.

(narrator)
Luciano's bribes pay off

and the local sheriff personally
refuses Thomas Dewey's demand

to deliver Luciano
back to New York.

♪♪

Dewey soon learns that Luciano

is continuing
to run his rackets.

Vito Genovese is making millions
dealing heroin...

Meyer Lansky is overseeing

the largest network of casinos
in the country...

♪♪

and Frank Costello is continuing
to use his connections

to keep Luciano
out of Dewey's reach.

♪♪

From a jail cell in Arkansas...

Lucky Luciano is still
in full control of his empire.

♪♪

(Thomas Dewey III)
If you have a situation

where you have the level
of institutional corruption

that you had in the late 1920s
and early 1930s,

one of the things
that you need to do

is to try to rally the public
behind your efforts.

We are entirely prepared
to prosecute Lucky Luciano.

The only problem
is that he has fled to Arkansas,

where for some reason

the authorities seem unwilling
to hand him over to us.

Lucky Luciano,
to my knowledge...

(narrator)
To put pressure
on Arkansas state officials,

Dewey takes his case
to the media...

and while
still in police custody,

Lucky Luciano is named
Public Enemy Number One.

♪♪

We are entirely prepared
to prosecute Lucky Luciano.

The only problem
is that he has fled to Arkansas,

where for some reason

the authorities seem unwilling
to hand him over to us.

Lucky Luciano,
to my knowledge...

(narrator)
With Lucky Luciano protected
by a corrupt Arkansas sheriff,

Thomas Dewey goes to the press
and names the Mafia kingpin

Public Enemy Number One.

(Thomas Dewey III)
The motivation for calling
Luciano Public Enemy Number One

was to personalize
the corruption

and the criminal conduct.

Luciano is widely regarded

as the most important racketeer
in the country,

and this case involves one of
the most loathsome of crimes,

exploiting the most vulnerable,
downtrodden women

in our society.

(Ellen Poulsen)
Thomas E. Dewey utilized

a two-pronged approach to get
Luciano out of Hot Springs.

In addition to putting pressure
on the police departments,

he also got the press involved

and accused Hot Springs

of being afraid to release
Luciano into his custody.

We intend to see
Lucky Luciano in prison

for the longest possible
amount of time.

(chuckles)

I'm not afraid of Thomas Dewey.

I'm just an American citizen
defending my rights.

I happen to respect and think
Mr. Dewey's an intelligent man

and a great prosecutor.

This is about politics, the most
vicious kind of politics...

(narrator)
To counter Dewey's attack,

Luciano launches
his own press campaign.

I might not be the most
moral man in this world,

but I have never in my life
supported or participated

in the practice of prostitution.

And I have every confidence
that the authorities in Arkansas

will uphold the law

and send this man Luciano
to meet his fate

in a court of law
here in New York City,

where his crimes...

(narrator)
For days, Luciano and Dewey
wage war

through press conferences
and national headlines.

(Luciano)
He can say whatever he wants in

the paper, but I tell you this.

Any jury or judge
will see it my way,

and this case will be dropped,
and I will be set free.

(music playing on radio)

(sheriff)
Let's see if my luck'll
change a bit.

Give me three.

(narrator)
With lawyers
fighting his extradition

and the local sheriff
in his pocket,

Luciano believes
it's only a matter of time

before he's released.

Full house.

Hmm... can't beat that.

♪♪

Send Luciano out!

♪♪

(narrator)
Dewey's press campaign
has paid off,

and with public pressure
on state officials,

the Arkansas governor
is forced to send a team

of heavily armed state troopers
to Hot Springs.

State troopers.

♪♪

♪♪

(handcuffs clicking)

(narrator)
On April 4, 1936, the most
powerful gangster in the country

is forced to surrender.

♪♪

What's your name, cop?

It's a long way
to New York

from Arkansas,
no conversation.

How much they paying you?

Tell you what,
I'll give you $10,000 right now

if you let me go-- cash.

What do you say, copper?

(continues indistinctly)

♪♪

(Bugsy Siegel)
This whole case is a stretch.

(man)
It's not a stretch.

He's very smart.

Well, we're smart too.

(narrator)
Back in New York,
Lucky Luciano is out on bail,

facing charges
of compulsory prostitution.

With just days
to prepare for the trial,

the notorious gangster meets
with his lawyer and his crew

to plan his defense against
special prosecutor Thomas Dewey.

Charlie, this guy
really knows his stuff.

That doesn't mean
he's gonna win.

And he's
coming after you hard.

(Bugsy Siegel)
Has anyone tried to look
into this guy, huh?

Pay him off?

Dewey doesn't care
about money.

Does he care about his life?

Listen to me.

There's nothing funny
about these charges.

(Costello)
He's right.

Dewey means business.

Look, there's a lot of things
they can get me on...

but not this.

That's not gonna happen.

♪♪

(voices murmuring,
gavel banging)

Court will come to order.

The case of New York State
versus Charles Luciano.

(narrator)
Thomas Dewey
finally has Lucky Luciano

right where he wants him,

and after three years
of building his case,

Dewey is determined to put
the gangster away for good.

♪♪

(voices murmuring,
gavel banging)

Court will come to order.

The case of New York State
versus Charles Luciano.

(narrator)
In 1936, the most powerful
Mob boss in America

finally goes on trial.

(Thomas Dewey III)
The prosecution of Luciano
was the first time

that a Mob member of that
seniority and stature and power

had been called to account
in a courtroom.

It was extraordinarily dangerous
to take the Mafia on.

They had operated with impunity
for a very long time.

They had substantial segments of
law enforcement and the courts

in their pocket.

So there was
a very substantial personal risk

for my grandfather.

Your Honor, the prosecution
calls Miss Jane Smith.

(narrator)
Thomas Dewey
launches into his case,

calling prostitutes from around
the city to take the stand.

You say you were afraid
to go to the police. Why?

I know what they do
to squealers.

Plenty of girls who talked got
burned with cigarettes...

(people murmuring)

...their tongues cut.

(Dewey) I want to be
very specific here.

Since you started working
at this establishment,

how many men
would you see in a day?

15... sometimes 20.

(woman 3)
I didn't even know
what heroin was,

and... at first it was free.

(tearfully)
Then it wasn't free anymore.

♪♪

(narrator)
In total, Dewey calls
68 witnesses...

and while
the prosecutor's strategy

to shock and outrage the jury
seems to be working,

Luciano is unfazed.

♪♪

Luciano is convinced
it will take more

than just the testimonies of
prostitutes to take him down.

♪♪

Your Honor, the prosecution

calls Florence Brown
to the stand.

(people murmuring)

Would you state your name
for the jury, please?

Florence Brown.

Do you go
by any other names?

People call me Cokey Flo.

Why do they call you that?

Take a wild guess.

'Cause I like to use cocaine.

(whispering and murmuring)

Where do you get
cocaine from?

Different places...

different people.

Depends.

Have you ever
received cocaine...

from anybody
in this courtroom?

Yes.

Would you be so good as to point
out that person to the jury?

(people exclaim)

Let the record show
that the witness is pointing

at Charles "Lucky" Luciano.

(people murmuring)

Was this cocaine a gift?

Uh, a mark of Mr. Luciano's,
uh, generosity?

Not exactly.

Please, enlighten us.

He knew I was an addict...

he knew it was my weakness...

so he used it to control me
and my girls.

He said he wanted
to run the whorehouses

just like they do
the grocery stores.

The grocery stores?

I'm not sure
I understand.

People come in, they pay for the
merchandise, they leave happy.

He wanted to get
as many customers in and out

as quickly as possible.

(louder murmuring,
gavel banging)

(Dewey)
No further questions,
Your Honor.

(murmuring continues)

♪♪

(narrator)
Thomas Dewey may have tipped
the scales in his favor...

but Luciano is determined
to make a comeback...

and against his lawyer's advice,
Luciano does the unthinkable.

The New York kingpin will take
the stand in his own defense...

in a move that could destroy
everything.

♪♪

Mr. Luciano...

♪♪