Original subtitles

Vegas.

City with no clocks.

Appetites unleashed.

People work hard. They need a little fun.

Where else can they have a vacation and at the same

time maybe win enough to pay for the whole thing?

Maybe.

Leave your job and your aggravation behind.

Bring the kids. Bring money.

You know you don't have to gamble. Nobody forces you. You can just relax.

I'd spent two weeks in Las Vegas checking records of the gaming

commission for a story on certain illegal operations.

The dirty money, where it came from.

And who was fronting for the real owners?

A month before that, I had sent Jack Flood to Vegas.

He had made contact using a wonderful cover. He was a comedy writer.

He took the name of Bobby DuBow.

This gave him a reason to be around, and I guess

he was a huge success. Marty liked him.

He even used some of his jokes.

Hey, look, what are you going to do after the show?

Have a couple of drinks and slash my wrists. Well,

the reason I ask is because they're having a party at 1204, some Hollywood cats,

you know, Mucho De Niro, nice ladies, all that. You know, how's that grab you, huh?

Oh, all right, if I live, if not tomorrow.

Give me the dice. Sure.

Your dice.

Now, we're going to talk about that TV spectacular, Marty.

Bobby, take care of it. Do me a favor, will you?

Where's Delaney? In his office, I think. Okay, look, look, cheer up, will you? Boy,

you know you only live once.

Yeah, I know, and if you're working right, once is enough, huh?

Mr. Alexander.

Oh, hello there.

Promise to answer some questions. Yeah, look, after the show, okay?

I've got to go see a guy. Okay.

Sure, come on in. Step into the upholstered sewer and enjoy yourself, huh?

Listen, you got a good table for my friend? Of course. Right this way.

Oh, I'm telling you, you're just going to love this boy.

He's loaded with tolerance.

There he comes now, Alexander the Great.

You know something? This boy breaks me up every night. I don't know why.

What am I talking about? I know why. He's an iconic clown.

If you don't know what that word means, neither do I. Billy Stowe,

the throne behind the power.

I want you to meet a couple of very, very dear

old friends of mine. I've just met them.

Mr. and Mrs. Dolan.

Between them, they got over a half a million

head of cattle and an even dozen oil wells.

Remind me one day to tell you how I count the cattle.

I think you've put new blood into show business.

Thank you very much, Mrs. Nolan. I've also waked up at Sliverbile.

That's very funny.

You'll have to excuse me now. I have to go. But Mr.

Stowe here will see that you have a thoroughly miserable time.

Oh, that's his job, you know.

Hello, Hank.

You know, this boy writes all his old material.

I wish I had half the loot that I've paid writers in

the days going by. Listen, Marty, you have to run.

Run. Excuse me, won't you?

Aye, he's a good boy. It's a lovely evening,

isn't it? Well, good evening, Mr. Stone.

Oh, hello, B. Hi, Vito.

How's everything?

Fine.

Jimmy, thank you.

Right this way, please.

Where am I? Who's Jimmy?

His son, for a football. Just got over a broken leg.

Come on, then.

Troops, follow me.

Daddy, I want to talk to you. Serious, baby?

Yeah, kind of serious, George. All right, sit down.

I want to get away for a while. What's a while?

I don't know.

If you don't know, I don't know. What's your trouble? I can't think. I don't need.

I stopped creating. I got a joke writer, and I'm on the stuff. Me,

with a joke writer. So what do you want?

Tell me what you want.

I just want to get away for a while. Finish your intake three months.

No, wait. Three months, Marty. You can do a lot of unwinding in three months.

Don't even say it. No, wait, George. Forget it.

You don't even know what I want to say. Who are you, Nostradamus?

You want out. You can fix it.

I can't fix it.

Marty, you're the intellectual comic. You went to college,

a funny man with brains. Where's your brains?

What if I flip, George? I'm about to flip. What would you have then? 50% of a nut.

Don't flip, Marty. That's orders.

I can't take it anymore, George.

I hate myself. I hate my material. I hate you.

I want to do something normal.

I want to get married. Maybe write a book. Just goof off. Take three months.

I don't want three months.

I like you, Marty.

Don't take advantage.

And look, George, you made a lot of money on me. Not me. Okay, then.

I want to tell you something, Marty.

You're committed for life.

You want out? There's only one way out.

Kill yourself.

You're a million-dollar property.

It's a terrible life you lead.

It's so horrible being in the movies and on television.

You poor boy with your $50 shoes.

Were you better off playing in the dumps?

Half the people didn't listen, the other half stood at the bar.

You didn't even have a pair of clean socks.

Where's your gratitude?

George, I don't want to cut the guys out of anything.

I just want to quit. I mean quit.

I want to get married.

Even the hoods understand that. You know, kids, marriage, they dig that.

Don't have kids, huh?

Like with who? Hank?

Yeah, I know about that.

How do you know about that? I'm a manager. I manage.

You and Hank.

I think you flipped already. Can't you read? Hands off.

You sneaking out with Hank. You think Billy's going to stand for it?

He'll have your neck broken.

George, for the first time in... Oh, come on, Marty.

What are you trying to tell me? It's love?

No, I want to perform fiendish experiments in my castle.

I need... I need a human being.

You know, I thought you had a healthy attitude toward women.

I've seen you on the yachts, at the parties with the chicks.

She's different.

Hank, you know what she is.

Same as me.

This guy says, listen, I said, you never looked better in your life. I said,

you know something? You haven't changed one

bit in 30 years. He says, I'm 60 years old.

I said, that's what I mean. 30 years ago, you looked 60 years old.

We got some time, Mr. Morgan. You want to get started?

Oh, fine.

But here's really, here's a dapper.

I haven't made a picture in over a year, see. So I go to the studio. Now,

I haven't made a picture in over a year, see. So I go to the studio. Now, I'm terrible with

Now, Hank is with me, see,

and I'm scared to death that I won't recognize these fellas.

But as a fella walks across the set, I says,

hey, Sam Schlesinger, how are you there, boy?

And find your exact with his name.

So I says, Sam, I want you to be... You forgot her name.

I forget her name. How do you like that?

Really?

Take your pill. Take my pill, I know you. Well, anyway,

she's never forgiven me for that.

That's my writer. See how hard he works? Uh, Bobby Dubow,

this is Paul Marino. Glad to know you.

Can I fix you a drink? No, thanks, Marty. Oh, just an interview, huh?

Something for the great public.

The creeps.

Something fresh, something startling,

something they can have with breakfast that'll carry

them through their day, you know, sustain them.

Well, to tell you the truth, Mr. Marino, I'm dry.

Why don't you ask me some questions like, uh, uh, what do I have for dinner,

or how do I get my ideas, or do I really write my own material? No, I don't.

I got Bobby here. He's my hired wit, my sense of humor, my eyes.

Next question.

How did you get involved with these gangsters?

Oh, no, no, no. Let's stick to the point.

What do I have for breakfast?

Which is 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I have orange juice, toast, and four martinis.

I gotcha, Marty.

Okay.

You want your theme, huh? Every piece of writing should have a clear-cut theme,

right? Faust. How do you like that?

I like it. Faust.

I sold my soul to the devil.

And the devil told the creeps that I was a very funny guy.

And now the same Earps that didn't dig before came in thinking I was funny,

and they fell down spilling their drinks laughing.

People really stink, you know that? Right, Bobby? Right.

How come you pulled it fast?

I wanted to bring my message to larger audiences. I wanted to, uh...

Now, what am I kidding you for? That's a lie. You know that.

I wanted loot, Mr. Marino. I wanted to be rich.

Because I went 26 years with nothing. I come from the slums, you know. Oh, I know.

We don't call them slums anymore.

We call them underprivileged areas. Okay, I come from an underprivileged area.

I wanted to be rich and holy, too.

So I sold my soul to the devil, and now I am a cat with no soul.

And I'm not even rich.

Now get out of here, Mr. Marino.

And if you don't say nice things about me in your column,

I'll have you blackballed in every joint in the country.

I got connections, you know.

Heaven help me.

They didn't get their hooks into you that easy, Marty, not you.

Maybe some foolish punk, but not you.

What happened? How did they do it?

Give him a funny answer, Bobby. You're a writer.

On the paper.

No more talking writers. I've been fooled by them before. Alexander the Great.

Did I read you right? I hope so.

Okay.

Uh, you'll have to excuse me now, Mr. Marino. I have a show to do.

I have a feeling you started to tell me something.

I changed your mind.

I talked to you. What do you guarantee me?

A whole column telling everybody how brave I was when I was alive?

I can't guarantee a thing.

Thanks a trainload. Well, I'll be around.

Nice meeting you, Mr. Dearborn. Yeah, yeah.

Right.

I've got an idea for a beautiful three minutes, Marty.

Yeah, look, later, Bobby. I've got to use your pad

for a couple of hours. I want to talk to Hank.

You know, I'm getting a complex.

I'm beginning to think that's the only reason you keep me around here. Oh,

don't be silly. You're a good writer, Bobby.

We're gonna do big things together. My mind is just a mishmash right now.

I gotta talk to Hank. You know,

Billy Stowe's been connected with the mob for 30 years,

so he thinks like they think.

Oh, he's a happy guy, and he only fronts for this place, but...

You don't do to fool with, Marty. Yeah, I know, Bobby,

but this is going to be the last time.

OK.

You're a real friend, you know that? You may be my best friend,

which makes you sicker than me.

Hey, Doc. It's Marino.

Welcome, I'm George Delaney, the manager. Well, I thought it was Mr.

Billy Stowe's job to act as official welcome. He welcomes customers.

I welcome you.

Uh, the show is just about to start. Why don't you go on in?

No check for your tables.

My editors pay all my expenses. Oh, now, don't be proud.

If you gamble and win, you keep the money, right?

Right, so enjoy yourself. Eat, drink, it's on the house. Well,

that's very hospitable of you. Well, you're a newspaper man.

You have to make a dollar. Now, that's one thing

I understand, making a dollar. I'm sure you do.

You know, I've read some of your stuff.

It's cute.

You take yourself so seriously.

But what are you going to write about, Mr. Moreno? I mean,

what are you going to say the attorney general don't already know? I mean,

what are you going to expose?

I mean, it's old jokes, Mr. Moreno. Everybody's heard it already.

What are you going to do? Oh, tell the same old jokes.

Maybe find a new twist here and there.

Tell the jokes till nobody laughs.

So you're going to bust it up and put all the guilty parties in jail? Mr. Moreno,

are you bigger than the attorney general?

Are you bigger than the government? You're big, Delaney, no question.

Your partners are big, very big.

But there must be something bigger.

Who?

The people.

Our best customers.

May I suggest the filet mignon?

We want you to have the best we offer. Anything we can do to make your statement.

You're the soul of grace. Thank you.

That young lady over there, Kay?

She's charming, well-educated. Would you care to meet her?

Nothing against the lady, but thanks just the same.

Okay, Mr. Marino.

Expose.

You think the pen is mightier than the sword.

Here's a pen.

Go.

Write. ¶¶

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And now there will be a slight lull in the proceedings.

I'm only kidding, folks.

Ladies and gentlemen, the can-can room at this time, with dubious pleasure,

brings you Marty Alexander.

Any like that, a $40 million hotel, I gotta carry my own mic.

Say good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Condor Inn.

Let me tell you a little bit about this town.

Did you ever see Mickey Rooney at the crap table?

$20 in chips, Charlie.

But my favorite guy is the guy that walks away from

the table a loser and starts to talk to himself.

We got these guys all over town.

All right, so I lost.

I knew I was gonna lose. I set myself a limit. I said I'd lose $50, and that's it.

So I went a little over my limit.

I lost all pay, that's all.

Big deal, so the kid won't go to college. Make him get a job instead.

He's old enough. He'll be eight next March.

Just have to get a smaller place, that's all. I only got eight kids.

Who needs a two-room apartment?

Who needs eight kids? I'll sell four of them.

It's all in the way you look at it. If you look at it right, you got it beat.

I came here in a $3,000 car, and I'm going home in a $30,000 bus.

Main thing is relax. You gotta relax and listen to some good music.

I'll lay in a hot tub of water and I'll play the electric guitar. That'll do it.

Excuse me, Billy. What am I, the only guy that ever lost? Other guys lose, too.

There's Charlie Davis over there. He lost pretty good, too, last night.

Is he upset? No, look how relaxed he is, floating in the pool there.

Phased down.

I saw one guy walk into a barbershop, sat down

in the chair and said, Give me a shave.

Bobby says you'll have to lift up your head.

He says, the heck with it. Give me a haircut.

So in the words of Nick the Greek, that great gambler who once said,

there's no place on earth today like Vegas, USA.

Look, one little page of jokes, huh?

Well, pick something out of the paper to write about.

You know Marty's style. You know what he does.

No, no, not by special delivery. By telegram. I need it to hurry.

Desert Power Motel. That's right.

Bye. Got to run, Sid. Bye.

Hello.

I know what you think of me.

You're wrong.

You think I think what you think.

I don't.

Oh?

Then what?

I think you're OK.

Writers take a benign view of life, like priests.

If I repent, I'm OK, huh?

Repent for what? Being born beautiful.

Things happen to beautiful women, some good, some bad.

Sometimes beauty is punished, like it was a crime in itself.

Here's a punishment.

I looked in the mirror and I said, honey, you deserve the best.

So I packed a suitcase and headed for Vegas,

young and eager and bursting with no talent. You know the scene.

And I said, love, yeah, that's nice.

But the man who gets me has got to give me the best.

Furs, cars, trips, jewels.

Well, I got the best.

Now all I want is Marty.

To hold him in my arms and kiss away his tears.

That's reasonable, I want.

Yeah, it's reasonable, but I'll never get it.

Come on, Hank. At least you're negative.

Oh, I'm not negative.

I'm positive.

Something can be worked out.

It's Marty.

Thanks, Bobby.

Love me?

Marty, when will you believe me?

Forgive me, honey.

I just never thought of myself as being lovable.

The jokes always get in the way every time I kiss the ladies.

Did you talk to George?

Oh, Marty.

We've got to stop torturing each other.

Honey, we're gonna buy two tickets to Far Away. Marty,

it's no use. This is no use. I hate this.

Love under a bushel. We're gonna go away. Someplace out of reach. Live quiet.

I'll write a column or something.

Wash windows. Hey, how about that, huh?

I'll come home every night with my pail of my squeegee,

and we'll sit down and we'll eat rice and beans.

Now listen, day after tomorrow, 3 a.m. flight, no baggage, nothing, just go.

Get on a flight to L.A., grab the connection

to Mexico City, and I'd live from there.

Oh, Marty.

It's crazy.

I'm afraid. Hank, it's the only way.

They're never going to unchain me. I'm their boy for life.

Nothing's going to change unless we change it.

What's there to be afraid of? We got it so good now.

I had the bulldog courage kicked out of me a long time ago.

Lend me yours till I can grow some back.

Sure, Hank.

Marty?

Yeah, baby.

What if they catch you? They won't.

This is the only way, Hank. Scram, disappear, put it all down.

Then you and I can just love each other till we die.

That's all I want, to love you till I die.

You know, I'll never get over hearing you say that, but it must be true.

So I offer you a straw-filled pallet in a hut on the island of Spugendijk,

if there is such an island.

You know, you may have to make your own frocks out of sugar bags.

And cook soup in a hole in the ground.

That's it. You and me against nature.

Oh.

I wish nature were all we were up against.

Now, come on, honey. Turn that frown upside down.

36 hours from now, zoom.

Marty, this is going to hurt Billy.

He's been good to me. That's the truth. The best he knows how.

Yeah, I know.

I can't just walk out on him like that, disappear without a word. That's cruel.

Now listen, Hank.

You just walk out without a word. Anything else is crazy.

He took care of me.

You don't owe him a thing.

No, Hank.

All right.

You're the captain.

OK.

Kiss for the captain and a fetus.

Hey, Bobby, you're all right.

Bobby.

Bobby, boy, you've been a real pal, a real friend.

I'm going to pay you for all that stuff you wrote for me, so don't worry about that.

Listen, I want you to do a favor for me, will you?

Sure.

I want you to go to the airport and pick me up two

tickets to Mexico City. Will you do that, huh?

I think an airplane is the only way to fly, don't you, buddy? Yeah.

Hi, Jack. Hello, Paul.

Listen, Marty and Hank Rossi, she's Billy's girl, are blowing the country. Now,

both these people are gold mines. They could sizzle your ear about this town.

You've been doing all right. Day after tomorrow,

3 a.m. flight to L.A., then to Mexico City.

Now, I have a hunch they won't be there long. You want to ticket the same plane?

Maybe catch them in Mexico City?

I think they may be willing to talk.

I don't know. Maybe one of us should go.

Well, actually, I'm not counting on anything from Marty and Hank.

But if they wanted to, oh, boy, they know plenty.

Hank's been on the inside, you know, being Billy's girl,

and he being the front for the hot money, and part owner in and around the hoods,

working for them one way or another for 30 years.

And Marty, well, he's been the court jester.

This running out, it's all very hush-hush, isn't

it? Why didn't I say that? Top secret.

Marty might be our best lead at that.

You know, if it was just a contract he was worried about,

he could just get sick or hoarse or quit.

Now, they must have something on him. I wish I knew what it was.

I know Delaney's got his eyes on me.

It took me half an hour to shake a tail to get here.

Well, Mexico?

Mexico, provided they get away.

You think they might not make it?

Well, let's just say my prayers are with them. Two unhappy cats.

Cats.

Somehow got themselves all fouled out, huh?

My prayers are with them, too.

Now, listen, you.

I don't want you seeing her no more, you understand?

I don't want you to even look at her when she's

across the lobby. Now, I mean that, Marty.

I don't want you to even think about her anymore, because if you do,

I'll see right through that brain of yours now.

Go on, get him out of here.

Oh, listen, Hank, a girl like you, I know this isn't the best thing in the world,

but can't you wait until I'm dead?

Honey, I know you'll find somebody else, but wait until after I'm gone, will you?

Then I won't know about it. I won't see it.

Hank, please, don't be mad at me.

You know I got nobody else but you. You know that.

Billy Stowe's condolence.

It's as phony as sham.

Oh, but baby, you make life sweet for me.

Hank, this guy couldn't do you any good. You know he's on the spot.

He can't even make a move.

And he doesn't love you either.

Baby, please, have a little patience, will you?

Just for a short time.

Hello?

It's Hank.

Tell him to leave me alone.

Tell him not to bother me anymore.

Tell him to leave me alone.

Hank?

Oh, Marty, Marty.

She leaned on me.

Let me your courage, she said.

You dig that, Bobby? It's best this way.

Somewhere along the line, I would have had to let her down.

I like the desert.

I come here a lot just to walk and drag a stick over the ground.

Nevada's a beautiful state.

Almost like heaven.

Only it's not heaven.

The mob is syndicate.

Call it what you will.

I know them.

Billy's their boy, you know.

I've been to their parties, their picnics, their meets and their orgies.

Heard them talk, drunk or sober.

They don't mind me. They talk in front of me like I was a table or a footstool.

Filth.

That's what they are.

Poison.

Only they're up on the latest packaging.

Poison in a pretty bottle, ho-ho.

Big joke on America.

But I'll tell you something.

You can shake him up.

You can get him out of bed early. Maybe even cost him a little money.

But anything basic, you can't change.

Then why are you taking your life?

My life?

I've been dead a long time.

Oh, I trembled on the brink of a resurrection, but they killed my miracle man.

I guess you know better than anybody. These people are killers.

I wouldn't want your blood on my hands.

Listen, you were convenient. I called you.

If you don't want to hear what I have to say, I'll go someplace else.

You know, you're a very admirable person.

Sure.

Oh, sure.

Well?

What do you want to know?

Who blew the whistle on you and Marty?

George, Billy, I don't know. What's the difference?

How do they put the cuffs on Marty?

Well, Marty was a comer.

They gambled that he could make it big on his own.

So they gave him a fantastic salary, then they took it all away at the tables.

As soon as he ran up a big enough tax bill, $78,000, they dropped him, clunk.

Marty was flipping.

They let him stew for a couple of months, then

Delaney offered him $40,000 a week. Hallelujah.

So he right away ran to the Internal Revenue and made a compromise deal.

And just before opening night, they canceled the

engagement. No contract. Slight oversight.

Well, Marty was worse off than he was before.

Then Delaney made another kind of offer.

He booked Marty into their circuit of nightclubs at

an inflated salary so he could pay his back taxes.

$20,000 a week he could declare, and expense money under the table.

Well, Marty got used to high living expenses, so he jumped at it.

And what did the mob get for all this? 50% of them for the rest of his life.

Now Marty's a million dollar a year property.

So that's it.

The mob can turn him over to internal revenue.

Give evidence of undeclared income over a long period.

Help the government reconstruct his living expenses.

Show that he earned more than he declared.

Sure. It's a big tax case.

That's a lot of years in jail.

Marty is the head of several businesses listed as the owner.

A baseball team and a paper cup factory. It's all hot money.

Poor Faust.

What else do you want to know?

Everything.

That would take me 40 days or 40 nights.

I know. So listen, I'm not going to see you anymore.

Don't try to get in touch with me. Do all your talking to Bobby Dubow.

Bobby?

Yes, he works for me.

Well, that's a compliment.

Thanks.

What I'd like you to start with is what dirty

money flows into Vegas to get cleaned up?

Money from narcotics, prostitution, horses.

And what money flows out of Vegas untaxed?

Do you know the receipts from the casino, the real ones?

Oh, Billy gets those twice a day. I've seen

them on the bureau, little pieces of paper.

Good. Give it all to Bobby Duber. Maybe you can

meet him at his place. It's about a mile.

Yeah.

I know the address.

Look, I haven't got much time, Bobby.

Say, what is your name anyhow?

Flood, Jack Flood.

All right, Flood.

Yesterday you asked me about the murder of Candy Bergman and his wife.

Well, the answer is George Delaney.

Candy wanted to open gambling operations in Tijuana, and George no like.

Look, let's get away from the door.

So, early one morning, the Berkman maid found Candy and Mrs.

Bergman with their throats cut.

Why did they kill Mrs. Bergman?

Because Candy had fronted for a lot of mob money,

and they didn't want any complications getting their money out of his estate.

All right, Billy, you made your point. Now read it to yourself.

Going for a swim?

I'm going to get dressed.

Then where are you going?

Maybe I'll buy some shoes.

Why don't you stay here and go for a little swim?

Billy, I don't feel like swimming.

Listen, honey, the joke man is gone elsewhere. I do this to protect you.

I think that live girls are better off than dead ones,

and that's what you'd be if George ever found out.

Now, why don't you go for a little swim?

His baggage is still here, but I haven't seen him since last night.

He'll probably be back.

Maybe he found something interesting.

Well, thanks.

Who is it? Moreno.

Come on in. Where's Bobby Dubow? What's your

relationship with Dubow? No later, Marty.

Where is he? Has he been feeding you all that stuff you've been feeding him?

You know where he is. Called me from Needles.

Said they worked up ovaries on his way back.

Is he all right?

He can talk. Next time, who knows?

Hello.

George Delaney wants to see you in his office.

It's like the ankle bone song. Marino's connected to the joke man,

the joke man's connected to Hank and Marty.

And there's two disgruntled characters, if I've ever seen any.

Vito, you go find Billy. Tell him to bring Hank up here. I want to talk to her.

All right.

Now, Mr. Marino.

For three days, I've been getting nasty phone calls

from Grosse Pointe, New York, and Phoenix.

I'm admitting you hurt me.

Well, your friends read the list of businesses they own shares in.

Everything from the Acme Whipped Cream Company

to the Desider Z Dutch Candy Corporation.

In corporation papers, a whole list of frontmen.

The government will be interested in that, don't you think?

Where'd you get that? Research.

You'd be surprised how many people there are in this

town who'd like to see your head on a plate.

You're making a big mess, Marino.

It's going to take a lot of time and money to clean it up.

You handed me a gold pen. You said right.

Now you're threatening me. No, I'm not threatening you.

I'm offering you a horse trade.

We're not dealing with horses.

That's right. We're dealing in human beings,

and you've got principles about the sanctity of human life.

Even trash.

I want you to check out, drop it, as of right now.

Deal?

George, you're wrong. I'm telling you, it's impossible.

She's been with me every minute. I'm telling you, this is Hank.

There's something wrong. Shut up, Billy.

All right, get up here.

Now, you've been going around for a year with that face, that long,

disgruntled face. What is it?

Did it make you salty because Billy brought you

back after you tried to run away with Marty?

Is that your reason? And it was easy for you to give the

information because Marina was right here in the hotel.

You slapped me for nothing, George.

I know you, Hank. I know the mood you're in.

George, she ain't mad at nobody but me, I'm telling you. If you was in her place,

you'd be mad. Shut up, Billy.

So it wasn't you, huh?

You slapped me for nothing, George.

All right.

So it wasn't you.

I have my own ideas about that, believe me. But it wasn't you.

It had to be somebody else with a chip on their shoulder.

Who?

Marty?

Marty would never talk to Marino.

He did talk to Marino.

An interview. What does that prove?

Hank, I'm going to tell it to you straight.

It was either you or Marty.

Or both.

George, come here a minute, will you please? Let me talk.

I know.

That joke writer, that's Marino's man. I know that.

I know that, too.

Well, maybe it's Marty. He's been acting around here.

The guy's been acting like he's ready for the loony bin.

Marty came to me, and he wanted out.

I'll give you one good reason why Marty would never talk to Marina.

All right, Hank, you give me one good reason.

Because he hasn't got the nerve.

I hate the sight of blood, especially my own. You gotta be kidding.

Look, I make my living with my mouth. Sure,

I tried to run away because I don't like the idea of jail.

I also react strongly to getting my face punched. But

to talk myself into a coffin, George, make mine tea.

I had an interview with the guy.

Apparently, he didn't find it newsworthy. Theatricals isn't his fortissimo anyway.

Oh, George, have you got the wrong number? Hello.

Yes, I know I'm on in a half hour.

Vito, lock that door.

George, I didn't talk to Marino. What's the sense in having me walked over again?

What about you and Hank? A fantasy. It's over.

Oh, so it wasn't love, huh? I doubt if we'll ever be celebrated in Song of Paul.

I think she took it hard.

Women eat themselves up.

They like to strike back. I think she spilled her guts to Marino.

George, you can't be serious about that.

Marty, it was either you or her.

What do you say? Come on, Marty, you're a talking man. Talk!

It was either you or her. What are you saying? You knew it was Dubow.

You even had him worked over.

I didn't give orders to have anybody worked over. You knew he was Marino's man.

Maybe one of the other boys. I didn't know he was Marino's anything until tonight.

Vito, who'd give orders to have Dubow worked on and dumped over the state line?

I wouldn't know.

Chili, that's it.

He saw Hank talking to DuBois and wanted him out of the way. That's it.

You notice how Billy was fingering Marty?

You're wrong, George. He didn't do it.

She didn't do it, George.

It was me.

I swear it was me, George.

I told DuBois.

I was with him all the time.

And she says you have no nerve.

You're wrong, George.

She didn't do it. I swear she didn't do it, George.

Where are you going? I'm checking out, Marty.

I don't want anything to happen to you or Hank.

They got Hank. Do you know what that means?

They're going to take her somewhere and kill her. It's your fault.

You started this.

Let's go.

Where is she? I begged them, I pleaded with them, but you know those guys,

they never forgive. Where's Hank?

Nothing can be done about it. Billy, where did they

take her? Oh, I hate them. God knows I hate them.

Billy, where did they take her? You can't do anything about it.

I don't know where they took her. You know where they took her?

Tell me. Nobody can do anything about it.

Delaney, where's Hank?

I don't know.

Have you looked out in the pool? She likes night swimming. Maybe she's down there.

Larry, you touch her.

You touch a hair on her head. Mm-hmm. You what? I'll nail you, so help me.

I'll make it my career, my life.

I'll concentrate on you, and I'll nail you. I don't think so.

Kidnapping's federal. I'll have this place swarming with FBI men.

I've stirred up Senate investigations before.

Don't underestimate me, Delaney. I don't.

But sometimes a man gets all tripped up in his principles.

You won't print another word, will you, Marty? What are you going to do,

make me a hostage? Don't worry about me, Maria. All he can do is kill me.

Oh, no, no, no, no. Nothing like that.

I'm too mad at you to kill you. Besides, what good would you do me dead?

I'm never going to be any more good to you, George. I'm through, do you hear that?

That's right, Marty. You're through.

You will work again. No kind of work.

Not even sweeping floors or humping garbage.

You'll have to beg in the streets, Marty.

You'll have to catch dimes for drinks until they pick you up out of the gutter.

I don't care if you run to Tahiti.

I'm just telling you what your future is.

I plan to have long conversations with Marino here unless you tell us where Hank is.

No, you won't do that. I told you, killing me doesn't scare me. I know.

But it scares him, doesn't it?

You go on downstairs and do your last show, Marty. Tomorrow

afternoon, you sign some papers.

Strictly off the record, not for publication. He fronts for a lot of hot money.

After you sign the papers, Marty, you can blow. Where's Hank?

Come on, Mr. Marino. Oh, come with me.

Find Vito. Find Vito when you'll have Hank. He's the Lord High Executioner,

I'm sure of it. Find Vito!

Now, George, listen to me. Sit down, Billy.

You tried to put one over on me, Billy.

I got rid of that guy. I tried to keep Marina from printing that stuff, didn't I?

Why didn't you tell me about the joke, man?

I had to find out all by myself.

George drew me a paper. Don't hurt Hank. I'm begging you.

Billy, I want you to call Vito.

He's in my office. And I want you to say just two words to him.

Go, Vito.

That's all. Just go, Vito.

I can't do it, George. I can't do it.

I can't do it, George. Oh, yes, you can. Come on.

Here we go.

Come on, Billy. Pick up the phone.

Oh, I have to make a report. Call so I can say nice things about you, huh?

Can you do it?

Can you kill me, Vito?

Shut up, Hank.

You'll hate it, but you'll do it, huh?

Got a cigarette?

Sure.

Is Mr. Moreno in?

Jack.

Paul. You all right? I can still talk. Later.

Let's go.

Call my office. Do it, baby.

Call, Billy.

Yeah, the mob's getting bigger and bigger all the time, you know that?

They even manufacture their own sports cars.

You pick up the hood, there's another hood.

They even make their own clothes, you know.

How do you like the tuxedo I'm wearing? This belonged

to a gangster. You like it? Look at that.

Then they got the models with the holes in front, you know?

The kind they bury you for real in.

They're getting ready to kill somebody else, folks.

A girl that never harmed anybody.

Hey, no guests allowed in here.

Here it is. That's part payment.

Come on, Hank.

And just let me tell you guys something. Every one of you hoods out there,

you touch one hair on Hank's head...

And you're going to read your names in Paul Marino's column, every last one of you.

Look for it, and read it, and you better believe it, too.

George told me what you did.

Lied for me, said it was you.

Come on, we're getting out of here.

Nice motion, Marino. Come on, think later. Worry later. It's no use.

They've got Boku guns. No place to go. What will

we have? One day, two days, three months?

Sometimes two days can be a lifetime.

Some butterflies only live 48 hours.

It's peachy if you're a butterfly.

I'll take the two days, the two hours, anything.

Well, go on, sucker.

What do you got to have, a gun at your head? Honey, forgive me for everything.

Billy, I'm going away.

I know. With him. That's what I just said.

Please don't talk about me after you've gone.

Las Vegas, land of fun. Laugh, play, sing.

All you can lose is money, and you've bought yourself a memory.

Maybe.