Original subtitles

The mulberry street fat cats

Have had things all their way For long enough.

It's our turn now.

A truly splendid achievement.

But you can relax now, Gentlemen.

We'll take it from here.

Organized crime bureau.

Sergeant gino paluzzi, Captain frank mcneil.

- sergeant. - captain.

Frank scalesi, affectionately Known as don cheech.

They had the alarm key. They had the code signal.

What could go wrong?

The only way that karabian

If they left no autograph.

You're damn well Don cheech knew,

And that's exactly How it would have gone down

If these three bimbo freelancers Didn't turn up

And turn over the pushcart!

With all due respect, Don scalesi,

It was you who initiated--

Never mind who initiated!

You had a good thing going,

And you blew it, baby.

You blew it!

You just blew it.

Whatever. He was a long time dying.

Nino was a gambler, Lieutenant, a horse player.

It was like a fever in him.

Though he never said so,

I could tell he was fighting A heavy losing streak.

I swear to you By everything that's sacred

I had nothing to do With the death of nino la rocca.

If not you, who?

I think our three kewpie dolls Were moonlighting,

And then three other jokers Came along

And relieved them of proceeds.

- that's what I think. - yeah, that's what I think.

- yeah? - yeah.

Terrific. Now go prove it.

Louis "Fats" giancana.

Cause of death: strangulation.

Looks to be a string From a musical instrument,

Maybe a guitar.

Oh, and there's something else You may want to know.

The index finger Of his left hand

Has been surgically amputated

Sometime within The past 24 hours.

I checked out The registered owner,

And he reported it stolen At 10:00 this morning

At baxter street Off of columbus park.

Want to take a ride?

Sure. Where to?

Where do you want to go?

Mm, let's see...

Dead?

How? When?

Oh, come on, michele. What's it matter?

Yeah, he's dead.

That's what you wanted, Isn't it?

What I wanted?

Mm, yesterday afternoon,

Three yo-yos walked Into your brother's casino

And snatched louie.

How do I know? He left this hat.

Now, louie fats Without his gray fedora

Is like sally rand Without her fan.

Lieutenant, I have no idea What you're talking about.

What I'm talking about, Mrs. Giancana,

Is that unfortunately For the perpetrators,

They made a lousy choice.

What they didn't know

Is that mrs. Giancana wouldn't Give yesterday's garbage

For her husband's return.

Well, not knowing this, They mailed her a finger,

Hoping to shock her into action.

It didn't, and all of a sudden,

Fat louie becomes A hopeless liability to them.

You asked me how he died.

It wasn't fun.

I find this whole story Too absurd

To even make comment on.

I see no reason--

Shh, hark.

I think I hear a burglar.

Detective weaver, you would Check the premises for thieves?

And start With the master bedroom.

No, wait--

Oh, I'm sorry. That hurt you, baby?

Now, wait a minute. You're all alone here.

You want us to protect you.

Oh, don't fight.

Oh!

Yeah, he's cute, huh?

Well, you blew it, baby,

What with the hair And the sexy nightgown and--

The perfume wasn't For hubby, was it?

Now, if you were alone, You would be up to your neck

In chin straps and cold cream And curlers.

Okay, kid, do I start Getting the answers now?

I'll tell you what you get.

If I don't start getting Some answers,

I'm gonna be forced

To make a telephone call To don cheech.

You know, this frank scalesi's A very moral man

In his own peculiar way.

If he finds out

That his nephew's wife Was fooling around

And, while she was Fooling around,

Her husband was being Brutally murdered, oh...

I'll tell you something, honey.

He's not gonna send you No singing telegrams.

Can he sit down?

He looks ridiculous Standing there.

Oh, yeah, sure.

Go ahead. Sit down.

And smoke if you got 'em.

All right, yes, My husband was kidnapped.

I was informed of that yesterday

Before you arrived At the showroom.

The ransom was 250,000.

I was given six hours In which to raise the money.

When they phoned back Last night,

I told them I couldn't get the money up.

This morning, I received a special delivery.

It contained a finger.

Oh, what'd you do with it?

Threw it in the incinerator.

An hour after that, I received another phone call.

I told them at that point

I had no intention Of honoring their demands.

I told them also that whatever They chose to do with louis

Was none of my concern.

I received No further communication.

What can I tell you?

I mean, you can't arrest a woman For not ransoming her husband.

And as for you, lover boy,

You'd better catch yourself A quick polar bear

To little america.

Don cheech Is not gonna hear it from me,

But when we catch The perpetrators--

And we're gonna catch The perpetrators--

The story's gonna come out.

Your solution is simple.

Get thee to a convent.

Pax vobiscum, baby.

What I don't get is, When fats saw

That his old lady Wasn't gonna come through,

Why didn't he tell The kidnappers

To hit don cheech For the ransom?

Probably did, But they didn't fall for it.

Hey, look, when you got A good thing going,

You don't advertise it.

Sure, just 'cause it didn't work The first time

Doesn't mean that Their thinking isn't sound.

Oh, no, next time They put a snatch on a capo,

They're gonna to make sure That somebody wants him back.

Yeah, but won't the word Get around,

Put the wise guys On their guard?

That's the pristine beauty Of it.

You know, it's not only us And the I.R.S.

That keeps the dog eye On these guys,

And there's not one of them That doesn't skim off the top

Before reporting their profits To scalesi.

They've all got bank accounts Stashed away.

The kidnappers know it.

That's where their Ransom money's gonna come from.

And until we nail them, Hey, baby, they're in clover.

How many members Did paluzzi say there are

In scalesi's family?

Yeah, 700 at last count.

Yeah, I know What you're gonna ask.

Who's gonna be grabbed next, and When is it gonna happen, right?

Yeah, sure, tell me about it.

Open the door for mr. Muckle, The blind man!

How about my kumquats?

- what you say? - kumquats!

Wait!

Sit down, mr. Muckle! Sit down!

Sit down!

I'll check it out.

No use taping his mouth; He's a deaf-mute.

What about you, old man?

You gonna give us any trouble?

No, I didn't think you would.

Get all his medicine.

We get everything we need?

Okay, come on. Let's go.

Come on, move.

Well...

What happened?

Don cheech swipe you With a bedpan?

What is it you wanted, Lieutenant?

I want the man For ten minutes.

And tell him it's important.

- wait here. - yeah.

So what do you think?

Ah, it wouldn't hurt to grab These license numbers.

I'm ruben kabelsky, Lieutenant,

Counselor to don scalesi.

I'm told You wish to see my client.

Regarding what, may I ask?

You want me to do the Whole number on the stairs,

Or you gonna invite me in?

Without knowing the precise Reason for this visit?

Unless, of course, You've a warrant.

Hmm, no, no, no warrant, Counselor.

But, look, I'll let it all Hang out for you.

We have reason to believe That a major kidnap effort

Is going to be made Against mr. Don cheech

And important members Of his organization.

Organization?

Now, what organization Would that be, lieutenant?

If you're referring

To my client's Various business interests,

I should tell you that he's No longer actively involved,

Having retired On his doctor's orders

Nearly five years ago.

And when you're finished With that lullaby,

Would you like to give me A chorus

Of snow white and the seven dwarves?

At all events, I'm afraid I couldn't grant you an audience

With don scalesi just now.

He's out of town, you see.

Out of town? Where out of town?

My client did not elect To acquaint me

With his travel itinerary.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do.

If I should hear From don scalesi,

I'll be sure to tell him

That you expressed concern Over his welfare.

Concern?

Hey, if he sneezed And his head fell off,

I couldn't be concerned.

My only concern is to take His violence out of the streets

And put it back in his bedroom, Where it belongs.

Ciao, baby.

How long has terry the enforcer Been don cheech's bodyguard?

Maybe 20 years. Why?

Have you ever known him to Keep the don out of his sight?

Then you know what I think?

I think Those cockamamie freelancers

Put the snatch on don cheech.

We are in receipt Of their ransom demands.

The kidnappers are demanding $2 million

For don scalesi's safe return.

Now, we have 48 hours

In which to comply With their instructions.

And that means that we have to Raise the money among ourselves.

Now, the talk that's going on In this room,

It stays in this room, capisce?

To expedite matters, I've drafted a plan

To facilitate the collection Of necessary funds.

Each of you will be expected To meet his assigned quota.

Let's see if you can Finesse me a court order

Authorizing taps On don cheech's phones,

Along with the six others On the list.

How'd you come up With these names?

Patience, Perseverance, and pluck.

And a little writer's cramp.

Now, those were the cars listed

Outside of don cheech's house This morning.

You realize any evidence Acquired

As a result of those wire taps Will be inadmissible in court.

Oh, captain, I'm already Sitting on three homicides,

An arson, grand theft auto, Armed robbery,

Breaking and entering, A couple of kidnappings.

Hey, look, I'm not looking To bust up the mob.

I just want to grab These three calludia

Before they empty the streets.

You weren't gonna eat Your pickle, were you, sir?

Captain mcneil.

Yeah, he's here. Just a minute.

It's dr. Lombardi.

Yes, doctor.

I'm given to understand The d.A.'s office engaged you

To examine frank scalesi Last summer.

Yes, and when he was too ill to Appear before the grand jury?

The exact nature Of his afflictions,

What prescriptions He might require,

Special medical equipment.

I'd appreciate it.

Yeah, as soon as possible.

Thank you, doctor. Good-bye.

What was that all about?

Well, since scalesi's The goose

That's gonna lay The golden eggs,

I'm assuming They want to keep him alive.

If he's dead, It's bad for business, right?

So maybe they snatched him In such a hurry,

They forget to check His medicine cabinet

Or it didn't occur to them.

Either way, They got to replace it,

Or the old buzzard Just fades away.

Doc lombardi gives us a list Of what they'll need.

We alert the hospitals,

The medical supply centers, Druggists.

Maybe we get lucky.

They got to slip up sometime, Don't they?

You want the rest Of your potato salad?

Everybody should know I'm okay.

It ain't the fontainebleau, But I'm being looked after.

I guess you know When they grabbed me,

They left the dialysis machine Behind.

Without that, I'm a disconnected number,

But...

They dug me one up somewhere,

So I guess We're still in business.

Joey's with me, And they got him running it,

So if the chow don't kill me, I guess I can tough it out.

Only nobody drag your feet, You hear me?

Just do like they say.

Let's get it over!

That's what you wanted?

There'll be a second helping Of rice pudding

With your dinner.

Put his blindfold on.

Lieutenant, where you been?

I been phoning all over for you.

I was getting a haircut?

- haircut? - would you settle for a trim?

All right, what do you want?

Dig this, 4:00 this morning,

Somebody breaks Into a warehouse,

The olmstead medical And surgical supply,

And what do you think They swing with?

A kidney dialysis machine?

How you know that?

I can read upside down Pretty good.

Oh, you comfortable?

What's that?

You got it, huh?

That's the first dividend

From the wire tap We put on scalesi's phone.

Hello?

I'm calling in reference

To our conversation Of this morning.

Are your people interested In redeeming the merchandise?

And at the stipulated price?

They are, provided we receive Viable proof

That the merchandise Is undamaged

And in perfect working order.

Such proof Is on the way to you.

You may expect it Within the hour.

Assuming it meets With your satisfaction,

How soon would you be prepared To render payment?

Hopefully, Before the day is out.

Very well. I'll call back later.

Well, at least we know They got him

And they're dealing.

He's turning blue!

Do you think I'm colorblind? I can see he's turning blue.

If we lose him, you know What happens if he signs off.

- do you? - he's not gonna sign off.

If he dies, you die. You understand me?

If he dies, you die!

He's trying to tell you Something.

Give him a pencil. Maybe he can write.

Here.

"Blood circulating through shunt

May be clotting."

Shunt. What's a shunt?

There must be something That we can do.

"Heparin, anticoagulant, As prescribed."

It's empty!

What's keeping them?

The money's ready.

Why don't they call?

You know what to do now.

Hey, your hands are like ice.

Leonard, what if I botch it?

Easy come, easy go.

Come on.

Oh, yes, miss?

I'd like to have this Refilled.

Of course.

Ah, might I see The prescription, miss?

Oh, I don't have one. There wasn't time.

Couldn't you just fill it up Or something?

It's the law.

I'm afraid Without a prescription...

Please? My grandmother's very ill.

She--she could be dying.

Couldn't you just this once Make an exception?

Well, I'll tell you What I can do, miss.

What's the doctor's name?

Oh, here, sellers.

Suppose I telephone him.

If he gives me The authorization--

I'm giving you The authorization.

Should we step in the back?

Come on.

Oh, miss?

Maybe you could help me out.

I want to buy some perfume.

You know, nothing expensive But, you know, something nice.

Yes, well...

It's over there.

The countess nadia, It's a lovely scent.

Okay, fine.

I believe it's locked, miss.

Yes, I'll have to get the key, Won't I?

Where is mr. Majors?

Mr. Majors?

Your boss, the man That owns this drugstore.

He stepped out for a moment.

Okay, just stay quiet, And maybe nobody will get hurt.

Leonard!

Come on. We got to get out of here!

- you're hurt. - I'll be all right.

But, nancy, you're hurt.

I'll be all right. Get my bag.

But you're hurt!

Get my bag. We got to get out of here.

Lieutenant?

Crocker just got a squeal In the west village.

Patrolman gunned down In a drugstore stick-up.

He just phoned in From the crime scene.

He says We better get over there.

By the looks of things,

The shooting's linked To the scalesi snatch.

Hello?

For reasons I shall not go into,

There will be no action tonight.

At 9:30 tomorrow morning, However,

You are to bring the money

In an atlantic airlines Flight bag to 87 mott street,

Where you will take up A position

Outside a public telephone booth You will find located there.

To ensure That there will be no mix-up,

We have worked out a signal.

The phone will ring twice, Then stop.

When it rings again, You are to answer it.

Is everything Clearly understood?

It is.

How bad?

I don't know.

He got hit in the lower abdomen.

Must have ripped out Half his plumbing.

They can't tell Till they take the x-rays.

What the hell?

The kid's not Out of the academy six weeks.

He hasn't worn out His first pair of shoes yet.

Two orientals-- Male, female, early 20s--

Want to get a prescription Refilled.

Mr. Majors--that's the owner-- Says he can't do it

Unless he has a doctor's okay.

Out comes the cannon.

Into the back room they go To fill the prescription.

The girl stays out front As a lookout.

Next thing mr. Majors knows,

She starts Screaming her head off.

He gets hit on the head. Lead starts flying.

That's all she wrote.

Was he able To provide a description?

Nothing I'd want to go Into court with.

Claims they all look alike To him.

So I'm putting him together With the sketch artist.

It's worth a shot.

What makes you think It relates to the scalesi nab?

This.

Heparin.

It was on the list

Of don cheech's Required medical supplies.

"W.R. Sellers, m.D."

Well, that's scalesi's Bone doctor, all right.

How come they left behind An empty bottle?

Well, they have the refill. Who keeps empties?

Hmm.

Well, you said they'd fall down One of these days,

And you're right.

Okay, working out of the 17th,

A second-grade detective Named oliver lum.

Tell him I want to get a hold Of him.

I'll be outside the jade palace, 289 mott street,

In 20 minutes.

Right.

Lieutenant kojak?

Detective oliver lum, robbery.

Tell her we'd like to speak To her granddaughter nancy.

She is out visiting friends.

She has no idea When to expect her back.

I see.

Well, could she give us the name Of nancy's friends?

Well, lieutenant, Nothing but bones and gristle.

I think she's lying.

She'll give up tobacco Before she'll change her story.

You want my opinion?

I think she's scared.

Gee fah, fantan, mahjong--

These are things She understands.

But what the kids are into,

That's a whole other ballgame To the old lady.

Okay, I think we'll put A plant on the place.

How?

I'm not trying to tell you Your business, lieutenant,

But do you have any oriental Officers in your command?

Using plainclothes occidentals On a plant,

I don't care How low the profile,

They'll be burned In five minutes.

The word will be out And all over chinatown.

Okay, ollie.

Look, Sorry I can't be of more help.

Yeah, I'll try to call on you Again if things get hot, okay?

- night. - good night.

Thank you, ollie. Good seeing you.

While I was browsing around Inside,

This fell into my pocket.

It's the girl, all right.

What do you want to bet That's the guy?

Anyway, nice work.

We show that to the druggist,

Maybe we can save our Sketch artist a lot of trouble.

Can't you see She needs a doctor?

Why?

The bleeding's stopped.

The wound's been cleansed.

But the bullet's Still in there.

She--she could get Blood poisoning.

What if it was your brother Instead of my sister?

What then, huh?

My answer would be No different.

All be over in a few hours.

Why risk blowing everything now?

I can hang in there a few hours.

It was my gun.

It was my bullet.

It was I who shot you.

Hey, don't blame yourself.

Oh, I should've ducked.

The phone will ring twice, Then stop.

When it rings again, You are to answer it.

Is everything Clearly understood?

Are you sure they installed The tap on that phone booth?

Two hours ago.

Theo, relax.

Yeah, well, how do you relax In the middle of a minefield?

I had to haul the druggist Out of bed,

But he made a positive I.D. Of The couple in the photograph.

It's the same pair Who held him up.

Now, do we get a search warrant And raid the jade palace?

What for?

That's the last place They'd hole up.

Any bulletins on that policeman?

He's still On the critical list.

They're giving him massive Transfusions of whole blood.

They can't go in for the bullet Until he's stabilized.

At 9:30 this morning, Ruby kabelsky,

Carrying an atlantic airlines Flight bag

Containing 2 million balloons, Will station himself

Outside an allegedly Out-of-order phone booth

To await further instructions.

Well, he won't be alone, Because I intend

To flood chinatown With a string of officers.

Without attracting attention, How?

Tourists. Nobody ever notices tourists.

And in chinatown, they're An everyday commonplace thing,

Practically invisible.

Yeah, it could work.

Dress them like hayseeds. Hang cameras around their necks.

Sure, why not?

Steal some plainclothes women From downtown.

Pair them with our troops.

Theo, I think you got something.

I better have, Or we'll all in trouble.

Lieutenant, Kabelsky just checked in.

On the schnozz.

Hold it.

Hello?

I must advise you

That you are the object Of close surveillance.

Any unscheduled action On your part,

And the transaction Will be instantly scratched,

With unfortunate consequences To your employer.

Now, if you'll glance Across the street,

You will observe parked there

A gotham city tour Sightseeing bus.

When it's ready to depart, You will append your presence

To the end Of the passenger line.

On no account are you to occupy Any other position.

Moreover, if any other newcomer Joins the passenger ranks,

The negotiations are scrubbed.

Assuming this does not occur,

You will purchase a ticket From the driver

For the remainder of the tour.

Once aboard the bus, you are To deposit the flight bag

Beneath the seat,

Preferably a seat Chosen toward the rear.

Mission accomplished, You will then disembark

At the tour's next stop,

Swiftly absenting yourself From the scene.

Have you any questions?

No, no questions.

Get on the horn To the gotham city tours.

I want to know Their exact itinerary,

Every scheduled stop.

As soon as you've got The information,

Call it in to me.

Got you.

Lieutenant, our subject is Just boarding a sightseeing bus.

What do you want to do, Pull up stakes?

No, until otherwise directed,

You're to continue operations,

Keeping on the lookout For nancy wong

And her brother, leonard.

Right, got it.

Come on!

Come on. We got to hang a tail On that bus.

Well, we're off and running.

Are we? Are we really?

Well, look at her!

You think she'll live To celebrate our triumph?

Ain't none of you gonna live To celebrate it.

Don't you know that yet?

You've been dead for two days!

They just ain't got around

To shoveling the dirt In your face yet!

Now, you too, old man.

Now, you can be dead Sooner than you think.

If my brother's not back here By 11:30 with the ransom money,

My orders are to wipe you out.

He'll be back.

He'll be back with the loot too.

Then you get rid of joey, Right?

I mean, sure, You got to take him off.

It's business.

He can't hear, he can't talk, But he's got eyes.

He can identify you.

I'd do the same thing In your place.

Too bad too.

Good help is hard to find These days.

Next stop, lincoln center,

Then the museum Of natural history,

Then on the east side To the u.N. Building,

Times square, Rockefeller center.

You get all of that?

Here's what we're gonna do.

You get ahold Of stavros and armus,

Tell them we got A nondescription car

Over at the lincoln center,

And then you get ahold Of crocker

And you proceed Directly to the museum.

Roger. Will do.

Stavros, can you read me?

Yo, skipper.

Looks like kabelsky's Out of the picture.

I want you to proceed directly To the next stop, you hear?

Gil, are you with me?

Yeah, we got him.

Good, okay, Leave your vehicle,

And proceed on foot.

Keep the subject under close Surveillance, understand?

Got you.

I think we've been snookered.

That's got to be a decoy.

Grab him!

I knew he was carrying light To be holding $2 million.

Here, hold this for me.

Step on it!

Step on it.

Move! Move!

Okay, okay, you got me.

All right. All right.

All right, so be it.

You've got the money,

But there's one thing

Scalesi.

Huh?

In exactly one half hour, He'll be dead.

Five minutes later,

You'll be up to your eyebrows In a shooting war!

Cuff him, And put him in my car.

I don't care what sammy says; I'm going for a doctor.

Even now may be too late.

Just another ten minutes.

Another ten minutes!

If sammy's not back by then,

We could get rid of those two And fetch a doctor for nancy.

Oh, I don't--

A full-scale canvass-- Every shop, every market,

Every private residence, Every teahouse

Under the august moon.

And tell them to be respectful And courteous, you understand?

Just get the job done.

What about the movie houses?

Well, that too.

I mean, the way these cookies Operate, you never know.

They probably got don cheech In a barrel of ginseng.

Let's go.

All right, come on. Let's go.

Leo, gino, you stick With laughing boy.

What have you got in mind?

She's a tough old lychee nut,

But there's got to be some way To crack the shell.

Let's go.

Tell her I come as a-- A supplicant.

Tell her that I realize That a wall stands between us,

That we are separated By more than language

And culture and tradition...

Ignorance.

And for that, I am both guilty And ashamed.

Her silence will not Protect them but condemn them,

And it's only a matter Of minutes now.

She is asking, If she don't tell you,

Are you gonna find them anyway?

Yes, grandmother, but by then, It'll be too late.

- she said-- - I know.

Me too.

Kill him, calvin! Kill him!

All right, police.

The ambulance is on the way.

I believe this is yours.

No, not mine.

So, cheech, ciao, baby.

Well, he's off The critical list.

The patrolman, fiorentino?

He's gonna be all right.

Get it?

Come on.