*For Introduction with submission guidelines go to Oct 13
For easy access to the beginning of the script and older excerpts go to the homepage.
*Heywood Gould is the author of 9 screenplays including “Rolling Thunder,”Fort Apache, The Bronx,”Boys From Brazil”and “Cocktail.”
EMPIRES OF CRIME
By Heywood Gould
HOUR VI
ACT ONE (Con’t)
INT. STATLER HOTEL (PHILADELPHIA). DAY
On a bed, the Page One headline of the Philadelphia Inquirer reads: NY GOV. DEWEY TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT. OFF SCREEN we hear:
TOM
This is humiliating…
PAN TO
Tom sitting on the bed in his signature black suit, trying to force his feet into a pair of ornate COWBOY BOOTS under Medailie’s watchful eye.
MEDAILIE
It’s important for the folks
from Wyoming and Nevada and
Montana to get to know you
better. To feel that you
understand them.
TOM
I’m a small town boy from
Michigan, George. I’ve
stepped in just as much
horse manure as any of
them…
MEDAILIE
To them you’re still a city
slicker. You’re going to
have to explain this
Luciano thing. They have a
morbid fear of gangsters…
TOM
God! Is Luciano going to
haunt me for the rest of
my days?
MEDAILIE
(jams a Stetson on his head)
Tuck the pants in the boots…
Frances enters with an amused look.
FRANCES
Tom, a bunch of cowboys just
galloped in…
(breaks into laughter)
Oh Tom darling, no…No…
TOM
That settles it!
He kicks off the boots and throws the Stetson across the room.
TOM
They’ll have to take me
for what I am, or not at
all.
He stomps out, barefooted. Frances picks up his shoes and follows.
FRANCES
Tom dear, you forgot your
shoes…
INT. HOTEL BAR. DAY.
The BOSSES nurse drinks, smoke and glare resentfully at Meyer. Among them SANTO TRAFFICANTE, a sleek Florida hood.
MEYER
Now Mr. Trafficante, I know
about your activities in
Miami. But drugs and
gambling are very different
businesses.
TRAFFICANTE
They both deal with addicts.
MEYER
Yeah, but the gambler is an
educated addict. He can shop
for the best product. The
beauty of the gambling
business is you don’t have
to break the law to make
money. Craps, blackjack,
slots, if the winners equal
the losers, which never
happens anyway, the house
has a built in winning
percentage of four percent.
TRAFFICANTE
Four per cent is peanuts.
MEYER
What’s your club, the San
Souci? How’d you do last
night.
TRAFFICANTE
We just opened.
Meyer turns to NORMAN ROTHMAN, a clumsy New York hood.
MEYER
And you, Mr. Rothman. How’d
you do at the Montmartre?
ROTHMAN
It was raining.
MEYER
Only in your casino. You ran
crooked crap games and
goulash parlors in the Bronx
for Dutch Schulz, Rothman.
There won’t be any chiselin’
in Havana while I’m in
charge.
TRAFFICANTE
Oh yeah, who died and made
you boss?
MEYER
Nobody yet.
(lets that sink in)
You know the best thing
about gamblers?
TRAFFICANTE
Their money.
MEYER
Not when they’re spendin’
it some place else, wise
guy. Best thing about
gamblers is that they’ll
lose their shirt over and
over again in the same game
as long as they know it’s
honest and they got a shot
to win. So we’re gonna make
Cuba the cleanest place to
gamble in the world. First
thing, I’m runnin’ the
Nacional, You guys are out.
TRAFFICANTE
You can’t do that. We bought
a concession from Batista.
MEYER
I’ll get you your money back
and let you keep your clubs,
but I get the Nacional. Next,
we fire all the dealers and
croupiers. Send them back to
Miami on a banana boat. Get
local kids and train ‘em
right. Dump the rigged
roulette wheels and the phony
dice. Start dealin’ blackjack
out of a six deck shoe.
ROTHMAN
But that’ll give players the
edge.
MEYER
Only way they have an edge
is by stayin’ outta the
casino. No gambler ever
died ahead. I’m goin’ on
vacation to Europe.I want
this stuff done by the time
I get back, or there’s a
line formin’ to take your
place.
SEPTEMBER 1947
NEWSREEL…Pier 42, New York. Meyer and Teddy sail on THE ITALIA. They walk toward the gangplank, brushing past the PHOTOGS.
NEWSCASTER
The president of Princeton
University sailed for Europe
on the Italia last week, but
all eyes were on the couple
in the luxurious five room
Royal Suite. Mr. and Mrs.
Meyer Lansky. She, the
former showgirl. He, rumored
to be the boss of National
Crime Syndicate…
A group of LONGSHOREMEN move in and push the PHOTOGS away.
NEWSCASTER
Lansky had some tough
chaperones…
A group of hard eyed DETECTIVES watches.
NEWSCASTER
And some pretty tough guys
from DA’s office were also
on hand.
DETECTIVE
(at the MICROPHONES)
We just want Mr. Lansky to
know that we’ve got an eye
on him and anyone who might
come down to see him off.
INT. NAPLES RESTAURANT. NIGHT.
A FLASH BULB blinds the lens. Then, we see Charley, Meyer and Teddy at a table being surrounded by PAPARAZZI.
TEDDY
Wow, you’re like a movie
star.
CHARLEY
They chase me down the street…
(laughs at Meyer)
Look at this guy. He hates
gettin’ his picture taken.
MEYER
My nose is too big…
INT. HOTEL SUITE. NIGHT.
Crowded with FLOWERS and FRUIT BASKETS. Charley is pouring black coffee. Teddy gives him a peck on the cheek.
TEDDY
None for me. I’m goin’ to
bed.
CHARLEY
‘Night, doll. Don’t worry
I won’t keep him long.
Meyer kisses Teddy. Both men wait until the bedroom door closes. The smiles fade and the atmosphere changes. Meyer opens a trunk and pulls away a false panel, revealing stacks of bills.
CHARLEY
Great. Just when I was
runnin’ short. How much
is there?
MEYER
Twenty five from the
Commission. I put in
twenty five from our
interests in Saratoga
and Florida.
CHARLEY
How about Vegas?
MEYER
We should start seein’ money
soon.
CHARLEY
I need the cash, now. I’m
lookin’ to make a big move
here.
MEYER
Black market?
CHARLEY
I’m talkin’ about a big
export operation. Remember
the Mancuso brothers from
Brooklyn? They set up
Vito’s network for him.
They produce the opium in
Turkey and Yugoslavia.
Bring it in nice and legal
to the big pharmaceutical
companies in Milan. Put a
little extra in the order
for us. We ship to labs in
Kansas City, New Orleans,
Miami. They cook it and cut
it and put it on the street.
Twenty G’s gets you a
hundred and fifty . Heroin
creates it’s own market.
Sky’s the limit…
MEYER
I never liked that business.
Too many mouths to feed, too
many people to trust. Now
they got the Bureau of
Narcotics, this guy
Anslinger, workin’ with the
FBI. Ten to one they’re
watchin’ you, Charley.
They’ll trace the shipments
and watch the ports.
CHARLEY
That’s why we need a detour.
We can use Cuba. Feds can’t
touch it. We can ship to
Havana, then trans ship
through Mexico and New
Orleans and Miami.
MEYER
Havana will be full of
pushers. It’ll hurt the
gambling business.
CHARLEY
I’m not in the gambling
business. I’m gettin’ an
envelope from you.
MEYER
What’s wrong with that?
CHARLEY
I wanna build somethin’ I
control so nobody can wake
up one morning and say:’what
are we carryin’ Charley for?
Let’s dump him.’
MEYER
That’ll never happen while
I’m alive.
CHARLEY
I wouldn’t sell you life
insurance, kid. Not with
Benny runnin’ through
millions in Vegas. You and
he are like Siamese twins.
If he goes you gotta go,
too. But as long as I’m the
boss that’ll never happen.
MEYER
I know that.
CHARLEY
Spread the word. I want a
meeting in Havana. I want
everybody to see I’m still
Chairman of the Board.
MEYER
They might not go for it.
CHARLEY
Get’ em in a room, I’ll
sell ‘em.
INT. HOTEL BEDROOM. NIGHT.
A few hours later. Teddy awakens in an empty bed. Worried, she goes into the LIVING ROOM. Meyer is on the couch, his cigarette glowing in the dark. She sits next to him and rubs his back.
TEDDY
Can’t sleep? Too much
coffee?
MEYER
Too much Charley. Too much
Benny.
TEDDY
They’re a handful, huh?.
MEYER
Magnetic personalities.
People wanna be around
‘em. We were a good team.
They had the big ideas. I
made the numbers work.
They got crazy, I talked
sense to them. But now
they won’t listen to
reason…
The PHONE on the coffee table RINGS. Meyer answers warily.
MEYER
Hello…Benny..?
INT. FLAMINGO CASINO. NIGHT(CROSSCUT)
Benny, a highball in one hand, VIRGINIA HILL draped tipsily around him, is on the phone.
BENNY
Hey you little schnorrer,
havin’ fun with Charley?
MEYER
Did you open, you sonofabith?!
BENNY
Before you bust a gut, listen…
He holds the phone out and we see that the casino is packed. Slots are ringing, people are shouting…
BENNY
That’s the sound of money
pourin’ in. We’re packed,
every room’s booked.
MEYER
Benny, that’s great. But
tell Moe he’s gotta keep
the hotel cash separate
from the casino winnings.
BENNY
Everybody in Hollywood’s
showed for this. We’re a
smash!
MEYER
Benny, listen. Stash the
skim in the safe…
But Benny has hung up. Meyer He turns to Teddy with a dazed smile.
MEYER
We’re a smash. Go figure…
END ACT ONE
Next: Act 2:Power Moves SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/patriciagould/Desktop/EmpiresOfCrime/EOCPostNames.doc @font-face { font-family: “Times New Roman”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } BOYS FROM BRAZIL, bugsy seigel, cocktail, FORT APACHE the bronx, free scripts, HEYWOOD GOULD, lucky luciano, Mafia, Meyer Lansky, movies, rolling thunder, screenplay writing, screenplays, thomas dewey
In a new department the Daily Event will reoffer some of these scripts. Read them and decide: would you like to have seen this movie?
Our first script is EMPIRES OF CRIME. Seven years in development it is a six part mini-series commissioned by a broadcast network and later reacquired by a cable station.
The story is about the founders of Organized Crime, Meyer Lansky, and “Lucky” Luciano, their fifty year partnership and the empire they created. Their friendships and families, lives and loves. It is also about their implacable enemy Thomas Dewey, a young Republican attorney who built a political career prosecuting the Mob that propelled him to the NY Governor’s Mansion and almost to the White House.
*For Introduction with submission guidelines go to Oct 13. Use Contact Us, above, for submissions.
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