"## [Piano]" "[Man] # I'm confessin' that I love you #" "# Tell me do you love me too #" "# I'm confessin' that I need you #" "# Honest I do #" "# Need you every moment #" "# In your eyes I read such strange things #" "# But your lips deny they're true #" "# Will your answer really change things #" "# Makin'me blue #" "# I'm afraid someday you will leave me #" "# Sayin' "Can't we still be friends"#" "# If you go you know you will grieve me #" "# All in life on you depends #" "# Am I guessin' that you love me #" "# Dreamin'dreams of you in vain #" "# Well, I'm confessin'#" "# That I love you #" "# Over again ##" "[Man Narrating] In the spring of 1956, on the borough of Staten Island in New York," "Buddy Visalo decided to buy a house." "You never try to walk on a nail... 'cause that's where the beams are." "Looks kinda old, huh?" "The place was built in 1912." "Plumbing is practically new." "I done it myself a few years ago." "And upstairs, you got a completely separate apartment." "Eighty dollars a month rent it gets, enough to cover a mortgage payment." "Assuming you're qualified." "Two family." "You could quit the factory." "Now, here's the showpiece." "That's a 40-foot double parlor, gentlemen." "Boy, the beat the heating bill." "Guess you could always lower these ceilings, huh?" "She's the best buy on Staten Island." "What do you think, Mr. Visalo?" "The 1200 my mother left me, there's the down payment." "You could quit the factory." "You know, rent to the tenants upstairs." "Wouldn't have to work." "Life of Riley." "No, no, no tenants upstairs." "Estelle and I live upstairs." "Downstairs..." "What?" "What are you gonna do?" "Buddy's Tavern." "I have my own business." "Your own bar?" "Yeah." "With that big fuckin' living room, Yeah." "With a bar and some tables." "What's it gonna take..." "ten, twelve tables?" "Forty, fifty customers." "Put a guy in back." "You know, break down a wall, put in some live entertainment." "Live entertainment?" "Don't tell me who you'd get." "# There's no tomorrow #" "# When love is new #" "# Now is forever #" "# When love is true #" "[Narrator] It might be worth noting at this point... that in 1945, when Buddy was in the Air Force, he performed at a special services show, which was attended by Arthur Godfrey, then a popular radio star." "# There's no tomorrow # [Airplane Passes Overhead]" "# There's just tonight ##" "Godfrey offered Buddy an audition when he got back to New York." "Buddy, Arthur Godfrey or no Arthur Godfrey, the girl waited for you for two years." "You want to get married, you got to have a serious job." "But Buddy's fiancee, Estelle, and her family... found the whole idea embarrassing." "Not to mention, impractical." "This is Arthur Godfrey, for God's sakes." "How many breaks am I gonna get like this again?" "Do you wanna marry me, Buddy?" "Oh, Estelle, honey, you know I wanna marry you." "Then, don't do this." "Instead, it was a twin bed in a room in Estelle's parents'house, until the newlyweds were ready to move out on their own." "And a job in the machine shop in the Anzelako Baked Goods Factory, where Buddy's talents went largely unnoticed." "Meanwhile, Godfrey took a chance on an ex-naval cadet named Julius La Rosa, who quickly became an overnight sensation." "I don't wanna hear it." "It coulda been me." "Even the much-publicized firing of La Rosa a year later... failed to dampen the fires of Buddy's resentment." "[Man] That was Julie's swan song." "Yeah, it was right on the air." "That poor guy, you should have seen his face." ""Lack of humility"?" "What the hell does that mean?" "That means that coulda been you." "See?" "What did I tell you?" "So what." "Better to be La Rosa without a job... than Visalo at that fuckin' factory." "It was a watershed moment in this marriage." "Never again would Estelle stop Buddy from pursuing his dreams." "Dreams which were now understandably lower in scale than they had previously been." "[Car Radio Static]" "Car one to base." "Come in if there are any calls." "A series of calamitous business ventures followed, beginning with the first privately-owned limo service on Staten Island." "Buddy, nobody's calling." "Come on." "Come in and eat." "Come on, honey." "A service that nobody had the slightest use for in the little borough." "[Coughing]" "Buddy's Housepainting Service of Staten Island... fell victim to the design sensation of 1953." "We're gonna have the whole house done." "They say we'll never have to paint again." "Wallpaper." "[Buddy] What, even the bathrooms?" "[Woman] They're lovely... velvet." "Wanna see?" "No, that's all right." "You know, I could paint the outside." "Aluminum siding, comin' next week." "Want a drink?" "Finally, perhaps inevitably, a pizza delivery service." "Oh, my God." "Be careful it don't blow up!" "[Coughing]" "The restaurant Buddy had purchased the oven from was out of business... when he went to complain the following day." "[Estelle] Buddy, stop!" "You're gonna hurt yourself!" "Stop!" "Make him stop!" "Make him stop!" "Make him stop!" "# There's just tonight ##" "Ladies and gentlemen... it's..." "Buddy Visalo, ## [Indistinct]" "Of Buddy's Tavern at 19 West Street, in beautiful Staten Island." "Welcome to my bar." "Welcome to my home." "Welcome to my house..." "I don't have permission to buy." "How are ya?" "How are ya?" "Back again, your anniversary?" "Good." "Well, I've got a little song for you." "I'm gonna..." "A little jewel..." "jewel of a song for you." "My place is your place." "Come to my place." "It's your place too." "Hey." "Perry Como just started." "We got a half hour." "## [Continues, Indistinct]" "[Buddy Moaning, Grunting]" "Honey, they'll hear us." "Shh!" "Shh!" "Shh!" "[Grunting]" "Ten years." "Ten years of this, Estelle." "What?" "Perry Como." "[Narrator] Consultations were held with each side's closest advisors." "He wants to have his own house, run his own business?" "Let him get it out of his system." "What if it doesn't?" "But it will." "It's Buddy." "Buddy here's thinking about opening up a bar over on West Street." "West Street?" "The mick neighborhood?" "What do you want with serving the micks?" "They got no money, they always ask for credit and they never pay." "Don't you see?" "Look." "Some guys, they're destined for success, you know." "It's like they could do no wrong." "Like they were pregnant with it." "Buddy?" "He's pregnant with failure." "Oh, come on now." "If it was going to interfere with your business..." "My business?" "Buddy, you could have my business." "I'm sick of it." "I got a lot up in Orange, New Jersey, first chance I get, I'm going." "What are you going to do up there?" "Chicken farm." "Chicken farm?" "I got it all figured out." "Chicken farm." "Yeah, you make money on both ends." "You make money from the chickens and from the eggs." "When did you come up with this?" "You're making chickenshit." "And, ultimately, as things always do, it came down to legalities... could the house be converted into a bar?" "[Man] Yep, yep, according to this." "'Cause you're on the northwest border of the town... covered under the business statute of 1877." "So, you don't need the approval of the bar and restaurant commission." "That's lucky for you." "Those sons a bitches, can tie you up forever." "[Chuckles] Hey, that's a great law." "After the usual visit from a relative who happens to be a lawyer..." "First right under the contract of sale." "Aren't there tenants upstairs in our bedroom?" "And what happens if they don't wanna leave?" "Don't worry." "Don't worry." "I took a precaution... of serving them with an eviction notice." "They got one week to get out." "An eviction notice." "I know you wanna move in right away." "We'll move in downstairs, just till they leave." "In other words, we're sleeping in the bar now." "And after the usual last argument..." "It's a great house." "I hate that house!" "It's a slum!" "[Speaking Italian] It's our chance, Estelle." "Please, to what, turn me into a barmaid?" "[Speaking Italian] Moving day arrived." "Hey, it's a nice street." "Listen, if it don't work out, for some reason, God forbid, the bar don't work out, I'll just rent the downstairs out." "Hey, hey, hey, come on." "Pick that up, will ya?" "What do you think?" "There's the bay window." "That's where the sign's gonna go, the neon sign..." "Buddy's Tavern." "[Buddy Continues, Indistinct]" "Oh, Estelle." "I'm so sorry." "Don't worry about it." "We'll be in and out in a month." "A little paint, a little polish." "Can you see it?" "[Estelle] I can't sleep with all these boxes." "[Buddy] It's just till the people upstairs move, all right?" "A couple of days." "I feel like I'm in the luggage compartment of a train." "What sense would it make to unpack everything... just so we have to pack it up again when they move, huh?" "[Glass Breaks, Clattering]" "Buddy." "## [Singing, Indistinct]" "Hey!" "Hey, yourself." "Would you mind keeping it down?" "We're trying to sleep here." "Go sleep in your own house, you fat bastard." "This is my own house." "I'm the new owner..." "Visalo." "Oh, you're Visulo." "You, you're the one that sent me... this-this despicable letter, telling me to get out?" "That was my lawyer." "Your lawyer, was it?" "Hey, hey, hey, hey, Vilony." "You and your lawyer come down here and kiss my ass, eh?" "[Laughing]" "He lives upstairs." "Good." "He can stay." "Where you goin'?" "Home." "You are home." "[Clattering]" "Hey, what the hell?" "I aim to please." "You aim too, if you please." "[Continues, Indistinct]" "[Narrator] It was at this moment the awful truth became apparent to Buddy Visalo." "His dreams of this success, which he knew would be so sweet after years of failure, were once again to be foiled." "[Bottle Clangs]" "Well, who are you?" "I'm Visalo." "We met last night." "Don't you remember?" "What if I don't?" "Who are ya?" "I own the place." "The bastard that sent me the notice." "Yeah, yeah." "Uh, listen." "I don't wanna make things hard on you or anything, but, uh, me and the wife, we ain't lookin' to be landlords." "Oh, you're not." "No, no." "The idea here is for me and the wife to keep the whole house to ourselves." "Oh, that'd be nice, wouldn't it?" "Big too." "Yeah." "Well, actually, what I'm looking to do... is turn the downstairs into a bar, and we're gonna live up here." "A bar." "Lovely idea." "Yeah." "It's been on my mind for a while now, seeing how the streets have all these businesses." "Will you be serving food?" "Food?" "Yeah, I don't know." "Maybe some sandwiches and stuff." "[Knocks]" "What?" "I didn't get to the point yet." "The point is I'm looking for you to vacate." "I don't wanna make anything too uncomfortable for you, so it doesn't have to be right this minute." "A couple of days will be fine." "Maybe even a week." "Aren't you the generous soul, Mr. Visalo?" "I'm just tryin' to be fair here." "Let me tell you something." "The fact that you bought this firetrap from that prick, Mahoney, tells me, above all, you're stupid." "And if you think you're gonna come up here and throw me out, you're even dumber than you look." "I got a wife in there expecting a kid, so in spite of your stupidity," "I'm sure you'll be able to see I'm not exactly in the mood... to be thrown out on the street by some dimwit, two-bit Italian, who fancies himself a restaurateur." "Hey, Vilula." "I forgot, the rent." " What about it?" " I ain't got it." "Ain't got it for months." "If you think that's gonna be enough to throw me out, you're sadly mistaken." "The New York Renters Association's..." "According to the New York Renters Association," "I've got another year to live in my abode." "A whole year, Visuli." "Did you know that?" "So, don't bother comin' up here, knockin' on my door, lookin' for the rent... because you won't get it." "What's going on, Buddy?" "Buddy, what's going on?" "Buddy, look at me!" "Talk..." "Bud..." "Buddy!" "Come on, come in." "You're gonna hurt yourself." "What are you doin'?" "Uh-oh. "If said dwelling has no more than two in notice..." ""and one rental apartment on the premises, was originally built before 1913, and originally served as a one-family dwelling."" "It is covered under the rental law of 1921." "How is that possible?" "Everyone lived rent-free?" ""Only applies to two-family dwellings..." ""converted from what was originally intended to be a one-family dwelling... between the years 1919 and 1921."" "Like yours." "[Estelle] My Uncle Louie would have known better to buy a house... and not ask whether the tenants had to stay or go." "My uncle Louie, Buddy." "And he couldn't read or write." "Why don't we go to Uncle Louie's grave and ask him what to do?" "No, we gotta sell this house fast, Buddy." "Maybe Uncle Louie will buy it." "[Crash, Woman Screams]" "What the hell?" "I'll take care of this, baby." "Oh, my God, this isn't happening." "[Woman Yelling] Hey, what's going on in there?" "Hey, open up, will ya?" "[Yelling Continues]" "What are you doing to her?" "What are you doing to her?" "Open up the door!" "What's the matter with you?" "[Woman] Get away from me!" "Who are you?" "I'm Visalo, the landlord." "I heard a noise." "[Clattering] What's all this?" " You broke my door down." " You gotta be kidding me." "I could have called the cops." "What right have you?" "You broke my door down!" "He's here." "Our love and protector, Mary." "What, you come to inspect the fuckin'damage, Visuli?" "Hey, settle down, pal." "Oh, Visuli, I meant to ask you something." "It's about your figure." "Your girlish figure." "You reminded me of something, I couldn't think what." "Look, pal." "But now I know." "You're a sausage, Visuli, don't you know?" "Don't you see what I mean?" "Short on the top, short on the bottom and packed in the middle, like a fuckin' sausage." "Hey, look." "I've got news for you, pal... you're movin'." "I got news for you." "You smell like a fuckin' garlic press." "Joe, stop it." "Piss off." " Hey, hey, hey!" " Hey!" "Oh, oh, she's your type, huh, Visuli?" "Settle down, pal." "You want a piece of her, do you?" "Well, may it please you to know that this lady... belongs to me." "From here, down to here." "Stop it!" "And all that's in between." "[Groans]" "I suppose you expect me to thank you." "You know what?" "You're as sick as he is." "You're even sicker." "You're both sick, and you're both moving' tomorrow!" "[Buddy] He would have killed her." "[Narrator] Naturally, news of Buddy's drunken Irish tenant... and his ungrateful pregnant wife soon made the rounds." "He can't evict him." "It's about this law." "Buddy, you know what they say?" ""The only thing worse than a drunken mick... is a drunken mick with a broken fuckin' nose."" "Angelo's right." "We should just throw them out." "Can't throw them out." "The guy's got rights." "The guy in the housing office with the bow tie..." "What about your rights as a homeowner?" "Throw the guy out." "It's your house." "Tomorrow morning, throw the guy out." "Throw the fuckin' guy out!" "You mean physically?" "Throw him out!" "Of course physically." "What do you think, magically?" "Go down there, grab his stupid Irish mick ass, throw him down the steps, out the house, outta the block, that's it!" "Done!" "Finito." "[Grunting]" "What, are you gonna be there?" "No, I'll send you by yourself." "We're all gonna come." "I'm in." "[Narrator] The O'Nearys were to receive three warnings... in the space of five minutes." "If they didn't actively begin moving their possessions after the third warning, then appropriate actions would be taken." "Said actions remained vague, but without a doubt, involving violence." "What are you doing?" "You gonna warn them or what?" "Yeah, of course." "I'm just thinkin'." "Should I go up there, or should I do it from down here?" "What's the difference?" "Do it from down here." "What if the shoutin' wakes up the neighbors?" " Who the fuck cares?" " Hey, it's my house, all right, Danny?" "Go talk to him." "It's his house." "What are we doin'here early in the morning?" "All right, all right." "I'm gonna go up there." "Wake the mick up, huh?" "Wake the guy up, huh?" "Buddy!" "All right, all right." "Stop shouting', will ya?" "Wake up in there." "It's Visalo." "[Knocking]" "Hey, wake up." "It's moving day." "Go away." "I ain't goin' away." "You're goin' away." "Leave us alone." "I ain't leaving' youse alone." "You're leavin' us alone." "Oh, shut up!" "Let's give him a couple minutes." "All right, okay." "So, uh, let's set our watches." "I got ten minutes to 7:00." "I got five of." "Set it to mine." "My watch works." "I got five of, too, so maybe you should set it to ours." "Whose idea was this to set our watches?" "[Buddy] Enough with the watches." "Jim!" "Jim, wake up!" "Oh, God." "Jim!" "Wake up!" "Come on." "[Grunts] Hey!" "Up!" "What the hell?" "Aah!" "Wake up." "Come on." "Wake up!" "Jim, for God's sake, wake up!" "[Gurgling]" "This is your second warning, O'Neary." "Let it be known that you have received two of a possible three warnings." "Go to the window." "Why?" "There's men outside." "Who?" "Go to the window!" "They're gonna throw us out." "[Buddy Yelling, Indistinct]" "Visulo." "Visuli, if you and your band of fat-ass dagos... wanna be responsible for breaking the law... and dispossessin' me, well, that's fine, I'll see you in court." "How do you like this guy?" "He ain't taking' no one to court." "You know how expensive that is?" "But if you wanna be responsible for harming' a pregnant woman and an unborn child, you'll have to harm me too." "And that encounter will surely prove fatal... to all of you." "Come on." "Gimme a break." "What about that?" "He's bluffing." "I can take him myself." "It's okay, Mary." "They was just bluffing us." "It's happening." "Oh, Jesus, it's happening." "Oh, Jesus." "Now listen to me, please." "This is your second warning, O'Neary, unless you already come to your senses." "I need your help." "We have to have a doctor now!" "Eh, fuck you!" "For your head." "A doctor, for Christ's sake." "She's having the baby!" "He's bullshitting'." "Why didn't he call the doctor?" "Yeah, bullshit." "Why don't you call a doctor?" "Because you turned my phone off!" "You turned the phone off?" "I turned the phone off." "I don't know, the other day." "I swear to you, we'll both be outta here, but we need a doctor now!" "I think this is a little different now." "She's having a baby." "Maybe she is having a baby." "[All Talking At Once] [Mary Sobbing]" "Okay, look." "Since technically you have one warning left, O'Neary," "I'm gonna take your word for it, but don't try nothin'funny, you hear?" "Chip, go call a doctor." "Yeah." "Leave the bat." "Could you imagine if she had a baby?" "What happened?" "Is he out?" "Where's your phone?" "Is the phone in here?" "The phone, over here." "Thank you." "Here we go." "So, what's going on?" "Nothin'." "Nothin' is goin' on." "Yeah, hello, operator." "We need a doctor over here." "A doctor?" "Oh, my God." "Chip, somebody got hurt." "Yeah, we're at..." "No, it's the woman upstairs." "She's having a baby or something." "She's having a baby?" "Oh, my God!" "Yes, it's, uh..." "What, the address?" "I think we're at..." "Hey, Buddy." "She's having a baby?" "That's what he says." "What the hell are you guys just standing here for?" "We're just here makin' sure he don't try nothin' funny." "You're a bunch of knuckleheads, you know that?" "Hello?" "Hello!" "They're here!" "[Sobbing]" "God, she's having it." "Oh, my God!" "Hey, listen, it's gonna be okay." "I'll help you." "It hurts!" "[Mumbling]" "Oh, my God." "I need you to get me sheets, towels, anything." "[Whimpering] I've never done this before, but you're gonna be okay." "Hey!" "[Mary Groaning]" "Maybe I should go up there, huh?" "Yeah, maybe you should." "We'll stay down here." "You know, in case he tries something funny." "[Estelle] Squat, squat, baby." "What's your name, honey?" "Mary, I'm gonna help you." "Oh, my God, she's..." "I have it, baby." "He's right here." "Just push for me." "Come on." "[Straining]" "[Estelle Yelling, Indistinct]" "[Mary Yelling]" "I need you to push one more time, please!" "You gotta push." "I know it hurts." "I know it hurts." "Oh, my God!" "Oh, my God!" "[Estelle Crying] [Baby Crying]" "[Narrator] That's me, [Buddy] He's something, isn't he?" "In the kitchen of the home in which I was born." "Are you ready to meet Daddy?" "[Jim Laughs]" "I guess he's a little dirty, I guess." "He's not dirty." "Just..." "Just looks colored sometimes." "[Narrator] You may detect vaguely quizzical looks... on the faces of those who were present." "That's because it was immediately apparent that, in spite of having been born of two white parents," "I seemed to have been made of darker material." "Hey, it's a her." "Bring him to me." "Bring him to me!" " What happened?" " Hey, uh, look." "Go back to the bar, okay?" "I'll meet you there later." "That was the last time anyone in Staten Island ever saw Jim O'Neary, my mother's husband." "He was arrested for vagrancy several days later... and vanished for good shortly thereafter." "My mother recovered from my birth in a short time." "And later told me that the only shocking thing about the color of my skin... was that the inevitable hadn't occurred to her... during the eight and a half months of her pregnancy, at least not consciously." "The brief and apparently satisfactory reunion she had with my natural father... had never entered her mind as a possible complication." "But perhaps it constituted a sort of backup plan." "Her life with her first husband was, one way or another, in need of of some drastic change." "[Buddy] It's got the nose, the skin, everything." "The kid..." "The kid's fuckin'colored?" "Half, yeah." "You gotta be kiddin' me." "Danny, I swear to Christ." "You mean she really fucked some coon?" "Evidently." "How else does it happen, right?" "Well, Buddy, look at it this way." "In a few years, you're going to have your own janitor on the premise." "[All Chuckle]" "Kinda puts a black spot on the neighborhood, you know." "[All Laughing]" "Kinda gives a new meaning to the term "black Irish," you know what I mean?" "Let's have a couple of drinks here on the spook." "To his own house." "To your own house, huh?" "You gonna stay in the house now?" "Yeah." "Why not?" "I ran him..." "Sure." "## [Jazz]" "## [Jazz Continues]" "Buddy." "Buddy." "Estelle told me what happened." "What are you gonna do about it?" "About what?" "He's drunk, Ma." "He doesn't even realize what's going on." "Come on, I'm fine." "I ain't drunk, all right?" "What?" "What?" "You know, you think you're so smart, huh?" "Big-shot homeowner." "You're gonna run your own business." "But yet, you're too stupid to realize... when something very, very important has happened here." " What?" " Buddy." " The baby is colored." " Yeah, so?" "It ain't ours." "But it happened under our roof." "Buddy, this thing and her baby are still here." "We gotta get her out, and we gotta get her out now!" "Honey, look." "She just had the kid, all right?" "Give her a couple of days, okay?" "I'll talk to her." "No." "No, Buddy, tomorrow." "Or you know where I'll be." "That's it, okay?" "[Knocking] It's Visalo." "Come in." "[Baby Crying]" "[Fussing]" "Ever seen one before?" "Sorry." "[Clears Throat]" "I, uh, I came to tell you..." "You came to tell me... that my husband is back, quit the drink, paid you the back rent and all is forgiven." "I think you know what I came up here to tell you." "All I ask you for is a week." "Just a week to rest and make some kind of arrangements." "A week?" "I've got a sister in Sheepshead Bay." "She'll help." "We haven't spoken for a while, but I'm sure she'll help." "I think you oughta know, l-l-l..." "If it's the money, I'll pay you for it as soon as I can." "Just a week." "That's all I ask you." "It's gotta be tomorrow." "Well," "I couldn't expect you to let me stay here rent-free, to look after a child that nobody in the world could possibly want now, could I?" "You gotta admit, I mean, it's a little odd, right?" "Well, so what?" "I'm not asking for your pity." "I don't care... what you or anyone else thinks." "I got nothing to be ashamed of." "I'll do you the courtesy of getting out of your house tomorrow." "Hey, no hard feelings, right?" "God help you." "What's with the green paint?" "It's left over from the, uh, you know." "The house painting service." "Figured I could use it on the trim inside." "I don't see a bar being done in green," " unless it's got an Irish theme." " Bite your fuckin' tongue." "[Baby Crying] Morning." "Morning." "Girl like that, fuckin' a molignard." "What a shame." "[Baby Crying]" "I've left all the furniture." "Sell it if you wish." "Unless you want it." "What would I need with it?" "Here." "Take this stuff inside, will ya?" "I'll be back in a sec." "All right." "Forget the key." "Just kick it." "Just kick it." "Hey." "Do you know where you're going?" "What does it matter to you?" "I'm just askin'." "Well, if you must know, I'm checking into the Doyleton Hotel, until my sister can arrange something." "The Doyleton?" "Jesus, you gotta be careful." "I mean, that's mostly... ladies of the evening." "I beg your pardon?" "You know, hookers." "Prostitutes." "That kind of thing." "[Baby Crying]" "I wasn't expecting the Waldorf." "May I go now?" "Look, I'm just tryin' to be..." "Helpful?" "As always, Mr. Visalo." "You crazy bitch." "[Narrator] On weekends, everybody did what they could... to help Buddy and Estelle make something of their home." "[Chattering]" "We're gonna take this down." "Huh?" "Beautiful." "That is glass." "I betcha that's an antique." "Hey, honey, take a look at this." "It's nice, Estelle." "Honey!" "Gorgeous." "Beautiful." "Wow, this thing's like a church." "[Narrator] During the weeks, the grinding daily routine... went on for both the men..." "Hey, thanks, you know?" "For what?" "For encouraging me." "You're the only one I know who does." "That's 'cause you got balls." "[Narrator] As well as for the women." "Should I go down the list?" "The pizza business." "The painting business." "The limo business." "They were pretty good ideas." "Give me a break." "Gradually, the odd set of events surrounding my birth disappeared into the haze of folklore." "You know what else she said?" "She said you should have told the police." "'Cause what she did is against the law." "What is?" ""Myseginantin." Or something." "It's that imbalance that the Irish got." "And the mick says, "Just havin' a baby." "Just havin' a baby." Baby." "How much longer do I gotta hear this story, huh, Ange?" "Buddy, you don't know, but you made history." "What happened at your house, it ain't never gonna be forgotten." "What the hell?" "It wasn't my fault." "Nobody said it was." "Come on." "Have another drink." "So, Buddy comes back downstairs, right?" "And I go, "So what was it, boy or a girl?"" "And he says, "Neither, pickaninny." "[All Laughing]" "I never said that." "[Man] # For the road that we've been travelin'on #" "# Is oh, so rough #" "# That piece that you've been settin'is gettin'#" "# Oh, so tough #" "# To say we could continue #" "# Would be such a bluff #" "# So have another one #" "# On me ##" "Uh, I'm lookin' for somebody." "Her name's O'Neary." "Mary." "Fourth floor." "Fourth floor." "Uh, which room?" "How the fuck should I know?" "[Mary] Who is it?" "It's Visalo." "I was just passin' by, and I was wonderin' how you were doin'." "[Baby Crying]" "Not too good, huh?" "My sister won't take me in." "She couldn't explain the whole thing to her husband." "Well, maybe you oughta consider, uh, giving it away." "Why are you here?" "I don't know." "I don't know." "You know, they were talking about you down at the bar." "I mean..." "I wasn't saying anything, but I just started wondering how you were doing." "I give you something to talk about, do I?" "You and your friends at the bar." "The people at the market too." "And then you feel guilty, and then the next thing you're around here, paying' a visit and givin' me advice." "Why don't I give him away?" "Because maybe I don't want to." " I'm just trying to help." " You don't care." "You think I'm some slut." "Some stupid girl with her brain down here." "Hey, what the hell, Mary?" "And my name is not Mary." "It's Mrs. O'Neary to you." "I'd never dream of calling you by your first name, Mr. Visalo." "It's Mrs. O'Neary." "Where's Mr. O'Neary, huh?" "Where's your fuckin' bum husband?" "Get the fuck outta here." "[Narrator] But it remains an undisputed fact... that every one has at least one moment of total selflessness in his life." "Don't throw it away." "Coupons for Gimbels." "Me and Laura are going Saturday." "Don't worry." "I won't." "It used to be my grandmother's room." "She died last year... 104." "Twenty-five a month, including the water." "Last guy I had, used it for emergencies." "You know what I mean?" "Uh, yeah, I think so." "In fact, I'm kinda lookin' to just do this quietly." "Hey, I was married myself for years." "No, no, no, it's not that." "It's, uh..." "It's something else." "L..." "It's hard to explain." "You don't have to explain anything to me." "Deaf and dumb." "D and D. That's me." "Yeah, good." "Let's keep it that way, then." "Otherwise, I'll have to kill you." "I won't have this." "Give me 38 bucks." "Jesus, for this dump?" "Stop it!" "Do you hear me?" "Why are you doing this?" "You can pay me back." "Damn right I will." "I won't take charity." "Does your conscience bother you, is that it?" "Because it needn't." "He pays for the water." "Are you doing it to try and make yourself into a saint, is that it?" "Christ." "I'm doin' it because..." "I don't know." "I'm just doin' it, all right?" "Can't you even say thanks?" "No, you can't." "That's nice." "In that case, I'm not doing it for your thanks." "I'm just sorry that you..." "I don't need your pity." "No, you don't." "You need a goddamn roof over your head... till you figure out what to do with your goddamn self." "Look, don't get it in your head that I think what you did is all right." "'Cause believe you me, I think what you did is sick." "It's just you..." "shouldn't be staying in that hotel, that's all." "I take it your wife doesn't know." "No, she don't know." "Thank you, Mr. Visalo." "[Narrator] A letter from the Staten Island Bank... was addressed to Mr. Visalo and urged his immediate attention." "Though, it was his wife who decided to take matters into her own hands." "According to my calculations, you, uh, your expenditures are running about two and a half times your income." "But there's no law against how much of our own money we spend, is there?" "Certainly not." "As long as the collateral remains intact." "Certainly not." "As long as the collateral remains intact." "This was merely a courtesy on our part to protect you." "However, if the rate of spending continues, you have only perhaps..." "a month and a half before your savings run out." "And then, we will have to talk." "That won't be necessary." "And could you do us a favor... and not send any more of these letters?" "My husband, he works very hard." "He's under a lot of pressure." "He don't need this aggravation." "Really." "Thank you." "You said a month and a half, right?" "She's a beauty!" "Wait a minute." "What about singers?" "Who needs them?" "## [Jukebox]" "# Papa loves mambo #" "# Mama loves mambo #" "# Papa does great with it Swings like a gate with it #" "# He loses weight with it now #" "# He goes to #" "# She goes fro #" "# He goes fast #" "# She goes slow #" "# He goes left #" "# She goes right #" "# Papa lookin' for Mama but Mama is nowhere in sight #" "## [Instrumental Continues]" "Oh, hey, Estelle, that new console that you guys got is a dream." "Can I ask a personal question?" "Where we gettin' the money for all this?" "You're spending like there's no tomorrow." "Yeah, so what's the worse that could happen?" "How about you lose all your savings?" "Yeah, what then?" "You couldn't open up the bar then." "Aw." "So?" "Oh, Estelle." "Well, you'll have to rent it out, and maybe even..." "Sell the house?" "Bingo!" "# She goes fro # [Women Chattering]" "# He goes fast #" "# She goes slow #" "# He goes left #" "# She goes right #" "What's so funny?" "# Papa lookin'for Mama #" "# But Mama is nowhere in sight #" "# Ah, Papa loves mambo ##" "Buddy." "Hey, Buddy!" "What?" "This your idea of having respect?" "Huh?" "You're making a fool of yourself in front of the whole neighborhood." "What is with you, huh?" "If I was making thousands of dollars doing this, you'd be proud of me." "That's exactly my point." "The only reason you should be dancing around like a monkey... is if you're getting paid for it." "What did you call me?" " Oh, dry up." " No, no, wait a minute." "You called me a monkey?" "Oh, come on." "I was just kidding." "What, in front of all your friends, you call me a monkey?" "In front of my friends, you're acting like a monkey." "Well, you know what that means?" "That means you married a monkey." "So, who's dumber..." "a monkey or someone who marries a monkey?" "Idiot." "[Bell Rings]" "We got a winner here." "Winner here." "Nice shot, pal." "What are you gonna have?" "[Baby Crying]" "What do kids like?" "Boy or girl?" "Boy." "Boy?" "Like soldiers, guns, all of that crap." "Junior, give the man a gun." "Who is it?" "Visalo." "I brought something here." "A little gift." "I got this at the amusement park." "[Screams]" "Hey, what the hell?" "Go away!" "No, no, it's fake." "It's for the kid." "You brought that for my baby?" "Yeah." "What's the matter?" "What are you up to?" "What, nothing." "I just figured I'd drop by and bring you a little gift." "Just like that." "Well, if you must know, me and the wife, we had a fight." "You know, it was nothing big, but I was just wandering around, trying to cool down." "So, that's why you did this." "You wanted a little place to come to whenever you and your wife were on the outs?" "You're just like all of them." "All you Italians." "You're all just a race of pimps." "You'd prey on a dying nun if it suited you." "God, don't say that." "Go away!" "What's going on here?" "What are you doing?" "[Mumbling, Indistinct]" "Fuckin' idiot, you're a fuckin' pimp now." "You're a fuckin' monkey." "You're a monkey." "You embarrass people." "Now you're a jack..." "Fuckin' jackass." "Fuckin' jackass." "[Baby Crying] You bastard!" "I'll leave tomorrow." "I'll pay for everything, I will." "I don't want you to leave." " Don't you think I know that?" " No, that ain't why." "Why then?" "[Baby Continues Crying]" "I just wanna talk to someone." "[Sobbing]" "What's the matter with you?" "I don't know." "Look." "Get up here before some of the neighbors see you." "[Buddy] I get these uniforms made up, right?" "With the name of the business on them." "And l-I show them to her as soon as I get them in, and she says..." "You know what she says?" "She says, "Buddy, who are you going to sell these to when it goes out of business?"" "You all right now?" "I'm, uh..." "Yeah." "Look, I'm real sorry." "L-I haven't done that since I was..." "a little kid, you know." "Maybe even before that." "I've done a lot of it myself lately." "Yeah, well, you're a broad." "You're supposed to cry." "I'm sure things will get better for you." "[Baby Fussing] Shh." "You heard ofJulius La Rosa, right?" "No." "Julius La Rosa..." "the big singing star... on Godfrey's, uh, TV show." "Used to be, anyway." "I've never had a television." "No kiddin'." "Well, that could have been me." "Yeah, that was my big shot." "Godfrey saw me singing when I was in the army and... he said, "When you get out, you come and see me."" "I told Estelle." "She said no." "So, you didn't do it." "I thought Italian men did whatever they pleased." "Yeah, well, ever since, that's been the way it goes, but..." "You know, I never..." "I never got that kind of break thrown my way again." "You know, so I figured the least I could do if I'm not a big singing star," "I can be my own boss." "So, I tell Estelle, she says no." "I go ahead, I do it anyway." "It don't work out." "It hasn't yet." "Well, [Clears Throat] I'm gonna leave you alone." "I'm..." "You're sure you're all right?" "Yeah, yeah." "Yeah." "I'm gonna fix that window for you tomorrow." "I'd appreciate it." "And look, I'm really sorry that I brought such a stupid gift." "Well, they say it's the thought that counts." "Yeah." "And, uh, look." "I'm, um," "I'm not this way all the time, you know... cryin' and talkin' and stuff." "You know, I'm..." "I'm just like anyone else most of the time." "I'm afraid I don't believe that, Mr. Visalo." "6:00!" "6:00." "Nino's." "Don't forget!" "Okay, 6:00." "We'll be there." "What are you gonna do?" "What are we gonna do?" "We're gonna go to Angelo's." "He don't open for another hour." "He'll open up for us." "Come on, Buddy!" "On second thought, I got something I gotta do." "Errands." "Errands." "It's a beautiful day." "Let's sit in the bar." "I got to find these special nails." "I can't find them anywhere." "I'll go with you." "That's all right." "I'll do it myself." "You helped me enough." "Go get your nails and come get hammered." "You know where I'll be." "I'll see you later." "Yes, I do." "[Buddy] Mr. Cicco seen the kid?" "No." "If he does, if he says anything, you tell me." "I'll take care of him." "We both appreciate it, Mr. Visalo." "Yeah." "So, has he got a name?" "There was no birth certificate, so there was no need for a name." "Jeez, if he doesn't have a name, he's not a real person, legally." "Same with a birth certificate." "They don't cost much money, you know." "What does it matter?" "Well, I mean, you said you didn't want to give him away." "If that's the case, you oughta make him a legal person, that's all." "He's not getting a name from me, Mr. Visalo." "I have to let him go." "Wait a minute." "You're gonna get rid of him?" "What difference does it make to you?" "Oh, I don't know." "L-I thought it was kind of brave keeping'him." "It showed some balls." "Excuse me." "I mean, I don't know, I was thinking you and me, we kinda got something in common that way." "That's all." "Are you making a pass at me, Mr. Visalo?" " What?" " You make me laugh." "No, I wasn't making a pass at you." "If I was making a pass at you, you'd know I was making a pass at you." "Don't flatter yourself, huh?" "I think you like your meat a little darker, anyway." "I think you should probably leave!" "You know what?" "I probably should." "I mean, who are you?" "Miss Morals of 1956?" "What the hell?" "Making a pass at you." "Hey, let me tell you something, okay?" "I've been married 11 years." "I never cheated." "You're the one who done that, not me." "Christ!" "Mr. Visalo!" "I'm not used to people doing good by me." "[Baby Fussing, Crying]" "Eh, skip it." "Look, uh, you need any money?" "For food, I mean?" "My sister sent me some." "It's plenty." "## [Male Tenor On Radio] And two boxes of Ronzoni." "What kind?" "What kind of what?" "Macaroni." "Linguine, capellini, fettuccine?" "Yes." "Thank you." "Hey." "What do you think, huh?" "Buddy's Tavern or Buddy's Place?" "Buddy's Tavern?" "[Narrator] That's the first time I remember seeing Buddy." "How are ya?" "[Buddy Clicking His Tongue]" "And a bottle of..." "Ch-Ch..." "Chantee." "Chianti." "Thank you." "## [Big Band On Radio]" "This is delicious." "I don't normally eat so much." "Yeah, I noticed." "You gotta keep up your strength." "Mm." "I can't cook like you." "Actually, I'm not a very good housewife." "Yeah, I noticed that too." "When I was up in your house, I mean." "I don't know why Jim married me." "Well..." "I mean I know why." "But he wasn't satisfied for long." "Why'd you marry him?" "He was a friend of my father's." "When my father was dying I asked him what I could do to make him happy." "He told me to marry Jim, so I did." "I was 14." "Fourteen?" "Is there anything else you'd like to know?" "Yeah." "My husband had his own way of diverting'himself from me." "After a while, I suppose, I needed a way for myself, and I don't like to drink." "Yeah, but why would a..." "whatever it was." "Is it really so hard for you to understand?" "Wantin' somethin' for yourself and takin' it?" "# This is spring at last, dear #" "Do you know this song?" "Sing it for me." "# Summer and its madness #" "# Follow soon But there'll be sadness #" "# For I'll still be lonely #" "# For you #" "# And when blue skies #" "# Turn steel gray #" "# And autumn whispers #" "# On its way #" "# Golden harvests #" "# On their way #" "# For me... # [Narrator] They say that memories before the age of three... are highly selective and not to be trusted." "But my memory of that long-forgotten Saturday afternoon... is strangely fresh and exacting." "# Winter will so lightly #" "# Spread its cloak of white #" "# But nightly I won't sleep a wink #" "# For if I do #" "# Dreams of you #" "# Will make me lonely too #" "# And when blue skies #" "# Turn steel gray #" "# And autumn whispers #" "# On its way #" "# Golden harvests #" "# On their way #" "# For me #" "# Won't have a thing to say #" "# Winter will so lightly #" "# Spread its cloak of white But nightly #" "# I won't sleep a wink #" "# For if I do #" "# Dreams of you #" "# Will make me lonely #" "# Too ##" "Mr. Visalo..." "What?" "I just want you to know..." "I didn't kiss you 'cause I expect anything." "Yeah, well, it takes two to tango, huh?" "It's gettin' dark out, huh?" "It must be late." "Nino's at 6:00." "Jesus!" "Hey, Mary!" "## [Opera]" "## [Opera]" " Yeah, uh, Visalo." "...at least 300 pounds." "You almost got killed over that." "Four hundred." "[Cackling Laugh] Excuse me." "I'm gonna go to the men's room." "I mean, I think I thought I looked bad." "[Whispering, Indistinct] Buddy." "Come..." "What?" "Where the fuck you been?" "How long does it take to get nails?" "Hey, I was..." "Oh, you been drinkin'?" "I'm fuckin' tanked, man." "I was at Angelo's all afternoon waiting for you." "No kiddin', huh?" "You been eating somethin'?" "What?" "Oh, just a snack." "Look, where are the girls?" "They're in the back." "Come on." "Jesus." "Come on." "H-Hey." "Hey." "Look what blew in." "Sorry I'm late, there." "Hello." "Hello." "Hey." "All right." "I ordered you the galaman." "I know how much you love that." "Oh, yeah." "Oh, wait until you guys see all the goodies that we got for you." "Half-off on the all socks, the underwear..." "Underwear?" "Lucky me, huh?" "Yeah, lucky you." "Wait'll you see the flannel jackets we got." "Flannel jackets?" "## [Continues] Oh, nice." "Nice." "Who's that?" "Works at the bank." "Yeah?" "What are you doin' going'to the bank?" "Why can't I go to the bank?" "Well, you got no reason to go to the bank." "You don't get a paycheck." "Hey, cin d'ante, eh?" "Salud." "I wouldn't want to intrude." "Mr. Brancaccio, this is my husband, Buddy." "How are you?" "I just wanted to apologize again." "Don't mention it." "W-W-Wait." "What are you talking about?" " Nothin', honey." "Thank you." " No." "No." "You were right, Mrs. Visalo." "There's no law against the amount of money people spend, and it's really none of our business." "Look, we're eatin' here, okay?" "Now, what the hell, huh, Estelle?" "I'll tell you later." "No." "No." "You tell me now." "[Sighs] They sent a letter to the bank." "They said we were overspending' or somethin'." "I don't know." "So I was passin' by, and went in and told them to mind their own business." "Okay?" "The bank sent you a letter?" "To you." "I opened it by mistake." "Why didn't you tell me?" "I didn't want you to worry." "Excuse me." "Uh, come here, will you?" "[Groans]" "Eh, tell me what's goin' on." "Buddy, what is the big deal?" "Wh..." "It's none of his business!" "Let him talk." "All right?" "What's with this letter stuff?" "I only wanted to help." "Our letter upset your wife." "We try to keep an eye on our first-time homeowners." " So, what's the problem?" " Nothing." "Our spending is outdoing our savings." "I believe it was by two and a half times." "[Whistles] Wow." "No, no, no, no." "That not okay, okay?" "Why don't you tell me that?" "Just eat the dinner, and we'll talk about it later, okay?" "Listen, I got a right to know." "After all, I'm a homeowner!" "Oh, here we go." "The big-shot homeowner." "Okay, so what did she say to you?" "Nothin'!" "I told him that he should mind his business, that you know what you're doin' and that he shouldn't worry, okay?" "Yeah, yeah." "Damn right." "It's none of your business." " I know what I'm doin'!" " My apologies again." " All right." " Calm down." "## [Continues]" "It's good." "Can I have the cheese?" "Two and a half times!" "How come you don't tell me somethin' like that?" "Because you're the big-shot homeowner." "You ought to know." "And you know what?" "If you don't, it serves you right." "You don't know nothin' about owning' a house or runnin' some bar." "You don't just do things because you feel like it." "You got to have the brains for it." "Oh." "Oh, okay." "So, you sayin' I don't got no brains?" "I don't have any brains, she says." "I was just trying to look out for you." "All I'm saying..." "I was trying to help you." "I bought a house, right?" "That's got to take some brains." "[Narrator] The argument was legendary, epic." "I'm stupid and I'm embarrassing." "I'm ignoring you." "I'm eating." "I'm ignoring you." "Watch this." "Mmm, mmm, mmm..." "I did that for us!" "What do you mean you did it for us?" "We're broke and you don't tell me?" "I didn't want to see you fail again." "[Narrator] It went on far into the night," "Fail?" "Encompassing every aspect of the 11-year union... between Buddy and Estelle Visalo." "This is not our house." "Why are you making us do this?" " Wasn't everything okay?" " Don't you want to better yourself?" " Don't you want to do something with your life?" " Like what, Buddy?" "Servin' drinks to a lot of bums, huh?" "You want to turn me into a barmaid?" "Is that what you want to do?" "Jesus, Estelle." "We own our own business!" "We own our own home!" "I mean, Jesus, Estelle!" "This is a America!" "Where are you livin'?" "This is the point!" "Most women, they want their husbands to go up in the world." "You, you'd be happy if we stayed back in..." "Back where we belong, Buddy!" "Not making' fools of ourselves." "Not having everybody laugh behind our backs." "By who?" "Who?" "Your stupid friends?" "My stupid friends?" "Who the fuck cares, huh?" "I got somethin' they ain't got." "It's a crime not to use what I got." "What do you think you got that's worth throwing' away our futures on?" "I got talent!" "I could be somebody, baby!" "I could run my own life instead of havin' to answer... to some creep bastard who's got a sign that says "supervisor" on his desk." "Buddy, your ideas, they don't work." "They haven't yet... but this time they will." "Why should they?" "They never did before." "Because I'm gonna make it work, no matter what!" ""No matter what,"meant Buddy needed more money to spend at this present rate." "So, it's just not possible on the wage that you earn... to make these expenditures." "But it's just till the bar's set up." "Once it's open," "I'll be in the dough." "Like with the pizza store?" "At this rate, it doesn't look like you'll have enough to finish." "Buddy, he's right." "Why don't we just rent out the downstairs?" "The bar's half-built!" "So, then we only have half a bar to pull out." "Perhaps you could postpone construction on the bar." "Screw it." "I'll work the night shift." "Well, when are you gonna sleep?" "When the bar's open." " We done here?" " [Whistle Blowing]" "[Narrator] And so, as the working men look forward to the happiest part of their day, a drink at the local bar with their friends," "Buddy prepared to pay the price for his future independence." "[Bellowing, Indistinct] ...and join us till the sunlight." "You'll get used to it." "These day shift guys... start to look like suckers waking up at dawn every morning." "See, that's the best part, we get to go to sleep at dawn!" "Dawn, yeah." "The sift descends... into the sliding machine." "Make sure it's a smooth flow, and then turn it around." "Then get it up, and then bring it down again." "But don't you breathe it, because if you breathe it... it's gonna get in your lungs, and then we're gonna have to replace you, not to mention the flour with the goccias in it." "Okay, give it the button every minute..." "Sift, set, descend, go!" "Go!" "Go!" "Go!" "Go!" "Go!" "[Shouting, Indistinct]" "You know who's a grumbler?" "My brother-in-law, Pete." "He does not appreciate a goddamn thing!" "Look around you, how beautiful this world is." "You know, I don't know the last time I was awake at 3:30 in the mornin'." "You know, I don't remember when I wasn't." "Hey, how about a couple, you know, places that stays open?" "Rain check, huh?" "Okay." "Catch you later." "See you tomorrow." "Hey, Mary." "You must be tired." "Ah, you got to do what it takes." "Figure she don't want me to have my own bar." "That's fine with me." "She'll get used to it eventually." "See, the trouble with Estelle is... she don't like failure." "I mean, nobody does, but with her it's like a disease." "L-I don't want to make you think somethin' bad about her." "She takes great care of me and all." "You don't seem like the kind of man that needs taking care of." "Yeah, well, this one can't go in the tank like all the others." "It won't." "We're all meant for something particular." "This is what you're meant for." "You think so, huh?" "I know so, Mr. Visalo." "Mmm." "I found an adoption agency for the baby." "They said they don't mind what he looks like." "I guess they just must be startin' out or somethin', huh?" "It means I can stay with my sister." "When?" "A week." "Maybe with the money you save on paying for me, you won't have to work so hard." "Yeah, I suppose." "It means I can try and start over again like nothin' ever happened." "Now, why are you gonna do that?" "I mean, maybe, you're never gonna want to tell what happened, but... you can remember it, just yourself." "No." "I can't." "Guess it's a little easier that way, huh?" "A lot easier." "Well, in that case, if you and me were to spend some time together, we would just forget about it, anyway, and... you know me, I'd never tell." "And it would be a lot easier, just like you said." "Why..." "Why do you want me, Mr. Visalo?" "'Cause I got a feeling about you I never felt before... not even with my wife." "I mean, it's not that I don't love her, even though she pisses me off all the time." "No." "It's just this feelin'." "I been a good husband 11 years." "I figure one week... won't really matter." "I been a bad girl my whole life." "I don't suppose a week will matter to me, either." "[Man] # I'm confessin'that I love you #" "# Tell me that you love me too #" "# I'm confessin'that I need you #" "# Honest I do #" "# Need you every moment #" "# In your eyes I read #" "# Such strange things #" "# But your lips deny they're true #" "# Will your answer really change things #" "What are you doin'?" "You all right?" "# Makin'me blue # You gonna make it?" "[Laughs]" "[Narrator] 8:00 to 6:00 at the factory," "# I'm afraid someday you will leave me # a half-hour for dinner..." "# Sayin', "Can't we still be friends"# then the night shift till 3:00 a.m." "# If you go you know you will grieve me #" "# All in life on you depends # 3:00 a.m. To 6:00 a.m. Was spent every night of that week... with my mother, Mary Wylie O'Neary, a kept woman." "# Dreamin'dreams of you in vain #" "# Well, I'm confessin'#" "# That I love you #" "# Over again ##" "# Over again ##" "My Harry's been on the night shift for two years." "Still ain't used to it." "They say that ain't healthy... that workin' all night, sleepin' all day." "How about sleeping' two hours and then goin' back to work?" "He's gonna kill himself." "I swear to God." "If he don't quit, I'm gonna make him." "It's bad for his health." "It was worse before the unions." "Then, they made 'em work 6:00 to 6:00." "My Harry used to get home just in time for me to wake up, get dressed... and go to work, back when I had to work." "I wouldn't let Chip work those hours." "Unless he wanted to open up his own bar, huh?" "[Scoffs]" "Well, what happened after the unions?" "Used to be 6:00 to 6:00." "Now, it's 6:00 p.m. To 3:00 a.m." "That's why we voted for Impostado." "He made changes." "Mm-hmm." "That was the first time I ever voted." "That's why you voted." "You can't live with those kind of hours." "[Narrator] She'd never doubted that her husband was simply... not talented enough to be a singer, enterprising enough to be a businessman... or intelligent enough to be anything but a factory worker." "[Door Opening, Closing]" "She also never doubted his fidelity, his naive, blundering honesty." "How was work?" "Murder." "It had never occurred to her that there might be... the slightest hint of deception in her husband." "At one point, she thought of how disappointing it might be... if Buddy were simply to go to an all-night diner... and sit there until 6:00." "That would indicate that he simply preferred to be... anywhere but with her." "## [Recording:" "Man Singing Opera]" "And those tomatoes." "Not these, the strange ones." "Sun-dried." "[Chuckles]" "## [Continues]" " Oh, and ricotta?" " Ricotta seca!" "[Laughs]" "You hurt yourself?" "Oh, I'm fine." "This is a bit bashed, though." "Don't worry about it." "## [Continues]" "Thank you." " You live here?" " Upstairs." "H-How's the baby?" "He's fine." "Well, I just came by to see how you were doin'." "[Whistle Blowing] Workin' the night shift?" "Eh, fuck 'em." "I'm goin' home." "Good for you." "[Narrator] He was lying, of course." "He was going to see my mother, who was hoping, praying that he would come by early that night just to explain... the presence of his wife in this strange neighborhood." "Mary!" "I had this great idea for the bar." "Every week I'm gonna have a cookout." "And everybody's gonna bring their own recipe and we'll do it like a contest." "Your wife..." "She's gonna love it because her fear is... she's gonna have to do all the cooking'." "She came by." "She-She came by here?" "She said she wanted to see how I was doin'." "[Door Opens, Closes]" "[Electricity Buzzing]" "[Sobbing] She standing' there with a bag of groceries... like the good little housewife." "She was probably going to cook for him." "I can't believe this." "You mean the one with the colored baby?" "Yes." "The one with the colored baby." "He spent the night with her too." "Oh, it's the worst I ever heard, and my Harry's slept with a lot of skivatses..." "I don't even know who he is anymore." "Are you gonna go back?" "I already packed my stuff and moved back to my mother's." "Good." "Good." "Good." "Besides there's hardly anything left." "What do you mean?" "I got a little crazy, okay?" "Oh, Jesus, Estelle." "After all that work that you guys did." "That's right, after all that work, so he could go do the hokey-pokey... with some puttana who would sleep with a... nigger and have a baby!" "[Sniffles] I mean, am I that disgusting?" " [All] No." " Look." "Listen-Listen, men... they got no sense of about this stuff." "Some of them, they'll sleep with anything." "I mean it... kids, animals." "Just as long as they got someone at home who don't know about it." " It excites them!" " Listen, you guys, you can't say nothin'." "Promise me." "Teen law, please." "Please, you can't nothin' to nobody." "I am so embarrassed." " You heard, huh?" " Down at the bar, yeah." " You heard, huh?" " Down at the bar, yeah." "How'd they find out?" "Estelle told the girls." "They told the guys." "You know, that's that." "Fucked up here, huh?" "Just tell me, you want her back, right?" "Well, hell yeah." "I mean, one time in 11 years, what's that?" "So, uh, why don't you give her a call?" "Now." "Might be a good time." "You know." "[Buddy] Yeah, I'm listening." "[Narrator] Negotiations were underway." "Estelle wouldn't even see Buddy until he'd gone... until he'd gone to my mother and renounced her." "That was the term that was used..." ""renounce."" "Re-Renounce..." "What the hell does that mean?" "Then, she would agree to see him but at a neutral location... the Skyline Diner." "Hey, Mary!" "Like a hurricane hit that house, that's what it looks like." "Oh, Christ." "Visalo rides again." "Christ." "I'll be leavin' tomorrow, so... that should be the end of your problems, really." "I'm supposed to renounce you, whatever that means." "It means to make like it never existed." "Is that what that means?" "Yeah, well, screw it." " I'll say that I did but I don't." " [Baby Fussing]" "[Crying] Kid likes a good show, huh?" "I suppose." "Well, uh..." "I guess since I'm not gonna see you again I ought to say somethin'." "You don't have to." "I know I don't have to." "I want to." "I have to go back to my wife." "Well, anyway, this is what I'm thinkin'." "When you had this situation and all," "I had just done the hardest thing I ever did." "Nobody believed in me..." "nobody." "'Cept for my buddy Chip, you know, but, uh, what's he got to lose, right?" "Uh, anyway, something about you..." "what you did..." "I mean, everybody was talkin' about it and laughin'in a way." "But-But it made me think." "What the hell?" "What the hell?" "You go on." "You know, things happen." "As long as think the thing you did was right for you..." "Mr. Visalo..." "I think you should leave." "[Door Opens, Closes]" " Hi, Estelle." " Hi, Buddy." " Why they gotta be here?" " 'Cause I want 'em here." "All right." "All right." "Okay." "[Sighs] First off, you gotta believe something, okay?" "This is the first..." "It-It-It's the only time this ever happened." "I mean, do you believe me?" "Yeah, I believe you." "Okay." "Okay, now the other thing." "It was a big mistake." "Then, why did you do it?" "I don't know." "L-l-I guess..." "Don't guess with me, Buddy." "You tell me why you would do something like this to me." "I know..." "It had somethin' to do with us." "With us?" "Yeah, I mean..." "You know, you been... riding me real hard about the house, huh?" "Even you got to admit that, at times, you make it as though..." "I'm tryin' to ruin your life, you know?" "So, what are you saying?" "You saying it's my fault?" "Huh?" "Is that what you're sayin'?" "Are you sayin' it's my fault?" "No, I didn't say that, okay?" "I'm just tryin' to figure out myself why I did it." "Look, Buddy," "Let me make it easy for you." "Okay?" "You did it because you were feelin' like a big shot." "You did it because you think you're somebody you're not." "You did it for the same reason that you've done every other crazy thing in your life." "'Cause you think you're somebody you're not." "Look..." "you're no Don Juan." "So, forget the singing, forget that house because we're sellin' it... and we're goin' back to my mother's." "Buddy, I've been doin' some thinkin' too." "About what?" "Well, you know, how I really never really liked..." "I mean, I liked it okay." "Maybe just not as much... as you." " What?" " [Sighs]" "Doin' it." "What are you talkin' here?" "Look, I've been thinkin' about what you did." "Okay?" "And how men are different than women." "You know, and they have different needs." "And that..." "[Sighs]" "If you feel... that you need to go out and get it, then maybe it's okay." "I guess." "[Indistinct]" "I mean, it's not like you're goin' anywhere, right?" "Wait, wait..." "So, you're not mad with me... about that?" "Look, Buddy, if you wanted to go fool around," "I would've looked the other way." "[Sobs] I would've did that for you." "But for you to fool around with that puttana... that whore, that nigger lover." "[Sniffling]" "Look, just try and have better taste next time, okay?" "Buddy, what's wrong?" "Talk to me." "What?" "Buddy, what?" "[Narrator] He'd never thought of the people he'd known all his life... as his jailers... until that moment." "He's just perfect." "Thanks." "I'd really hadn't planned..." "Oh, darling." "Don't explain." "I mean, we're not about that." "I know a couple that would just adore him." "[Coughs]" "Yes!" "They're professors at some small college, and they specified they wanted a baby born out of wedlock." "[Mary] I was married when I had him." "Well, that's even better." "You know, we do this thing once a month... called "Women on Women on Race and Sex" down at the school." "You'd fit in with the group perfect." "[Baby Coos]" " Mr. Visalo?" " Hey, how are you?" "I was just..." "Yeah, I figured." "Uh..." "Listen, can l..." "Can I talk to you for a minute?" "Well, we're almost done." "I mean, now." "Before." "Would you excuse me?" "Sure." "Uh, outside." "My wife and I, we were trying to make up, and all of a sudden I realized that..." "See, well, I never really understood her." "Uh, what she wanted from me or me from her." "I don't know, but, uh..." " Wasn't her fault." " I hope everything worked out." "Really?" "Of course." "No." "Don't say that." "W-Why would you say that?" "I don't know." "I just assumed that's what you wanted me to say." "I walked out." "Love of God." "'Cause of you." "Why?" "Because I got this feelin' about you." "I don't think you know..." "l-I know it's a little strange, but I think maybe I'm in love with you." "You don't know what you're doin', Mr. Visalo." "I know, I don't know what I'm doin'." "[Sighs] I've got to take care of upstairs." "The baby." "Uh, where'd you find that broad?" "Social services." "Lose her." "[Narrator] She had not expected to stay in Staten Island." "And certainly not in the house where'd she'd spent... several very unhappy years with her first husband." "And certainly not with me." "And the months of working all day and rebuilding Buddy's Tavern at night... eventually came to a close." "Just in time for a festive Christmas opening." "Look what the wind blew in." "How you doin', Ange?" "Pretty good, you know?" "Where you been?" "Workin' on the bar." "I'm gonna open next week..." "Christmas Eve." "Oh, no shit, huh?" "Quite a showman, Buddy." "You do things in a big way." "I was thinkin' maybe you guys want to come down." "You know, uh, see the place." "I'm gonna sing." "Mary, she's gonna cook." "I'm stayin' open Christmas Eve." "Oh, yeah." "Well, uh..." "Maybe after you close, huh?" "Yeah, maybe." " You take care, Ang." " Yeah, Buddy." "[Chattering, Indistinct]" "[Laughing]" "See that guy?" "He threw his whole life away." "[Narrator] It couldn't have been any other way." "The very act of bringing my mother and myself into his home... was blasphemy... a rude rejection of every value that had ever been instilled in Buddy... by his friends, his family." "[Buddy] # Golden harvests #" "# On their way #" "# For me #" "# Won't have a thing to say #" "# Winter will so lightly #" "# Spread its cloak of white, but nightly #" "# I won't sleep a wink #" "# For if I do #" "# Dreams of you will make me lonely #" "# Dreams of you will make me lonely #" "# Too ##" "Thank you." "Thank you." "Silent Fuckin'Night, huh?" "Things'll get better." "Yeah, sure they will." "If they don't, screw 'em." "[Door Opening]" "[Wheezing Cough] This place open?" "Yeah, it sure is." " Hey, you're my first customer." " Well, I don't have any money." "[Chuckles] Can you imagine?" "The hell you supposed to get a drink?" "I was over at Angelo's." "I couldn't pay." "He said to come over here." "He said, "They serve anybody at Buddy's Tavern."" "Have a seat, my friend." "What'll you have, St. James?" "Love one." "[Coughing]" "Slow night." "We've only just opened." "There you go." "[Narrator] There would be many slow nights in the future." "[Man Singing On Jukebox] # I'm confessin' that I love you #" "But not enough to close the bar which my father, Buddy Visalo, ran until his death in 1988." "# Tell me do you love me too #" "And which my mother, Mary Wylie Visalo," "And which my mother, Mary Wylie Visalo, ran until her death last year." "# Honest I do #" "Buddy's Tavern of Staten Island... of which I am the current owner, manager and barkeep." "# In your eyes I read such strange things #" "# But your lips deny they're true #" "# Will your answer really change things #" "# Makin'me blue #" "# I'm afraid someday you will leave me #" "# Sayin', "Can't we still be friends"#" "# If you go you know you will grieve me #" "# All in life on you depends #" "# Am I guessin' that you love me #" "# Dreamin'dreams of you in vain #" "# Well, I'm confessin' that I love you #" "# Over again ##"