"[Man] We knowthe abuses." "How could we not know?" "We have been told ofthe indignities." "How could we not hear?" "Six dollar salaries;" "our men carrying their own machines to work, cheated on piecework;" "our girls given $4 and $3 a week... because they are called "learners, "" "when all there is for them to learn about are screaming foremen;" "stinking toilets that overrun the workroom;" "winters without heat;" "being charged for the electricity they use, the needles they sew with, the very chairs they sit in." "Here, here in what in only a few weeks will be... the tenth year ofthe twentieth century, we have seen our small strikes smashed, our brave girls battered by the goons... and our own New York policemen." "Yes, a general strike hangs in the air here tonight..." "like the smoke from the flames within you, the anger within you all." "Yes, the proper response to these outrages... is to be outraged." "And yet we say," ""Wait."" "And yet we urge caution." "We are a new union, not yet strong, not strong enough forvictory." "Our own Mr. Gompers, he has just pleaded with you to use deliberation, to knowthatstrikes are a methodoflast resort." "[ Speaking German ]" "Excuse me, miss, but you're not listed on this program." "And in an event like this, we must proceed" "It is Clara Lemlich, beaten bythe goons ofLeiserson." "Let herspeak1" "[ Speaking German ] [ Woman Shouting]" "[Lecturer] Uh, miss, unfortunately in a program this length" "[ Clara Speaking German ]" "[ Woman ] Let Clara Lemlich speak1 [ Speaki ng German ]" "[ Woman ] Tell them, Clara." "Yes1" "[ Murm uri ng ]" "Hear me!" "." "[ Speaki ng German ]" "[ Murmuring Stops ]" "[ Speaking German ] [ Woman ] What is she saying?" "Please. "I am a working girl." "[ Continues ]" ""I wanna use striking against the intolerable conditions." "[ Continues ]" "I am tired oflistening to all these speakers. "" "[ Continues ]" "Jetzt1" "[ Al I Shouti ng ] Jetzt1" "[ Shouting, Cheering]" "Al I right, all right!" "Will you, all ofyou, will you take the old Hebrew oath?" "." "If I turn traitor" "[ Together] If I turn traitor... to the cause I now pledge, maythis hand wither... from the arm I raise." "Ladies and gentlemen, a general strike... has now been called." "[All Chanting] Strike1 Strike1" "[ Chanting Continues ]" "Strike." "Strike." "Strike." "Strike!" "Strike!" "Strike!" "Strike!" "[ Chanting Continues ]" "[ Chanting ]" "When do we want it?" "[ All ] Right now!" "What do we want?" "Contract!" "We're fired up!" "Can't take no more!" "We're fired up!" "Can't take no more!" "We're fired up!" " Can't take no more1" "Strike." "Strike!" "[ Chanting Continues ]" "A thousand voices, perhaps even more." "That Clara, she had fire in her mouth." "Me, I would settle for a few teeth." "Madam?" "Tell me, madam" ""July Carbonelle."" "Beautiful name." "Thankyou." "Tell me, why aren'tyou out there marching with your friends, with your comrades, demanding your rights, July Carbonelle?" "." "[ Chanting Continues ] Surest way to get fired is why, "comrade."" "Also, they say they gonna call Immigration on me, even though they know I'm legal." "The bosses, the bosses." "Their tactics haven't changed in a century." "Frighten the foreign born andexploit the immigrant." "Reign byterror." "And the answer to all of this?" "." "Organize." "All ofyou." "A "roll-out. "" "Listen to me now." "Grab your walkers." "Grab your canes." "Roll those wheels." "Join the workers outside." "Show your support!" "[ Chattering On TV]" "Samuel Gompers." "I remember him." "He's dead." "Yes, but there's a chance" " So is Communism." "And Clara Lemlich too." "She was cute." "I rememberher." "Butyou?" "Who the hell areyou?" "." "[ Chanting Continues ]" "What do we want?" "Contract1" "When do we want it?" "Right now1" "[Shouting, Chanting]" "[ Chanting] Strike1 Strike1" "[ Chanting Continues ]" "[ Ukulele ]" "[ Man ] Don't tell me no 1 2 1." "Howyou figure you gonna fool me?" "Don't you got no shame, you" "[ Boiler Rumbling ] Ol' Bull." "[ Laughs ]" "Crazy Ol'Bull." "[ Male Vocalist ]" "We got hot water to do here, baby." "We got people gettin' up here." "[ Rumbling ]" "Okay, don't make promises, just hot water." "[ Muttering, Laughing ]" "Oh, yeah: 1 23, 1 24." "Yeah." "Hold it right there." "Hold it right there, baby!" "Mr. Carter, sir, I've-- Hey!" "What the" " Where the hell you come from, Mohammed?" "." "It is I coming." "Man, you always jumpin' out from somewhere." "I was merely" "Why don't wear one ofthem white bandannas," "like the day man, so I can seeyou comin'?" "." "But I am the day man, sir." "Right, right, right." "And I'm wearing a white bandanna." "Right again." "[ Rumbling Loudly]" "[ Laughing ]" "That boy's had a rough night." "Ah, yes." "My machine also." "No longeryoung, and somewhat troubled." "[ Clanking]" ""Somewhat troubled"?" "." "[ Rattling, Backfiring ]" "[ Grumbling ]" "I think we're looking at cardiac arrest here, baby." "[ Backfiring ] Mm-hmm." "[ Knocking ]" "Yeah, what, what?" "." " This ladyhas a question foryou, sir." "Yeah, I answered it already, twice." "Obviously not to her satisfaction." "And now certainly not to mine." "How come, mister, please, this same ground sirloin, extra lean, a pound only, is last week $3.45, is this week $5.20, how?" "I told you, take it or leave it, ma'am." "All right, hold it." "[ Shutter Clicks ]" "What the hell is this?" "." " This is for our records." "Can you lean a little closer to him, madam;" "hold up the product?" "." "Good." "Good." "Together." "The exploiter and the victim." "[ Shutter Clicks ] Watch foryourself, sir, in this Sunday's edition... of the Daily News, the "Shame of New York" series." "Featuring, of course, my organization, UCPA," "United Consumers Protection Agency, formedbymandate of the Mayor's Advisory Council... on Consumer Affairs." "Let me have that product, madam." "That obviously is in need ofa correction." ""Three dollars and twenty cents," ""based on current market standards." "Approved, UCPA."" "You may take that to the checkout counter, madam, and good luck to ya." "Uh, sir?" "." "Maybe you could help me." "Yes?" "." "Yes." "Nine fifty for these lamb chops." "Now, is that correct?" "." "No." "That is neither correct norjust." "I thought so." "Seven twenty." "When you can only afford meat once a week, or perhaps once every two weeks, you've gotta be very careful." "Excuse me, I'm concerned about this." "Yes, you're correct." "I'm concerned about this." "Harry!" "You're concerned about this chicken?" "." "You should be." "Come out here, quick." "You should be concerned about this chicken." "Harry?" "." "Harry?" "." "2.45." "Just a moment, son." "[ Phone Rings ] Gelber." "Hello." "This is the manager ofthe Gristedes at 77th and Madison." "Is this the United Consumers Protection Agency?" "." "What?" "." "Sorry, I can't hearyou." "[ Customers Shouting ] I said, "Is this the United Consumers Protection Agency?"" "For this honeydew, 3.75." "What's your fee?" "." "Acceptable." "[Man ] Acceptable." "This is mint sauce." "I'd love to have that with my lamb chops, but I can't afford that." "Yeah, we could make it a little less." "Yes, it's me again." "This time it's turkey." "Turkey?" "." "Field Representative Bartley?" "." "Would you put him on, please?" "." "First I would like to know bywhat authorityyou people-- I'd like to speak to him." "Okay, okay." "But then get right back on with me." "[ All Shouting ] [Manager] Bartley1" "None1 I want none ofthose changed items going through." "Hello." "Bartley speaking." "That's it." "That was the last call." "No more." "You're on your own, Dad." "[Phone Slams ]" "[ Shouting Continues ] Yes?" "." "Well, ifyou insist, Chief." "Thankyou." "Emergency at D'Agostino's, 83rd and Lexington." "I'm wanted there immediately." "You're doing a fine thing." "Fine thing." "A fine thing." "I nformation?" "." "Yeah, I'd like the number for the Mayor's Advisory Council on Consumer Affairs." "[ Nat ] Consumers!" "Consumers!" "Protest... beforeyou yourselves are consumed!" "Put down your shopping bags, abandon your carts... and pursue the prices you deserve." "If not here, then where else but elsewhere?" "." "[ All Cheering ]" "He's right." "The man is a saint!" "[Engine Backfiring, Rumbling]" "Sparkwire's loose on one ofthe cylinders." "That's throwing a charge into the engine block." "That's the ticket." "Cylinder three." "That's my call." "[Rumbling Continues ]" "[ Rumbling Stops, Engine Idling ]" "Once again." "Once again, my dear friend, you have brought life to myvehicle." "[Man ] Carter?" "Carter, is thatyou?" "[ Stammering ] I'm Peter Danforth." "Yeah, from the tenants' committee." "Nice meeting you!" "Got to run!" "Carter, it's urgent we talk soon!" "I got it on the top of my "Urgent" list!" "[Danforth ] Top ofyourlist." "Good, good." "Right." "Get you a taxi?" "." "Oh, no, no, no." "I, uh, I-I run." "I mean, I-I don't run to work." "I walk to work." "I-I run-- I run at work." "I mean, not while I'm working, but I" " I run" "I take a break, and then I run when I'm at work." "Right." "Well, gotta run." "[Tango ]" "Good morning, Louis." "Good morning, Midge." "[ Continues ]" "Oye, viejo." "Don't forget to be there." "Got it." "7:00, you know?" "." "A las "sieto"." "Si, a las siete." "[ Tango ]" "[ Calliope ]" "How's business,Jake?" "." "A little slow, doctor." "A lot of people usin' paper cups." "Paper cups all over the place." "One more, Mr. Gunther." "Come on, oh, yes." "Very nice." "[ Groans ]" "And... almost done." "[ Bell Tolling] There." "Bang, bang, bad guy, bad guy!" "Bang, bang, bad guy, bad guy!" "All right, Lone Ranger." "I got you now!" "[ I mitating Gunfire ]" "[ Phone Ringing ]" "Howdy." "Irwin." "Irwin." "Yeah, those shares of Allied Chemical, they've been weighing' on my mind." "[ Mom ] Come on, we're late." "Why don'twe dump 'em?" "." "Yeah,you know-- [Nurse ] One more, Mr. Gunther." "[Boy] Bang, bang1" "[ Continues ]" "[Kids Playing, People Shouting] [ Humming ]" "[ Exhales ]" "Okay, where was I?" "." "Where the hell was I?" "." "What were we talking about yesterday?" "." "I was just about to make a very important point when we were interrupted." "What were we talking about?" "." "We wasn't talkin'." "You was talkin'." "I wasn't talkin'." "Okay, so what was I saying?" "." "I wasn't listening either." "You were doin' the whole thing byyourself." "Whyweren'tyou listening?" "." "'Causeyou're a goddamn liar." "I'm not listenin' toyou anymore, mister." "Three days now, I ain't been listenin'." "Interrupted?" "." "You wasn't interrupted." "I got up and walked off." "Stop pretending to read." "You can't see anything." "Hey, why don'tyou go and sit with them old dudes in front ofthe welfare hotel?" "." "Them old butter-brains, why don'tyou go and mess with them?" "." "'Cause I ain't talkin' toyou no more, mister." "Puttin' you on notice ofthat." "Y-You may as well be talkin' to that tree over there." "That's a lamppost." "Sittin' here a whole week, and not a word oftruth outta you." "Shuckin' me everywhich way, till the sun go down." "I demand an explanation ofthat last statement;" "also a translation." "Okay, wiseass!" "For example, areyou or areyou not an escaped Cuban terrorist?" "." "I am not." "Okay." "And your name is not Hernando?" "." "Absolutely not." "So it's a lie!" "It's a cover story." "My line ofwork, they give you a cover story." "Are you saying" " I'm saying-- and that's all I'm saying-- is that in my line ofwork, my particular field, you gotta have a cover story." "Honey-bun, areyou sayin' you're a spy?" "." "I'm saying my name is Hernando, and I'm an escaped Cuban terrorist." "What kinda weirdo, bullshit cover" "You don't think I said that to them?" "." "That's what I said to them." "I said to them, "A former Lithuanian citizen, 80-something years old, is now a Cuban Hernando?"" ""That's right." "Tough luck, sweetheart," they said." ""Yours not to reason why--"" "That's the way they talk." "Of course you don't believe it." "You think I believe it?" "." "Such dopes." "But it's a living." "Whywould they pick an old-- Do I know this?" "." "You tell me." "Ayear ago, I'm standing in line at the Medicaid." "A fella comes up to me-- Boom." "I'm an undercover." "Lord." "Who knows why they do these things?" "." "Maybe they got something there." "They figure, an old man like me, nobody'll pay attention." "I could wander through the world like a ghost, maybe pick up a few tidbits." "Yeah?" "." "Who knows what they got goin' on over there?" "." "I mean, you know, all right." "I grantyou they screwed up on the cover story." "But listen, a thousand bingos every month... is added to my Social Security check." "One thousand bananas a month, you don't ask fancy questions." "Best not." "Best not." "Soyou ever pick up any information for 'em?" "." "Areyou kiddin'?" "." "Sitting on a bench all day... with a man who can't tell... a tree from a lamppost?" "." "Not a shred." "The fact is," "I think they got me in what they call... deep cover." "They keepya in this deep cover foryears." "Like five, maybe 1 0 years, they keep you there, till you're just like this regular person in the neighborhood." "Then, boom!" "They pickyou out for the big one." "Considering my age and general health," "I don't think they're too bright over there." "Okay, snack time." "Deep cover." "Yeah, I-I heard about that." "Here." "We have a tuna fish salad sandwich... with lettuce and tomatoes on whole-wheat toast." "Farm-fresh deli." "Yeah, that's a very, very good s-store there." "Take half." "Thankyou." "Take this right here." "Ahh." "Thankyou, sir." "Sure." "Thankyou, indeed." "Comes a certain time in the day, there's nothing like a fresh tuna fish salad sandwich." "Uh-huh." "[ Laughing ]" "Mmm." "Oh, yeah." "It's crisp." "Mmm." "Mmm." "Mmm." "Mmm." "Mmm." "Bullshit." "Bullshit." "Lord, you have done it to me again." "You done it again." "I promised myselfl wouldn't letya, and ya done it again." "Deep cover." "Nice." "Cuban terrorist." "Bingo, you've done it again!" "Itwas nice." "Nice long story, lasted a long time." "That's it." "That is it!" "No more conversing." "Conversing is over." "Please calm yourself." "Now move away." "Awaywith you, boy." "I was trying to have fun." "This is my spot." "I got here first." "I didn't mean foryou to take me serious" "Get off my spot before I layyou out!" "Where's it say, your spot?" "." "Show me." "Show me the plaque." "Where does it say that?" "." "It says right here." "You read them hands?" "." "Study them hands, boy." "Them hands were Golden Gloves... in the summer of 1 9 and 28." "This is my spot." "Been my spot six months now, my good and peaceful spot, till you show up one week ago... playin' three-card monte with my head." "I wantyou gone, boy." "I'm givin' you three to make dust." "I'm comin' out on the count ofthree." "One!" "Wait, a brief discussion." "The sound ofthe bell, I'm comin' out." "Now, you won't hear it, but I will." "Two!" "How areyou gonna hit me ifyou can't see me?" "." "I just keep punchin' till I hear crunching'." "Three!" "This is an embarrassing demonstration." "Comin' atya." "Comin' atyou, boy." "Comin' atyou." "Sir, you have a depressing personality... anda terrible attitude." "Prepare yourself." "Prepare yourself!" "." "Oh, shit." "Mister?" "." "Mister?" "Mister?" "Oh, shit." "Don't move." "Don't move." "All right." "Could be you broke something." "I know." "Neverfall down." "Neverfall down1" "Oh, it's nothing." "I fall down every morning." "I get up, I have a cup of coffee, I fall down." "That's the system." "Twoyears old,you stand up, and then, boom1" "Seventyyears later, you fall down again." "Okay, first thing, can you lift your head?" "." "Good." "Good." "That's good." "All right, put it down." "Put it down slowly." "Easy does it." "All right." "That's very good." "Okay." "Good sign." "Now we're feeling for breaks." "Feeling the hips now." "Ifyou like this, we're engaged." "Don't worry." "Everybodybreaks." "Me, I got a hip like a teacup." "Twice lastyear." "You know, I was also dead once for a while." "Six minutes." "They're doing a bypass, a coronary bypass on me." "Everything stops." "They have to jump-start me like a Chevrolet." "Six minutes dead, the doctor said." "You know what it's like?" "." "What?" "." "Boring." "All right, can you move your arms at all?" "." "Try to m-moveyour arms." "Make like that boxer." "Show me that Golden Gloves." "Yes." "Very good." "Very good." "That's good." "That's a good sign." "That's good news." "Put them down slowly." "All right." "Boys, he's all right." "Thankyou." "Go fight the forces ofevil." "[Laughs ]" "All right." "Now, from experience, just lie there five minutes and relax before getting up." "Best thing forrelaxing isjokes." "Willy Howard, you heard ofhim?" "." "Genius, an artist." "Years ago he had this routine-- That was anotherlie, wasn't it?" "What?" "'Bout you bein' dead." "No." "No, it's a fact, an absolute fact." "Man, you ain't even friendly with the truth." "Your goddamn lies put me on the canvas here." "Not lies." "Alterations." "I make certain alterations." "Sometimes the truth don't fit." "I take in a little here, I let out a little there, till it fits." "The truth?" "." "The truth is going to the back door ofthe Plaza Hotel... everymorning foryesterday's club rolls." "I tell them it's for the pigeons." "I 'm the pigeon." "Six minutes dead is true, a fact." "And that's my last fact." "This morning I'm talking to the counterman at Farm Fresh." "I tell him I'm an American Indian, an Iroquois." "He I istens." "Pretty soon I 'm remembering the days on the plains, the broken treaties, my grandpa fighting the cavalry." "Not important, he's convinced." "I am." "And I love it." "This morning I'm an American Indian, this afternoon a spy." "I was one person for 80-something years." "Why not a hundred for the next five?" "." "Them club rolls." "How early doyou think a person ought to get there to get them rolls?" "." "Rolls?" "." "Rolls?" "." "You missed the whole point." "The point?" "." "I got the point." "The point is, you are crazy!" "Point is, you ain't never seein' your marbles again!" "Oh, how fortunate, an expert on mental health." "Crazy, you say?" "." "Listen to me." "Listen to a trained observer." "You are a wreck." "Is this who you wanna be?" "." "Is this what you had in mind for old, this guy here, sitting and staring, once in a while for a thrill falling down?" "." "No, you gotta shake things up, fella." "You gotta make things happen." "You tellin' me how to live?" "." "You tellin' me?" "Mister, you talkin' to the superintendent in charge, 321 Central ParkWest," "42 years,July." "Near 1 5 years past retirement." "Howyou think I'm still superthere?" "." "I ain't mentioned a raise in 1 5 years." "And they ain't, neither." "[ Chuckles ]" "Threeyears ago, moved to the night shift outta the public eye." "Daytime?" "." "A bunch of Arab supers, come and gone." "But not Midge." "Mister, you lookin' at the wise, old invisible man." "No, I'm lookin' at a dead man." "Fifteen years, no raise?" "." "That's a dead person." "That's a ghost." "What doyou know?" "What does a ghost know?" "." "People see me." "They see me." "I make them see me!" "You fool." "You crazy old fool!" "They don't see you." "They don't want to look at your old face." "Mine neither." "I just help 'em out." "Don'tyou get it, baby?" "." "Both of us ghosts, onlyyou ain't noticed." "We old, and not rich, and done the sin ofleavin' slow." "You go with it, oryou break, boy." "Traitor in the ranks!" "[Danforth ] Mr. Carter1" "People likeyou give "old" a bad name." "Ah, good." "Thereyou are, Carter." "Midge Carter." "Here I am." "No, no, here." "Up here on the bridge." "It's Danforth." "Pete Danforth, 1 2-H." "Pete Danforth." "Right." "Right, yeah." "They-They told me you might be in this area." "Our meeting, remember?" "." "Our meeting." "Right." "[ Laughing ] Right." "Right." "Yeah, well, how 'bout" "How 'bout right overthere, as soon as I finish myrun, at that gazebo, there?" "Gazebo." "Right." "Right." "Yeah, that, uh, charming structure by the pond there." "[Jazz ] [Midge ] Charmingstructure." "You got it." "Right, I'll be right with ya." "It's just three more miles." "I'll be right with ya." "I'm looking forward to it." "Looking forward to the meeting." "Had it on my schedule." "The man." "I been ducking' him." "He found me." "Who is he?" "Pete Danforth." "President ofthe tenants' committee." "Place is goin' co-op." "He says they got a lot of reorganizing' to do." "Says he wants to see me private." "The problem is, it's gettin' around the buildin' that..." "I'm sorta nearsighted." "Nearsighted?" "." "Helen Kellerwas nearsighted." "[Continues ]" "Cataracts in both eyes?" "." "Yeah." "How many times removed?" "." "Left, twice; right, once." "But they come back." "That's what they do." "They're dependable." "How bad is the glaucoma?" "." "Pills and drops keep it down." "Except nighttime." "Nighttime's like tryin' to close your lid over a basketball." "No lie." "No lie." "You get color orblack-and-white?" "Mostly blue." "Blue shadows, like." "Weird thing is, all my dreams are in full color." "See everything real sharp and clear, like when I was young." "Then I wake up, and it's real life that looks like a dream." "Exactly." "The same with me, exactly." "I hadn't thought about it till this minute." "Carter, we're connected." "You know why?" "." "Because we both got vision." "Who needs sight when we got vision?" "." "Yes, we're connected." "Even with your cowardly personality... and your chickenshit attitude, we are connected." "Our meeting with Danforth will go well, I'm convinced." ""Our" meeting?" "." "I've decided to handle this Danforth matter foryou." "The capitalist fat cats." "Don't worry, I eat them for lunch." "Hold on, boy." "I never asked-- Don't thank me." "I ask for nothing in return, only to see justice." "Don't thank me." "Thank Karl Marx." "Thank Lenin." "Thank Gorky" "Don't need none ofyou guys." "But mostlythank Ben Gold." "Ben Gold, who organized the furworkers... and gave us a heart, a center and a voice." "What a voice!" "You thought it was yours." "I'm at his side when we win." "Hey." "A 1 0%wage increase... and the first 40-hourweek in the city!" "We win!" "Where is he?" "." "Where's that Danforth?" "." "Bring him to me!" "Bring me that fascist four-flusher!" "Oh, my God." "All right, the Soviet Union." "Throw it up to me." "Everybody does." "I promise you, Carter, they lost me long ago." "Finished." "I gave up on them." "But I never gave up on the ideas:" "the triumph ofthe proletariat, a workers' democracy." "The ideas are still fine and beautiful." "The ideas go on!" "They're better than the people who had them." "Ben." "They hit him with the Taft-Hartley, and the fire goes out." "The voice" " The voice still goes on." "The conflict goes on like the turning ofthe stars." "And we will crush Danforth before supper time." "Okay, okay." "Danforth come, I don't wantyou to speak." "Not a word." "Don't even want you here." "You got that?" "." "You open your face once," "I know this junkie, for $50 will nail you permanent." "Am I comin' through clear?" "." "I have no choice." "I am obligated to getyou offyour knees and into the sunlight." "No, you ain't." "I'm lettin' you out ofthat obligation right now." "Look, baby, it's okay." "I got it all figured out, exactlywhat to say to him." "I just got to hang in till I get my Christmas tips." "Theyjust gotta keep me four more months-- Christmas?" "." "Compromises?" "." "How doyou think we lost Poland?" "." "Poland?" "." "Stalin sits at Yalta with a twinkle in his eye." "Who knew?" "." "Stalin?" "." "Danforth has no right to dismiss you beforeyour time." "Man, I am 81." "Afterwe finish with him, tomorrow we go after the rest ofhis kangaroo court." "Why, Lord?" "." "Why areyou doing this to me?" "." "Lord, I askyou for help, and you send me a weird, commie, blind man!" "Who is this Lord you're talking to?" "." "W-What areyou do" "Oh, boy, I see I got a lotta work to do here." "Okay." "The man's comin' soon." "Time for the man to come, time foryou to go." "All right, Carter." "Please calm yourself!" "." "Come on, come on." "Carter, you're hysterical!" "Calm yourself!" "." "All right, you'll handle Danforth." "I'll permit it." "You mean it?" "." "Of course." "But firstyou must control and calm yourself." "Calm myself." "Yeah." "Here, this will do the trick." "Here is some government grass:" "official, legal dope from Uncle Sam." "Doctor prescribes, government pays." "Two ounces a month for the glaucoma." "Dilates the capillaries, relieves the pressure..." "everywhere." "Here." "I'll light it." "Here." "All rolled, ready to go." "Medicaid is paying." "Better not." "Makes me foolish sometimes, and this is no time to get foolish." "Not foolish, happy." "I guaranteeyou'll laugh at the 6:00 news." "Even your children will become amusing." "Here, take a hit." "Danforth will be a piece of cake." "One puff, the man is a Danish." "You swear not to open your mouth when the man's come, not to open it once, I'll take a puff." "Agreed." "Direct from the White House." "That's it." "Hold it in." "Hold it!" "Hold it in." "I know." "I was smokin' dope whileyou was eatin' matzo balls, baby." "[Calliope ]" "[ Chuckling ] Fair." "Just fair." "Man said, three miles." "Sure is takin' it slow." "Maybe he dropped dead." "[ Both Chuckling ]" "Young fella like him?" "." "Yeah, theyoung ones." "They're the first ones." "Boom!" "[ Laughing ]" "They're running, they're smiling" " Boom!" "[ Both Laughing ]" "You should be here in the evening." "What?" "." "They drop like flies." "Boom, boom, boom!" "You mean, they drop when" "[ Muttering Incoherently, Laughing ]" "You see over there, that steep rise in the joggers' path?" "." "Yeah." "Uh-huh." "I call it the Runners' Graveyard." "[ Both Laughing ]" ""The Runners' Grave--"" "Let's go over there and watch them drop." "Boom!" "Boom, boom, boom!" "[ Cackling ]" "I saw a fat guy drop the other day." "He musta weighed about 275 pounds." "[ Laughing ]" "He fell down, the whole earth shook." "The earth" " Boom, boom!" "God, you couldn't believe it." "I thought it was an earthquake." "Boom1" "Howdy." "Well, now, Johnson Johnson holding' 1 1 8." "It sounds fine to me." "Those darling'mutual funds, how're theyperformin', partner?" "Hmm?" "." "Hmm." "DowJones, how theylookin'?" "Sounds fine to me." "Mighty fine." "How's my ATT?" "." "Hmm." "Hmm." "And how's my Baby Bells doin'?" "." "Yes, sir." "Yeah,you go ahead." "No." "Okay." "[ Calliope ]" "You know that guy on the bench over there" "[ Continues ]" "Standard  Poor, how're they lookin' at close, pal?" "." "Standard  Poor, doing all right." "Lookin' to close up a quarter and a half." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "We got GM up at 1 29 1 /2, and they're comin' down." "Well, then, we best be dumpin' ourJohnson Johnson, and right fast, friend." "All shares?" "." "All shares, and right fast." "Standard:" "Johnson Johnson, sell all shares." "Poor: mutual funds, dump my mutual." "The bellhas rung, boys." "No newbusiness." "The bell has rung." "No new business." "Bell has rung." "[ Violin ]" "What are you gettin' in?" "." "[ Midge ] Whole mess ofdiamonds tossed on a piece ofglass." "That would be the pond in the sunlight." "[ Continues ]" "[ Nat ] Now we have a pretty girl." "[ Midge ] Howyou know?" "Because ofthe glow." "When I could see, all pretty girls had a glow." "Now what's left is the glow." "That's how you can tell." "Stopped smokin' dope when I turned 70." "That girl just went from very pretty... to beautiful." "Scared of goin' foolish." "My old man went foolish fiveyears before he died." "Didn't know his own name." "Sad to see." "[ Continues ]" "Sure hope I ain't the only one hearing' that music." "Now she's Hannah Pearlman." "Who?" "[Nat] Hannah Pearlman worked as a finisher, stitching linings inyachting caps forShiffman's." "Shiffman's Chapeaux," "West Broadway, 1 927." "[ Continues ]" "No, ain't her." "I 'll tell you who you got there." "That's Ella Mae Tilden." "Ella Mae, best wife I ever had." "Number three." "Five, all told." "Very shy, shier even than me." "She used to sit on the stoop in the early evening." "Fine, fine face, like an artist wouldpaint." "LudlowStreet, 4 18." "I passed that stoop a million times." "I couldn't say, "Hello. "" "She would sit in the early evening, with her hands hidden," "I i ke so, from the funny-- funny fi ngers that she had from the stitching." "Ella Mae give meJohn, John give me Billy, and Billy give me these teeth. [ Laughing ]" "Put the teeth in, smiled..." "and left Ella Mae." "Smile needed a new hat." "Hat made me walk a new way, which was out." "But she was married." "Went to work so her greenhorn husband could go through law school, become an American somebody." "ComesJune, herhusband graduates." "Suddenlyfinds out he's an attorney... with a Yiddish-speaking wife who finishes yachting caps." "Boom, he leaves her for a smooth-fingered Yankee Doodle... that he met at law school." "Four months later, Hannah "took the gas, "" "a popular expression at that time... for puttingyour head in an oven." "[ Midge ] Poor Ella Mae cryin ', me hearing 'my new mouth say, "Good-bye. "" "She was near 70 then, but when my mind moves to her, she 's fresh-peach prime." "Ella Mae, best wife I ever had." "[ Nat ] September, a month before she took the gas," "I see Hannah in the Grand Street Library." "I'm at the main table with the Free Voice of Labor." "I look up." "There's Hannah Pearlman." "She's got her head buried in a grammar book for a 1 0-year-old." "She looks up." "She knows me." "She smiles." "My heart goes di rectly..." "i nto my ears." "Bang, bang, bang." "I 'm deaf." "I don't speak." "I'm in the house ofwords, and I can't speak." "I didn't speak." "I didn't speak!" "There's dope that makesya laugh, and dope that makes ya cry." "I think this here's cryin' dope." "Stop it1" "Stop nostalgia!" "I hate it." "The dread disease of old people." "It kills more ofus than heart failure." "When was the last time you made love to a woman?" "." "Listen to him." "More nostalgia." "My poor shmeckle." "Talk of nostalgia." "It comes up once a year, like Groundhog Day." "Last time was July 1 0, 1 981." "Was yourwife still alive?" "." " I certainly hope so." "Yousee, the last time forme, I-I-I was bein'unfaithful." "Goddamn my fickle soul." "Cheated on 'em all." "Daisy." "I was 76." "Still had somethin' on the side, somethin' new." "Carter, this is the most courageous thing I ever heard aboutyou." "No courage to it." "It's a curse." "No,you were right." "You dared, andyou did." "I yearned and regretted." "I envyyou." "You were always what I have just recently become." "A di rty old man." "Romanticist." "A man of hope." "You listen to me." "I was dead once, so I know things." "It's not the sex." "It's the romance." "Now finally I know this." "Shmeckle is out ofbusiness, still the romance remains." "The adventure, that's all there everwas." "The body came along for the ride." "Doyou understand me, Carter?" "." "I'm thinkin' about it." "Because, frankly, right now I'm in love with this girl overhere." "[Midge ] Well." "Got to admit, so am I." "Son of a gun." "First time I ever been in love with a white woman." "The first time?" "." "Why the first time?" "." "J ust happened that way." "All the others were black?" "." "The rest were black?" "." "Listen, you ran around with a wild commie crowd." "Where I come from, you're stuckwith your own." "Being a black man, I" " What?" "." "A black man." "What?" "." "A black man." "Wait a minute." "Stop." "Excuse me." "My God, you're right." "You are a black man." "[ Chuckling ]" "[ Both Laughing ]" "You devil." "You thought that I was-- [ Laughing ]" "You devil!" "[ Laughing Continues ] I am, by God!" "My God, you are a black man!" "Stop, stop!" "By God, you are a black man!" "[ Laughing ] Oh, stop!" "I am going to die..." "right here!" "[ Both Laughing ]" "I'm gonna drop dead right here." "[ Laughing ] Wait a minute, Carter." "Hold it." "Wait a minute." "Is it-- Is it this funny?" "." "Definitely, this is funny!" "This is absolutely funny!" "I can't tell you!" "[ Mumbling Incoherently, Laughing ]" "[ Chuckling ]" "[ Snoring ]" "How doyou like this?" "." "Onejoint." "Look at him." "[ Snores ]" "I'm Alabamy bound" "There'll be no heebie-jeebies hangin' 'round" "Just give the meanest ticket man on earth" "All I'm worth [ Laughs ]" "To put mytootsies in an upper berth" "You hear that choo-choo sound Woo-woo" "I know that soon I'm gonna cover ground Oh, yeah!" "And then I'll holler so the world will know" "Here I go" "I'm Alabamy bound" "Just hear that choo-choo sound Woo-woo" "I know that soon I'm gonna cover ground" "And then I'll holler so the world will know Here I go" "Woo-woo So the world will know" "Here I go" "So the world will know" "Here I go" "I'm Alabamy He's Alabamy" "We're Alabamy bound" "[ Laughing ]" "[Applause ]" "Yea!" "[ Laughing ]" "I think that woman is crazy about us." "Of course." "Got any more ofthat dope?" "." "Now, listen, Carter, we're gonna do the "Willy Howard routine."" "Now, you are the straight man, Carter, and I'm Willy Howard." "Whatever I say, you say, "I'm not Rappaport." You got that?" "." "[Midge ] Yeah, I got it." "Yeah." "Okay." "Stand there." "Now picture we just met." "I'm not Rappaport." "No, no, not yet." "Not yet." "Yeah, yeah." " Okay?" "." "Hello, Rappaport." "I'm not Rappaport." "Rappaport, what happened to you?" "." "You used to be a short, fat guy." "Now, you're a tall, skinny guy." "I'm not Rappaport." "Rappaport, you used to be a young guywith a beard." "Now you're old with a mustache." "What happened to you?" "." "I'm not Rappaport." "Rappaport, what happened toyou?" "You used to dress up nice." "Now you got old, dirty clothes." "I am not Rappaport." "And you changed your name too!" "[ Chuckles ]" "[ Both Laughing ]" "And you changed your name too." "Lord." "[ Laughing ]" "[ Laughing Continues ] You changed your name too." "Boy, that's a" "[ Laughing Continues ]" "Thereyou are, Carter." "Carter1 [ Laughing Stops ] Oh, shit, he's here." "[ Panting ] Couldn't find you." "[Midge Laughs ]" "Ah, excellent." "He's here." "I gotta shape up." "Look, are you my friend, baby?" "." "Of course." "Then, friend, sit over there." "And don't open your mouth." "Not a word, mister." "Please." "You call me when you need me?" "." "Soon as I need you." "Please." "Okay." "Over there." "Over there." "Okay." "[ Sighs ]" "Remember, I'm ready." "I know that." "Beautiful daylike today, you must've lost track." "Hey, man." "[ Chuckling ] Hi." "I don't think we've ever been formally introduced." "I'm Pete Danforth." "Hi, Pete." "They call me Midge." "Hi, Midge." "[Sighs ]" "[ Panting ]" "Glad we decided to meet in the park." "It's a chance for me to stay outside after my run." "The truth is, I hate running." "Being immortal takes too much time." "[ Chuckles ] "Midge" for midget." "Third wife give me that name." "Near three-quarter inches tallerthan me, so she called me "Midge"." "Name stuckwith me 50 years." "I tell you one thing, it is good to be reminded what a great park this is." "It's a goddamned oasis in the middle ofthejungle." "Next twowives was normal-sizewomen." "Don't make much sense." "Still stuckwith the name of"Midge"." "[ Chuckles ]" "I mean, look at this wonderful... house... full of old boats." "What do they call this place, Midge?" "." "They call it the old boathouse." "[ Laughing ] Damn right." "[ThunderRumbling]" "[Saxophone ]" "[ Clara ] Dad?" "Dad?" "." "[ Rain Falling ]" "[Danforth ] Those were the days, weren't they?" "I mean, look at this." "And this place." "And the lake." "I mean, even in the rain I just" " I just love this park." "And luckily-- luckily my teaching schedule gives me two free afternoons a semester." "A chance to really use the park." "It's been years." "Oh, I teach Communication Arts over at the Manhattan Institute on 60th." "There's no air in the place." "What kind of arts?" "." "Ah, communication." "Communication ofall kinds;" "personal, interpersonal and public." "You teach talkin'?" "." "More or less, yes." "Soyou must know we about at the end ofthe chitchat section now, right?" "." "Right." "Right." "The problem that we've got here-- Here, have a seat." "Uh, the problem we've got here hadn't come to my attention sooner... simply becauseyou, personally, hadn't come to my attention." "Frankly, I've been living there for threeyears;" "I've never run intoyou." "Mostlydown in the boilerroom." "Don't get many drop-ins." "[ Chuckles ] Of course." "Keep movin', boy." "You're on a roll now." "[ Chuckles ] Yes, well." "Um, as you know, 32 1 is going co-op in November." "We'll be closing on that in November." "We've got Brachman and Rader as our managing agent." "I think they're doing an excellent job." "And as president of the tenants' committee, I'm pretty much dependent-- well, the whole committee is really-- on their advice." "We've basically got to place our faith in the recommendations ofthe managing agency." "And they're recommending you dump me?" "." "Midge, we've got some real problems aboutyour remaining with the building staff." "Ain't that the same as dumping' me?" "." "Well, it's not for eightweeks." "It's not till November." "But, yes, wewill have to letyou go." "Now, there are various benefits." "There's the union pension plan." "There's six weeks' severance pay." "Now that's a check for six weeks' salary the dayyou go." "That's-- Midge, I'm sorry." "God, I hate this." "I" "How 'bout I hate it first, then you get your turn?" "." "Time, Midge." "Time is the only villain here." "Man." "Man, we're all fighting it." "Jesus." "Haveyou seen me run?" "." "It's a joke." "[ Laughs ]" "I can't do the things I did a fewyears ago either." "Hey, don't sweat it, son." "You see, Brachman and Rader, all due respects, full of shit." "The fact is, you need me." "You got an old Erie City boiler down there." "Things about that weird machine no living man knows except Midge Carter." "Take me till Christmas." "Christmas, yeah." "Train a new man how to handle that devil." "Midge, we're replacing the Erie City." "We're installing a fully automatic Rockmill 500." "It requires no maintenance." "You see, the Rockmill is just one ofmany steps in an extensive modernization plan" "Well, nowyou're gonna need me." "Pipes and wires, and 40 years oftemporary stuff." "That's whatyou got there." "With no blueprint to showyou where it is." "And I got it all in my head." "I know what's behind everywall, every stretch oftar." "So, here's the deal." "My place in the basement, I stay on there for free like I been." "You get all my consulting free, no salary." "Beauty deal foryou." "Midge, your unit in the basement is being placed on the co-op market as a garden apartment." "Please understand, we've had a highly qualified team ofbuilding engineers" "Forget it!" "They've done this survey." "I'm not interested in the job, no otherjob." "I'm withdrawing my offer." "No, Midge, please listen." " All this time I've been living in a garden apartment." "Wish I'd have known sooner." "I'd have had a whole lot of more parties." "I'm sorry." "The problem is" "The problem is you giving me "bad guy news" trying to look like a good guy doing it." "You're right." "You're right, Midge." "You're dead right." "I have handled this whole thing badly;" "just stupidly, stupidly." "Oh, I'm sorry, this-- this whole thi-- Oh, this is terrible." "Don't worry about it, Pete." "You'll get through it." "No, no, Midge, wait, please." "[Thunderclap ] I'm gonna getyou... ten weeks' severance, Midge." "Forget six." "A check for ten weeks' salary the dayyou go." "I'm gonna hand it to you personally." "And ifthat committee doesn't like it, well then, just... to hell with them." "I'm just gonna shove it through." "It's the least I can do." "Ten weeks' severance, Midge." "Now how does that sound toyou?" "." "Well, better than six, I guess." "Wait, wait" " It's a promise, Midge." "Gonna shove it down their throats." "I'm sure I'm gonna have no trouble with that committee." "Unacceptable1" "We find that unacceptable." "Mr. Danforth." "Mr. Danforth, I'll speak frankly." "You are in a lot oftrouble, sir." "Ben Reissman;" "Reissman, Rothman, Rifkin and Grady." "Forgive me for not announcing myselfsooner, but I couldn't resist listening toyou buryyourself." "Myfirm represents Mr. Carter overthere, but more to the point." "We act as legal advisors to the H U RTSFOE unit of Mr. Carter's union." "H U RTSFOE" " I refer to the Human Rights Strike Force, who, I'm sorryto tellyou, you'll be hearing a lot from in the next few weeks." "Personally, I think their methods are a bit too extreme, but I report and advise." "That's all I can do." "The ball is rolling here, Mr. Danforth." "Go away." "[ Chuckles ] Mr. Carter keeps telling us to go away, but as he knows we are an automatic function ofhis union... for the protection of all members;" "I have no choice." "The man wants to give me ten weeks' severance." "[Nat ]Ajoke1" "The man is a "jokester."" "Look, Reissman-- Yes, speak to me." "I'm not sure I understand the situation." "Of course not." "How could you?" "." "Here, sit down, I'll explain it toyou." "I'll educateyou." "Sit down." "The situation is simple." "We don't accept 1 0 weeks' severance." "We don't accept 20 weeks' severance." "What we accept is that you retain Mr. Carter in the capacity of advisor... during your reconstruction period, which I assume will take a year, maybe two, at which point, we'll talk further." "I don't know this man." "I don't know him." "Ofcourse not." "Mr. Carteris more familiar... with Rifkin and Grady, the gentler gentlemen of our firm." "It was thought best to bring the "Cobra" in on this one." "It's an affectionate term for me at the office." "Look, Reissman." "Yes, speak to me." "I don't know what your game is, fella, and I don't knowyour organization, but I do know Local 32 ofthe Service Employ" "And do they know thatyou are planning to fire Mr. Carter?" "." "Notyet, but" "Anddoyou knowthat there is no mandatoryretirement age in Mr. Carter's union?" "Do you know further that this gives Mr. Carter the right... to call an arbitration hearing where he can defend his competence?" "." "And thatyou have to get a minimum offourtenants to testifyagainst him?" "Find them." "I would love to see this, Mr. Danforth." "[ Thunderclap ]" "Four tenants who wanna be responsible-- publicly responsible for putting this old man... out ofhis home andprofession of42years." "A man who was voted "Super ofthe Year"... by the New York Post in 1 968." "A man who fought in World War II." "A man who served with the now legendary Black Battalion ofBastogne... during the Battle ofthe Bulge." "And are you aware that for as long as you insist on pursuing this matter, for as long as this hearing lasts, thatyou can make no contract with Local 32?" "And that without a union contract, there can be no co-op sales--- no building corporation1" "Time, my friend, will be your villain now!" "I'm talking months, cookie." "I'm talking litigation, appeals, the full weight and guile... of Rothman, Rifkin, Grady and the Cobra." "I'm-- Speak to me." "I'm, frankly, a little thrown by this." "I knew about the right to arbitration, Midge." "I never thoughtyou'd want to putyourselfthrough something-- He wants!" "Meanwhile, HURTSFOE goes afteryou tomorrow anyway." "They'll make an example ofyou." "You're perfect for them!" "What have I done?" "." "Sir, you have hit every human rights' nerve there is." "I'm talking old." "I'm talkingblack." "I'm talking racial imbalance." "Racial imbalance?" "." "The man was walking into walls for God's sake." "He's an easy 80." "There is nothing, sir, I promise you, easy about 80." "Damn it, why am I bothering to warn you?" "." "You'll see it all tomorrow." "Time to let HURTSFOE out ofits cage." "I find it hard to believe I would be held responsible" "You will believe tomorrow when you see those pickets in front ofyour school!" "What's the name ofthatplace?" "The Manhattan Institute." "Then those demonstrators in front ofyour apartment building, the name Danforth will become an adjective, sir." "A new word for the persecution ofthe old and disabled, the black and the blind." "Now, wait a minute!" "Do it, Danforth!" "Do it!" "Fire him1 It'syour one shot at immortality." "Yes, I'm sorry, Carter." "I wanna see HURTSFOE in action again." "Those crazywildcats." "Those mad, inspired men." "I wanna hear those words alive again and pure:" ""Strike for humane existence." "Strike for universal justice." ""Strike!" "Strike!" "Strike!" "Strike!" " [ Chanting ] Strike!" "Strike!" "Strike--" Hold on." "Wait a minute!" "Now this whole goddamn mess has just gotten out ofhand here!" "Now, look, Reissman, believe me, this was never my own personal thing." "I represent a committee" "I'm sorry." "The spotlight falls on you because it must;" "becauseyou are so extraordinarily ordinary;" "because there are so many ofyou now." "You collect old furniture, old cars, old pictures, everything old but old people." "Bad souvenirs, they talk too much." "Even quiet, they tell you too much." "They look like the future, and you don't wanna know." "Hey, mister, don'tyou know... one dayyou too will join this weird tribe?" "." "Yes, Mr. Chairman, you will get old." "Andifyou're frightened now, you'll be terrified then." "The problem is not that life is short, but that it's very long." "So you better have a pol icy." "Here, look at us." "Here we are." "We're the coming attractions." "And ifyou're afraid of it, you'll be afraid of us." "You'll wanna hide us or make us hide from you." "You're dangerous." "Don'tyou understand?" "." "The old people, they're the survivors;" "they know something." "Theyhaven'tjuststayedlate to ruinyourparty." "Whatyou'd like is for Carter to be nice and cute and quiet and go away." "But he won't do that." "I won't let him." "Tell him he's slow or stupid, okay." "But tell him he's unnecessary, and that's a sin!" "That is a sin against life!" "That is abortion at the other end!" "Ben, I'm glad you shared these thoughts with me." "I'd never really" "I'm through communicating with you." "Carter, I'm communicating onlywith you now." "What shall we dowith him?" "." "I leave it up toyou." "I" " I thinkwe ought to give him a break." "Ben, I-I-I'm sure I can persuade the members ofthe committee to reevaluate Midge's" "Areyou saying you don't care what happens to the cause?" "." "You just wanna keepyourjob, Midge, and forget the cause?" "." "Yeah, that's what I'm saying." "Keep the job and forget the cause." "Guys, I think it's essential that we avoid any extreme" "Areyou asking the Cobra not to strike?" "." "Don't want the Cobra to strike, no." "Mr. Danforth, my client has instructed me to save your ass." "Quickly, the bomb is ticking." "Jog home to your phone now." "Call the members ofyour committee." "Don't persuade." "Don't explain." "Just announce." "Tell them there's a job for Mr. Carter-- guide, counselor, superintendent emeritus; that has a nice sound to it." "Meanwhile, speak to no one." "Your union, your managing agent, no one." "HURTSFOE gets wind ofthis, we're all in trouble." "Here." "When you're finished, call that number... before 1 0:00 tomorrow if you wanna stop HURTSFOE." "Park East Real Estate?" "." "Yes." "Yes." "That's HURTSFOE's advisory group." "Speak only to the lady on the card, Mrs. Clara Gelber." "Tell her to reach Bartley at the HURTSFOE office." "Bartley." "Bartleywill know what to do." "Good-bye and good luck." "Midge, Ben," "I just wantyou to know that... this has been a very important conversation for me for many reasons." "A lot of primary thoughts." "Excellent." "Good-bye." "An important exchange ofideas." "A sudden awareness of certain generational values" "I warn you, sir, one more word and I will make a citizen's arrest... for crimes against the language." "Go now!" "It's true." "I sometimes just don't know how to talk" "Go!" "Go to the phone!" "Let me see those sneakers, Flash." "[ Operatic Choir]" "[ Cheering ]" "[ Chuckling ]" "[Midge ] Never." "We ain't never gettin' awaywith this." "Truth is I always did wanna be a lawyer, but years ago there was so many choices." "Black Battalion of Bastogne?" "." "We ain't never getting awaywith this." "They gonna catch on to us." "It's only a matter oftime before they find outyou ain't no lawyer; ain't no HURTSFOE." "You're better offthan you were 20 minutes ago?" "." "You still gotyourjob?" "." "What's wrong with you?" "." "Why aren'tyou awed by this triumph?" "." "Was playing' that boyjust right beforeyou opened your mouth." "Even had him goin' for extra severance." "He catch on now, I lose it all." "What did I do to deserveyou, Reissman?" "." "Reissman is the name of my surgeon." "They trained his hands to take mywallet." "Hernando, then, okay?" "." "I'm not him either." "Then who the hell areyou?" "." "Ifyou ain't Hernando, Reissman, Rappaport" "Just now I was Ben Gold." "I was Ben Gold for a while." "[Bell Tolling] You use whoyou need for the occasion." "What areyou doing?" "." "Oh." "Oh." "I'm late for an appointment." "What?" "." " I got special transportation home." "I got to get going." "[Bell Continues Tolling]" "Uh, I happen to be free to accompanyyou." "No." "No1 You leave me alone1" "This is personal." "Extra personal." "Personal, right." "Okay." "See ya tomorrow at our spot." "[ Tolling Continues ] I mean yourspot." "Make further plans!" "[ Tribal Drums ]" "[ Tolls ]" "[ Singing ]" "[ Singing ]" "[Drums Continue ]" "Oh, muchachos." "How is my little cavemens today?" "." "You down with that, boys, huh?" "." "Good." "Oye, viejo, you're late today!" "Got the other old mens waiting, you know." "Various location." "Evil in the park, devil in the dark." "It's not nice to keep the viejos waiting." "Eh, cabron?" "." "Who's this?" "." "The gentleman, who?" "Huh?" "." "Disgraceful, Carter." "Dostoyevski in his wildest dreams couldn't figure out..." "Get away!" "a scenario like this." "I must talk to our punk here." "Not our punk, my punk." "You run your mouth on this kid, he finish you and finish me too." "Leave him go." "Hey, whereyou live, mister?" "." "First, I'll tell you where I work." "I work at the 1 9th Precinct." "Danforth." "Captain Dan" " Danforth." "Whereyou live?" "." "Special Projects." "I live nearby, but that's-- Where you live?" "." "Uh, I'm not far from here." "I'll walkyou home, you know." "I'll protectyou." "From who?" "." "Mostly me." "Costyou three is all." "I don't need any help." "Costyou four." "Just went up to four." "Now, I used to walk home only him." "Then I see this lady in the park here." "A dog walker, you know." "She got five, six dogs at a time." "Give me an idea." "Now I got six... waiting various location." "You make seven." "It's a wonderful idea, right?" "." "Wonderful idea, right?" "." "[ Groaning ]" "Right, right." "Right." "Right." "Okay, boys, we got gentlemen waiting." "[Rides SkateboardAway] Convoymovin'out." "Head into the crib, viejos." "Hey, I meant both myboys." "Hey, Captain, sir." "Ain't you gonna come join the pack?" "." "Okay." "Nice and slow." "Headed to the crib, viejos." "Come on." "Mister, please." "Move, mister!" "Stop!" "Somos compadres." "Somos iguales." "I know you." "I know you 'cause I am you." "Sixty-five years ago I was you." "Italian kids, Irish kids, Russian;" "we all stole." "Always the city I ives by Darwi n." "Everybody's on somebody's menu." "Trouble is you got the wrong supper here, kid." "You're noshing on your own down here." "The trouble's at the top-- the fat cats, the big boys, the string-pullers, the top." "We're down here withyou, kid." "We stick together or we're finished!" "It's the only chance we got." "Five." "Just went up to five." "Your boca just cost you a buck." "Okay, that's five in advance, you know." "No, we mustn't do this." "I have here $22." "I'd be very happy to share it with you." "Very gladly share it with you, but not like this, not us." "Great." "Gimme the 22." "The mouth, I'm telling you, is costing you, you know." "I'm very disappointed." "Give it to him!" "No!" "I have limited funds." "I can't do this." "Hey, mister, please." "Give it to him!" "No knives." "No, no." "Not between us." "Not between us!" "[ Screaming ]" "[ Groaning ]" "Better school your friend to the rule, cabron1" "Whyyou don't listen, old man?" "." "I told you you're gonna get your ass kicked." "Whyyou don't listen?" "." "Mister?" "Hey, come on." "Hey, mister?" "Come on now, wake up." "Wake up, mister." "Help1" "[ Gasping ] Help!" "Over here!" "Help!" "Lookwhat we got here!" "Help!" "Help!" "Lookwhat we got here!" "Help!" "Somebody!" "Anybody, help!" "Lookwhat we got here!" "He-elp!" "He-elp!" "[ Horns Honking ] Look what we got here1" "Help1" "[Birds Twittering]" "[Saxophone ]" "[ Continues ]" "[ Continues ]" "[Light Banging] [Nat Humming]" "When you're blue andyou don't know where to go to" "Why don'tyou go where fashion sits" "Puttin' on the ritz" "Dressed up like a million-dollar trouper [ "Puttin' On The Ritz" ]" "Tryin' mighty hard to sound like Gary Cooper" "Super duper" "Puttin'on the ritz" "[Scatting]" "Puttin' on the ritz" "[ Scatting ]" "Puttin' on the ritz [ Chuckling ]" "Well, we got our punk on the run now." "We got him where we want him now." "Bing!" "On the arm!" "I got him!" "Boom." "Boom, boom, boom!" "[ Laughing ]" "Tell me something, Rocky." "You gonna sit here on this bench?" "." "'Cause ifyou are, I gotta move to another spot." "I'm sureyou were just about to inquire about my health." "Only a slight sprain." "No breaks." "No dislocations." "I have a gift for falling down." "I'm an expert at it." "You moving, or am I moving?" "." "Answer me." "I guaranteeyou hewill not return today." "Okay." "He's lookin' for the easy money." "He doesn't want any trouble." "Okay, I am leavin'." "Carter, wait." "Wait a minute." "I can't seeyour face too good, but what I can see got "cemetery" written all over it." "So long for good, baby." "Listen, a friendship like ours is a very rare thing." "Ain't no friendship." "Never been no friendship." "I don't even know your goddamn name." "Yesterdayyou helped a fallen comrade." "You was out cold, mister." "I waited for the ambulance to come." "Done my duty like I would for any lame dog." "Said to myself, "That ain't gonna be me lying there."" "Look." "You see this item?" "." "That boy run off and left his weapon." "Now he's coming back here today to get it for sure, and I come here to give it back to him." "Stay on that boy's good side." "Okay." "Now, I'm waiting over here... so he see thatyou and me is no longer associated, which we ain't, got that?" "." "So, the cossack leaves his sword, andyou return it." "You bet." "You've hada taste ofrevolution andyou will not be able to return to subjugation... to living in an occupied country." "J ust watch me, Captain." "No, you must not pay this punk foryour existence to live in your own land!" "Nap time." "Surrenderto the oppressors andyou are no one1" "[ Mock Snoring ]" " Aaah!" "[ Clara ] Hello?" "Sure, sleep." "Sleep like any bum in the park." "Excuse me." " A napper." "A napper and a groveler1" "Excuse me!" "I hate to interrupt you when you're driving somebody crazy." "Why do I waste my time with you?" "." "My God, what happened?" "." "It's all right." "Are you all right?" "." "Yes, fine, perfect." "Thankyou." "Don't worry." "Stitches this time." "No, a scratch." "Dad, your hip!" "Sprain." "They speak of a sprain." "Another fight, right?" "." "You got into another fight, didn'tyou?" "." "Ayoung boy of Latin origin, victim ofsociety-- Mugger." "You fought with a mugger." "Of course." "Of course." "It was the next step." "My God." "We were talking." "We reached an impasse." "That's it!" "No more!" "I can't let this happen anymore." "I let it go." "I've been irresponsible." "You have to be watched." "Stop this, you're frightening me." "Oh, I'm frightening you?" "." "I live in terror the phone will ring-- the police, the hospital." "My God, it was quiet for a month, but I should have known." "Yesterday the supermarket, this morning this guy Danforth calls me." "You're on the loose again." "He called." "Oh, he called all right." ""Tell HURTSFOE that the Carter matter is settled." "I reached the committee." "Reissman said to call."" "Jesus!" "HURTSFOE again." "HURTSFOE's on the march again." "I take ityou're Reissman." "Thatwas yesterday." "And tomorrowwho?" "." "And tomorrow what?" "." "More stitches?" "." "No, that's it." "You covered, didn'tyou?" "." "And now no more." "Last con." "Over." "[ Laughing ] There's gotta be a new arrangement, Dad." "Searched this damn park for two hours." "What happened?" "." "You're not giving speeches at Bethesda Fountain anymore?" "." "What for?" "." "So you can find me there, shut me up, embarrass me." "You!" "You're embarrassed?" "." "Yesterday, I come back to my office after lunch, they tell me my parole officer was looking for me." "Necessary retaliation." "It's important foryou to know what it feels like... to be watched, pursued, guarded." "You coming to the fountain once a week to stop me from talking, that's not so bad." "It's the test questions. "You rememberwhatyou did yesterday, Dad?" "." "What'd you have for lunch today, Dad?"" "One wrong answer, you wrap me in a deck chair and mail me to Florida." "Two mistakes, you put me in a home for the forgettable." "My greatest fear is that one morning soon I will wake up silly." "The time will take my brain." "You will take me, put me in a place, a home." "Worse than that, your house;" "Siberia in Great Neck." "Dad." "I don't answer the door when you come, that's why." "I look through the hole in the door and I wait foryou to go away." "You don't understand." "I care." "Someone has to watch out foryou!" "Jack doesn't care or Ben or Carol." "They don't even speak toyou anymore." "Good." "God bless them." "Lovely children." "Lovely, distant children." "This isn't fair." "I don't deserve this." "Care?" "." "Care forwhat?" "." "The passions are gone." "The ideals have evaporated." "Stop." "I rememberwhen you believed... that the world did not belong to the highest bidder." "The old song, stop." "That, of course, was before Park East Real Estate." "Before you gave up Marx and Lenin for Bergdorf and Goodman." "Jesus." "At least get a new set ofwords." "Will you look at yourself?" "." "Queen ofthe condominiums." "Betrayer ofyour namesake." "You gave me the name." "I had no choice." "Clara Lemlich, who stood for something and stood up for it!" "Ah, you're rollin' now." "CooperUnion," "November 1 909." "You're onlyfive." "I'm only five." "The shirtwaist makers are there." "She asks for a strike." "All cry, "Second!"" "Chairman Feigenbaum demands the Hebrew oath." "Three thousand hands are raised." "[ Speaking Along With Crowd ] "Ifl turn traitor to the cause I now pledge... may this hand wither from the arm I raise."" "Silence in the hall." "And Feigenbaum shouts" " And Feigenbaum shouts," ""A general strike has been called!"" "Thirty-fiveyears, six months and two days later... the fate ofthe Reich is sealed." "Hitler's mad dream ends, and the next morning you are born... with a triumphant scream at Kings County Hospital." "I say toyour mother, "Ethel, sounds to me like Clara Lemlich. "" "That is the name..." "[ Together] and that is the passion you were born with." "And only a few years later you've turned into my own personal K.G.B." "Go to hell!" "I can't." "You'll follow me." "Clara." "Clara!" "It's not a name." "It's a curse!" "The cause." "The goddamned cause!" "Everyone else got a two-wheeler when they turned 1 0." "I got Das Kapital in paperback." "Fights at school." "Kids avoiding me." "No one on the block to playwith." "No one." "Alone again." "This isn't fair." "Later on you believed in your own things and I loved you for it." "You quit the Party, I respected you." "Civil rights, anti-war, you spoke, you marched, you demonstrated." "Arrested twice." "That was you." "Nobody made you do it." "You loved it." "Yes, I loved it." "You changed." "I just noticed that the world didn't." "Ahh." "First it was me, then it was the world." "At leastyou know who to blame." "Ten years, what haveyou done?" "." "What have I done?" "." "I got married, had two children and lived a life." "I got smarter and fought in battles I figured I could win." "That's what I've done." "Lovely." "And now, at last, everybody on the block plays with you, don't they?" "." "My enemies, I don't forget." "I cherish them like my friends, so I know what to do." "And what's that?" "What the hell doyou do?" "Lead raids on lamb chops at Gristedes." "Oh, God, it's all so easy foryou, I almost envyyou." "You always know what side to be on because you fight old wars." "Old, old wars." "The battle is over, comrade, didn't you notice?" "." "Nothing happened." "Nothing changed." "Even the Russians gave up." "You're the only one left, Dad." "And the masses." "Haveyou checkedout yourbelovedmasses lately?" "Theystill don't give a crap." "Are you listening?" "." "Are you listening to me?" "." "I'm listening." "Not much has changed." "So what?" "." "Don't you think I know this?" "." "The proper response to the outrage is still to be outraged." "To be outraged!" "Forgive me, Father, I'm not on the barricades anymore." "I haven't been imprisoned for 1 0 years!" "I'm obviouslyworthless." "Ifyou were talking to me in jail right now, you'd be overjoyed!" "Not overjoyed." "Pleased, maybe." "[ Laughing ]" "Why the hell am I laughing?" "." "Hello, Rappaport." "I can't do that right now." "Hello, Rappaport." "Dad, we have to" "Hello, Rappaport." "Dad, we" "Hello." "Rappaport." "I'm not Rappaport." "Rappaport, you used to be a tall, skinny girl." "Now you're a short, fat girl." "What happened to you, Rappaport?" "." "I'm not Rappaport." "Rappaport." "You used to be a short, fat girl with a mustache." "Now you're a tall, skinny girl with a beard." "What happened toyou?" "." "[ Chuckling ] I'm not Rappaport." "And you changed your name too?" "." "[ Chuckles ]" "[ Laughing ] [Girl Laughs ]" "[ Giggling ] [Nat] Look at this." "A whole newgeneration loves thisjoke." "Pop, I have to do something about you." "No, you don't." "Pop" "At least I'm "Pop" again." "Who was "Dad"?" "." " You'll get killed." "The next time, you'll get killed." "I dream about it." "In general, you need better dreams." " I wantyou offthe street." "I wantyou out ofthe park." "I wantyou safe." "I'm determined." "I have an appointment." "Okay." "We have three possibilities;" "three solutions." "You'll have to accept one of'em." "First:" "There's living with me in Great Neck." "You'll have your own room-- Rejected!" "Second:" "Ricky found a place, not far from us," "Maple Hills Senior Residence." "I checked it out." "It's the best ofthem." "Really attractive grounds, Pop." "This open, sunny recreation area" "Rejected." "Okay." "Okay." "We have one more possibility." "I'm not crazy about it, but I'm willing to try it for a month." "You leaveyourself available to visits by me or some member ofthe family once a week." "You don'twanderthe streets." "You don't hang out in the park." "You go every afternoon to this place:" "Big Apple Senior Center." "I was there this morning, Pop." "This is a great place." "Hot lunch at noon; a full afternoon of activities." ""At 1:00, Dr. GeraldSpritzerwill offer a slide presentation;" ""informative program on home health services." ""Refreshments will be served. 2:00, beginner's bridge with Rose Hagler." "3:1 5, arts and crafts corner supervised by Ginger Freedman."" "All right, let's see now." "We got three possibilities." "We got, uh, exile in Great Neck," "Devil's Island... and kindergarten." "All rejected." "And now ifyou'll excuse me, I'm a very busy person." "All right, here it is." "I'm taking legal action, Pop." "I'm going to court." "I saw a lawyer a month ago after the D'Agostino uprising." "I'm prepared." "Article 78 of the Mental Hygiene Law," "Judicial Declaration oflncompetency." "According to the lawyer, I have more than enough evidence to prove... that you are both mentally and physically incapable of managing yourself oryour affairs." "I look at that gash" "You can hardly see." "And with that walker, you're a sitting duck." "[ Sighs ] I don't wantyou hurt." "I don't wantyou dead." "Please don't force me to go to court." "Ifyou fight me, you'll lose." "Ifyou run away, I'll findyou." "I'm prepared to let you hate me for this." "You're not kiddin'." " I'm not." "[Saxophone ]" "Clara, I've got something to tell you." "I put it in my papers, a letter foryou when I died, soyou would've known then." "Your mother and I were not the liveliest association, but there was a great fondness." "Whatever I tell you now, you must know that." "August 1 939, the day ofthe Hitler/Stalin pact, a passionate gathering at the Young Worker's Club." "I meet Ethel, your mother." "Soon, my heart is hers." "We're married." "Fiveyears lateryou're born." "Then during the next 1 0 years those other people." "Everything's fine, all is well." "Then..." "October 1 956" "Octoberthe third." "Tell me." "What is it?" "." "I met a girl." "I fell in love." "It happens, Pop." "You're only human" "I mean, I fell in love, Clara, for the first and only time in my life." "Boom." "What happened?" "." "Where did you meet her?" "." "It was the Grand Street Library, second floor reading room." "I'm at the main table." "I look up." "I see this lovely girl, Hannah" " Hannah Pearlman." "She's reading a grammar book." "She looks up." "She smiles at me." "I can't speak." "She goes back to her book." "She has a sad look." "Someone alone." "I see a girl, troubled, lonely." "I can't speak." "Pretty soon she rises to leave." "Someone should speak to her." "[ Speaking German ]" "Ispeak." "I speak, and for hours mywords come out, and for hours and days after that in her little room on Ludlow Street." "It was the most perfect time." "She tells me I've saved her life." "Isavedherfrom killing herself." "Just in time." "Just in time." "She didn't die, Clara." "She did not die." "Well, I'm married to Ethel." "Nothing can come of it." "Four months, it's over." "She goes to live in Israel." "Six months later, a letter; there's a child." "Oh, God." "A girl." "Then everyyear or two after that, a letter." "Time goes by." "I think often of Ludlow Street and the library." "And then silence." "No more letters." "Neveranother one." "Three months ago I get a message at the Socialist's Club" ""Sergeant Pearlman will be here at 5:00."" "5:00, Sergeant Pearlman at the door." "It's a girl." "I n Israel, women, everybody, gotta serve in the army fortwoyears." "Well, Sergeant Pearlman" "Yes?" "." "Sergeant Pearlman is my daughter." "Her face like her mother's." "A fine, fine face, like a painting." "She herself is an artist." "She's come to this country to go to the Art Student's League and to find me." "Well, the point is, Clara, that she's decided to live with me, to take care ofme." "That's why I'm telling you all this so you'll know." "I n Decem ber, we-- we're goi ng to I srael." "This is where I will end my days." "So you see, Clara, you have nothing to worry about." "This is" "This is a lot for me to take in all at once." "A lot ofinformation." "It's not easy, but it's better you know now." "I wanna meet her." "You shall." "When?" "." "Two days, Friday, at the Socialist's Club." "I n the dining room." "Friday." "Lunchtime." "I 'll bring sandwiches." "Good." "She'll take care ofyou." "That's the point." "Israel." "Clara, don't be upset." "It's for the best." "Well... at lastyou got a daughterwho's a soldier." "[ Sniffles ]" "Sit down." "Where'reyou goin'?" "." "My train, you know, "The Siberian Express"." "They run every halfan hour." "Sit down a minute." "I gotta go." "Seeyou Friday." "Talk to me." "Wait a minute." "Wait a minute1" "Hey, Rappaport1 Hello, Rappaport." "You used to be a tall, skinny guy1" "Now you're a short, fat guy!" "Hey, Rappaport1 Hello, Rappaport1" "[ Saxophone Continues ]" "Hel lo, Rappaport." "I 'm not Rappaport." "Thank you." "Thank you very much." "[ Midge ] You made it up." "You made it all up." "Of course." "Conned your own kid." "Go back to sleep." "That's a sin1 I did it to save a life: mine." "You're not a nice guy." "I'm ashamed I even sung a song with you!" "You don't understand." "Nursing homes were dancing in her head." "Desperate measures were required." "You!" "You would go toddling offto Maple Hills." "I wouldn't hustle my own child to save my ass!" "Well, I don't know her anymore." "She's become unfamiliar." "You won't get awaywith it." "Come Friday" "Come Friday, I'll be in Jersey City, in Hong Kong, in Seattle." "Seattle!" "Shit, man, you can't even get downtown." "Well, I'll be gone somewhere." "When she comes to the club, I'll be gone." "And what-- what will she do?" "." "Sit there waiting foryou thinking you're dead?" "." "What kind ofa man areyou?" "." "Smart talk, fancy notions" "You don't give a damn!" "[Whistling] A letter." "I'll leave a letter for her at the club." "I'll write her a letter explaining the necessity-- Uh-oh." "[ Whistling Continues ]" "[Midge ] There he is." "The boy's back." "Come to get his knife like I toldyou." "Good-bye, baby." "Movin' on out now." "NotJ.C. Too big forJ." "C." "Mornin', ma'am." "You got that little house just right." "That's a fine piece ofwork, I'dsay." "It's thicker." "Ma'am?" "." "The accent, it's thicker." "It's still the weirdest damn sound I ever heard out of a Jersey boy." "Pure accident ofbirth, Miss Laurie." "My soul's in Montana where the air is better." "How'd you find me?" "." "Natural born hunter, ma'am, especially rabbits." "See, the thing is, Cowboy, I was just gonna call." "I been lookin' foryou, Miss Laurie." "A week, two at the most." "I swear, you would've heard from" "[ Moans ]" " Hold it now!" "Hold it now!" "Hold it!" "Hold it!" "Bad business here." "Now, of course, if our money's on its way to us, then, please, ignore our slaps, won'tyou, ma'am?" "." "Trusted you, gal." "I believed in ya." "Treated ya special." "Fronted you 2,000-- everybody know'd it-- 2,000 for goods worth six and bye-bye, Laurie." "Damn town." "Damn town." "No friends in this damn town." "Just folks doin' ya, folks snorting' up their honor left and right." "Why?" "Why'd I ever come to this city?" "What has happened to this city?" "Ain't no rules left, no code." "Nothin' left for a fella to live by." "The city's full of dirty little rabbits." "Park's full of junkies-- unreliable, dishonorable junkies." "You got to take me serious." "You don't take me serious, I don't get my money, you don't get older." "My cash, tomorrow night, 1 0:00, the ranch." "I need more time." "That's not enough time." "I can't" "Hold it!" "Hold it!" "You mustn't say can't, Miss Laurie." "Don't say that." "You're the little engine that can." "I believe in you." "We just had a misunderstanding, that's all." "I thoughtyou was honest, and you thought I was the Avon lady." "We got that straightened out, right?" "." "Yes." "Good." "My cash, tomorrow night." "And don'tyou try and hide from me, you little rabbit." "Don't do that." "That would be a mistake." "Damn town." "Damn town's turning us all to shit, isn't it?" "." "[ Whistling ]" "[ "The Streets Of Laredo" ]" "You all right, miss?" "." "Great.Just great." "Fellas." "Howyou doin', fellas?" "." "Take that." "I'll get these forya." "Goddamn1 These is us?" "These is-- these is us1" "These are very good, miss, very good." "That boy, is he a dealer, or a shark?" "." "Dealer." "But he gave me credit." "Canyou get the money to payhim?" "Uh-huh." "Well, from what I heard, you best get out oftown, miss, fast and far." "And I was just gettin' it together, mister, you know, straightening' out." "Riverdale Rehab, they got a really good program." "And art school, I started." "Art school." "Out oftown, miss, fast and far." "Where would I go?" "." "How would I live?" "." "I don't know where to go?" "." "And he'll find me." "Guys like him always find you." "She's right." "Other measures are called for." "Tell me, miss, two days from now, Friday." "What're you doing for lunch on Friday?" "." "Friday?" "." "Looks like Friday I'll be in the hospital." "Or dead, maybe." "Or dead." "No." "No, you won't be in the hospital, I promiseyou that." "And you will not die." "You will not die." "Old Dan and I with throats burnt dry" "Andsouls that cry" "Forwater Water, water" "Cool Water" "Clear Water" "Water Water" "Keep a movin', Dan Don't you listen to him, Dan" "He's a devil, not a man and he spreads the burnin' sand" "With water" "Dan, can you see that big green tree" "Where the water's runnin'free Evenin', friend." "Just pull up to that cactus over there." "Leave the keys in the car." "Mosey off and rest easy." "I'm not here to park." "Uh-huh." "I'm here for some Cowboy's barbecue." "What you want, chicken or beef?" "." "Chicken... please." "Slaw and fries?" "." "Just slaw." "Cool water Water" "But with the dawn I'll wake and yawn" "[Phone Rings ] And carry on" "To water, water Howdy." "Yeah, I'll leave the corral open." "[Rodney] You expecting company, Cowboy?" "[ "Stayin' Alive" I n Foreign Language ]" "[Intercom ] Hey, Kamir,you want to put this partition down for us?" "Sorry." "Thank you." "You're welcome, Mr. Carter." "Time, please." "Ten to 1 0:00." "Good." "Say my name again." "I got it, I got it." "Say the name." "Donatto." "The whole name." "Anthony Donatto." "Better known as?" "." "Tony the Cane, okay?" "." "Tony the Cane Donatto." "Good, okay." "Your name?" "." "I" " I-- Your name?" "." "Kansas CityJack." "Missouri Jack!" "Missouri Jack!" "You see, it's lucky I asked." "Kansas CityJack, Missouri Jack, what the hell difference does it make?" "." "He's not gonna ask me my name." "It could come up." "In these matters, details are important." "Details is the whole game, believe me." "Iaskyou to look at the records, sir." "J.C. didnot return yesterdayas I predicted." "He did not come back today." "Okay, so far" "Andyourjob?" "Has anyone over there mentioned firingyou... since I dealt with Danforth?" "Make a left turn." "Of course." "A most curious place." "A most excellent circumstance." "We are in the vicinity of a McDonald's cafe, and I, being exceedingly fond of McNuggets of chicken, shall wait there until I return foryou." "It is my hope your meeting produces an excellent result." "Oh, yes." "You should introduce yourself to him." "Use the name." "No, sir." "No, sir!" "Do what I said I'd do, and that's it." "Don't even like to do that much." "Dicey deal here, to say the least." "He comes here;" "you go over to him." "You say, "Excuse me, sir." "My boss wants to seeyou."" "You send him over to me, and you're done, finished." "Yes, you bet." "That's it." "I split." "Go home and hear about it on the TV." "I still don't see whyyou need me." "Details, details!" "Gives them the feeling I have a staff, an organization." "It fills in the picture." "Details are crucial." "I know my business." "What time is it?" "." "Never mind." "He's here." "[ Whistling "Streets Of Laredo" ]" "Okay, now, Carter." "Carter, now!" "I can't go now." "I can't get the door open." "Yes, you can get it open!" "Get out ofhere!" "Get out ofhere." "Excuse me." "My boss wants to see you." "[ Louder] Excuse me, mister, my boss wants to see you." "Where'd you come from?" "." "That car." "My boss over there, he wants to see you." "Your boss?" "." "Uh, yeah, uh, I'm on his staff." "He wants to see you." "Who the hell are you?" "." "Me?" "." "Oh, I'm nobody." "I'm on his staff." "What doyou want me for?" "." "Who the hell areyou?" "." "I'm Missouri Jack." "Missouri Jack?" "." "That sounds familiar." "Hey, did you" "No, no, no." "You don't know me." "I'm nobody." "Nobody." "Yeah, definitely." "Nobody at all." "But him, over there, he's somebody, and he wants to see you." "I'm busy." "He's the boss." "Donatto, Tony Donatto." "Well, tell him to come over here." "Hey, boss, he wants you to come over here." "Well, okay, then." "Guess I'll be on myway." "Yeah, got to be getting along." "Nice meetin' ya." "Pleasure talkin' toya." "Hey, Tom Mix1" "You, Roy Rogers, over here!" "What the hell you want?" "." "I want not to shout." "Come here." "Laurie Douglas, $2,000." "What?" "." "You know the name, you know the sum." "Here, we talk." "What about Laurie Douglas?" "." "Look, ifthatjunkie bimbo thinks that she can" "Thatjunkie bimbo is my daughter1" "Sit." "She's got a father, huh?" "." "I thought things like her just accumulated." "Not that kind of father." "Another kind of father." "I have many daughters, many sons." "In my family, there are many children." "I am Donatto." "I never heard of no Donatto." "Oh, on your level, probably not." "You new boys, you don't know." "I fill you in." "My family, we work out of Phoenix." "We take commands from Nazzaro, Los Angeles." "Capetti, New Orleans." "Capetti, New Orleans." "Jack,Jack, he don't know-- [ Laughs ]" "He don't know Capetti, New Orleans." "Capetti will be amused, I am not." "Capetti, manyyears ago, he gives us our name." "I talk of the good days now, the old days." "He calls us, me and Jack, the travel agents." "This is because we arrange for trips to the place of no return." "You understand?" "." "Come on, let's get to it, pal." "I got some bucks-- Please, please, don't do that." "This upsets me." "We will speak ofyour problem now, the girl Laurie." "I am not pleased with her." "A two grand marker for drugs, she brings shame on my family." "She says she is slapped, threatened." "I am unhappywith this." "It is not foryou to deal with her." "She is of my family." "Forget the girl." "You never met her." "Forget her, Cowboy, oryou yourself become a memory." "Areyou tryin' to tell me that two old guys like you are going" "Of course not." "We don't touch people like you." "We have people who touch people likeyou." "I pick up a phone, you disappear." "I make a call, they find you floating." "Yes, we are old now, the travel agents." "Manyyears since we did our own work." "1 964, our last activeyear." "Jack, in '64, howmanyfloating,Jack?" "He don't remember either." "I think ifwe count Bazzini, it's 1 4." "Don't sound right, hoss." "Somethin' don't ring right in my ear here." "Don'tyou understand?" "." "We fly here personally last night from Phoenix to speak toyou." "Ifyou just come from Phoenix, what was you doin' in the parkyesterday?" "." "What'reyou talkin' about?" "." "I seen you there two days' runnin'." "No, you mistaken." "Huh." "Well, you had-- you had this with you yesterday." "I never saw that before in my life." "I got an antenna that picks up all channels, dad." "Helps me not to wake up dead." "All right." "I adviseyou to call your people." "Game's over." "Stop it." "Call them now!" "Please, don't continue." "I'm gettin' depressed." "You're makin' a serious-- Come on, stop it!" "I hate bein' played foolish." "I just hate it!" "First she cons me, and she gets two old creeps to front for her." "I don't like it!" "This city's gone rotten." "Shills likeyou, the Big Apple's just rotting' away." "It makes my heart hurt." "Makes me feel bad." "Who areyou, man, huh?" "." "What's the deal?" "." "Where's she at?" "." "[ Clears Throat ]" "I, uh, a note was left with my attorney this morning." "Ifl do not return by 1 1 :00 tonight, theywill send people here." "Here." "Here's his card right here." "You're out ofaces, friend." "Where's she at?" "." "Where's she hiding'?" "." "I am not at liberty to divulge." "I must" "You wanna get out?" "." "Come on." "Let's get out." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on out." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on." "I run a street business." "I'm lookin' bad." "The girl's makin' me look like shit on the street." "And folks laughing' at me." "You gotta take me seriously now." "You gotta tell me where she's at." "Time to reveal my true identity." "Let me" "Introduce myself." "Oh, you're in harm's way, dad." "You gotta tell me!" "Come on!" "Tell me!" "I'm gonna rockyou till the words come out." "I'm gonna rockyou, rockyou, rockyou!" "Rockyou, rockyou!" "Rockyou, rockyou1 Leave him be." "Leave him be now!" "Well, now." "Leave the man be, else I'll call the cops." "Mr. Nobody." "Lots ofcops." "Precinct one block." "Cop cars up and down." "Right here, right here!" "In that case, you don't move, huh?" "." "You stay right there." "No, hey, no1 I'm askin'you not to move, little man." "Hey, hey, buddy, I'm askin' you to stop" "Well, now, what do we got here?" "." "We got a crazy old man with a knife." "Oh." "Take it easynow." "Get-- Get on away from here!" "Go on!" "Get!" "Take it easy." "You get close enough, I swear, boy, I will stickyou!" "Take it easy." "Take it easy, now, mister, take it easy." "Hey, doesn't anybody give a shit?" "." "There is a man with a knife here!" "Oh, I just love New York!" "This is my kind oftown!" "Get!" "You get!" "This one'syours, Missouri." "No, no, Carter, no!" "This round's yours." "Move it!" "Take it easy." "Carter, don't follow him1" "Get, Cowboy-man!" "You remove yourself, boy, or I'll do it foryou." "You mess with me, I'll peel you like an apple." "Sliced cowboy comin' up." "Cowboy salad to go." "[ Ringing ]" "[Ringing Continues ]" "[Saxophone ]" "[Metallic Clanking]" "Don't say a word." "I was only-- Not a word, please." "I was only going to say that quite frankly, I've missed you." "Okay, okay." "Now you've said it." "I would also like to express my delight... in your safe return from the hospital." "I only regret thatyou didn't allow me into your room to visityou." "Ain't lettin' you in there." "You tell 'em you a doctor, start lopping' off pieces of my foot." "I had 29 beautiful days and nights withoutyou." "Quite right." "I don't blameyou." "Told 'em don't let him in whatever he says." "He tell you he's head ofthe hospital, he tell you he invented Novocaine, you don't let him in!" "I certainly don't blameyou." "The fact is, I don't do that anymore." "Yeah, I'll bet." "It's true." "Since the cowboy, an episode during which, may I say, you behaved magnificently." "Not since General Custer has there been such behavior." "Since that time, I've been only myself." "That Friday, Clara comes lunchtime to the Socialist club." "I tell her the truth." "There are tears in her eyes, I decide to tell her the truth." "I must say that I was helped in this decision... bythe fact that the girl, Laurie, did not show up." "I should have covered with another story, but my heart wasn't in it." "My mouth, a dangerous mouth, makes you Missouri Jack and almost gets you killed, makes an Israeli family and breaks my daughter's heart." "Ah!" "I've retired my mouth." "Well, long as we talkin' mouth damage, boy," "lawyer for the tenants' committee found out there was no HURTSFOE, so I'm out of myjob now." "Movin' me and the Erie City out in fourweeks." "No extra severance, either." "Danforth comes to the hospital to tell me personal, bring me a basket offruit." "So, instead of my Christmas cash," "I got six fancy pears wrapped in silver paper." "I deeply regret" " Besides which, lookwhat you did to Laurie." "Howyou expect her to show up?" "." "You promised you was gonna help her with the cowboy." "Now she's in more trouble than ever." "Besides which, there ain't one good" "ain't one good hip left on this bench." "And as long as we keepin' score, what happened toJ.C.?" "." "Tell me the truth." "J.C.'s back, ain't he?" "." "Yes." "Oh." "He charges six dollars now." "It seems to me you pretty much come up... 0 for five in the whole series here." "Please, I assureyou, mywounds require no further salt." "Anotherthing1" "I ain't no General Custer!" "From what I hear, the general got wiped out." "Well, not this baby." "Ifit wasn't for a lucky left jab," "I near blew that cowboy away!" "Huh." "You see this?" "." "Small piece ofthat cowboy, that's what it is." "Hisjacket at least." "I neartook a bigslice out ofthat boybefore he dropped me." "You know what I seen in the hospital... every night in front of my bed?" "." "That cowboy's eyes." "[ Chuckling ]" "Them scared eyes." "Them big chicken eyes!" "When myweapon come out, that-that was one surprised, froze solid, near shit-less cowboy." "Dude didn't know what happened." "Dude figured he had me on the ropes." "Out come myweapon, he turned to stone." "Lord, even eyes like mine, I could see his eyes." "They got that big lookin' at me, yeah." "He seen me, all right." "He seen me." "Be a while before he mess with this alley cat again." "There must be a way a man could frame a thing like that." "Yeah." "Hmm, unfortunately, I must leave now." "Best news I heard all day." "I'm expected at the senior center at noon." "The day begins at noon there." "I must be prompt." "Clara checks up." "Also weekends in Great Neck." "I'm seldom in the park anymore." "News gettin' better and better." "The hospital said you just got out." "I came today on the chance of seeing you." "I felt I owed you an apology, also the truth." "My name is Nat Moyer." "This is my actual name." "I was a fewyears with the furworkers union, that was true, but when Ben Gold lost power, they let me go." "I was then for 41 years a waiter at Deitz's Dairy Restaurant on Houston Street." "That's all." "A waiter." "I was retired at age 73." "They said theywould have kept me longer, except for the fact that I talked too much;" "annoyed the customers." "I presently reside, and have for some time, at the Amsterdam Hotel where my main occupation... is learning more things about tuna fish than God ever intended." "In otherwords, whatever was said previously," "I was and am now, no one." "No one at all." "This is the truth." "Good-bye and good luck toyou and your knife." "Better get goin' to the center." "At 12:00, guestspeaker..." "Jerome Cooperwill lecture on timely issues for the aging." "Refreshments will be served to anyone who's alive at the end." "Shit." "Man, you still can't tell the truth." "That was the truth." "Tell me the truth, damn it!" "I told you the truth." "That was it." "That's what I was." "That's all." "You wasn't a waiter." "What was you really?" "." "I was a waiter." "No, you wasn't just a waiter." "You was more than that." "Tell me the truth, damn it!" "I was a waiter." "That's it." "Except, of course, for a brieftime... in the motion picture industry." "You mean the movies?" "." "You call it the movies." "We call it the motion picture industry." "What kindofjob you have there?" "A job?" "." "What I did, you couldn't call a job." "You see, I was briefly a mogul." "A mogul?" "Yeah, I heard ofthat." "Ain't that some kind of rabbi or somethin'?" "." "In a manner ofspeaking, yes." "A sort of motion picture rabbi." "One who leads, instructs, inspires, that's a mogul." "You see, it's the early '50s." "Blacklisting, red scare-- terror reigns." "The industry is frozen." "No one can make a move." "Colleague against colleague, brother against brother." "I had written a few articles for the papers, theories on the subject." "Suddenly, they called for me." "They fly me out there." "Boom, I'm a mogul." "The industry needs answers." "What should I do?" "." "What did you do?" "." "Well, that's a long story." "That's a long and complicated story." "You see, there was an outfit called... the House Un-American Activities Committee." "These were a bunch of evil men posing as good guys." "Theywere in the House of Representatives mostly." "And what theywere trying to do was scare the entire population... into thinking the way they thought." "And since theywere a bunch ofbad guys, theywere thinking bad thoughts." "You follow me?" "." "So, nowyou get a bunch of good guys..." "[ Crowd Chanting "Strike"]" "["The Internationale"]"