GALLO: Carmine, Lenny.
LENNY: Is there someplace to go?
You don't feel safe here in Harlem?
BETTYE: Carmine.AL: Fuck.
Al, this is really scary.
JOE: You did the right thing by coming here.
I appreciate that.
AL: Pacino can't do the film.
He signed on to another project.
I need you to get him out of it.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
De Niro does "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight,"
Pacino does "The Godfather,"
everybody wins.
You got Pacino. You got him!
Al, there are two FBI agents waiting for you.
CAESAR: We need to take Gallo out now.
I gotta talk to Carlo and the rest of the Commission
to get the okay to rip this motherfucker's face off.
This is turning into a fucking fiasco.
We should be partners.No.
I hear that Paramount's getting spun off.
Gulf and Western want out.
BARRY: We can get a much better price
if we offload Paramount now and cash out.
Come work for me.
You're selling Paramount.
AL: Big day tomorrow.
They said that this was not going to succeed.
You made it happen.
JOE: After intense negotiations
with Gulf and Western,
the League has decided to allow them
to make the movie "The Godfather."
And it's all because of this man right there,
Al Ruddy.
[applause]
[soft dramatic music]
♪
[upbeat dramatic music]
♪
JOE: I'd also like to announce
after intense negotiations with Gulf and Western,
the League has decided to allow them
to make the movie "The Godfather."
[applause]
That's right.
And--and I should say
that it's all because of this man right there,
Al Ruddy. Al, come up here.
He's the film's producer.
It's because of him that we were able
to come to this agreement.Fuck!
JOE: This is the man solely responsible
for the alliance between the Italian League,
Gulf and Western, and Paramount Pictures.
Fuck.
You're one of us.
Hey, come on, come up here.
REPORTER 1: How long have you been working with Mr. Colombo?
Take a picture.
REPORTER 2: What are the details
of this financial relationship?
REPORTER 3: How does Paramount Pictures
feel about this, Mr. Ruddy?
Fuck.
[knocking on door]
REPORTER 4: How does Gulf and Western feel about--
Hey.What the hell, Al?
I take it you're not here to pick me up
for our first day of shooting.
I would be, if you hadn't decided
to make your romance with Joe Colombo official.
You really think that was my decision?
Why didn't you tell me?[phone ringing]
Because--Do not answer that.
Maybe nobody's seen it.
Are you kidding me?
Everyone in the five boroughs has seen this.
Look, I walked into an ambush, okay?
Joe invited me down to the League office.
I had no idea that he was gonna do what he did.
You need to tell Charlie that.
I need to go to set because I promised Francis
I'd be there first thing.
No, Bluhdorn first.
Francis needs you to keep your job, Al,
and so does the rest of the crew.
Fine. Relax. Nobody's losing their job.
[phone ringing]
I wish I had your confidence.
It's kinda all I got.
Barney says we're gonna open four points down
and that there's gonna be blood in the streets.
Fuck.And the "Journal," Jesus.
"Is Gulf and Western in business with organized crime?"
I don't need you reading me the fucking papers.
Where's--the head of PR.
Where the hell have you been, Gary?
I--I was just--
we've been monitoring the situation.
CHARLIE: Monitoring the situation.
Where from? Your bedroom?
You're fired.I'm what?
Charlie, I don't--The story broke this morning
and now you're just starting to think about damage control.
You fucked up. You're fired.
It broke two hours ago. How is this my fault?
You are lucky this window doesn't open.
Get out!
Charlie, I don't think it's prudent
to fire the head of PR--
I don't believe I asked for your opinion.
Where are we on the sale?
We're still in preliminary talks.
We had four interested buyers.
But after this fiasco--Line up calls this morning.
I want Paramount off my books by the end of the day.
What do we tell Evans?
Screw Evans.
After today, that oily fuck is someone else's problem.
[upbeat music]
♪
[shouts]
[glass shatters]
This is gonna be a shit storm.
You don't know that for sure.
The producer of my movie
just shook hands with a goddamn mobster on TV.
I gotta get to New York.
OPERATOR: Waldorf Astoria.BOB: Al Ruddy, 304.
Are you kidding me?
Do I look like I'm kidding you?
We're in deep shit, babe.
We're going to Texas, remember?
My movie, dinner at McQueen's?
Or do you just forget every promise you make
the second it leaves your mouth?
I have to deal with this right now.
I'll meet you there later.Oh, yes.
I'll hold my breath waiting on that promise.
OPERATOR: Hello, sir?Yeah.
OPERATOR: I'm sorry. Mr. Ruddy doesn't appear
to be in his room.
I can leave a message if you want.
Fuck.
I'll have the office get the jet ready.
You're literally going to New York right now?
If Ruddy manages to survive this thing,
he's gonna need backup, and if he doesn't,
I gotta be there to produce this thing myself.
Don't you have people that work for you
who can deal with this?
Honey!
I'm the head of the goddamn studio.
I am the fucking people that deal with this.
[upbeat music]
♪
MARIO: I'll take one of those.
And, ooh, one with sprinkles.
Or two.
Guys, another five feet of track toward the corner.
CREW MEMBER: Okay.
FRANCIS: No doughnuts?Oh, I already had two.
Hey, thanks for getting the truck.
It was very nice to you.
All right, just about ready.Great.
Francis.[both chuckle]
We're finally here, huh?
We're making snow. I mean, this is great.
[both laugh]
FRANCIS: Oh, it's very exciting, Mario.
We wouldn't be here without your beautiful words.
You and I make a hell of a team.
Hmm?Yeah.
Where's Ruddy?
Good question.
He should be here any minute.
Freddy.FRED: Yeah.
Where's Ruddy?Haven't seen him.
Okay.
Let's do it.
Okay.
Everybody, first shot is up.
Lock it down. Quiet on set.
CREW MEMBER: Places, everyone.
Where is he going?
[suave guitar music]
♪
Off to a great start.
What do you think?
Do we really need a dozen picture cars,
140 extras
just for a shot of two people walking down the sidewalk?
We could have shot it tight and been done by now.
And what's with all the presents?
It makes him look even smaller than he is.
That is no leading man.
So what are we gonna do about it?
Give them enough rope.
FRANCIS: Al?AL: Yeah.
You okay?Oh, yeah.
I'm, uh, I'm just a little nervous, you know.
I'm holding presents and everything.
The lines keep flying out of my head.
Yeah.
Hey, I don't really care
if you get all the lines exactly right.
Don't tell Puzo.
[both chuckle]Okay, okay.
The motivation, that's the most important thing,
and you got that.
Look at this beautiful girl. Look in her eyes.
Yeah?
Just be in the moment
with this woman that you love.
That's all I need.
All right. I could do that.
You wanna try one?
Yeah.All right, let's do it.
AL: Give it a shot.
FRED: Okay, everyone. Here we go.
Did he at least yell "fore"?
You're funny, huh?
Oh, that's right. You got your start in sitcoms.
Look, is he coming or not? Because I gotta get to set.
Charlie,
I'm sure you--Shut the hell up.
Zip it, I don't wanna hear your fucking voice.
What the hell is this?
Al brought you a little gift.
Ah, pastries.
You fucked me, Ruddy.
You fucked me good. You destroyed my company.
I'm sorry, but it's not my job
to care about your company.
My job is to do what's best for the movie
and I would do it all over again.
Is that so?Yeah, that's so.
You're in bed with the fucking mafia
for the whole world to see.
There's not a single production in this town
that isn't, okay?
The unions, the Teamsters.
Who do you think controls them?
And I'm sorry, but I didn't exactly
see anybody at this office lining up to deal with them.
Yeah, for good reason.
And I don't see any other producers
holding their hand on the front page of the paper.
I did what I had to do.
So either fire me or let me get to work.
There is no "or."
You're fired.
Get the fuck out.
Good luck finding somebody that'll do my job.
[brash funky rock music]
♪
[intercom beeps] SECRETARY: Mr. Bluhdorn,
Mr. Dunston's here to see you. He says it's urgent.
♪
[elevator dings]
♪
Al, what's going on?
Why do you have Charlie's cigars?
He fired you.
Call Evans.
He won't wanna bring on somebody new.
He's not returning my calls.
It will take them way too long to catch up
and that's money out of their pockets.
Maybe I can talk to Charlie.
Fuck Charlie.
And Lapidus and Bob. They don't get it.
So make them get it. Don't just walk away.
I don't really have much of a choice.
Al, what do you want me to do?
I don't know. Go back to Oklahoma.
Go back to your pies, your husband.
I don't care.
You selfish prick.
Hey!
When you cozied up next to Colombo,
did you ever stop and think about what would happen?
About the repercussions?
About what that meant for the rest of us?
No, but it wasn't exactly my idea.
No one forced you to have your picture taken.
You try saying no to Joe Colombo.
Let me know how that works out for you.
You did it because you were thinking
of nobody but yourself.
You bulldoze through life with blinders on,
just focusing on what is right in front of you.
And that is great for you and your job,
but it sucks for those of us
who are stuck standing behind you,
trying to protect you
from whatever is outside of your eye line.
I didn't hire you to protect me.
You're a fucking assistant.
Go find another fucking job.
[funky rock music]
♪
SINGERS: ♪ Devil walking
SINGER: ♪ Oh, I used to be so
BOB: You know what?
Whatever that crazy Austrian thinks he wants to do,
we're gonna stop him.
PETER: G and W's cratering, you know?
He's losing his shit.We're ready, Peter.
"Love Story" has made him a ton.
If we can just get "The Godfather" out there--
Two hits in a row.
We show Charlie we're back to printing money.
Bottom line, baby, bottom line.
That's all he cares about.
But if he fires Ruddy and Ballard takes over--
[sniffs]
It's gonna be a shit storm for the picture.
I hate that asshole. SINGER: ♪ Devil walking
Fuck it.
I'll produce the movie myself.
SINGER: ♪ You are nothing but a
SINGERS: ♪ Devil
Big, big misunderstanding, Dickie.
Al Ruddy is a two-bit producer
who has no authority to speak for us.
He's been terminated.
We're dealing with the fallout, but we'll survive.
Survive? That's what you think I want?
Look at this headline.BARRY: It's bad.
We understand, but Charlie's handling it.
It'll be a bumpy week,
but G and W is bigger than Paramount.
I told you we shouldn't be in the goddamn movie business.
We're not--I'm dealing with it.
I don't think you're equipped to, Charlie.
I think you need help.
I called an emergency board meeting this afternoon
so we can offload this quickly.
You better have some people ready to buy.
Fine. I'll see you at the meeting.
We'll stock the bar.
[tense music]
♪
CARLO: You said you could control Gallo.
I'm gonna take care of it, Carlo.
Don't you worry about that.
We trusted you.
You said that don't worry once before, yet here we are.
JOE: He blew Carmine's head off with a sawed-off shotgun.
I thought this was gonna be peaceful but--
This cannot escalate.
We cannot have another war.
Then what happens?
I just sit on my hands and wait for this--
while this fucking animal runs wild?
I'll talk to Gallo.
What good is that gonna do?
Huh?
If he had done this to a member of your family,
what would you do? You'd talk to him?
It's a sensitive matter, Joe.
Come on, come on.
I want your word
you will not take any action at this time.
I want your word.Okay.
Okay.
You have my word.
Okay.
Let's go.
How you doin', Joe?
You should've stayed in prison.
It was safer for you there.
[chuckles] Yeah, okay.
Hey, Joe.What?
For Carmine's family.
JOE: Okay. Okay.
I wanted to pay my respects.
It's $1,000, Joe.
Go ahead, count it.
Ciao,Joe.
[tense music]
♪
Morning, Bettye.
I need to see him. It's urgent.
It's not a good day.
This cannot wait.
Trust me, now is not the time.
♪
Thank you.
CHARLIE: Where are we with buyers?
BARRY: Well, yesterday we had four potential suitors
looking to acquire Paramount.
So who are we calling first?
BARRY: But this morning, three of them called
to formally withdraw their bids.
No one wants to be in bed with the mob, Charlie.
Fucking Ruddy.
BARRY: We do have one option, though.
It's this guy out of Texas, oil money.
It's not my first choice
but that's what's still on the table.
Set up a lunch.
Tell Texas he has to meet us today.
That's short notice. I'm not sure--
CHARLIE: Today.
[tense music]
♪
Cut!That's a cut.
Check the gate.
Terrific. It's terrific.
How did that feel for you?
Feel good?It was great.
Really good for me.
And thank you for taking the pressure off.
DIANE: I'm so glad we started with this.
So nice of you to join us
after the scene already wrapped.
FRANCIS: Moving on. Ruddy?
Francis, let me talk to you for a sec.
I saw the headlines and I thought
they were gonna fire you for sure.
They did fire me.
What--what are you talking about?
They can't do that.
It's the first day of shooting.It's done.
I just came by to tell you something
before I head out.
You're gonna make a beautiful film.
You got your yellow.
And another thing.Yeah.
Grow eyes on the back of your head.
Ballard's out for blood.
What are you doing now?I don't know,
but there's probably a drink in my future.
You got this.
Ruddy, what--
where's Ruddy going? Why's he leaving?
Something wicked this way comes.
Hey, Jean.
Can I talk to you for a second? Do me a favor.
When we get to the next location,
I want you to find me a telephone.
You get Charlie Bluhdorn on the line.
You tell him it's an emergency.
Hey, Jack, look at that. We're ahead of schedule.
Yeah, good start. Let's keep it that way.
Keep it that way.
[tense music]
♪
Hey. Come here.
Where is everybody?
Where is every-- this is everybody.
Well, who else are you waiting on?
You.
Sit down.
It's just you and me?
Take it easy.
Here, have some wine.
I got some antipasti coming.
What's the matter with you?
Every time I see you,
you're choking down on some fucking hoagie
and now all of a sudden you're shy?
Come on, eat.
I gotta talk to you.
Yeah, we talk every day.
Yeah, but this is a different kind of talk.
Okay.
How's your nonna doing?
She's all right.
You know, when I was a kid,
I'd be playing with my friends
out on the street.
If it got late, she'd come out screaming,
waving a broom handle around.
She'd say, "Vai a casa, vai a casa,you bad boys."
And if she caught you,
she'd beat the shit out of you with that thing.
But you know what?
No matter what I did,
she never told my mother.
Some things never change.
She's still a tough broad.
How long have we known each other?
My whole life.
You know,
after this business with Carmine...
I realized I never asked you what you wanted to do.
What do you mean?
Well, sometimes in life,
unfortunate things present opportunities.
But to take it, you gotta be ready to step up.
Really be a man.
Is that what you want?
Yeah.
Think about it.
No, I don't need to.
I'm ready.
I'm with you.
♪
Cin cin.[glasses clink]
♪
[soft elegant music]
♪
Barry, if you don't order steak,
I'll stick you with a fork.
Oil people, they don't trust fish.
Well, technically, caviar is fish.
It's a delicacy and expensive as fuck.
This must be him.
Andy Calhoun.
Does your father know you're here?
Mr. Bluhdorn, your reputation precedes you.
Barry Lapidus. We spoke on the phone.
You spoke to my brother.
He drank a little too much on the jet.
So you just get me today.
What can I get you, sir?
Sparkling water. Thanks.
How can I trust a man who drinks seltzer with caviar?
Oh, no worries there.
I hate caviar. [chuckles]
BARRY: Well, the steaks here are fantastic.
Ah, business works up my appetite.
I love movies, Mr. Bluhdorn.
I always have.
It's a sexy business.
It's full of vagrants and lowlifes,
but if you hit it right.
"Love Story." Have you seen it?
I took my mom. She loved it.
Takes his mother to the movies.
That's a good kid.
Calhoun, I love Paramount
but Gulf and Western is so big that it takes up
more of my attention these days.
So we're looking--I'm sure recent headlines
make it a little easier to part with Paramount.
[clears throat]
Thank you.
Your offer was definitely in the ballpark, Andy.
Oh, well, we're in a new ballpark now, Barry.
Based on the news, I would assume
some sort of discount from what we discussed.
BARRY: We're open to an accommodation
given the circumstances.
ANDY: Oh, well, I'm glad to hear that
because my first, middle, and final offer
is 50%.
[funky upbeat music]
♪
Sorry, sweetie.
No women allowed.
Really?
CAESAR: Bettye.Hi.
What are you doing in Brooklyn?
Um--
That one right there.
Mr. Colombo.
You know, you could've called.
You can call me anytime.
Thank you.
I know how phones can be.
Smart girl.[chuckles]
Ruddy's lucky to have you. Here, sit down.
Ruddy was lucky to have me.
Oh, what's that's supposed to mean?
I just wanted to come and tell you in person
that Ruddy's been fired off the movie.
They can't do that.
What happened?
Don't be nervous. Here.
Thank you.
It's good.
They're pissed about this.
Look.
Ruddy did what he had to do.
He's a stand-up guy that way.
The suits at Gulf and Western,
they don't see it like that.
Is that right?Mm-hmm.
Well, thank you for telling me.
I'm gonna look into this.
Don't you worry your pretty little head, okay?
Listen, you got some stones coming in here.
All my life, I ain't ever seen a broad inside.
I'm not trying to make history.
I just came for Ruddy.
Thank you.Okay, okay.
Come to my office.
DEAN: I can't believe they fired Ruddy.
GORDY: Who's gonna produce the picture now, huh?
What are we gonna do?
FRANCIS: What are we gonna do?
We're gonna make the best damn picture we possibly can.
That's what we're gonna do.
Okay.
Good.
Michael and Enzo right here.
They're looking down.
They see the hitman car
drives up to right about here. They look up, they see them.
They think they're muscle, right?
And then they keep driving.
Next part of the scene we play here
where Michael gets his jaw broke by McClusky.
And then we have Tom Hagen's car
stops here and that's it. That's the end of the scene.
We play everything on this spot.
GORDY: I need a 5K across the street for this.
Like it's the moon or--
No, like a street lamp.
Questions?
Okay, let's do it.
All right. Set belongs to the crew.
First shot from the street looking up the stairs.
[elevator dings]
[sniffs, clears throat]
We should take it.
In this climate,
the faster we can sell Paramount the better.
I know it's not what we were looking for, but--
[alarm bell ringing]
Big fucking Wharton bullshit fuck!
You never show your hand, you desperate fucking idiot.
You never let them know what we're thinking.
[alarm bell ringing]
[clears throat]
[alarm stops]
[sighs][phone ringing]
Hello? JOE: Al, it's Joe.
Listen, I heard about what happened.
It ain't gonna stand. I'm shutting this down.
No, Joe, you gotta listen to me.
I appreciate that, but this-- this movie's important
to a lot of people so please don't--
JOE: No, no, fuck that. I let you make the movie.
I didn't let them make it.
You're my guy.
No you, no movie.
AL: But Joe--
[groans]
[funky upbeat music]
♪
How you doing?
♪
Francis, you need something for lunch?
Freddy, I need this truck to move.
FRED: Can somebody move this fucking truck?
It's in the picture
and we need to get started right after lunch.
FRANCIS: Thank you.
Hey, Francis.Yes.
We got a problem.
What kind of a problem?
Union problem.
Some of the crew, they're threatening
not to come back after lunch.
You're kidding me. Why?
I can't say for sure,
but we know who's got control over the unions, right?
You did the right thing.
I hope so.
[funky upbeat music]
♪
Hey, there, beautiful.
I need to see Charlie right away.
I'm sorry, Mr. Evans.
He's in an emergency board meeting.
[tense music]
♪
DICKIE: Gentlemen,
I think we can all agree that Paramount Pictures
is an embarrassment to Gulf and Western.
I move the motion to sell Paramount Pictures
to Calhoun Enterprises.
Forward to a vote.
[knocking on glass]
BOB: Sorry, it was--it was locked.
Bob, this is outrageous.
You can't just storm in--CHARLIE: Evans.
Got something to say?
Yeah.
I do, Charlie, yeah.
CHARLIE: Sit down, Barry.
BOB: Thank you, Barry.
Hello, everyone.
I'm Robert Evans,
Senior Vice President of Paramount Pictures.
Now, look, last few years have been rough for Hollywood.
I'm sure the only question on your minds is,
should you sell short or go long?
And I understand that.
I do. You're a Fortune 500 company.
You're worried about your reputation.
But take a look around this table.
You're politicians, innovators, captains of industry.
None of you are sitting here because you played it safe.
And you all know in some ways that the most important tool
to help you in your pursuits is loyalty.
But you don't want investors
looking for a good time on a park bench.
No, you want to develop a deep relationship.
You want to create trust and love.
But you can't do that with empty promises.
No, you have to--
you have to feed their souls.
Now, how do you do that? Well, that's hard.
That is hard.
Right now, the soul of America is broken.
War, assassination, civil rights protests.
We're hurting. We're hurting.
And people don't trust politics or big business.
So what can America look up to?
Well, I'll tell you. I'll tell you.
Excuse me, Charlie.
Paramount.
Take a look at the logo.
We're the mountaintop.
We're the goddamn Statue of Liberty
because you can give us your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
and we'll give them two hours of respite
from the harsh realities of this world,
complete with--
with popcorn and Coca-Cola.
And we'll do what other people can't,
we'll entertain them.
We'll give them escape.
We'll feed their souls until they're fit to burst,
and that's something that you can't quantify
by checking the stock on the daily ticker.
So sell short or go long.
Well, a year ago, the answer might have been obvious.
But then came "Love Story," which has grossed
over a hundred million dollars
and fed the souls of America.
And people might say, you know,
"Evans, you only get lucky once."
At Paramount, we make our own luck.
"Love Story" was the second biggest selling
book of the decade beaten by only one other.
And let me tell you, gentlemen, you do not throw in the towel.
You do not throw in the towel
when your fighter is about to land
the second part of a one, two combination,
and that right cross.
Which is gonna bring us the championship,
that's gonna bring Paramount right back to its glory,
well, that's the biggest selling book of all time.
It's "The Godfather" and it's ours.
It's ours!
We can feed their souls
because we know people want
more than sugar or auto parts
or whatever else Gulf and Western does.
They want-- they want stories, Charlie.
They want escape. They want love.
And they want guns, romance,
and violence,
"Love Story" and...
"The Godfather."
Is that it, Evans?
That's it, Charlie.
Then get out.
Thank you, gentlemen.
[intercom beeps]
SECRETARY: He's on, sir.
Mr. Calhoun.
I appreciate all the time that you've given us,
especially at such short notice.
I've, um,
given your offer some serious thought and...
Uh, I'm happy to say that my board and I have decided...
that you can go fuck yourself,
you inbred, toothy motherfucker.
[funky upbeat music]
♪
[intercom beeps]
SECRETARY: Francis Coppola's on the line.
This is the second time he's called.
Says it's urgent.
♪
What is it, Francis?
I gotta get Ruddy back.
Uh, I don't care what you have to do.
CHARLIE: Francis, trust me,
the production's better off without him.
FRANCIS: Well, someone ought to tell that to the mafia
because they're threatening to shut us down.
Do you understand?
Don't let him get on a plane.
They're gonna stop everything. I need you to please stop him.
This movie's never gonna get made without him.
Charlie.
MARIO: I can't believe you talked to Joe Colombo.
Even I wouldn't talk to Joe Colombo.
It's the craziest thing I ever heard.
You're a little--
a little kooky in the head.[both chuckle]
My ex-husband would agree with you.
[laughs]
You know, that's--
that's some loyalty you got for Ruddy.
I didn't do it for him.
I did it for me.
I'm so sick of living a life
that is determined by everyone else's choices.
Huh.When I was a kid,
all I ever had were hand-me-downs.
Nothing I wore was my style or my choice.
It all depended on what my siblings wanted
or what they chose.
And then I got married and moved into a house,
paid for by my husband,
yet another thing I didn't choose.
I hate that feeling.
Other people making choices for me
because I don't have the power to make those choices myself.
So I'm getting Ruddy his job back.
[chuckles]Or I'm gonna die trying.
[both chuckle]
Looks like it worked.
Hey, Ruddy, where you been?
FRANCIS: Ruddy.
Man, am I glad to see you.
You know that the mob is trying to shut us down?
Sonny said no one's coming back after lunch.
I got it. I'll handle it.Okay.
AL: Caesar.
Hey, you're back.I'm back.
Good, 'cause the boss said nothing moves without you.
Well, I'm here, so let's get a-moving.
Thanks, buddy.[truck engine starts]
[indistinct chatter]
♪
And I thought you were fired.
I was.
And I am.
Why are you here?
This movie's important to a lot of people I care about
so I thought I could help 'em out.
So my backstabbing producer turns up to save the day
even though he can't save himself.
Why in God's name
did you do that press conference with Colombo?
You were threatened.
You asked me to deal with it
and that was my way of dealing with it.
You are one crazy motherfucker,
you know that?
Takes one to know one.[scoffs]
We good, you and me?
Always, bubbe.
I wish I could say the same about you and Bluhdorn.
I'm sorry.
[soft dramatic music]
♪
Charlie. [clears throat]
Thank God you came. I have to tell you,
I have no faith in these--FRED: Quiet on set.
♪
Rolling.CREW MEMBER: Sound speed.
Action!
♪
BOB: Paramount.
We're the mountaintop.
We're the goddamn Statue of Liberty
because you can give us your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
and we'll do what other people can't,
we'll entertain them.
We'll feed their souls until they're fit to burst.
FRANCIS: Cut!
FRED: Check the gate.
BOB: Would you look at that?
Mob threatens to shut it down,
Ruddy gets it going again.
Who said loyalty doesn't exist anymore?
♪
I'm guessing as you're here, Charlie,
Paramount lived to see another day.
With a performance like yours,
how could it not?
You know you gotta hire him back, right?
♪
Looks like you've got friends in high places.
Not the same places you do.
Yeah, no shit.
If you ever talk to the press again,
I won't just fucking fire you.
I will kill you.
And I mean that, Ruddy.
Understood, Charlie.
Bettye.
Let's get a drink.
Yeah, just gimme a second.
♪
Apparently, you're not replaceable.
Bettye.
I'm sorry.
I should've never have talked to you the way that I did.
And...
you were right.
I know.[chuckles softly]
Try not to fuck this up again.
We'll see.[chuckles softly]
Is it cool if I go grab a drink with Charlie?
Do I have a choice?
No.
♪
She's something else, that broad, isn't she?
AL: Yes, she is.
It's a good thing that she did,
going to the boss like that.
She did what?
Oh, yeah.
How do you think the boss found out?
FRED: All right, quiet on set.
Rolling.CREW MEMBER: Sound speed.
FRANCIS: Action![sighs deeply]
You had a lot of people nervous, Charlie.
Do I make you nervous?
Me?
Of course not.
So what happened?
The board decided to keep Paramount?
It was split, six-six.
Ah.
So you decided to keep it.
What swayed you?
Was it Evans?
Ah, that Evans. He's too emotional.
Why then?
It wasn't personal.
It was business.
Do you know why dogs show their bellies?
Tummy rubs?It's a sign of submission.
When the other dog sees it, he knows he holds the power.
In business, you never want to be a bitch
that shows its belly.
Hmm.
Heard you wanted to see me?
Lapidus told me to meet you here.
Well, I'm glad that Wharton fuck
could get one thing right.
You're done, Dunston.
Off the board. Effective immediately.
What? You can't do this.
I can. And I did.
Now get the fuck out of here.
[snarling]
You're out of your fucking mind,
you crazy Austrian fuck!
[growls]
BETTYE: [chuckles]
[coughs]
Just business, huh?
That fucker questioned my hold on the company.
Sometimes it is personal.
Get me another glass of scotch,
you crazy Austrian fuck.
[chuckles softly]
JOE: I'm so glad you could make it.
How was your first day on set?
Really good, yeah.
I can't believe we're actually filming.
[chuckles]
And, Joe, I can't thank you enough
for everything you did.
Hey, no, forget about it.
We couldn't have done it without you.
I told you, we're friends here.
Come here, come here.
[chuckles] All right, come on.
Let's go meet this fucking joke.
Hey.Joey Colombo, get in here.
[chuckles] Good to see you.
How are you?Good, good.
Come on, let's have a drink.Come on, come on, come on.
[slow, rising classical music]
♪
[engine rumbling]
JOE: Thanks for doing this, bub.
FRANK: Ah, it's the least I could do, Joe.
The League is very important to me.
Yeah, yeah.
Frank, I want to introduce you
to my friend Al Ruddy.
He's the producer I was telling you about.
How are you?
Wait.
Do I know you from somewhere?
Not officially.
Big fan.Ah, I appreciate that, kid.
Sit down, gents.
Wait a second. Hold it, hold it, hold it.
You're the guy who straightened out the script, right?
That's right, that's right.
I just do whatever my friend Joe asks.
[all chuckling]
FRANK: Smart man.Right? [chuckles]
Really,
thanks for making it happen for me.
Not a problem.
♪
[speaking Italian]
[both laugh]
What's that mean?
♪
It loosely translates to, uh,
"Those that wish us harm
can go fuck themselves."
Cin cin.
[music swells]
♪
[tires squealing]
♪
ALL: [CHEERING] Colombo! Colombo! Colombo! Colombo!
We have a big problem.Are there any little ones?
BETTYE: He's dead.Jesus.
You're doing great, Joe, keep it up.
So this is a gangster film?It's more than that.
This movie...
This looks like a goddamn circus.
...is a mess.So what's our solution?
AL: Find me a better one.
I'm in charge of the horse head? Fuck.
I'm not cutting the scene!
He has no appreciation for anyone, and I'm done.
Coppola has lost his crew.
They wanna fire him.What about Ruddy?
I want you out! Now!
You better be ready to take over.
AL: I need someone I trust.
You have to learn if you're cut out for this life.
Say the word, I'm there, buddy.
[INDISTINCT NOISE]
[CLACKS]
Let's do it.
NIKKI: Having just worked with the real Al Pacino,
I spoke with him at great length about The Godfather.
And this was before I even realized
I was going to be a part of this project.
And so when Anthony Ippolito showed up on set
and I heard his voice, it was uncanny.
It was like being with the real Al.
COPPOLA: You wanna try one?
Yeah.Let's do it.
ANTHONY: There's something really pure about the fact
that he's just a guy at this point.
Now he's Al Pacino.
So it's just a privilege to be able to capture
the beautiful period in time
where he is kind of on the precipice of greatness.
He told many different stories about his experience
on The Godfather, the different battles
that he endured in playing Michael Corleone.
Al Pacino was almost fired multiple times.
That is no leading man.
ANTHONY: I could definitely identify
with so much of where he was at at that time.
I definitely understand the path of being an actor,
or struggling actor and trying to get work.
Yeah. I'm, I'm just a little nervous, you know.
NIKKI: To see him completely transform
into Al Pacino, into Michael Corleone.
his mannerisms, his gait, the way that he spoke.
That's all I need.
All right. I could do that.
ANTHONY: It was really interesting and a privilege to be able
to portray him at this period of time in his life.
I just think that's a really cool period of time
to tell a story about.
Cut.That's a cut!
I did what I had to do.
So either fire me or let me get work.
In a way Ruddy has a few partners making this movie.
He has, obviously, Coppola
and everybody concerned with the film.
Evans, sometimes unwilling...
You are one crazy motherfucker, you know that?
But definitely his partner.
I heard about what happened.
RUSSEL: Colombo.
It ain't gonna stand.
He would've never got his permits without Colombo.
Colombo will shut down production
right on the first day they were shooting.
No you, no movie.
RUSSEL: And Bettye is a big partner.
What are you doing in Brooklyn?
Um...
I think she has the balls, because she comes
from an honest place, to go and see someone like...
Mr. Colombo.
You know, walk into a room
where she might never walk out of. [LAUGHS]
I just wanted to come and tell you in person
that Ruddy's been fired off the movie.
JUNO: It was a scene I was actually really nervous about.
And a scene that felt very kind of meta.
The nerves felt really good for it.
Is that right?
JUNO: She's even told to her face
that they've never seen a woman in there before.
Listen, you got some stones coming in here.
All my life, I ain't never seen a broad inside. [CHUCKLES]
RUSSEL: You know, we tried when we were putting the story together
to think about the backdrop of America at the time.
We're right in the middle of the women's lib movement.
And yes, we don't live in those moments for this show,
but they do play in, and they are a backdrop.
I'm not trying to make history.
There's this wonderful moment between Bettye and Puzo.
Puzo says, "You went to talk to Joe Colombo?"
Even I wouldn't talk to Joe Colombo.
It's the craziest thing I ever heard.
You're a little, well, little kooky in the head.
She has this real heartfelt moment with him
where she explains why she did it.
It's some loyalty you got for Ruddy.
I didn't do it for him.
I did it for me.
It's not just for Ruddy,
it's really about her own needs and her own wants as a woman.
You did the right thing.
I hope so.
JUNO: Yeah, she wanted to go and get Ruddy's job back, but she wanted to go
and get his job back because she wants to keep her job.
It's not just working for the man,
it's because she also knows she has a place where she is
and she wants to keep it.
You were right.I know.
JUNO: I think she does surprise people
and she's more than meets the eye.
That's why all these men in this universe
take her seriously, ultimately.
It's a good thing that she did,
going to the boss like that.
She did what?