FADE IN:
JUNE 11, 1970S QUEENS, NEW YORK. THE SUITE - NIGHT
A smoky, overdecorated cocktail lounge and nightclub on
Queens Boulevard. Sergio Franchi is in full voice on the
jukebox. It is after midnight. It has bean a long night..
Balloons and empty glasses litter the place. BILLY BATTS,
a 50-year-old hood in an out-of-date suit, court at the
bar. WE SEE a younger, more sharply-dressed HOOD walk in
with a BEEHIVE GIRLFRIEND and hug BATTS.
HOOD
Billy. You look beautiful. Welcome
home.
BAITS
(laughing and turning
to the bartender)
What are you having? Give 'em what
they're drinking.
WE SEE FOUR OTHER MEN, including HENRY HILL and JIMMY BURKE,
standing near BILLY BATTS at the bar, raise their glasses
in salute. TOMMY DESIMONE and ANOTHER BEEHIVE BLONDE enter.
BILLY BATTS looks up and sees TOMMY.
BILLY
Hey, look at him. Tommy. You grew
up.
TOMMY
(preening a little)
Billy, how are you?
BILLY
(smiling broadly at
Tommy and the girl)
Son of a bitch. Get over here.
TOMMY walks over and BILLY, too aggressively, grabs TOMMY
around the neck. TOMMY doesn't like it.
TOMMY
(forcing a laugh)
Hey, Billy. Watch the suit.
BILLY
(squeezing Tommy's
cheek, a little
too hard)
Listen to him. "Watch the suit,"
he says. A little pisser I've
known all my life. Hey, Tommy,
don't go get too big.
TOMMY
Don't go busting my balls. Okay?
BILLY
(laughing, to the
crowd at the bar)
Busting his balls?
(to Tommy)
If I was busting your balls, I'd
send you home for your shine box.
TOMMY'S smile turns to a glare as he realizes BILLY is
making fun of him. The Men at the bar are roaring with
laughter. His GIRL is looking glumly at her shoes.
BILLY
(to the hoods at
the bar)
You remember Tommy's shines? The
kid was great. He made mirrors.
TOMMY
(almost a threat)
No more shines, Billy.
BILLY
Come ooonnn. Tommeeee. We're only
kidding. You can't take a joke?
Come ooonn.
WE SEE that TOMMY is still angry, but begins to relax with
BILLY'S apparent apology, but as soon as BILLY sees that
TOMMY is beginning to relax, he contemptuously turns his
back on TOMMY.
BILLY
(facing the bar)
Now get the hell home and get your
shine box.
HENRY quickly steps in front of TOMMY who is about to
explode. BATTS is facing the bar and does not see just how
furious TOMMY has become.
HENRY
(gently wrestling
Tommy away from
the bar)
Come on, relax. He's drunk. He's
been locked up for six years.
TOMMY
I don't give a shit. That guy's
got no right.
HENRY
Tommy. He. doesn't mean anything.
Forget about it.
TOMMY
(trying to wrestle
past Henry)
He's insulting me. Rat bastard.
He's never been any fuckin' good.
HENRY
Tommy. Come on. Relax.
TOMMY
(to Henry)
Keep him here. I'm going for a
bag.
TOMMY roughly grabs his GIRL'S arm and storms out.
HENRY
(rejoining Jimmy
and Billy Batts at
the bar)
Batts. I'm sorry. Tommy gets
loaded. He doesn't mean any
disrespect.
BATTS
He's got a hot head.
WE SEE the LAST TWO GUESTS get up to leave. HENRY puts
another dollar in the jukebox and moves back behind the
bar and starts to total the register receipts.
CUT TO:
From HENRY'S POV behind the bar, WE SEE the GUESTS leave
and suddenly WE SEE TOMMY in the doorway. HENRY walks around
the bar and approaches TOMMY.
WE SEE JIMMY and BATTS are still seated at bar with their
backs to the door.
BATTS
They're fucking mutts.
WE SEE JIMMY nod.
BUTTS
I seen them. They walk around
like big shots and they don't know
shit.
JIMMY
A guy gets half a load on. He
mouths off.
BATTS
to be a gangster.
MAIN TITLE:
GOOD FELLAS
UNFREEZE and
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