EXT. WEST SIDE DOCKS - LATE AFTERNOON
The area is totally deserted except for two trucks parked
side by side. Two men are tossing boxes from one truck to
another and looking around furtively. MICHAEL stands nearby.
MICHAEL LONGO is 26 years old. He lives in a different
neighborhood but comes from the same type of background as
CHARLIE and the others. He runs an illegitimate bar and
dabbles in the yearly sale of firecrackers which he smuggles
in from Maryland. He also deals in contraband cigarettes
and runs a small-time "loan shark" business. He has a knack
for business but he is otherwise unintelligent.
Michael crosses over to a '58 black Oldsmobile.
MICHAEL
Hey, hurry up with that shit will ya.
MICHAEL gets in the car. Another MAN is sitting in the back.
He is also well dressed. MICHAEL takes a small lens out of
his pocket and tosses it to the MAN.
MAN
What's this? More shit...?
MICHAEL
Naw...that ain't shit...that's a
German lens.
The MAN looks at it carefully.
4.
MICHAEL
A good buy...good two shipments of
them.
MAN
Can't use it...
MICHAEL
Why...? That's a telescopic one...
it's good.
MAN
First, it ain't German...it's
Japanese...and second, this ain't
no lens...it's like a...a...an
adaptor...so you got two shipments
of Jap adaptors with no lenses.
(He laughs)
MAN hands adaptor back to MICHAEL.
MICHAEL
(disappointed)
A Jap adaptor?
TITLE APPEARS on bottom of screen: MICHAEL.
EXT. STREET - DAY
A deserted warehouse area in lower Manhattan. Prominent in
the frame is a brightly painted red white and blue mailbox,
contrasting with the drab hues of the neighborhood.
JOHNNY BOY walks down the street toward camera. JOHN
CIVELLO (JOHNNY BOY) is 23 years old. He is an only child
and lives with his mother, a divorcee. He is clean cut
looking, yet slightly radical in dress. He was expelled
from high school for vandalism and consequently spent
several months in reform school. He is reckless,
unambitious, nihilistic, and was classified a psychiatric 4-
F. He is first cousin of TERESA RONCHALI who lives next
door to CHARLIE. He has adopted TERESA'S family as his own
and spends more time with them than he does with his mother.
JOHNNY is carrying a package wrapped in plain brown paper
under his arm, and he is smiling. He drops the package into
the mailbox and keeps walking. But he is moving a little
faster now and smiling a little more.
Suddenly the mailbox explodes. Dozens of red, white and
blue fragments shower down on the street. The impact of the
blast knocks JOHNNY down. TITLE APPEARS on bottom of frame:
JOHNNY BOY.
5.
He is up in a moment. The CAMERA TRACKS with him as he
starts running. WE SEE that he is grinning - quite
literally - like crazy.
INT. CHURCH
WE SEE CHARLIE full face. Behind him is a Confessional
Booth. The church is very old, quiet, and dark. The CAMERA
ZOOMS OUT to reveal rows of Holy Candles lit in the
foreground. CHARLIE suddenly begins to speak softly and
confidentially to an unseen entity that is OFF SCREEN.
CHARLIE
(Confession)
A...As you know, I've just come out
of Confession. And as a penance
they gave me ten 'Hail Marys' and
ten 'Our Fathers'...
THE CAMERA BEGINS TO TRUCK OUT. IT MOVES AROUND CHARLIE AND
AWAY FROM THE HOLY CANDLES REVEALING CHARLIE'S PROFILE.
CHARLIE
(continued)
...Now, between you and me... You
know how I feel about such things...
'Hail Marys'...'Our Fathers'...No
imagination...
THE CAMERA HAS NOW TRUCKED BEHIND CHARLIE AND WE SEE over
his head he has been addressing a life sized statue of the
crucified body of Christ, eyes closed reclining in his
sepluchure.
CHARLIE
(Continuing)
...If I'm going to do penance at
all, I'll do it the way I think it
would be done...by me, that
is...according to my own trespasses.
You know what I mean.
This conversation of Confession will occur from time to time
in other parts of the story as CHARLIE will periodically try
very casually to justify his thoughts and actions to his
"God." The images accompanying these monologues are to be of
free association almost documentary in nature.
INT. TONY'S PLACE - NIGHT
The club is dark and noisy and smokey when CHARLIE enters.
He greets TONY who is sitting on a bar-stool. TONY directs
CHARLIE to a corner of the club where the rest of the group
is now getting boisterously drunk.
6.
CHARLIE joins in, immediately taking on the mood of the group.
The rest of the club is filled with many different types of
customers: teenagers, adults pretending to be teenagers,
sailors, male and female gays, and "the boys from the
neighborhood." The music is loud and the lights are flashing
but the strippers have not yet appeared.
DISSOLVE TO:
TONY is at the bar. He is approached by GEORGE one of the
bouncers. He seems upset about the noise that CHARLIE and
his friends are creating. TONY doesn't take GEORGE very
seriously.
GEORGE
It's ten o'clock and they're like
this. And they're just starting?
TONY smiles.
GEORGE
(continuing)
Smile...What are you smiling at?
This is a business night.
TONY
(interrupting)
George...did I ever tell you the
story about the three chickens?
GEORGE
(genuinely)
No...
TONY
Too bad.
DISSOLVE TO:
CHARLIE's zany behavior as frenetically as it occurs. There
is no particular logical sequence except that events are
suited to the rythmic pattern of the music.
1. CHARLIE and his friends dance and sing along with the
music.
2. CHARLIE picks up a billiard stick. He attempts to hit a
filled shot glass towards TONY at the other end of the
bar. He fails.
3. CHARLIE tries to pull a tablecloth off of a stranger's
table without moving the glasses or bottles. This also
fails.
7.
4. A punch is thrown at someone. A lit cigarette in the
puncher's fist creates a swift arc of light in the
darkness.
5. The Strippers finally appear on stage. CHARLIE becomes
obsessed with the Negro stripper DIANE. He shouts to
her, tosses things, and calls her names. She tries, half
amusedly to ignore him but she can't.
6. TONY drinks from a bottle of Southern Comfort, and as a
chaser swigs down Aqua Velva.
DISSOLVE TO:
CHARLIE sitting at an empty table watching DIANE, the
stripper, perform again. He stares glassy-eyed and then
begins to speak softly, continuing his Confession.
CHARLIE
Y'know...she's really good-looking...
really good-looking. I've gotta
say that again. She's really good-
looking...but she's black... You
can see that real plain.
(as an afterthought)
When you get down to it though...
there's not much of a difference,
is there?
(He waits for an answer)
Well...is there?
(He smiles and begins
chewing on an ice
cube from his half
empty glass)
Suddenly MICHAEL appears and sits down at CHARLIE's table.
He hands CHARLIE two cartons of cigarettes.
CHARLIE
Oh great...hey - Winstons?
MICHAEL
For these prices don't be particular.
That's all they had - but next week
we'll see...
CHARLIE gives him the money.
CHARLIE
OK, ok...
MICHAEL
Sell 'em if you can't smoke them.
8.
CHARLIE
No...I'll be ok for a week.
MICHAEL
You seen Johnny Boy tonight?
CHARLIE
(disinterested)
Nope...
MICHAEL
Isn't he supposed to be here
tonight...I mean...
CHARLIE
Look...I don't know. What am I
supposed to be, his keeper or
something? Yeah, he's supposed to
be here but who knows what goes on
in his head. Right?
MICHAEL
I'd like to know Charlie, it looks
like your little friend is trying
to duck me...
CHARLIE remains silent.
MICHAEL
(continuing)
...Charlie, don't you think you
should be interested in Johnny's
payments to me? I think you should
be, you know that.
CHARLIE
(quietly)
Michael, nobody's out to screw you,
I guarrantee that.
MICHAEL
I know that Charlie but look at my
side. You undersigned the loans.
You vouched for him. What happens
if this kid don't pay me? I gotta
collect from you? I don't want to
do that. I made a deal with him
not you, right?
CHARLIE
(patronizing)
You're right. You're right. Look,
I'm not gonna wind up paying his
debts. You know that.
9.
MICHAEL
I don't know that. That's what I'm
telling you.
CHARLIE
Michael, believe me. You know the
kid's a little crazy sometimes. I
vouched for him and he'll come
through. I promise. I'll talk to
him and straighten him out. Don't
worry, OK?
MICHAEL
(satisfied)
OK.