The Idolmaker

Hey, move over, will you? Come on, give me some room here!

How are you?

How's everything, my man?

Where'd you get those pants?

All right. All right.

You ready? You ready?

- Let's go. - Seven.

- Ten bucks, man. - I know. I know.

Hey, Dominic, give me a chance to break even.

Hey, man, relax.

Like the good book says, you never give a sucker an even break.

- Hey, Vin, how are you doing? - Still hustling babies, Tommy?

Hey, it's like chicks, Vin, you know what I mean?

Hard to resist.

Besides, they don't have to play if they don't wanna.

Hey, when are you coming to Jersey to see us play?

All the way to Jersey, what do I need that for?

Hey, so where is it, the North Pole?

It's been three years now, you've never heard me play before.

I'm looking for singers not saxophone players.

Hey, we got a singer, Vinnie.

A new kid, Jimmy Ryan, blond hair, blue eyes.

- Great kid. You gotta hear him. - No thanks, cuz.

What do you mean, "no thanks"? What are you going to do, Vinnie,

sit home and read that fan magazine shit?

Hey, let me tell you something, okay?

I can learn a lot from this, you know what I mean?

It doesn't matter whether it's Tony C., Rock Hudson,

Elvis, they all got it. Right there.

Right in the windows, you know what I mean?

Your friend there...

- Jimmy Ryan. - Jimmy Ryan.

- He's not gonna be a star. - What do you mean?

I mean, women don't want blond singing idols.

They want dark hair. They like dark hair.

Take Frank Sinatra, Elvis.

You know what I mean? They got it.

You better read up, kid.

In their windows.

- Ciao, everybody. - Ciao, Vincente.

About time you got here. Your brother's going pazzo.

He had to take the orders on 12 and 13.

He's going crazy.

About time he had to do some work.

You better get to work.

Take it easy, Emilio. Don't panic.

What do you think, we got a wedding out there?

Let's see what do we got here?

- Twelve and thirteen? - Twelve and thirteen!

- Hey, no movie magazines. - Oh, I'm sorry, Mario.

Listen, I had some real business to do across the river.

You know, music business, and I got hung up.

But I tell you what, you know what I'm going to do for you?

I'm going to work all night for you.

Tonight you've got me for the duration.

Vinnie, I'm running a business here.

When people come in for dinner they gotta have waiters to serve'em.

Mario, the food's getting cold.

Can't stand there talking to you all night,

you know what I mean? I got customers waiting.

How are you, Carlo?

Don't ask.

- Linguini in white clam sauce? - Right here, please.

Emilio, I got some people coming in tonight just before closing.

Seventeen people, I want everything fresh,

I don't want anybody going home, okay?

- Some veal... - Mario, where's Vinnie?

He's busy, don't bother him. And some zabaione for dessert.

Don't send anybody home, they're coming in late.

But I want to keep the kitchen open.

Make sure they're open, okay?

People come all the way from Brooklyn just to taste these.

They're really incredible. They're the chef's special.

Gino, what are you doing? I'm working here.

- I need to talk to you. - Not now, Gino.

Now, Vinnie, now.

Jerry Martin. He just called me.

Excuse me for a second.

- What the hell are you doing? - He's at the annex studio.

He says if we want him to record our song,

we got to get over there right now and talk to his producers.

He's not supposed to do this till next week.

Tell that to your friend Jerry Martin. I knew this was going to happen.

What are you doing? What are you doing?

Vinnie, we're running a classy place here,

you're turning it into a bowling alley.

- I got to go, Mario. - We got to go.

I'm very very sorry, folks.

Frank, bottle of wine on the house here, huh?

Testing. One, two, three, test. One, two, three.

That's very good, kid, but step back.

Testing. Test. One, two, three.

- Test. - Now, you got it.

Keep rolling.

Hey! What kind of shit is this, huh?

I'm not gonna sign this toilet paper. This is shit. Shit!

- Up yours. - Yeah, up yours.

Jerry promised us a 50-50 split. Jerry, thanks a lot.

- Come on, Vinnie. - Thanks for nothing.

- God dammit. - Come on, what am I, wood?

- Look, Vinnie. Vinnie, please. - What?

This is the only shot we have.

- So, what are we talking about? - We can't just walk away.

- Hey, Vinnie. Vinnie. - I want to talk.

- Forget about it. - He's talking to ya.

Listen, kid. I'm only going to do right by you.

Your name's going to be on the label.

You're going to be in every jukebox in the city.

Oh, hey. Come on, man.

What are you talking about? What good is it going to do me?

You guys own all the rights, you get all the marbles,

and me and Gino, we get stugats. That's what we get.

If you do it, you do it, or you do it.

Get your hands off me.

Hey, spaghetti brain. Who you kidding?

Why don't you smarten up? Who's going to record that shit?

Now, you want to listen to me?

Either you take a chance and go with me,

or you forget about it and you take a walk.

You take that contract and shove it.

Get out of my way.

Hey, Pilato. Come here.

You know, your partner's an asshole.

Take him for a walk. Listen to me.

Take him for a walk and talk some sense into him.

What was it? It was beautiful.

It was nothing. I was just messing around.

Vincent, how long is this gonna go on?

You're 27 years old.

Just till somebody gives us a break, Ma.

Till we can find somebody to record our stuff.

Why don't you do it yourself?

You have a terrific voice.

Remember that record you made with your friends after high school?

Oh, I really liked it. I did.

You and six other people liked it.

I don't know how to sell an audience.

You gotta... you gotta have that kind of look, you know?

I started going bald when I was 18.

I mean, for me to get up there now, it's a joke.

Listen, everything's going to be okay anyway, right?

Mario's doing all right. The restaurant's doing great.

Yeah, sure. Thanks to your father.

For you, your father does nothing.

It's okay. I don't need him to do anything for me.

I don't want anything.

Why don't you call him? He owes it to you.

What does he owe you? He owes you something, too.

He owes me nothing. With you it's different.

Better he should give it to you than one of his whores.

Listen to that.

Listen to you. Come on, forget about it.

I don't need anything from him.

We're going to be okay. Everything's going to be all right.

You'll see.

Ladies and gentlemen, the boy with the big blue eyes, Jimmy Ryan.

Thank you.

Hey, Vinnie! Wait up.

So what did you think of Jimmy Ryan? Pretty good, eh?

It's like I said, he's limited.

Why didn't you tell me you could sing?

It's a joke, but don't laugh too hard, Vacarri.

You'd be surprised how many chicks are turned on by it.

- I do all right. - I bet you do.

Listen, I'm looking for somebody good

to record my stuff and I think you're it.

Me? You got to be kidding. I ain't no singer.

Don't say "ain't." It's bad English.

Besides, you got it, Tommy. I saw it in there.

Do you know something?

With the right handling, you can go all the way.

Right. Hey, Vacarri.

I ain't no rock 'n' roll star.

I'm Italian from Martha Avenue, like you.

Tomaso DeLorusso. Capisce?

Just a fart in the breeze.

When you gonna wise up? What do you want to do,

play back up sax in juke joints all your life?

Busting dimes from the neighborhood kids?

You could be somebody. You could be Tommy Dee.

Tommy Dee. Who the hell is Tommy Dee?

Be a jerk off, that's right.

You want to know something, kid?

You got the look.

You know the guys in the fan magazines, that's it.

They got it. I can make it happen for you.

If you want it.

What's it gonna be, pizza or caviar?

What's caviar?

Wait, I'll do it.

I mean, I'll try it.

Be at my house tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. sharp.

I don't get out of here till 5:30.

Suit yourself. If you're five minutes late, forget about it.

I'll be there.

- What's your name again? - Tommy Dee.

9 a.m.

Oh, my gosh.

Wait a minute, where do you think you're going to be singing,

- in a whore house? - Relax.