Manhattan Melodrama

Look!

Now who could that be?

That's you, Otto. Who else could it be?

That Blackie Gallagher, he's at it again.

Hi, Spud, you still got that nickel?

How'd you like to have a dime to go with it?

All right, I'm thinking of a number between one and three.

If you guess the number, I'll give you the dime,

and if you don't, you gotta give me your nickel, okay?

All right, what's the number?

One?

You lose, it was two. Come on, give me your nickel.

- Oh, doggone it, I always lose. - Too bad.

Hey, Jim, let's get a hot dog. I got a nickel.

- Where'd you get it? - A kid gave it to me.

Gave it to you, nothing.

You keep on playing tricks and you're gonna get in trouble.

That's what you always say, Jim. Come on.

I ought to finish my reading.

Reading, reading, reading, don't you ever have any fun?

Do you a lot of good if you did a little reading and writing.

Say, I've been doing plenty of writing. I got this whole boat changed around.

- Come on, Jim. - Okay.

Did you ever see a prettier picture?

It's a fine thing that my boy, Patrick, is finally hearing something

that's good for his soul and he's liking it.

And that's my Maurice there.

I wonder what Father Joe could be saying

that's good for your Patrick and my Maurice, too.

Jim Corbett was a great fighter,

but Jeffries was the greatest what ever lived.

Let me go! Let me go!

Take it easy, Maurice. I only want some ice cream.

It's not your ice cream, it's mine!

That's good! Give it to him! Give it to him! That's good!

Fire! Fire!

Papa!

Fire?

I got you.

- No, Jim, you go ahead! - No.

Put your hand on my shoulder, Blackie.

My child, my child.

- I can't leave him. I can't leave him. - You must be brave. You must be brave.

Mama. Mama!

- Blackie! - Jim.

Don't cry, Blackie.

- But Mom, she's... - I know, mine, too.

And Pa...

Jim, don't you cry, either.

My little son!

Are you Maurice's father?

He was a swell kid.

Yeah, he was a swell kid.

My mother and father and Blackie's mother, they...

You poor boys.

What... What are your names?

My name is Edward Gallagher, but they call me Blackie,

and he's Jim Wade.

Yeah, I knew your parents very well.

And now, Blackie, and you, Jim, you have no place to go, huh?

No. We'll find someplace.

They have regular homes for orphans.

No, no, they are not homes.

How... How would you like to come

and live with me in my home, huh?

And be my sons?

But I'm not a Jew and neither is Jim!

Catholic, Protestant, Jew...

What does it matter now?

What you got, Spud?

- Heads. - Tails.

- Heads. - I win.

Gee, if you don't win, Blackie, then Spud wins. I never do.

Hey, Blackie, nix!

Forget the promises of Taft and Bryan!

Forget the fine words of Charles E. Hughes!

Trotsky's getting wilder every year.

- Him and his revolutions! - Yeah.

In Russia, I promise you, there will be a revolution in 10 years.

From Russia, you talk? I'm from Russia, too.

In Russia, I starved! I was cold! I was persecuted!

But here in America, I'm able to work and earn my food and clothing.

This is the land of opportunity! There's plenty here for everyone.

So what have we got to fight about, huh?

You dirty capitalistic stool pigeon!

Give it to him!

Hey, buzz off!

What's a loaf of bread anyway?

Poppa Rosen.

He didn't do nothing, Jim!

He didn't start it. They run over him with a horse.

I saw them, Jim. Gee, I...

Poor Poppa Rosen.

Someday, I'll get even with you, you...

Number three and nobody on it.

I guess you just ain't hitting them tonight, Mr. Coates.

Tonight or any night.

Why don't you people get an honest wheel?

I've dropped enough money in Blackie Gallagher's crooked joints.

- I'm through. - I'm glad you are through.

I've heard enough of your beef.

- How much did you drop tonight? - $7,500!

And I'd had more fun throwing it down a sewer!

Give Mr. Coates $7,500.

Remember one thing, you wanted to gamble, so you came in here.

I didn't send for you.

- But, boss, I think... - What with? Give him the dough.

Better count it, Mr. Coates.

- Boy? - Yes, sir.

Here, this is for you.

- For me? - Buy yourself some yeller shoes.

I can afford to be a chump.

Is it all right for me to keep this, boss?

- No. Yes.

Hallelujah!

You're an ace-high gambler.

I'll give you a chance to get even, if you want to.

- Would you like to bank the game? - Against you? Certainly.

We'll bet odd or even. We'll alternate spinning the wheel.

You got a bet.

- You? Or shall I? - You go ahead.

You win again.

That's 40 grand.

One last bet.

- You know my yacht, the Lady Luck? - I've heard about it.

I'll play it against the $40,000. It's worth a lot more.

Spin it. I'm on the odd.

Seventeen. I've been playing it all night and it wins for you.

Now I've got a yacht.

Don't change the name. Lady Luck suits you perfectly.

I don't know, I might name it for another lady.

- Don't tell me you're lucky in love, too? - Me? I'm just an all-around lucky guy.

Okay. Now, ladies and gentlemen.

Your attention, please. There's going to be a slight interruption.

Please put your chips in your pockets and don't get excited.

All right, boys.

Just relax for a little while. Everything's under control.

Good evening, Inspector. Come right in.

- Hello, Spud. - Hello, boys.

- Hi, Joe. How's the missus? - Just fine.

That's all right, folks. Now stay just where you are.

Now don't get excited.

What happened to the roulette wheel?

Uh-huh.

- What's your name? - Eddie Mathews.

- Yours? - AI Barnes.

Yeah, that's right. Take them along. Well, I guess that's all.

Goodnight, folks. Sorry to disturb you.

Good evening, Inspector. Are you the new doorman?

Doll, I'll have you understand we've just been raiding this joint.

Again? Are the six months up already?

Well, you know how it is, lady. The law must take its course.

Yes, and all that sort of thing. May I come in?

Come on, boys.

Just a minute, McGinty. Why, you have caviar all over your badge!

There! That's better.

- Thanks. - Don't mention it.

That's just what the police force needs, a woman's touch.

That's just what we gets, mostly.

All right, boys, open them up. Let's go.

What's on your mind, Einstein?

Them cops swiped a couple of chickens out of the kitchen.

You can expect that from a cop.

What happened to that ham I told the cook to slice up for them?

Ham! They wouldn't touch it. They wanted caviar.

Well, we'll take it out of their allowance next week.

- All right, beat it. - Okay.

Say, chief, I can't wait till we get aboard that yacht of yours.

Yacht?

Yeah. Yeah, I won a yacht tonight.

Betting a guy odd and even.

Little present for you. Wanna go have a look at it?

Thanks. You're getting better all the time.

You're going to win somebody's mother some night in a crap game

or maybe a baby.

Snap out of it. The guy wanted to gamble and I won, that's all.

Sure, that's all. That's all it means to you.

Everything in life can be paid off in chips.

A yacht,

somebody thought about and dreamed about and planned...

And built and I won it on a bet.

Baloney.

Caviar. What are cops coming to?

It's rotten. It's rotten, through and through.

- What is? The caviar? - No, everything about this place.

The way you won that yacht and that ridiculous raid.

You knew the cops were coming.

And they knew I knew they were coming, and I knew they knew I knew they...

Work it out yourself.

It's a silly, stupid farce, and it's not funny.

Yes, but it puts dollars in the kitty, baby, and that's what counts.

It puts those shiny things on your wrists and those ones in your ears and...

Who cares about those?

I'm not in love with Cartier's. I'm in love with you.

Blackie, get out of this. Take me out of this.

- Quiet, quiet, quiet. - Blackie, please listen!

All right. Let's go and look at the yacht.

Well, that's something else, again.

Baby, wait till you get a load of this.

Brass rails, soft cushions, moonlight...