Godfather of Harlem

Stella Gigante?

You're not gonna tell my father.

'Cause if there is one thing my father would hate

even more than me fucking Teddy

is that you fucked up and killed the wrong guy.

I will use my Congressional immunity

to enter into the Congressional record

the name of one Italian numbers operation each week.

You move all your stuffthrough my capos, $22,000 a key.

I sell mine for $26,000.

You're taxing me 4 grand a key?

I don't know what brought me back here.

I fucked it up last time.

Stumbling isn't falling.

I'm sure you've heardof the Congressional hearings

that I'm chairingwhere a "Mr. Joseph Valachi"

has decided to spill the beans on the mob.

I'm not a snitch, man.

This is not snitching. This is good business.

Moses didn't say "turn the other cheek."

Moses taught those slaves

how to defend themselves against their enemy.

I have a beef I want to bring to your attention.

What's your name? Alejandro Villabuena.

I have names. Who?

Her name...

is Esther James.

I need $300,000 cash in advance with the product.

To a new world. To a new world.

Names keep going aroundin my brain,

but only one comes to mind.

Joe Bonanno, who's objectingto pay me taxes.

All those kilosthat he was gonna advance you

are now in my possession.

May we have order in the chamber, please?

Can we come to order?

Can you state your name?

Joseph Valachi.

And when were you born?

In 1904, September 22.

And where? In New York City.

I would like to ask,

are you a memberof any special organization

whose primary business is to pursue crime

and protect those of its memberswho do commit crime?

I am.

What is the name?

Cosa Nostra.

That is in Italian?

It means "Our Thing."

Let me state for the record

that Mr. Valachi is the first man

with knowledge of the racketeering hierarchy

ever to break the underworld's code of silence.

His information will bring the picture

of organized crime in America into sharper focus.

And the picture is an ugly one.

It is a private government of crime

with an annual income in billions,

resting on a base of human suffering and moral corrosion.

Mr. Valachi, as strange as it may seem,

you are doing your country a great service.

He's a motherfuckin' snitch.

Would you tell us why you decided to cooperate

with the Department of Justice and this Committee?

Well, the answer to that is very simple.

To destroy them.

Destroy who?

The Cosa Nostra Leaders, the Bosses.

I remember when Vito pricked his finger with a needle.

You, uh, want to destroy the whole syndicate?

He was supposed to be That is right.

Yes, sir.

And why do you feel like it should be destroyed?

The Bosses have been very bad to the soldiers.

I've stolen for them. I've killed for them.

I've broken God's commandments for them,

and what do I get out of it?

Nothing but misery.

A Genovese soldier is a rat?

Is it safe to assume that these... Must run in the family.

Bosses would be unhappy withyour testimony here today?

What I'm tellin' you,

what I'm exposing to you,

to the press, to everybody,

this is my doom.

So you were scared

that the Genovese crime family would whack you

after you were convicted of narcotics violations

and saw no other way out than to testify here today? Somebody lower that fucking thing before I shoot it.

If we wanted a talking horse, we coulda watched "Mr. Ed."

All right, let's get to why we're really all here.

The Families are very concerned about the situation in Harlem.

Not what they're concerned about.

We talked about it a million frickin' times, all right?

We made an agreement

that he could sell his dope in my territory

as long as he paid my tax for every kilo.

And then this greedy fuckin' bastard,

he goes behind my back, and he sells supply to Johnson.

How many times do I got to fuckin' talk about it?

After the riot at Fidler's,

I was given permission to buyjunk from any Italian source.

I chose Bonanno.

But Bonanno had to pay a tax to Chin.

But that's not my problem. All right, so I got my hand caught in the cookie jar, okay?

It doesn't mean that Chin can whack two of my men

and steal my junk.

Sure it does. You broke the agreement.

Joe...

you got to take the loss.

Okay.

But what about the 300 large in cash

that I gave Bumpy in advance?

Which I intended topay back once I got theprofits from the junk.

Yeah, Bumpy, a debt is a debt.

You owe him 300 large.

I need some time to pay him back.

I want my money now.

Alright, there may be another way,

if Joe is agreeable, to settle this debt.

What's that?

You whack Joe Valachi.

I stayed single as long as I could

because I knew my own weaknessesand shortcomings.

I felt that marriage would bluntmy effectiveness.

I just couldn't see where

I could devote the time to a Sister

that is demanded by the woman of today.

I ducked, dodged, twisted.

I turned and ran from marriage as long as I could.

I once told you

that man does not hunt wild gameinto thick brush

and not gethis hunting suit torn

or his flesh scratched.

Yeah, only Allah has saved me

from being scratched and wounded unto death.

When Betty was in Chicago,

she spoke of your frequent absences.

I wasn't aware Betty came to see you.

Brother, you were slow to get married

because I made you see

the great responsibilityto a Sister after marrying her.

I admit, she gets furious

when she can't exercise her will over mine

and resorts to pouting, crying, and every other tactic.

Tactics?

Or appropriate punishmentfor your lack of humility?

I read The New York Timesarticle

about your successful rehabilitation program.

Yes, we, uh, send former addictsout fishing for other addicts.

On that point, minister, word has come to me

that you are associating with a known dope peddler

by the name of Bumpy Johnson.

Oh, yes, he's an old friend.

A mentor, really.

In fact, he helpedset me on the path to you.

Amazing, the stepping stones that lead us to Allah.

Indeed.

And yet...

here you are

representing our faith on the national stage.

Surely you know I... I use those appearances

to tout your beneficent guidanceand the glories of Islam.

Of course.

But association with a manwho puts poison onto our streets

doesn't square with your work here.

With all due respect,

the Nation is built on menlike Bumpy Johnson.

Men who are driven to criminality

only because of lackof opportunity.

The Nation is built on our teachings.

If the gangster can be madepolitically conscious,

Islam can sweep throughevery ghetto in this country.

If the Nation dabbles in militant politics,

it will draw more attention from the government

and damage our cause.

What is our cause?

Is it to continuouslytalk about the struggle

or actually fight the fight?

As for Bumpy...

his daughteris right over there.

If your teachings can inspire her,

perhaps they can inspire him, as well.

You're alright. You're okay.

Oh, who's up?

How come you never told me Stella spent the night in jail?

What?

I was with this cop, Rourke, from the 27th.

He happened to mention thatStella Gigante and a colored guy

got picked up three weeks ago.

I know nothing about that.

One of Rourke's guys, a Sergeant Keenan, I believe,

he recognized her name, and he called on you.

Sincethis Sergeant Keenan knew

that you were an associate of ours.

I don't know any fucking Keenan.

Ah, so, you had no idea

that Stella was in jailwith this mooley?

So you're saying that this Sergeant Keenan's lying?