Goodfellas

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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a 50-year-old hood in an out-of-date suit, court at the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 b*tch. 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 sh*t. 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 f***in' 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.

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