The Big Fix

FADE IN:

INT. KEFAUVER COMMITTEE HEARING          August 28, 1959

There is one table filled with the Kefauver Committee. Sitting down at a table in front of them is FRANK COSTELLO. Frank sits there in grey dress suit cool and relaxed. There is a crowd of people behind the tables watching the committee on fold. The room is well lit and bright - do to the white walls and tile floors. Frank is sitting down and the only thing on the brown table is a microphone for him to speak into.

In the committee is SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER (chair), SENATOR HERBERT R. O’CONOR, SENATOR CHARLES TOBEY, SENATOR LESTER C. HUNT, and SENATOR ALEXANDER WILEY.

Frank is eager to go and the Kefauver hearings begin.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Good morning (interrupted)

FRANK COSTELLO
And good mourning to you.

Frank smirks.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
May I suggest we go by the
procedures this mourning, Mr.
Costello? Now we have been
investigating and set to prove that
there is in fact Organized crime in
regions of this country. First off,
you’re from New York, am I correct?

FRANK COSTELLO
Yes, you would be. Is it that easy
to become senator?

Senator Estes Kefauver bangs the gavel.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Procedures, procedures, procedures!
You may not follow them out side
these walls but when you’re between
mine you will! Is that clear?

FRANK COSTELLO
(grinning)
Okay, yes boss!

Frank smirks again and Senator Kefauver continues on. Frank head drifts toward the clock. The clock ticks, its 11:05 am.

INT. WAREHOUSE NIGHT          August 28, 1959

Gun shots are heard. The loud screams were due to the forecast of the shower of bullets. The main room to the warehouse is empty however blood streams down from the upward slant of a hallway.

The ware house was empty and the home to many spiders and their webs. The decrypted walls oozed mold and a piss colored leaks.

From the slanted hallway comes Frank Costello and two other unidentified MEN in masks. The two men drag VITO GENOVESE to the center of the ware house. The two men slam him down and a few bats flew out the open door. 

Vito Genovese has a coat of white (almost pink) powder all over him. He was husky and resembled an ape. Thick of Italian decent, he has brown hair and brown eyes. His dark shades glasses are cracked and ready to crumble.

Frank crouches down like a catcher to the bloody and beaten Vito. Frank pulls out a .38 snub nose piece. He flashes the piece in his face. Frank laughs. Vito screams. One of the men with Costello bags/sacks Vito. The old potato sack seals the identity of Vito.

FRANK COSTELLO
Vito…

Frank taps the trigger twice. Blood paints the back wall red.

FRANK COSTELLO
You’re in the bag, rest assure.

Frank puts his left hand on the right shoulder of Vito and pats his shoulder.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

EXT. OUTSIDE GARAGE OF COSTELLO NIGHT          1957

Frank Costello stands outside leaning on the garage. He takes out a cigarette and lights it. The night was dark and cold. The garage overshadowed the small driveway in suburban New York.

Bats silently flew over head. One bat flew into a nearby tree. It watches Frank.

Frank begins to walk back and forth and like a steam engine blowing its whistle - the exhales make smoke clouds.

A noise of rummaging is heard. Frank looks down the street but there is nothing. He rubs his head as he paces and continues to smoke.

INT. KEFAUVER COMMITTEE HEARING          August 28, 1959

The clock continues to tick away. Frank looks back at Estes Kefauver as he continues to rant. It is still midday.

Senator Estes Kefauver looks down at papers in front of him. He speaks into his microphone.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
It says here, you have relations
with New York and Chicago mobsters,
is that true?

FRANK COSTELLO
As Mr. J. Edgar Hoover once said,
there is no such thing as Organized
crime. So can you please specify the
men who are in this ghost “mafia”?

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
There names are as follows, Sam
Giancana and Joe Adonis?

FRANK COSTELLO
I’ve might have met them.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
You’re going to have a give a more
definite answer then that, Mr.
Costello.

FRANK COSTELLO
Everybody knows everybody, you
know?

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
No, I don’t know. Mr. Costello this
is a trial you will have to give
definite answers, you are only
hurting yourself, may we proceed?
Now I’ll take your last answer as a
yes, would I be wrong in doing so?

FRANK COSTELLO
No.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Now, one man goes in and out of Miami
and New York – Joe Adonis. Now Sam
Giancana lives in Chicago but
frequently visits Miami and New York.
The connection provokes the thought
of unsolved murders and Interstate
Commerce.

FRANK COSTELLO
There could be.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Are you saying that there is?

FRANK COSTELLO
There could be. I wouldn’t know of
anything like that.

Frank looks back at the clock, the clock pushes on.

INT. WAREHOUSE NIGHT                    August 28, 1959

There is a room with concrete walls. Three men are shoved into the room. The three men are Vito Genovese (covered in white powder), VINCENT “THE CHIN” GIGANTE, and CARMINE GALENTE. The Chin is a big man while Carmine is the average small sized Italian. Frank Costello walks in with a black bag. The bag had a few bullet holes. The black bag was what New York scum learned to fear. The Chin and Carmine fear for their lives. Two masked men walk in behind Costello. One masked man carries a chair while the other man is carrying two.

Frank points using the black bag.

FRANK COSTELLO
Over there.

Frank has no emotion showing in his face. The two men line the two chairs up. The other chair is placed off to the side.

Frank walks over to Vito. He punches Vito across the chin.

FRANK COSTELLO
Sit over there, you two fruit flies
take a seat right next to one
another.

The Chin and Carmine sit in the two chairs placed next to one another. Vito stands up and sits in the chair.

Costello reaches into the bag. He pulls out some cocaine.

FRANK COSTELLO
May the Lord Christ be with you.
And?

No one says anything.

FRANK COSTELLO
And?

VITO GENOVESE
And with you.

FRANK COSTELLO
The body of Christ.

Frank sprinkles some of the cocaine over the three men like it was holy water in church.

FRANK COSTELLO
Death. We’ve been in the Genovese
family business since were young
boys bootlegging in the days of
Prohibition. We’ve seen our fathers
die. We’ve seen our mothers die.
We’ve seen people in the business
disappear. Vanish.

Vito begins to cry.

FRANK COSTELLO
Cigar Vito?

Vito nods. Frank takes out a cigar and stuffs it in the mouth of Vito. He takes out a match from his pocket and ignites it with his thumb. The butt of the cigar burns.

Frank throws the match at the Chin. He takes a Colt .45 out from the bag.

He walks over to Carmine. Franks looks back at Vito and speaks. He points the .45 at Carmine.

FRANK COSTELLO
Real men fade away in death.

Frank shoots Carmine. Carmine falls back – dead.

FRANK COSTELLO
Other men try to cause pain while
in their impending death.

Frank walks over to the Chin. The Chin begins curses in Italian while Frank speaks.

FRANK COSTELLO
Reality is reality.

He pistol whips the Chin. The Chin’s upper lip splits up to his nostrils. Frank during this violence remains calm and emotionless.

Vito watches on in aguish. Exhales of smoke continue to be blown.


FRANK COSTELLO
Men cannot see reality until six
cylinders show them the passion,
the fire of this reality.

The chin spits blood onto the hand that Frank has the gun on him. Frank shoots the Chin in the right shoulder. The track suit is not only filled by Italian sweat of a pig but blood.

FRANK COSTELLO
Death is death. These facts are
accepted. From the Medici family
in Italy to the Genovese family in
America.

Blood that drains from the useless body of Carmine leaks out of the room. Red rivers galore.

FRANK COSTELLO
‘Til death and in death we come face
to face. One made fades one man is
the underworld. Most of man betrays
the one true friend.

Frank shoots the Chin in the neck. The Chin falls out of his chair and blood sprays like Lysol. He is gasping for air. Blood drenches the track coat. The coat is soaked in blood and is not red but maroon.

The Chin crawls on his stomach over to Frank. He coughs blood unto Costello’s shoes and uses Costello’s trousers to pull himself up while staining Costello’s brown slacks red. The Chin now violently shaking looks up at Costello. Costello looks down and shoves the gun into the Chin’s mouth.

FRANK COSTELLO
Who did you think I was? Superman?
If you did you’d be correct, but
you didn’t because you would be
alive instead of dead.

He pulls the trigger and the big man flops over. The room was now painted with fresh red blood.

Vito gives up hope. He falls out of the chair. The cigar falls into the blood of fellow syndicate members. Vito lays in the blood. Costello looks down and drops the .45 on top of the Chin.

FRANK COSTELLO
When we need the Lord, the Lord is
here for thou that need him because
all real men… fade away in death. 


EXT. OUTSIDE GARAGE OF COSTELLO NIGHT          1957

Costello continues to finish his cigar. The night is silent. Frank tries to open the garage door but it does not open. He stands back up and takes a drag from the cigar. Costello tries opening the door again.

The garage door does not open. Frank breathing in and out smoke kicks the door handle to the garage. He throws his cigar off to the side (into the street).

Costello opens the door. The garage door screeches open. The nearby bats in the tree fly off into the night.

An unknown man (Vincent “the Chin” Gigante) walks up behind Frank with a Colt .45. Frank stares into the back of his garage.

CUT TO:

A black screen. There is mumbling. A gun fires.

INT. KEFAUVER COMMITTEE HEARING          August 28, 1959

The clock says two O’clock. The hearings are coming to a end. Senator Estes Kefauver continues to grill Frank Costello.

Frank looks at the clock several times.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Joe Adonis and Sam Giancana appeared
in Miami and then both flew to New
York on the dates of July 19, 1958.
One day later Mr. “Lucky” Luciano was
found dead in Miami. His money which
had been marked was then later
retrieved in Tammany Hall bathroom.
There was blood and no bodies. Is
there anything that needs to be
repeated, Mr. Costello.

Frank is still staring at the clock.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Mr. Costello!

Frank slowly shifts his head towards the angry Senator.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
A man in your situation should play
more intention to more important
matters then staring at a clock.
I’ll say it again, there is nothing
that needs to be repeated?

FRANK COSTELLO
No.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Good, your making progress. Now,
you visit Tammany hall very so often
and you spend money inside the hall.
In fact the Genovese family has very
strong bind on Tammany Hall, is that correct?

FRANK COSTELLO
Anybody who contributes a lot to the Democratic party, can have an
influence there.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAURVER
So you’re say-

FRANK COSTELLO
Anyone with a paycheck can have
influence. Green sways the tide.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Interesting theory…

FRANK COSTELLO
Interesting theory because something
I said is true in your eyes or
because it is true within the
Democratic party. Aren’t you a
Democrat Mr. Kefauver?

Senator Estes Kefauver face begins to rush with redness like water running in a sink.

Senator Estes Kefauver bangs the gavel.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
One more word when you are not
spoken to and you’ll be thrown into
to jail for CONTEMPT! MR.COSTELLO!

FRANK COSTELLO
Yes sir.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Back to Joe, Sam and Tammany Hall.
Now you were there along with Vito
Genovese, who is a close friend?

FRANK COSTELLO
Yes a very close friend, may death
do us part.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
What did the four of you do inside?

FRANK COSTELLO
Business.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Business?

FRANK COSTELLO
Yes. Last push for election ’58.
Off year elections may go unnoticed
to the uneducated eye but not us
Italians.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
So your sure there is nothing you
want to say about Vito Genovese,
Sam Giancana or Joe Adonis?

INT. WAREHOUSE NIGHT          August 28, 1959

Vito, Vincent and Carmine are in the main room of the warehouse with a table. Three bags of cocaine sit on the table. Vito looks down at his watch.

VITO GENOVESE
If one dealer could be on time, I
swear to Kefauver that Donkey’s could fly!

VINCENT “THE CHIN” GIGANTE
We make the pigs and donkeys fly
down at Tammany Hall-

Automatic arms fire outside the warehouse. Bullets pierce the weak rusty walls of the Warehouse. A line of bullets make the bags of cocaine explode.

Vito drops on the floor after the bags of coke are gone. The Chin falls on the floor quickly. Carmine cradles himself on the cement floor.

The two masked men walk in with FBI vests. The two masked men yell.

MASKED MAN # 1
DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND SLIDE THEM
TOWARDS THE DOOR! DO IT! SLIDE
YOUR WEAPONS LADIES!

All three men get out their pieces and slide them towards the two men. The two men kick the guns away. Frank Costello walks in with a black bag.

FRANK COSTELLO
All the tree of you, back room.

EXT. OUTSIDE GARAGE OF COSTELLO NIGHT          1957

Vincent “the Chin” holds the gun on Costello. Costello doesn’t realize it. Frank walks intot he garage a few feet. The Chin takes his chance.

VINCENT “THE CHIN” GIGANTE
This is for you, Frank!

Frank dives towards the side of the garage. Vincent shots at Frank. Costello falls over as blood sprays like a fire hydrant. The shot went in and out of the right side of Franks neck. Costello fades away and is unconscious.

INT. KEFAUVER COMMITTEE HEARING          August 28, 1959

The hearing is almost complete and the committee is tired of the topic : MAFIA.

Senator Estes Kefauver takes a drink of water from a clear plastic cup.

SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER
Well, Mr. Costello, its seems as if
you have proven yourself to the
committee. You gave us the
information that was needed so on behalf of
the Kefauver Committee you are
acquitted.

The senator bangs the gavel three times. Frank nods his head towards Estes and exits through the door behind him.

EXT. OUTSIDE FEDERAL COURT NIGHT          August 28, 1959

Two men are out standing by a car waiting for Frank. Frank stands on top of the steps to the federal court. Frank tips his hat at the two men. The two men get intot he car and drive off as Costello lights a cigarette.

CUT TO:

INT. COSTELLO’S CAR NIGHT          August 28, 1959

Costello is at end with the cigarette. Frank flicks the cigarette outside the window. Costello pats a black duffle bag right beside him. He continues to drive in the abscene of any traffice.

EXT. OUTSIDE WAREHOUSE NIGHT                    August 28, 1959

There is already three cars outside. Two cars are empty while two men sit in the other. The two cars are parked away from the old warehouse. Frank pulls without any lights on. He slowly gets out of the car and leaves the car door open. Costello slowly walks over to the other door and gently opens it. Costello takes the bag out as a shower of bullets is heard.

Costello turns around. He waits outside as he listens to what is happening inside the warehouse.

MASKED MAN # 1
DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND SLIDE THEM
TOWARDS THE DOOR! DO IT! SLIDE
YOUR WEAPONS LADIES!

Frank chuckles and walks inside the door to the warehouse. As bats fly over head.

EXT. OUTSIDE FEDERAL COURT NIGHT          August 28, 1959

Frank takes a few drags from his cigarette as he watches the New York City life.

Rats are rummaging in the streets.

Bats fly in the thickness of pollution.

Frank takes another drag.

FRANK COSTELLO (V.O.)
Anyone can rat, but it takes a
certain amount of ingenuity to
re-rat. Is it revenge that causes
man to do so? Revenge cross lines.
Revenge re-crosses lines. Revenge
is said to be to powerful
instrument of man. Only the weak
do not triumph.

Frank watches a rat at the bottom of the court house steps run by.

Frank then walks down the stairs and to his car. He drives away to the warehouse.

FRANK COSTELLO (V.O.)
Real men… fade away in death.

FADE OUT.

THE END