DanK sits on a big chair writing some thoughts in his old leather back book...

One Day We will Be Legends

With the rise of Hollywood over recent years and the way developments in sound and colour pictures, I wonder how long it will be before the likes of Hitchcock, Bogart and Gable take it upon themselves to immortalise our world in film.

Our lives are so complex, so full of mystery, so full of stories, it can surely only be a matter of time until these greats mix their ability to tell stories with our real life activities.

They could tell the stories about how we run and control the Casinos. Our how some of us try to get out after been released from prison on a technicality, only to be dragged back in due to various reasons.

They could document about the mafioso who are not born into the family, but as far back as they can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster, and end up doing anything and everything to become one.

Or stories about Eliot Ness recently setting up an apparent untouchable team to stop us, or document recent infiltration of our great families by the FBI

They could delve into the family history and get close to us. Documenting how a family runs, and how things change when a Godfather dies. The struggles of who takes over, the son who wanted nothing to do with the family business or the trusted consigliere.

The easy story would be the rise to power and eventual fall of power. How those from within can be your greatest enemy. How what we do ruins relationships. About the struggle some are having to legitimise our business. To turn from being a Godfather to a businessman.

They could really delve in to what happens at the lower end of our life. What gangsters have to do to survive on the Mean Streets. The conflicts. The struggles.

I feel that the greatest of films they could make though is about the drug dealers. How drugs corrupt. How you can turn from a nobody to a somebody to a dead man just due to cocaine. About why you shouldn't get high off your own supply. about how the Cubans have tried to infiltrate our lucrative business. about the pure violence and disregard for anyone. About how many of us ended with scars on our faces.

I dont know, maybe it is too risky for these greats to do it now, for the fear of repurtcations from ourselves. Maybe we will have to await the next generation of directors and actors to immoratalise us. Like they now write books and films about the Roman times and Jesus, one day it will all be about the Mafia. It will happen.

We will be legends

Archer thought about this for a moment. For a moment, he wondered if someday he'd be immortalized on the big screens. Would he want that though? It wasn't something he had ever considered.

He met DanK's gaze.

You're probably right, sir. Still...

He took a second to form his thoughts into words.

Still, wouldn't this hurt our business? I've always thought that keeping our way of life as secretive as possible is beneficial. Y'know, "omerta" and whatnot?

Before anyone could reply, Archer laughed and continued.

I wouldn't mind the attention from the ladies of course!

Archie, just like their are some who would happily snitch to the warden for $10,000, I am sure there will be some in our community who will happily tell our stories to a film writer for a few hundred thousand dollars!

Rudiger squeezed his way into the crowded office. Ever the savvy businessman (read: shameless huckster), he saw the potential in this new concept.

Now, Arch... I can call you Arch, right Arch? Good.

Arch, it's true that keeping our internal dealings to ourselves is good for business. It's also true that not directly incriminating yourself is good for keeping you from shacking up with four hundred filthy strangers in the Big House. But get this-- don't put your real name on it. All those cinephile hotshots, they all use fake names. You don't even have to try so hard. Just come up with whatever shmucky name crosses your fancy for a fleeting moment. It doesn't have to be something a noble and inspired as ArchieArcher.

At any rate, the truth doesn't sell and you know it. So I propose that we blow any and all aspects of this thing way out of proportion. That way, the general public would write it off as nothing more than sensationalist drama and never give a second thought to the possible existence of this thing of ours.

This way, we rake in the big bucks from the swishy set out in Hollywood, you can buy yourself a pretty face or two, and we can continue with business as usual, blowing each other up outside delis and gunning each other down at fruit markets.

Rudiger smiled the smile of a man who knows he's got an unsinkable ship.

Archer, erm, "Arch" smiled slowly, allowing the idea to form in his mind.

You know, Rudiger, you're exactly right.

Searching DanK's desk, he finds a scrap of paper and a pen. He sits down and begins to scribble furiously.

Between the two of us...

Realizing DanK was still in the room, which, to be fair, was the man's office, Archer corrected himself.

...the three of us, we could churn out a screenplay in no time! Can you imagine how much cash this will make us? I can finally put Crawford to shame!

Any ideas for a title?

DanK gets all excited about the thought of churning out a Hollywood screenpla...

I have an idea. It can be a semi documentary on Rudigers life, from him coming for a moderate, law abiding Italian-American family. He quits school as he wants to do something more significant, such as work for the Mafia. He starts doing small jobs for the local Don. as he grows up, becomes friends with a truck hi-jacker (me) and an aggresive armed robber with an itchy trigger-finger. It could then tell the story of our lives growing up together turning into real players in the Mafia world.

We could call it Badfellas because we are naughty, and men. Thoughts on the title? and how do we take the story further?

Rudiger was caught off guard. Usually when he trespassed on private property and started selling outlandish ideas, he just had to keep people interested enough to look away while he grabbed their shit and ran. But there was money to be made here, so he played along.

Excuse my disjointed internal monologue.

Talking picture about my life? Well, of course. What took you so long? But I might have to step up my game a bit, make sure I've got something to keep the asses in the seats. Real gripping, dangerous stuff, like clubbing it up and hanging around Jewish girls.

And, of course, it wouldn't be right for me to take center stage all for myself. I think this casino idea has legs too. How's about our pal Arch here gets sent out west to keep an eye on the operations of one of the boss' places? Call it Crapped Out: The Story of Freddy Fredrick.