Air date: November 29, 2020
[train horn blowing]
[clicking tongue]
♪ What is man ♪
♪ That you are mindful of him, Lord ♪
♪ You made the stars ♪
♪ You made the sun ♪
♪ And all the worlds ♪
♪ That came to be at your command ♪
♪ What is man? ♪
♪ What has he done? ♪
[THIS IS A TRUE STORY]
♪ Then you crown him with glory ♪
♪ And with honor ♪
[The events depicted took place in Kansas City, MO in 1951.]
♪ Give him dominion ♪
[At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed.]
♪ Over land and sea and air ♪
♪ And store up an inheritance ♪
♪ In heaven ♪
♪ Oh, what is man ♪
♪ That you would care? ♪
[Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.]
[laughs]
Come here.
♪ What is man ♪
♪ That you would let him live at all ♪
♪ To shed the blood ♪
♪ Of his own kind ♪
♪ And ever fail ♪
♪ To even follow ♪
♪ Where you call ♪
♪ What is man? ♪
♪ Why do you mind? ♪
♪ Yet you crown me with glory ♪
♪ And with honor ♪
♪ Give me dominion ♪
♪ Over land… ♪
Impressive.
[chuckles] Yes, she is.
♪ And store up my inheritance ♪
♪ In heaven ♪
♪ Oh, what is man ♪
♪ That you care? ♪
♪ What is man, Lord ♪
♪ That you would care? ♪
HARVARD: Can you believe it? A murderess, right here under our very own roof. I’m loath to admit that this wolf in sheep’s clothing had me bamboozled. [laughing]: Presenting herself as some kind of paragon of virtue.
JOSTO: Hey, Dr. Fucko. You remember me?
[grunting] God…
Who the hell are you?
OFFICER: Mayflower, you made bail.
ORAETTA: Just so I’m in the know, who was it, exactly, paid for my release?
OFFICER: I have no idea.
ORAETTA: Thank you for your hospitality. Thank you.
[rapid gunfire]
♪
LOY: You want this war over? Get your house in order and we can talk.
EBAL: I’ll get back to you.
LOY: You do that.
[engine starts]
♪
[laughter]
Shit. We’ve driven every back road from here to Canada trying to avoid them bulls. And just when we thinking we home free, Pee Wee drives us right up into the asshole of the Sioux Nation.
[laughter]
Now, see, on they land, they still the law. Man, they took everything. Booze, guns… even the damn truck. I tried to trade them Pee Wee for the truck, but it turns out they ain’t got no use for no retarded Negro.
[laughter]
♪
JOE: Boss. Boss.
JOSTO: What… What?
We got him.
JOSTO: What?
Cannon. We got Cannon. It’s over. We won.
[laughter]
[door bells tinkle]
He’s dead. You did it. Come on.
JOSTO: Bang.
ORAETTA: Got very straight backs. Oh, yeah. Oh.
JOSTO: What’s she doing here?
ORAETTA: [scoffs] Very funny, you Mr. Bail Poster.
JOSTO: What’s going on?
♪
Oh, shit!
[gunfire]
♪
♪
[quiet chatter]
[man chuckles]
JOSTO: What’s going on? I thought… He said we got the guy. Why aren’t we celebrating?
EBAL: [In Italian] Where is your brother?
JOSTO: He… he didn’t make it. What is this?
EBAL: Josto Fadda…
EBAL: [In Italian] You stand accused of crimes against your family.
JOSTO: What family? Whose family?
EBAL: [In Italian] You have put your own needs above the needs of the greater good. You have betrayed us. You have betrayed New York, and you have betrayed the homeland.
EBAL: You have conspired with this woman to kill your own father.
JOSTO: What?
EBAL: Your papa… when he was weak in the hospital, when he was barely alive, you asked this woman– this nurse– to kill him.
JOSTO: That… that never happened.
ORAETTA: Uh…
JOSTO: Sh… Shut up.
EBAL: [Italian] You cannot silence the truth.
EBAL: Tell him.
ORAETTA: Well, they asked so nice, and, uh… [short chuckle] I didn’t think, what with all the peashooters, that I should lie.
JOSTO: I’m sorry, what is happening right now? He was dying. They shot him– those children? Tell him!
ORAETTA: Yeah, like I said, as an honest person who likes to cross her T’s and heart her I’s, I’d be remiss if I didn’t afford myself truthfully in front of the Lord my savior and, uh, and these fine gentlemen. But, yeah. Y-Ya… Well, you kinda did.
JOSTO: Did what?
ORAETTA: “He’s in a lot of pain…” you said, “and I don’t like to see him like that.” And-and-and you also said, “Will you take care of him?”
[Oraetta chuckles briefly]
JOSTO: We… We got high. And then… She’s just a skirt I met the one time.
EBAL: She was at the funeral.
JOSTO: Two times!
ORAETTA: Yeah, and, well, let’s not forget about all those nights in my apartment.
JOSTO: She’s a crazy person! And I’m the boss!
JOSTO: [In Italian] Your boss.
JOSTO: Hmm? So let’s stop this make-believe. I order you– I order you to stop now.
EBAL: [In Italian] A family business. The business of family.
EBAL: It’s shit, no? The old way for the old world. Brothers, uncles, cousins. We live in the new world now. We need a new way.
JOSTO: I’m gonna piss. Are you kidding me? Mm. Can I at least get a fucking chair then?
EBAL: The police say you kill most of your patients.
JOSTO: I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. [sniffles]
EBAL: You were arrested for the killing of your boss.
ORAETTA: Well, I mean, but to be clear, he got better.
EBAL: This is the woman you choose? Un’assassina?
JOSTO: I didn’t ch… She’s a roll-around! She liked it rough!
ORAETTA: Oh, you like it rough.
JOSTO: If you’re saying that I… You thi…
JOSTO: [In Italian] My father?
JOSTO: How dare you.
EBAL: You kill your father… so you can wear the crown. Then you kill your brother so you don’t have to share.
JOSTO: No, no, no, no, no.
EBAL: And this is why the family business doesn’t work. Because families are crazy.
JOSTO: You’re crazy. Oh… [scoffs] You can’t do this. Wait till I tell New York about this. Fucking mutiny? They’ll chop your eyeballs out.
EBAL: New York knows.
JOSTO: Yeah. [laughs]
[feet stomping]
ORAETTA: Oh, geez, my heart.
JOSTO: I’m gonna kill you! You-you… you full-blooded Italian piece of shit! You piece of shit! No! No, you… I pay you! You…
ORAETTA: Oh! Now, you just hold your horses, sir! My-my g… my neck, I’ve got a bad neck! Josto!
[stomping continues]
ORAETTA: They made me tell them.
JOSTO: I’m not talking to you.
ORAETTA: You don’t have to be mean. I’ve had– and I don’t mind saying– as hard a 24 hours as has ever been had on God’s green earth.
JOSTO: What do you think’s happening right now? You killed us.
ORAETTA: I told the truth.
JOSTO: Now you tell the truth? Now? How about when I said help with my dad, why didn’t you tell me you were a demented hag?
ORAETTA: Don’t say that.
JOSTO: Hag.
[grunting]
[screaming]
JOSTO: Hag! Hag!
ORAETTA: You… I said don’t say that!
JOSTO: Hag!
Hey!
JOSTO: Hag!
Cut it out.
♪ He is trampling out ♪
♪ The vintage ♪
♪ Where the grapes of wrath ♪
♪ Are stored ♪
♪ He hath loosed ♪
♪ The fateful lightning ♪
♪ Of His terrible ♪
♪ Swift sword ♪
♪ His truth ♪
♪ Is marching on… ♪
♪ Glory, glory ♪
♪ Hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory ♪
♪ Hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory ♪
♪ Hallelujah ♪
♪ His truth is… ♪
Get the fuck…
♪ Marching on. ♪
JOSTO: Hey, I made some mistakes, okay? But I didn’t know about… You don’t have to do this. Hasn’t there been enough killing?
[laughing]
[Oraetta laughing]
JOE: Wait. That a serious question?
JOSTO: Listen to me. This is it– what they make us do. We’re paisan. Come on. We-we change our names. We eat each other. We forget. For what? Don’t you get it, Joe? This is a ladder, but there’s nowhere to go.
Nah.
Any last requests?
ORAETTA: Yeah, uh, c-can you shoot him first so I can watch?
JOSTO: What?
♪
♪ I heard about a man one day ♪
♪ Who wasted not his time away ♪
♪ He prayed to God ♪
♪ He prayed to God every morning ♪
♪ Noon and night ♪
♪ He cared not for the king’s decree ♪
♪ But trusted God to set him free ♪
♪ Oh, Daniel prayed ♪
♪ Oh, Daniel prayed every morning ♪
♪ Noon and night ♪
♪ He cared not for the king’s decree♪
♪ But trusted God to set him free♪
♪ Oh, Daniel prayed♪
♪ Oh, Daniel prayed every morning ♪
♪ Noon and night ♪
♪ Oh, Daniel served the living God ♪
♪ While here upon this earth he trod ♪
♪ He prayed to God ♪
♪ He prayed to God every morning ♪
♪ Noon and night ♪
♪ He cared not for the things of Baal ♪
♪ But trusted God who never fails ♪
♪ So Daniel prayed ♪
♪ Oh, Daniel prayed every morning ♪
♪ Noon and night. ♪
BUEL: Come on, girls.
[car door closes]
[dog barking in distance]
Wait here.
♪
♪
♪
♪
LOY: Satchel. Satchel.
SATCHEL: Dad?
[laughing]
LOY: Babe! Babe!
[laughing]
LOY: [in distance] Babe!
♪
[distorted, echoing steps]
♪
♪
[guitar plays]
[man whistles “America the Beautiful”]
♪
[song ends]
EBAL: So, all is forgiven?
LOY: Back to business.
EBAL: Oh. I have a few small adjustments to the deal.
LOY: Adjustments?
EBAL: It’s nothing. A few details.
LOY: Are you kidding? This is half our business. You want to take half our business? We had a deal. In the park. We made a deal!
EBAL: Please, be calm. This is just part of the new plan. Our national plan. For the nation. New York, Chicago, Kansas City, Miami, Texas, California. You, too, are a national outfit, yes? Mm. Wait, no. You are one man in one city. What do they say? Big fish, small pond. But we are the sea. Mm. I can tell you are thinking, you can just kill me the way you kill the men before. But this is a mistake. Because when you look at me, you don’t see the man behind me. And the man behind him. And all the men that follow. Forever. Mm-hmm? You see them now. The wave that never ends. We understand each other. Cheer up. Look at it this way: we are not taking half, we are leaving half. You work for us now. You do what we say or we kill you and find someone who will. [In Italian] End of story.
[glass thumps]
♪
♪
[brakes squeak softly]
OPAL: Boss?
LOY: Go home. War’s over.
OPAL: You sure?
LOY: It’s over.
[car door closes]
[horn playing]
[children chattering]
[horn continues playing]
♪
♪
For Swanee.
♪
Shh…
[gasping]
[horn continues playing faintly]
♪
ETHELRIDA: History is a form of memory. But what does it mean to remember? We think, naturally, of our own past, our lives day by day, and through them we see the events of our times.
[feet stomping rhythmically]
We are Black and white, rich and poor, foreign-born and domestic. And yet, if our pasts are separate, then aren’t our histories separate, too? Segregated? Ask yourself: who writes the books? Who chooses what we remember and what gets forgotten?
My name is Ethelrida Pearl Smutny.
This is my history report.
[feet stomp]
♪
♪
♪
