Yeah, I vaguely remember playin' with that guy once.
Yeah, you and him was buddies, weren't you?
No. He made a record of one of my songs, but that don't make us buddies.
Say, are you a dick or book writer?
I'm neither. What I am, I'm a journalist.
You see, what I'm doing is, I'm doing this piece.
The piece is on Johnny and the old Spider Simpson Orchestra.
I remember Spider. He used to play them drums like two jack rabbits fuckin'.
Got to go, son. Ain't got much time.
A piss and a spit and back to work. Try one of them Two Sisters cocktails...
and then you can make the whole thing up, any way you want to.
That's what you newspaper people do anyway, don't you?
He starts his lovin' when you get through
Can't even take a piss.
Hey, look, pal. I just wanted to have a little talk...
with you about Johnny Favorite and Evangeline Proud...
I'm too big to go hidin' under beds. I don't know nothin'.
Two Sisters cocktails are the only thing I'm interested in nowadays. Fuck!
- What's going on, Toots? - Nothing.
Mind your own business. I wanna piss.
If you don't get the hell out of here, I may clean you out on the sidewalk.
You gonna wish your little white ass never was born.
Please. I got a thing about chickens.
So take a tip, honey and just leave my door
Because your key don't fit in my lock no more
You got the right key
You're knockin' on the wrong door
Zu Zu Mamou
With your pigtail on
Say somebody crossed you Now your mind is gone
If it hurts you too bad
Call for help
Don't be ashamed to call a doctor when there ain't nobody left to tell ya now
Zu Zu Mamou
All right, now. Hey.
This is the end of bullshit time, pal, okay?
I got a good look at you and Epiphany...
doin' your hot-shoe number with the chicken.
And listen.
I ain't up on all this voodoo shit. I'm from Brooklyn.
We ain't all Baptists down here, sonny.
What's the story with this Proudfoot girl?
She's a mambo priestess, like her mom. Has been since she was 13.
When's the last time you saw Johnny Favorite at one of those chicken stuffings?
He used to run around with Mom Mambo, didn't he?
I told you, I ain't seen him since before the war.
What about the chicken foot in the john, huh?
- Means I got a big mouth. - Not big enough, Toots.
What's this fuckin' star you wear in your mouth? I'll tell you what.
I'm gonna give you my hotel number, and you give me a call...
in case you hear anything.
You never know, the next time you get...
a special delivery chicken foot, you may need a little help.
I'll tell you, as far as I'm concerned...
any dead chicken's a good chicken to me.
Hey, only cops and bad news don't knock.
Only private dicks sleep so late.
That's quite a dream you were having.
I was on my way to Mandalay again.
Shit. That's some leak you got up there.
Here. This your name?
- Yeah. - That your hotel?
- You're standin' in it, ain't you? - Your handwritin'?
I think so.
Then perhaps you'd like to tell us why...
we found that in the hand of a dead guitar player?
- Toots Sweet is dead? - Yeah. Toots Sweet.
Only this one weren't so quick. This one took time.
How did he die?
Technically, asphyxiation by his own genitalia.
But not so technically.
Somebody cut his dick off, stuffed it in his mouth and choked him to death.
Took to redecoratin' his apartment with the poor jerk's blood.
So, when'd you see him, Angel?
- I interviewed him yesterday around 1:00. - In connection with what?
Missing person.
Who?
Some cat took a walk 12 years ago. I saw Toots in an old photograph with him.
What's the name of this party you're lookin' for?
Sorry, friend. Can't say. That's right of privacy.
- I'm workin' for a New York lawyer. - Name?
Ah, come on, man.
Winesap. You want his number, you want his address?
Ask Tess Trueheart over there. It's in the book he's flickin' through.
It's under "W," genius.
You know Ted Williams, the baseball player?
Yeah.
Herman Winesap.
All right, is that it, guys?
That's it.
You and your "right to privacy" can go eat lunch.
But don't stroll too far, Angel.
Not till we talk to this lawyer of yours.
You ever watch the Mickey Mouse Club?
'Cause you know what today... today is?
Today is Wednesday. It's "anything can happen" day.
Hey, man, you want a tune?
Yeah, I got a tune for you.
Hiya, boys.
Ah, same to you.
Hey, I'm gettin' kind of hungry. You wanna sell some of those things?
Hey, Pop.
- Ten cents a sack. - Sure, man, give me a sack.
Ah, shit! Get...
You listen good, mister.
Margaret Krusemark's old man wants you on that train home.
Get that fuckin' thing away from me!
If you don't, my dog here's gonna bite your fuckin' face clean off.
What happened to you?
A dog bit me.
Yeah, so? What do you want?
Well, right now, I... I need a laundry.
- Listen, "Epithany." - Epiphany.
Epiphany. I got something on my mind I wanna ask you.
Yeah. The other night I saw you and Toots Sweet...
boogyin' with the cock-a-doodle-doo out in the woods.
Looked like you all were havin' some party.
Yeah, so what's your problem? It's a free country.
Not for chickens it ain't.
Oh, yeah, you got a thing about chickens. I remember.
Listen, Epiphany, Toots is... Toots is dead.
I know. I heard.
- And you set him up. - No, I didn't.
You were the only one that knew I was seein' Toots.
Yeah. You're the one that sent the gift-wrapped chicken for two, aren't you?
Yeah, well, Toots had a big mouth.
I guess he did, judgin' by what the cops found in it.
Quite a cute religion you got.
Well, nailing a man to a cross ain't so cute, either.
Yeah, I know. You got to kill a chicken to make the soup.
We don't go around murdering people, all right? What about Johnny Favorite?
Oh. So now you remember him after all, huh?
Yeah, he was my father.
Mince?
Mince, I'm gonna pick the baby up later, okay?
He's gonna be all right.
Hey, look, if you got anything you're holding out, now's a good time to tell.
Nothing to tell.
Johnny never came back from the war.
Mama waited. Mama died. It's sad and simple.
Epiphany, there's too many dead bodies floatin' around...
even for Louisiana.
I'd tell your old man to look out for you.
- You do have a husband. - No. No husband.
Jesus, you got beautiful eyes, Epiphany.
You really do. They're truly beautiful.
They're the kind of eyes you can tell just what's goin' on inside.
- Right now you're scared. - I manage.
- Hey, well, listen... - Yeah. I'll call you if I hear anything.
Hey.
Call me if you don't.
All right?
I have a message for you.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
I'm so glad you could come.
Yeah. I didn't know you were comin' to town.
I have a speaking engagement in Baton Rouge...
and I thought it would be opportune to catch up on your progress.
I'm tellin' ya...
Progress ain't too good.
I found out a lot of stuff.
But so far, no Johnny Favorite.
How unfortunate.
All I got is a bellyful of hocus-pocus...
and three stiffs.
- Stiffs? - Yeah.
Dead bodies, Mr. Cyphre. Murders.
- Murders. - Yeah.
I got Fowler... Johnny's doctor bumped himself off.
I got this old voodoo guy, Toots Sweet.
He got choked to death with a part of the body meant for pissing with.
This is a church, Mr. Angel.
Well, I'll tell you something. I know it's a church...
but there's a lot of religion going around with this thing.
It's very weird, and I don't understand it. It's ugly.
They say there's just enough religion in the world...
to make men hate one another, but not enough to make them love.
Oh, is that what they say?
Well, I'll tell you something, Mr. Cyphre, there...
wasn't too much love around for Johnny Favorite.
All right, that guy was bad luck and it's starting to rub off on me.
I'm a murder suspect already in two cases.
The police found my name and my address in Toots Sweet's hand.
I know. Winesap told me.
You must be careful, Mr. Angel.
And a third? You said there were three murders.
I checked out Johnny's little society girlfriend... Margaret Krusemark.
- Do you know her? - Vaguely.
Vaguely? Let me tell you, I'm a little fed up with fuckin' "vaguely."
"Vaguely" is puttin' a noose around my neck and I'm startin' to choke.
So, Mr. Cyphre, did you know her or not?
I knew about her, but I never actually knew her.
All right. Well, I'll tell you what.
She was doin' my chart. I gave her Johnny's birth date... February 14...
Except someone got to her and took out their own Valentine's card.
They split her open and they cut out her heart.
I guess she couldn't predict the future for herself.
The future isn't what it used to be, Mr. Angel.
- And your conclusions? - I haven't any.
All I know is Johnny's runnin' around bumpin' off everyone he used to know.
And more and more it's me who's on the line for it.
I'm bein' set up, and it's scarin' the shit out of me, all right?
So why don't you just tell me and level with me what the fuck is goin' on here?
Just Johnny Favorite and the debt that's owed to me, Mr. Angel.
I have old-fashioned ideas about honor.
You know, an eye for an eye, things like that.
Who the fuck are you, Cyphre?
Watch your language.
Hey, I don't give a fuck if this is a church, okay?
Churches give me the creeps. I don't like churches.
- Are you an atheist? - Yes, I am.
I'm from Brooklyn.
I'll be in town for a day or two.
Let me know what else you find, and if you need money...
No, no, the money's fine.
But if I ain't careful, that 5,000 bucks you gave me...
could just buy me a seat on the electric chair.
Hi.
Frightened eyes never lie.
Come on. Come on inside.
- Where's your child? - He's with Mincy.
She's bringing him over later.
She's got 14 of her own, so he'll be okay there.
Look, Epiphany, you're very welcome to stay here or I'll get you a room.
No, I'm okay.
I'll tell you what, I'm gonna have a drink. You want a drink?
You're gonna have one anyway.
- I've been thinkin', Epiphany. - Yeah?
I was wondering what the hell your mama ever saw in a guy like Johnny Favorite?
I don't know. Whatever he had, he sure stole her heart away.
To tell you the truth, the guy was a creep.
Well, she sure missed him.
I mean, I'll tell ya.
What does a lady see in a guy that runs around choppin' up pigeons, you know?
You know what they say.
It's always the badass that makes a girl's heart beat faster.
Did she ever say anything about him?
- Johnny? - Yeah.
- Just two things. - Yeah, like what?
She once said that Johnny Favorite was as close to true evil...
as she ever wanted to come.
- What else did she say? - He was a terrific lover.
How old are you, Epiphany?
- Seventeen. - Seventeen.
That's kind of young to have a kid, isn't it?
It's old enough.
- So, where'd the father go? - I never knew him.
I'm sorry. To tell you the truth.
I don't know why I took this room.
It was at Bamboucher.
When the spirits possess you, it's called chevalier.
Oh, yes, I'm familiar with that... Chevrolet.
- Chevalier. - That's what I said: Chevrolet.
Mounted by the gods.
- Oh, so the gods got you pregnant? - Yeah.
I understand that. Sorry.
I'm not. It was the best fuck I ever had.
Want to dance?
In here?
Yeah, here.
I got bit by a dog this mornin'. I can't move around.
Well, you won't feel a thing.
- Well, I'll dance with you. - Yeah?
- Yeah. But you gotta promise. - What's that?
No chickens.
- Okay. - Come on. Jump on.
And I really
Had my fun
With all the boyfriends
The good time men friends
I've still had to walk this road
All by myself
I was that playgirl
A careless gay girl
But I put
Them all on the shelf
I found my true love
With you forever
And my life
Has just begun
'Cause now you've set
My soul
On fire
And I really
Had my fun
Good-bye to playboys
Those hey-hey-hey boys
Good-bye to everyone
But you, my love
Well, no more heartaches
No more heartbreaks
I'll swear by all
The stars above
Well, all my soul
My love, my heart
I miss you, darling
But I'm coming up
'Cause now you've set
My soul
On fire
All right, I'm comin'.
I should've recognized the knock.
Well, at least you got reason for sleepin' late this time.
Down here, Angel, we don't mix with the jigaboos.
The colored folks keep to themselves.
Well, hey, I ain't from down here.
- You cut yourself? - A dog bit me.
Somebody named Margaret Krusemark figure in this missing persons case?
- No. Why? - She's dead.
That nigger guitar player of yours, he don't matter a shit.
He was into voodoo. They 86'd one or two a week.
This Krusemark dame, she comes from a Louisiana money family... white money.
So two people get bumped off in the same week. What's the connection?
- Similar circumstances. - Like what?
Did she get her dick cut off too?
No. Some fucker cut her heart out, neat as a butcher on Decatur Street.
Look, mine's a missing persons. It's not a murder, okay? Why you telling me this?
I want to know the name of the party you're lookin' for.
I already told you. Call New York. Talk to the lawyer.
I did. That fancy mouthpiece, he gave me the same big-city shit as you.
What do you want me to say? Hey, you and Effie Klinker over there...
why don't you just fuck off and leave me alone?
This ain't jigaboo town, ass wipe! You play jump rope with Louisiana law...
and I'm gonna stuff your big-city smarts right up your New York ass!
This Krusemark broad, she was into stargazing, black magic, all kinds of shit.
There ain't nothin' worse for a cop than people who get killed for nutso reasons.
Sorry if I made a mess. Maybe you can get your nigger to clean it up.
Girl of my dreams
I love you
Honest I do
You are so sweet
If I could just hold your charms
Again in my arms
Life...
What's that tune you're singin'?
You don't know it? It's one by Johnny Favorite.
My mom used to sing it to me all the time.
- You okay? - Yeah.
If I could just
Hold your charms
Again in my arms
Life would be complete
Shit!
Thanks.
What do you want, Mr. Angel?
I guess you already knew that.
Why should I?
A couple of your morons with a matching poodle...
have been chasing my balls around for days.
I'm looking for Johnny Favorite.
As far as I know, that dance band scumbag is dead.
That dance band scumbag may be the one that killed your daughter.
Who's employing you?
I can't say.
I'll pay.
So do they.
Twelve years ago you and your daughter snatched Favorite...
out of some nuthatch up in Poughkeepsie.
You paid a junkie doctor 25 grand to pretend Johnny was still a turniphead.
You did a pretty good job until a week ago.
You used the name Edward Kelly.
Let's walk over here. It's a little private, and you can sample our gumbo.
That's all right. I got a nasty stomach.
Besides, Cajun cooking kills me.
It's a pity about your stomach. You'd have enjoyed our gumbo.
I was Edward Kelly. It was me who paid Fowler the 25 G's.
- Did Favorite know you? - No.
He acted like a sleepwalker.
He just stared out the window and watched the lights go by.
Where were you takin' him?
Times Square. It was New Year's Eve, 1943. I just dropped him off...
in the crowd and he walked out of our lives forever, or so we thought.
You're tellin' me that you paid 25 grand for a guy and you lost him in a crowd?
I did it for my daughter.
It was some sort of hocus-pocus she and Johnny were foolin' around with.
- My daughter was obsessed. - I know.
I found a mummified hand in her room.
The "hand of glory." It was supposed to be able to open any lock.
It was the right hand of a convicted murderer...
cut off while his neck was still in the noose.
Or so Margaret believed.
- Black magic. - Black, white, what difference does it make?
- Margaret was always... - Evil.
Evil is a dunghill, Mr. Angel.
Everyone gets on his own and speaks out about someone else's.
Margaret wasn't evil. She was a strange kid, though.
She was into tarot cards before she could read.
Who got her started?
Some maid, governess... who knows?
Some maid, some governess... Everything you tell me is a crock of shit!
You're the one that got her started! You're the fuckin' devil worshipper!
The prince of darkness protects the powerful.
- That's a crock of shit! - I can't help it if you don't believe.
You come straight with me, you slimebag, or I'll save this state an execution.
I introduced Johnny Favorite to my daughter. He was very powerful.
I once watched him conjure up "Lucifuge" in my living room.
He was in it much deeper than me.
He made a pact with Satan. He sold his soul.
You expect me to swallow that?
Swallow it. Spit it out. I don't give a damn.
That's a crock of shit, you lying, old, fucking motherfucker!
- He sold his soul for stardom. - For stardom? Are you...
- That's a crock of shit! - Satan rose from the depth.
It was magnificent, except he thought he could outwit the prince of darkness.
Johnny sold his soul. Then when he made it big, he tried to duck out of it.
That's a crock of shit!
Johnny came across an obscure rite in an ancient manuscript.
- He needed a victim his own age. - Why?
To steal their soul. So Toots and Johnny picked up a young soldier.
Who?
Just a soldier celebrating New Year's eve in Times Square.
- Who was this soldier? - They took him back to Johnny's hotel.
- That's where the ceremony took place. - What ceremony?
The boy was bound naked on a rubber mat.
There were complicated incantations and stuff in Latin and Greek.
A pentacle was branded on his chest.
Margaret handed Johnny a virgin dagger and he sliced the boy clean open.
And he ate his heart.
He cut it out so quickly the heart was still beating when he wolfed it down.
Johnny's plan was to drop out and resurface as the soldier.
But before he could work things out, he was drafted.
Then Johnny was injured, sent home without even knowing who he was.
Who was that boy?
Only Johnny knew. He sealed the dog tags in a vase and gave it to Margaret.
It was Margaret's plan to drop him off in Times Square.
That would be the last place that he'd remember before it happened.
He needed a victim... someone his own age...
to steal their soul.
And he sliced the boy clean open and he ate his heart.
Who was the boy?
Johnny's plan was to drop out and resurface as the soldier.
Or maybe he gained possession of the guy's soul.
He still looked like Johnny to me.
Oh, shit!
No!
I know who I am! I know who I am!
Alas.
How terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the wise, Johnny.
Louis Cyphre.
Lucifer.
Even your name is a dime-store joke.
Mephistopheles is such a mouthful in Manhattan, Johnny.
You think posing as the devil...
just 'cause it scared some superstitious old guitar player...
and that witch and that nutty old man...
You think it's gonna scare me?
It ain't, 'cause I know who I am.
And you killed them, and you're tryin' to pin it on me.
And I know who I am.
If I had cloven hoofs and a pointed tail, would you be more convinced?
You're crazy.
I know who I am. You're trying to frame me.
Cyphre, I know who I am.
You murdered them people. I never killed nobody.
I didn't kill Fowler...
and...
and I didn't kill Toots...
and I didn't kill Margaret and I didn't kill Krusemark.
I didn't kill no one.
- I'm afraid you did, Johnny. - My name's not Johnny.
All killed by your own hand.
Guided by me, naturally.
Frankly, you were doomed from the moment you slit that young boy in half.
And Johnny...
for 12 years you've been living on borrowed time in another man's memories.
Hey, I'm gonna tell Winesap, 'cause he knows.
Winesap? Well, he's dead.
Nasty accident.
Don't worry. No one will mourn one less lawyer in the world.
There's death everywhere these days, Johnny.
But what gives human life its worth anyway?
Because someone loves it or hates it?
The flesh is weak, Johnny. Only the soul is immortal.
And yours belongs to me.
I know who I am.
That's it, Johnny. Take a good look.
However cleverly you sneak up on a mirror...
your reflection always looks you straight in the eye.
I know who I am!
- Well... - Girl of my dreams
I love you
Honest, I do
You are so sweet
If I could just hold your charms
- I know who I am! - Again in my arms
Then life would be
Complete
Since you've been gone, dear
Life don't seem the same
Please come back
With me
And after all's said and done
There's only one
Girl of my dreams
That's you
Why'd you come back?
I live here.
Who is she?
She ain't "Angel, Harold."
She's my daughter.
Bullshit. Who is she?
She's Epiphany Proudfoot.
She stayed here for a little while.
Long enough for you to kill her, right?
Unless that ain't your gun up her snatch.
You're gonna burn for this, Angel.
I know.
In hell.
Subtitled By Captions, Inc. Los Angeles
Harry.
Johnny.