Still got a drive up to Los Angeles. -See your son, ha?
That's nice, Lilly. Side of you I never knew.
He's a good kid. Salesman. -On the square, ha?
How are you hanging out these days? Stealing much? -From you?
My folks didn't raise no stupid kids.
You're not scheming a thing, Lilly?
Well, you know, I clip a buck here, and a buck there. Not enough to notice.
That's right. Take a little, leave a little. -A person who don't look out for himself
is too dumb to look out for anybody else. He's a liability, right, Bo?
That's a 1000% right, Lilly. -Or else he's working an angle.
If he's not stealing a little, he's stealing a lot.
You know it, Lilly!
You know what, I like that suit, Bobo.
I don't know what there is about it, but
somehow it makes you look taller. -Yeah? -yeah.
You really think so? -Yeah. -A lotta people've been telling me that.
Well, you can tell them from me they're right.
Well, I'd best be going.
Roy will wonder where I am. -Worries about his mother, does he?
You give him a hug from me. -I will.
Thanks, Bobo.
So long, Bobo.
I don't see why we have to take the train.
What if we wanna drive somewhere, while we're there?
We will rent a car. -Expender!
You ain't seen nothing yet. -Why so many people?
The races at La Jolla.
Where your mother is?
You don't wanna see her, do you? -No.
Hit the beach, eat well is good enough for me.
I must stretch my legs, you wanna come along?
No. -Wanna drink?
No. -See you in a minute.
A drink for you, a drink for Generson's day grandmother. -Right.
But junior gets milk. -Right, right.
A minute.
I'm sorry. -I spilled all your drinks.
Sure you're ok? -Yeah. What were those? Beers?
Four Millers.
Hey! Did one of you guys drop this? -No.
I don't know. I wouldn't have taken a chance.
Another round, I'm buying. -No, come on guy, you can't buy every round.
It's like our turn. -Come on, we've got plenty of cash.
Tell you what. We'll roll off one?
Low number buys. -Very good. -You're on for it.
Let's go, Junior. That's just four.
Gimme a chance to get one of you back. -You got it.
Wanna go one more time? I got four.
It's great to get away, isn't it? To take some time off?
Next week, I'll be back to work. -You already went back to work.
What? - I watched you. Working the tatt on those sailor boys.
Working the what? -Oh, come on, Roy. The tatt. What you do for a living.
I'm a salesman. -You're on the grift. Same as me. - Myra, I'm not following this.
Roy, you're a short-con operator. And a good one, I think.
Don't talk to me like I'm another square.
You talk the lingo. What's your pitch?
The long end. Big con. -Nobody does that single out.
I was teamed 10 years with the best in the business.
Cool Langley. -I've heard the name.
It was beautiful, and getting better all the time. -Is that right?
It is, Roy, it's where you should be. What are you bringing? 3, 400 a week?
We used money like that for tips. - Wow!
And now, right now, it's the perfect time. The best time
since I've been in the game.
All over the southwest you've got these businessmen. They were
making money when everybody was making money. They think that means
they're smart. And now they're hurting. When the price of oil fell, so did they.
They've still got money, but they need more money.
When the oil money was good, they put up all these office buildings. Now they're
half empty. They'd give you anything to move in: first two months free,
redecoration, whatever you want.
They help you set up the store.
I'm the roper. I go out and find them, and bring them in.
Morning, gentlemen.
Gloster Hebing, may I present my fine stock broker, Henry Fellows?
Gloster.
What we have here today, Mary Beth, is strickly between...
Oh, I told Mr. Hebing all about it. How brilliant you are
at making money for your special clients.
Well, I certainly hope that you're not spreading the news a little too widely.
Well, of course not! But I'd trust Mr. Hebing with anything.
Wouldn't I, darling?
Well, I guess I'll just have to take your word for that. Won't I?
Here's the money.
Goodie!
Please, let me help you.
Once they saw that money, they were hooked.
And I made sure they saw it. Ain't that just beautiful?
Then, all Cool had to do was tell the story. -We are talking about
breaking the law here. I just wanna make sure you understand that.
No one is gonna get hurt, but the law\ is gonna be broken. -Laws were made
to be broken. - Lose talk is the one thing I worry about.
I can keep my mouth shut.
Gloster, come on over here and sit down.
Tokyo exchange is 9 hours behind us, the NY exchange is 1 hour ahead of us.
There is never one hour in which both exchanges are open.
Information moves, but it has to wait. Now, I have a fellow working for me.
D'ya know what a hacker is?
Yeah, sure. That's like a computer expert, a genius. -Very good.
And what this boy has been able to do, is tap into that main link
between Tokyo and NY and when we really need it
he's been able to give us a 7 second delay
in the transfer of that information. Do you know what that means?
Well, I can see that you get your information ahead of NY.
Every once in a while a major change happens.
And we have a 7 second advantage to put a buy order, a sell order,
into that computer in NY just before that data from Tokyo comes pulling in
right behind it.
Not much time. -No, we have to be ready, we have
to have the money, we have to know what that information means
and we have to move like grease lightning.
But boy, when it works, it is beautiful!
Seven seconds, ah?
I don't see how you can do it. -Machines!
Machines, Gloster!
I've got a whole room full of machines machines back here.Y'wanna see it?
Henry, no. -I've got a whole suite full of mainframe computers back here.
They are so beautiful! -No, Henry.
Oh, you got a minute? Come on, Gloster!
Listen to them hum.
Henry, don't try Mr. Hebbing's patience! - You sure?
Well...
OK, then.
Cole liked to take risks, huh? -He didn't think they were risks.
He was so good, Roy, he could just play with the mark.
He was so crooked, he could eat soup with a corkscrew.
And when he got serious? - He'd explain he had to have cash,
so there wouldn't be any paper trail for the SEC. And a lot of cash,
or it wasn't worth while.
The least we ever took was US$ 40.000,
and the most was 185.000$, from one sucker!
I thought these people were broke. No, no, Roy, just cash poor.
They had savings accounts, stocks to sell,
houses to mortgage. Sell their wife's jewelry.
Oh, they had a lot of money, when they put their minds to it.
Or when I put their minds to it.
And a month later, the sucker calls the cops and you're on the run.
No no! He never calls the cops, not after we give him the blow-off.
FBI! Everybody hold what you've got!
Back off!
It's right here!
You was it! -No!
You and your goddam bigmouth! -No!
Henry, no!
You don't move, backwards, nobody move!
You stay there! Come with me! -No!
Go, go, go!
They never came back.
We were rolling in dough, lived wherever we wanted,
only pulled two or three scams a year.
It was great! Great! Great!
What happened to Cole?
He retired. -Retired...
Where?
Upstate.
Upstate where?
Atascadero.
No, baby. Not again.
It's hollow. I can't move.
Cant' move. Can't move.
It's just the stress again. We'll take a vacation.
Cole, you scare me when this happens!
No, no! Turn around!
Cole, please! Please!
That's where they keep the criminally insane, isn't it?
He retired, and that's it.
But I didn't. I'm still the best long-con
roper you'll ever see. -I bet you are, too.
Now you're trying to rope me. -Join up with you!
A beautiful woman like you? You shouldn't eat alone -Go away.
What d'ya wanna eat alone for? -Can I have some more coffee?
Coming up! -We can have coffee together.
My name's Kenny.
Your pal wants you. Let'm find his own pretty woman.
This fellow bothering you, miss? -Yes.
Why don'y you go back there and just go sit down?
I'll sit here.
You all right? -You didn't need to do that!
I thought I did. You should take better care of yr friend.
Get outta here!
I'm sorry a lady can't eat in here without been bothered!
Will never happen again, miss.
See you later. -Why d'we have to have separate rooms?
Expect your father to come through? -Separate bathrooms, darling.
I will not lay out all my cosmetics for you to knock over.
Things a man isn't supposed to know.
You don't mind, really, d'ya, Roy? It's been such a wonderful evening,
I guess I just wore myself out.
Sure. I'm pretty tired myself.
Forget the longcon,'cause I'm the one who's been conned.
Screw this noise!
Open your door!
What for?
Open it, and find out.
Gangway!
I hope you don't mind, sir. I just washed my clothes,
and I couldn't do a thing with them.
If you could have seen the look on yr face when I told you good night!
You looked so...
Roy! -Can I come in? -Sure.
What'r'ya doing in La Jolla? -Me and Myra came down yesterday,
we're leaving tonight.
If'ya come out to the track, don't know me. -We won't hit the track.
What's that? -4 grand. It's for the hospital, is it enough?
Roy, I don't want yr money. -I pay my debts.
Oh, you do? Yeah!
Expecting somebody?
No. That was the point.
Where did ya get that? -Accident. Take the money back, I don't want it.
No.
I thought...
I was hoping we could play it straight with one another.
I guess not. -I guess you won't be getting a straight job, either?
Not this week. -Not ever! -It's up to me.
I'm strictly short-con.
I've heard that one before. -Yeah, but I'm in control.
Sure. You're only 25 years old already you can lay down
4 grand, without even turning a hair!
Goes like anything else, Roy. You don't stand still,
either go up or down, usually down, sooner or later.
Well, that oughta be a surprise, then.
You'll gonna head east from here?
After the meet. Back to Baltimore.
It was nice to see you again.
You little prick!
OK? -I see him. Just wait. Hold it. -That's the guy we followed.
Just wait!
Excuse, me? Can I borrow your binoculars? Thanks!
Excuse me.
What did you do to yrself all afternoon? - I went out to the track.
What were you doing at the track? Did you run into my mother?
No, how could I? I was in the clubhouse.
Lilly wouldn't be in the clubhouse, would she? How did ya know that?
OK, I saw her. -But she didn't see you, in other words?
I saw her out there, and I was curious. You know she's always so nasty to me.
I know she was knocking me to you every chance she has.
So, I called a friend of mine in Baltimore, so now I know who she is.
You must have some very knowledgeable friends.
I'm well connected, Roy. Cole introduced me to a lotta people.
Very valuable. Valuable for us.
Running your broker scam, you mean.
What a team we'll make! You won't regret this, Roy.
Regret what? I didn't say I was coming aboard.
Why not? I thought it was settled! -Nothing was ever settled.
It's yr mother talking against me! -She's got nothing to do with it!
I make my own decisions! -It's not what Lilly thinks...
Who cares what she thinks? I don't care what she thinks.
Left home when I was 17, with nothing but stuff I bought and paid for myself.
Nothing from Lilly.
Darling, guess what? I had to tell you right away.
I called a fellow I know in Tulsa, the one who plays my chauffeur.
He says that there's a sucker there that's made for us.
And a broker that just shut down, we can use their office,
not change a thing!
I can scrape up 10 grand if I try, I got a couple of aces in the whole,
some markers I could call on for something real.
That leaves 15 or 20 to yr end. We can start this weekend,
get the sucker into position... -Hold it!
You're talking some pretty tall figures,
What makes you think I have got that kind of money?
Now, you must have. Now, you know you do, Roy.
Maybe I like it where I am.
Well, maybe I don't. I had 10 good years with Cole, and I want'em back.
I gotta have a partner.
I looked and looked and believe me, brother
I kissed a lotta fucking frogs!
And you're my prince!
Don't I get any say in this? -No.. -That's what I say!
What I say is no. We don't do partners.
What is it?
What's going on? Why don't you wanna team up?
The best reason I can think of is that you scare the hell outta me.
I've seen women like you before, baby. You're double tough,
you're sharp as a razor, and you get what you want, or else...
But you don't make it work forever. Sooner or later, the lightning hits.
And I'm not gonna be around when it hits you.
By God!
It's your mother.
It's Lilly! -What?
Sure it is. That's why you act so funny around each other
What's that?
Don't act so goddam innocent!
You and your own mother?
You like to go back where you been, huh? -Watch yr mouth!
I'm wise to you, I should've seen it before, you rotten son of a bitch!
How is it, huh? How do you like it...
Stop!
That's not like me. I don't do this.
That's why we wouldn't work together.
Yr disgusting. Yr mind's so filthy it's hard even to look at you.
Goodbye.
And you don't even know it.
Mama. It's Mama. She's the one. You'll get yours, Mama. Oh, yes.
Yeah? -Lilly, it's Roy. Lilly, I was wondering if...
I was wondering if we could just talk. You know, like have a conversation.
Maybe we've both grown up. Maybe we could just talk?
Sure, Roy.
You want me to drive up? -No. -OK.
I'll come there tonight. -Fine. Come on down.
There won't be a home cooked meal. -That's good news.
Who's a boy gonna talk to, if not his mother?
Lilly, listen, it's Irv.
You've always been decent to me, I'm taking a hell of a chance here.
Somebody blew you out with Bobo. The car full of money, he's....
Lilly? Lilly?
Bobo knows about all the money in the car. The money you stole from him.
A black and gold Cadillac.
Hi! Wellcome to Phoenix.
I'd like a single room for tonight.
Everything's the same size, same price.
I'm a very light sleeper, traffic noise keeps me wide awake all night.
Trucks. I know what you mean.
Do you have something around back facing away from the road?
I'll put you in 19. Very quiet. Faces the desert.
Sounds perfect. Can I park my car back there?
Right in front of the room.
Something wrong?
Oh, sorry. I thought you were the other lady.
No. I'm me.
I'll give you n. 6. Very nice room. Very handy.
In the front, right by the pool.
Don't you have sth round back? Where it's quieter?
Everybody wants the back tonight!
I guess everybody wants privacy.
Roy Dilon? Lt. Pearson, Phoenix police. I have a car here.
There was a bunch of money hidden in yr mother's car. -Yeah?
A lotta money! Would you know anything about that? -No.
I realise this is a shock. -Mostly, I don't believe it.
That's natural. -No, I mean, I don't believe it.
I know my mother. Lilly is not a suicide. Nothing would make her check out.
I'm sorry. It was her, all right.
It's her gun, even. -Her gun?
There is one thing I have to caution you.
Normally, we don't do a next to kin ID, unless there's no other choice.
In this case, there's no fingerprints on the file, the dental records
don't help, because of the location of the wound...
She ate the gun!
I'm sorry. This is going to be a shock.
Not many laughs in this room, eh? -Not many.
Remove that, we want a full identification.
Jesus! -No question, ahn?
No.
That's it, then. -Yeah.
That's that.
Mom.
The last modern thing I liked was the miniskirt.
Your technology, now, nobody understands it,
that's the simple fact of the situation.
Evening, Miss... Langtrey.
Hello, Lilly.
Roy, you scared me.
You going somewhere? -Somewhere else, that's for sure.
I just came back from Phoenix. -Oh, yeah? Is the frame holding?
Looks very solid, Lilly.
Take a minute, tell me about it. -I've really got to go...
You're dead, Lilly, it worked. -Yeah, but not for long.
Cops may buy it, but Bobo will spend money to make sure.
Even so, relax a minute. Sit down!
Just for a minute.
Put that down.
Myra followed you, huh? -Yeah.
I guess She must have been the one that blew me off with Bobo.
To get me running. Did you tell her about my stash? -No.
It was she was after, though. What happened at Phoenix?
Oh, Roy. It was terrible.
You read about people killing people and all that,
But when it happens...
My God!
She was in her nightgown, you know, the old grifter's dodge,
nightgown and the ice bucket and she just got into the wrong room by mistake.
I sat in there with her,
I thought, what do I do now?
Run, I've got Bobo and the law after me.
Stay, and how do I explain? -This was perfect.
It is, isn't it? I've wanted out of the rackets for years,
and now I'm out.
I can make a clean break and... You've already made a break.
I don't know how clean it is. -I'm sorry, Roy.
I hated to take your money, but -- You're not taking it.
Roy, I need this money. I can't run withouth money, and if I can't, I'm dead.
You must have some money. -Just a few bucks. -Myra's stuff?
Her credit cards. How far am I gonna get with that?
Far enough. San Francisko, St Louis. Some place new. Start over.
You're smart, good-looking, you won't have any trouble finding a job.
A job? I've never had a legit job in my life! -Well, you're gonna start if you wanna
live through this. You're gonna get a square job, live a quiet life. You start
showing up at the track or the hot spots and Bobo's boys will be all over you.
Roy, don't tell me what to do with myself, it's a big world ou there. -Not anymore.
Lilly, listen to me, it's good advice. I'm following it myself. -What?
You wanted me out of the rackets, off the grift? I think I'm gonna get out.
Roy, that's fine, but I don't have time for this.
Bobo's after my ass! -I thought you'd be happy for me.
After all, you're the one who... Bobo isn't after you! Bobo's after me!
And he's goddamn good, but so am I. What makes you think I'm gonna let you
outta here with my money? -I'm a survivor. I survive. And to survive, I need money.
No!
You want a drink?
No! You probably shouldn't have one either.
No, but I'm goddam thirsty.
Ice water?
Sure, that sounds nice.
I'll get it.
Take whichever one you want.
You wouldn't do that.
You don't know what I'd do.
You have no idea.
To live. -You'll live, Lilly.
I know what's bugging you, of course. -Oh? I didn't know anything was.
I wasn't a very good mother to you when you were a kid.
It was pretty lousy of me, I guess.
-To be a child at the same time you were. -For God's sake, Lilly!
I gave you your life twice.
I'm asking you to give me mine once.
I need the money, Roy.
No.
So, you're getting off the grift, ahn? -I might. -That's good.
You don't really belong on this side of the fence, you know.
I don't? -If you stayed a crook, do you think you'd live to be my ripe age?
Well, I don't see why not.
I guess I got it wrong, then. Seems to me I heard about a guy
just your age that got hit so hard in the guts it almost killed him.
Well, uh... -That's different... That doesn't count.
It doesn't really matter, does it? If I'm getting out...
You're getting out? You're on the level? You don't need the money.
So why the hell can't I take it?
Lilly, my money wouldn't last forever. And then what?
You'd be stuck in some other part of the rackets, with another Bobo Justus
to slap you around and burn holes in your hand.
If you can't change your life now, when you're still relatively young,
how could you do it when you're say... crowning 50?
This way you gotta go the square route.
Send me a card when you got settled, I could maybe help you out sometimes...
Roy... What if I told you I wasn't really your mother?
That we weren't related?
What?
You'd like that, wouldn't you? Sure you would.
You don't have to tell me.
Now, why would you like that, Roy?
What're talking about? Of course you're my mother. Of course you are.
Roy... Roy... -There's nothing more to talk about.
I want that money, Roy.
I need it.
What do I have to do to get it?
You mean, you won't give it to me, Roy?
Will you? Won't you?
What can I do to get it?
Is there nothing I can do? -Lilly, Jesus, what're you doing?
Nothing at all...?