Bugsy and info on a new novel

 My father sparked my interest in science fiction. The first movie I saw in the theater was Forbidden Planet. Over time we watched The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, and The Andromeda Strain and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This interest led to me to writing a sci-fi novel:

Galloper’s Quests, based on Gulliver’s Travels, begins in 2079. Navy Captain Samuel Galloper is a scientist who continually seeks answers about the mysteries of the universe. The military only temporarily quieted his feverish mind through its regimented ways. Galloper invents a propulsion system that transforms matter into energy and can open wormholes. However, the military wants to steal his work and use it to wage war. So, Galloper decides to prevent the perversion of his invention by leaving Earth on a journey through the cosmos. He visits three planets whose inhabitants exhibit very different ways of dealing with life. He becomes involved in the armed conflict between two of the planets. Along the way he befriends aliens and a witty robot. He falls in love with an extraterrestrial who might know more about humanity than Galloper does. As Galloper nears the end of his quests, he must weigh the risks of returning to Earth. Will his invention fall into the wrong hands? Will anyone believe his story about his intergalactic travels? What fate awaits his new love if she goes with him?

https://www.amazon.com/Gallopers-Quests-Fall-Earth-Destiny/dp/B0DRTBVDM6/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_

 

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

As in other gangster movies, the hoodlum in Bugsy (1991) has a family life that he tries to keep separate from his unlawful activities. Bugsy Siegel (Warren Beatty) has a wife and two children, who appear in the first shot of the film. Later he has a birthday party for his daughter which Meyer Lansky (Ben Kingsley) and his associates invade. As Sigel dashes back and forth between his family and his business associates, that scene shows how the private life and the gangster world can’t be kept apart. When he has a new home with Virginia Hill (Annette Bening), he again can’t segregate parts of his life as she insists on riding with him when he secretly plans to eliminate Harry Greenberg (Elliott Gould), his best friend, for testifying against Siegel’s partner Lucky Luciano (Bill Graham).

We discover immediately by Siegel’s interest in clothes, sun lamps, and facials that he is focused on appearance, which includes his name. He chastises a male shopper that “Bugsy” refers to a creature that crawls in the dirt. It’s lowly, which is not what he thinks of himself. His name is Benjamin, which he reminds others is in the Bible. He wants to be revered, but he is hardly compatible with anything biblical. He also uses women for sex and then discards them, which adds to his self-involved personality. Underneath that fashionable appearance is a man who has no trouble killing a worker who he believes has been stealing from him, and his partners, Luciano and Lansky. We have here the theme of how surface appearance differs from the truth beneath the façade. That Beatty is a handsome fellow adds to this point.

Siegel’s friend, George Raft, who played gangsters in the movies, and Siegel go to the studio where they are shooting a film called “Manpower,” which is appropriate for the crime genre. So, we have a gangster film within a gangster film, thus stressing the appeal for outlaws as independent rebels in the American society. Siegel’s affinity for movie making is evident when he quickly checks himself out in a mirror on the set, making sure that his appearance is pleasing and audience friendly. The headline in a local newspaper stresses the fantasy versus reality of criminal life when it asks in a headline if Siegel is a gangster or a movie star. He even films a scene of himself saying Raft’s lines in the movie “Manpower,” and then plays it back in his new house. So, we have an actor (Beatty) playing a gangster watching himself play an actor pretending to be a gangster. Quite a meshing of fiction and true life.

Siegel buys a home from an opera singer living in Hollywood on the spot with $60,000 he carries around with him in a leather bag. He does the same when he sees a car that he wants. That idea that you can get what you want without restriction is attractive to the American capitalist audience.

On the movie set he meets Virginia, who has a much stronger will than the females Siegel is used to meeting. He tries to put the moves on her and is frank about being married. She tells him he is a smooth talker, but “dialogue is cheap in Hollywood, Ben. Why don’t you run outside and jerk yourself a soda.” She wittily reverses the “soda jerk” phrase and cuts him down to size by saying he should choose that lowly profession.

In a meeting with LA crime boss Jack Dragna (Richard Sarafian), Siegel says either Dragna joins him and his gangster friends in the crime operation or Dragna must shoot him, and he hands Dragna his gun. The impression is that Siegel lives up to the name “Bugsy” because he acts crazily. Siegel wastes no time in getting what he wants. He explains his philosophy of grabbing what he desires when he says, “Time is vicious when you take it for granted.”

Siegel is a complex character. His desire to break American laws is offset by his patriotic enthusiasm. He tells Raft that Mussolini is “Hitler’s partner. He’s our mortal enemy,” and he does not tolerate anyone being in the United States who consorts with the country’s enemies. He actually hatches a pan to get close to the Italian fascist to kill him. When he finds out fellow Italians killed the dictator, Siegel is upset, because he wanted to commit the act, and now he can’t add that item to his list of ego-building accomplishments.

He wins Virginia over, but she knows that they will cause each other grief. That’s because, she says, they are both selfish. She says, “we both want whatever we want whenever we want it, and we both want everything.” Given that premise, they start a passionate love-hate relationship. There is jealousy about her sexual past, which is a double standard given his promiscuity.

Siegel’s sociopathic nature is evident as he confronts Dragna about stealing from him. He yells like a maniac, threatens to kill him, plays Russian roulette, and makes Dragna crawl like a pig. He then calmly eats his dinner, only to be seduced by the turned-on Virginia, who shows her own deviance by getting excited by Siegel acting like a lunatic.

Speaking of crazy people, Mickey Cohen (Harvey Keitel), the head of the LA mob scene, makes a deal with Siegel reluctantly. They go to Las Vegas to check out a rundown place that has a few slot machines that bring in some money. After getting into an argument with Virginia, he gets out of the car, walks into the desert, and gets his epiphany about turning Vegas into a gambling mecca. (IMDb notes that the original idea for turning Vegas into a casino town belonged to Billy Wilkerson, a gambler, Siegel became his partner and then took over the operation).

Despite his wacky personality, Siegel has vision. He explains to Lansky how Nevada allows gambling and if they make it hospitable with a large, luxurious hotel, and add all the elements that a city possesses, like schools and a church, then they will be able to control the city. His ambitions are grand, as he says that after controlling the city, they can control the state, and then have a big say in who is President. He even counters Lansky’s argument about concentrating on Cuba when Siegel says a foreign country can kick you out. That foreshadowing is realized in The Godfather, Part II. Lansky is the voice of reality, trying to reign in Siegel’s off-the-rails behavior, such as trying to assassinate Mussolini. Lansky also alerts Siegel to the fact that the alure of stardom, which feeds Siegel’s narcissism, conflicts with the gangster life, where one doesn’t want to draw attention to the illegal activities being perpetrated.

Siegel eventually wins over even the practical Lansky as he plans his oasis, his “Eden” in the desert, in the form of the Flamingo Hotel. His imagination is grandiose as he says about costs, “Did they ask Michelangelo what it would cost to paint the Sistine Chapel? Did they ask Shakespeare what it would cost to write MacBeth?” Of course comparing the building of a hotel-casino in Las Vegas to immortal works of art shows how egotistical Siegel is.

Siegel’s volatile nature is on display as he contemplates suicide after killing Greenberg. Virginia saves him by getting the gun and shooting it six times to empty the pistol of bullets. Because Virginia’s ex, Joey Adonis (Lewis Van Bergen) calls Virginia a whore, Siegel savagely beats the man, while still checking out how he looks in a window. It’s like Mr. Hyde wanting to keep up appearances as Dr. Jekyll. 

A taxi driver testifies that he dropped Greenburg at Siegel’s house the day Greenburg was killed. So, Siegel is arrested for the homicide. His accommodations in a private jail are plush, with gourmet food and telephone at his disposal which shows how much leverage he has even in prison. Siegel is more concerned about appearances again, saying a photo in the newspaper made him look pale, despite his tanning routines.

The cost of the Flamingo soars, and in his divorce settlement Siegel gave much of his wealth to his wife and children. He must cash in all his assets, including his Hollywood home, to finance the hotel. Virginia has been running the project while Siegel is incarcerated. Siegel gets out after Cohen prevents the taxi driver from testifying in the homicide trial. Siegel’s reckless spending alienates him from Lansky and Luciano.

Siegel tries to get Virginia to fly on separate occasions. She is brash and strong, but she has a deathly dear of flying. Her aversion to getting in a soaring plane may suggest that, despite her ambitiousness, she can’t join Siegel on his grandiose level of reckless daring. But back on earth, on solid ground, she is an aggressive schemer. Cohen tells Siegel that she stole two million from Siegel and put it in a Swiss bank account. Siegel mentions this information when she is jealous of his asking a possible female employee if she likes flying. She accuses Siegel of looking for a new girlfriend. The argument between them leads to Virginia leaving him.

Lansky sums up Siegel’s character when he tells Luciano, in exile in Cuba, and fellow gangsters that Siegel has no business ability because he doesn’t respect the cost of things. It isn’t money he is interested in but making something real from one of his ideas. Lansky says, “He is a dreamer.” These words make one think that if he was more stable emotionally and not a gangster, Siegel could have accomplished a great deal given his imagination and drive.

However, these are hardened criminals only interested in the bottom line, like most big businessmen. Luciano knows about the money in the Swiss account and suggests Siegel is behind it. Siegel also has overspent and oversold investments in the hotel which will tank the whole enterprise if the Flamingo is unsuccessful. It seems fate is working against Siegel, since on opening day there is a powerful rainstorm, in the desert of all places, which means that although it is Christmas, Siegel’s stocking comes up empty. But he has faith and tells Lansky on the phone not to sell his shares in the Flamingo.

Lansky says Siegel must fly to LA that evening. Siegel suspects that he is in trouble but asks Lansky not to involve Virginia in his failures. He is willing to take all the responsibility to protect her. In a sort of ironic play on the last scene in Casablanca, Virginia shows up at the airport with the two million dollars, but Siegel tells her to save it for a rainy day, which is funny because it is raining, and he needs help now. She is even willing to join him on the flight in the dangerous weather, which shows her love for him. Her just offering to help him is enough for Siegel.

Lansky said he would “handle it” if the casino didn’t look like a success. The assumption is that he follows through. Bullets riddle Siegel’s house as he watches his bad screen test. He is killed as the Hollywood-like dream of his fails which is suggested by the shots destroying his video equipment.

The gangsters tell the devastated Virginia that Siegel is dead and they are taking over the Flamingo. Endnotes state that Virginia returned the money to Lansky. However, she couldn’t live without Siegel and committed suicide. Siegel’s advice to Lansky was right. Las Vegas has become a huge money-maker. The last shot of the film shows the Las Vegas strip lit up with an abundance of hotel-casinos. Siegel’s dream came true, but his dangerous life denied him the chance to see it.

It's a Wonderful Life

 It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), directed by and co-scripted by Frank Capra, explores how a person finds a purpose in life. Sometimes that goal leads to the selfish acquisition of wealth. It may mean performing a heroic act on a large scale. And just sometimes it occurs in a small town in helping others find a little happiness in their lives.

This movie is a bit dark for a Capra film, whose credits include It Happened One Night and A Pocketful of Miracles, although another Jimmy Stewart /Capra movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, shows the cynical side of politics. This story takes place between 1919 and Christmas Eve, 1945. The opening seems tacky today as twinkling stars in the sky, which represent angels, discuss the need to help George Bailey (Stewart). They have received prayers that he is in despair. They choose the angel Clarence (Henry Travers) for the job so he can finally earn his wings. What follows is a summation of George's life up to December 24 of 1945 so that Clarence knows what he is dealing with.

A couple of incidents in young George’s life set the stage for how even what seems like an insignificant life can have important consequences in the grand scheme of things. The local druggist in the small town of Bedford Falls, Mr. Gower (H. B. Warner) owns a soda shop where George, the boy, works. Gower is distraught because his son died most likely due to the Spanish Flu pandemic. He accidentally puts a poison in a prescription, and George brings that mistake to his attention. George also saves his younger brother from drowning in a break in the winter ice in a pond.

George's father (Samuel S. Hinds) and Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell) work at the struggling Building and Loan company that makes low interest loans to people to buy houses. The greedy man who owns most of the town is Henry Potter (Lionel Barrymore). He is on the Building and Loan’s board and would like to put it out of business so he can have a monopoly on charging exorbitant rates on loans to the people of the town. There are references to “Potter’s Field” in the film, which is where poor people were buried when they died, and the implication is that Potter is the nasty capitalistic force that drains the life out of deprived people during their lives. Potter’s appearance almost looks like a ghost and IMDb states that Capra wanted to depict him to look like the famous painting “American Gothic.

The film was seen by some as leaning toward Communism since the banker is depicted as the villain. George’s father says, “All you can take with you is that which you’ve given away,” which suggests that generosity is the true virtue because one is putting others above one’s own needs. George as an adult tells Potter, “this rabble you’re talking about, they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn’t think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped and frustrated old man, they’re cattle. Well, in my book my father died a much richer man than you’ll ever be.” These statements sound more Christian that communistic, and a Marxist wouldn’t put much stock in prayers and angels.

George is not so altruistic as a young man. He finds his father’s work dreary and wants to get out of “this crummy little town.” He wants to go to college and eventually gain success by building “airfields,” and “skyscrapers,” and “bridges a mile long.” However, his father dies, and his brother Harry (Todd Karns) first goes to college and then marries. His father-in-law offers him a job upstate. George sacrifices his ambitions to take over the family business. He even sees a friend, Sam Wainwright (Frank Albertson), become prosperous. His dreams for himself become eclipsed by his commitment to his father’s vision.

One positive aspect that comes from George’s staying in Bedford Falls is that he marries his childhood sweetheart, Mary Hatch (Donna Reed). Her character is an example of American positivity as she works hard to turn their broken-down house into a welcoming, lovely family home. On their honeymoon night, though, the house is a wreck before her renovations. George’s friend, Bert (Ward Bond), a policeman, and Ernie (Frank Faylen), a cab driver, serenade the newlyweds in their leaky home. The scene stresses how love and friendship overcome financial distress. The couple sacrificed their honeymoon money to keep the business open after Potter maneuvered a run on the Building and Loan company. The investors in the family business also compromise to keep the business afloat, which shows the story’s theme of how generosity toward others aids the community. (Apparently Jim Henson did not consciously name his Muppet characters after the Bert and Ernie characters in this film).

George's company provides several families a chance to own their own homes which aggravates the killjoy, Potter. He offers George an exorbitant salary to work for him and dissolve the Bailey business. Potter is like Satan tempting the Christ-like figure of George. Although leaning toward accepting the job at first, George quickly recovers his moral vision and vehemently rejects Potter’s deal. Capra’s view of moral fortitude offsetting selfish temptation seems a lost hope in our egocentric present times.

Another Job-like event occurs which sends George into despair. Uncle Billy accidentally leaves the $8000 that he is to deposit in the company’s account in a newspaper that Potter acquires. When George learns that the money went missing he becomes desperate. He goes to Potter to beg for a loan but all he has is a small amount of cash surrender value in his life insurance policy. Potter refuses of course and mentions that George is worth more dead than alive based on the payoff upon his death. That plants the seed of suicide in George's mind.

George’s positive disposition turns dark, and he becomes cruel when he goes home, knocking things over and bemoaning the fact that he even has children he must raise. Stewart’s acting ability is strong here as he delves into the depths of a lost soul. He goes to a bridge and is ready to jump off when Clarence appears and dives into the icy waters below. This action sparks a momentary return of George's unselfish nature, and he dives in to save Clarence. As they dry out Clarence realizes that he must show that George’s life has worth. He erases George’s existence. There is a cold wind that blows through the scene and the desolate winter setting points to George's absence in the town’s life.

 George, of course, is unbelieving of what Clarence says he did. But as he goes through the town nobody recognizes him. Bedford Falls now is called Pottersville. There are bars and seedy clubs in place of small family stores. (This scenario may have influenced the story line in Back to the Future II when Biff alters history and takes over the town. Also, this “glimpse” of another life is echoed in another Christmas movie, The Family Man with Nicholas Cage). Martini (William Edmunds) does not own the bar because he never was able to establish himself with his on home the Bailey business provided. George wasn’t there to prevent Mr. Gower from causing the poisoning of his customer. And, George’s brother, Harry, died in the ice water as a child. So, he never became a fighter pilot in the war and didn’t win the Congressional Medal of Honor for saving a whole convoy of soldiers. Mary is a woman without the love of another and has no children, which deeply affects George as she is frightened by his pursuing her. Clarence states the Butterfly Effect when he says, “Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” He goes on to say, “You see George, you’ve really had a wonderful life. Don’t you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?”

When George finds himself back on the bridge he prays and says he wants to live. Clarence reverses his act, and George is now part of the community he helped build. When he returns home Mary has done a “Go Fund Me” action and tapped into the generosity that Capra sees as exiting underneath all the greed and selfishness in the world. Everyone contributes to save George’s business, and there is a welcoming home of Harry as a war hero. Clarence left a note for George in a copy of Tom Sawyer which says, “Remember, George, no man is a failure who has friends.” The film is saying that it is one’s worth to others that enriches a person.  

Clarence said that when a bell rings an angel gets his wings. A chime on the Christmas tree sounds, telling us that Clarence has been promoted. The film has all sorts of bells ringing, including cash registers, telephones, and doorbells. These chimes not only announce the winning of an angel’s wings but also the saving of human souls. It is thus fitting that the last image of the film is a huge bell ringing, suggesting the possibility of the triumph of human morality.