Chapter 18 Section Thirteen

Johnny Fontane sat in a spacious recording studio, calculating costs in a book of yellow Post-it.The musicians filed in, all his old friends from when he was a child singer in the orchestra.Conductors are the pinnacle of popular accompaniment.This man, who had been kind to Johnny when he was in trouble, was handing out bundles and bundles of sheet music and some written instructions to every musician.His name is Eddie.Niles.Although the tasks he had undertaken were already full, he still undertook this recording task as a gesture of goodwill to John. Nino Valenti sat playing the piano, fiddling nervously with the keys.Meanwhile he sipped rye whiskey in a tall glass.Johnny didn't mind that.He knew that Nino could sing just as well drunk or not, and the work they were doing today didn't require the grace of a true artist in Nino's role.

Eddie Niles specially arranged some Italian and Sicilian folk songs, and deliberately inserted the duet that Nino and Johnny sang at Connie Corleone's wedding.The reason why Johnny wanted to make this record was mainly because he knew that the old man liked such folk songs, and it was also an ideal gift for the old man.He always feels that the sales volume of this kind of record is very large, and of course it will not reach one million copies.At the same time, he also estimated that helping Nino was the way the old man asked him to repay.Because Nino is also the old man's godson. Johnny put the clipboard and yellow pad on the folding chair beside him and stood up beside the piano.He said, "Dark, old chap."

Nino glanced up and forced a smile, looking ill.Johnny leaned in and rubbed his shoulder. "Heave a sigh of relief, boy," he said, "work hard today, and I'll find you the best, most famous big ass in Hollywood." Nino took a long sip of whiskey. "Which one? Is it Rashi?" Johnny laughed and said: "It's not Lacie, it's Deanna Dunn. I promise it's a good one." Nino had already liked it, but he couldn't help pretending to regret that his wish hadn't come true, saying: "Can't you get Rashi for me?" The orchestra began to play the overture of the Ensemble.Johnny Fontane was listening intently.Eddie Niles would preview all the songs in a special order from beginning to end, and then start the first trial recording.As Johnny listened, he figured out exactly how to handle each sentence, how to insert each song in the middle.He knew his voice wouldn't last long, but Nino would do most of the singing, and Johnny would lower his voice for him.Of course, except for the antiphonal duet.In order to sing antiphonally well, he must also recharge his batteries.

He, La Nino, stood in front of him, and they both stood in front of their microphones.Nino sang the overture badly at the beginning, and badly again.He felt embarrassed and blushed.Johnny joked to him: "Hui, you're not delaying time on purpose, you want to get overtime pay!" "I don't feel natural without a mandolin," Nino said. Johnny thought about it. "Hold that glass in your hand," he said. This seemed to be very effective. Nino sang while drinking, and he sang very well.Johnny sang softly, without seeming nervous at all, and his singing was melodious and melodious around Nino's main theme.This kind of singing doesn't need to be passionate, but it turned out that he didn't expect his skills to be so proficient.In the past ten years of practicing his voice, he has really learned a little trick.

When they started to sing that duet that was arranged at the end of the record, John let go of his voice and when he finished, his throat hurt.The musicians got carried away with that last song, because it's rare for dull old fellows to hear something sung like that.One by one they pounded their instruments hard, tapping their feet on the floor in approval and applause.The drummer beat the drum lightly. Throughout the rehearsal, they stopped and talked frequently, and it took almost four hours to finish.Eddie Niles came up to Johnny and said softly: "You sound pretty good. Maybe you want to make a record, boy. I've got a song here, and you sing it perfectly."

Johnny shook his head. "Okay, okay, Eddie, don't make fun of me, maybe in an hour or two, I'll be too hoarse to speak. Do you think most of our rehearsals today can be settled? ?” Eddie said thoughtfully: "Nino will come to the music room again tomorrow. He sang some things wrong. But he sang much better than I thought. As for the things you sang, I plan to call the recording engineer Is it okay to record the parts I don't like and let you listen to it yourself?" "Okay," Johnny said, "when can I hear the demo record?" "Tomorrow night," Eddie said.Niles said, "Is it right at your house?"

"Okay," Johnny said, "thanks, Eddie, and see you tomorrow." He took Nino's arm and walked out of the music room.They were going to Johnny's own house, not Ginny's. It was late in the afternoon by this time.Nino was still almost unconscious.Johnny advised him to take a shower and get some sleep.At eleven o'clock that night, they had to attend a grand party. After Nino woke up, Johnny briefed him on the situation. "The party was hosted by the Lonely Hearts Club, a group of movie stars," he said. "These women are the ones you see playing Queens in the movies. Millions of lads would love to have the chance." Throw your arms around them. The only reason they come to the party tonight is to find someone to sleep with. Do you know why? Because they hunger for men, they're just a little bit older. They want to be with men Sleeping is out of the nature of their type."

"What's wrong with your throat?" Nino asked. Johnny spoke in a low voice that seemed to be whispering. "It's like this every time I sing a little. Now, I can't sing every day for a month. But every time my voice is hoarse, it will be fine after a day or two." Nino said thoughtfully, "Resilience, hey?" Johnny shrugged. "Listen, Nino, don't drink too much tonight. You've got to show those Hollywood chicks that my old buddy isn't weak." Nino poured himself another drink. "I've always done a good job," he said.

He toasted, grinned, and said: "Seriously, can you really think of a way to get me close to Deanna Dunn?" "Don't worry about it," Johnny said. "It's not what you think it is." The "Lonely Hearts Club" of Hollywood stars meets every Friday night in Roy McElroy's studio-owned palace.This man is a reporter receptionist for Woltz International Film Company, or an external liaison consultant.Here's the thing: Although it was a public family evening hosted by Mike Ellroy, the idea came from the very practical mind of Jack Woltz himself.He has a group of very profitable stars who are getting older now, and they look old without special lighting and the ingenious makeup of a talented makeup artist.They too are running into trouble.They are also dulled to some extent, both physically and mentally.They can no longer "fall in love" and play the role of the wooed woman.They have developed a habit of arrogance because they were rich, famous, and beautiful in those days.Woltz held parties in order to make it easy for them to get a lover, even if it was only for one night.If conditions allow, it can also evolve into a full-time bridal partner, so that it can also rise to the top.The event, which sometimes degenerated into a raucous or animal-crazed dance, had once drawn trouble from the police, so Woltz decided to hold it at the home of the foreign relations adviser instead.The consultants can fix things on the spot, the reporters and the police come and send them away with some money, and everything remains calm.

Some fresh-blooded young actor hired by the studio, who hadn't yet achieved star status and hadn't played a distinctive role, didn't always feel like a good job coming to a Friday night party.This can be explained by the fact that new films that have not yet been released by the studio are always shown at the evening party first.In fact it was just an excuse for the party.People always say, "How about going to see the new movie that so-and-so is in." So there's an air of connoisseurship about the event. Young starlets were banned from Friday night parties, or rather discouraged.Most people can also understand the meaning of it.

Screenings of new films usually take place in the middle of the night.Johnny and Nino arrive at eleven o'clock.Roy McElroy looked like a pleasant fellow, well groomed and well dressed.He screamed with delight as he greeted Johnny. "What on earth do you want to do here?" he said with genuine surprise. Johnny shook his hand. "I brought my cousin from the countryside here to see the world. Let me introduce you, this is Nino." McElroy shook his hand and looked him over seriously. "They'll swallow him alive," he said to Johnny.After all, he led them to the backyard. The so-called backyard is actually a garden with a pond and rows of spacious houses with glass doors facing the garden.There are almost a hundred people running around here in small groups, each with a wine glass in their hand.The lighting in the backyard is cleverly arranged to enhance the beauty of a woman's face and skin.These women had been seen on dimly lit movie screens when Nino was a doll.But seeing them in person now is like seeing their ugly, poorly made-up faces.Their mental and physical fatigue cannot be concealed, and the years have eroded their divinity.Their manners were as beautiful as he remembered, but they were like waxy fruit and did not whet his appetite.Nino drank two more glasses and moved to another table where he could get close to the matching bottles.He and Johnny were drinking when suddenly Deanna Dunn's magical voice came from behind. Nino, like other men, had engraved this voice in his heart forever.Deanna Dunn is a two-time Academy Award winner with roles in some of the crudest films Hollywood has ever produced.On the screen, she showed a kind of feminine charm, which made all men fall in front of her.But her voice is simply inaudible on screen. "Johnny, you little bastard, you slept with me all night and never came back, so I went to my psychiatrist again to ask what's going on?" Johnny kissed her cheek. "Come with you once and I won't recover for a month," he said. "I want you to meet my cousin Nino. Look, he's a strong, handsome Italian. Maybe he'll stay with you to the end." Deanna Dunn turned her head and looked at Nino coldly. "He likes watching previews?" Johnny laughed. "Let me tell you, he never had such an opportunity before, why don't you enlighten him?" When Nino was alone with Deanna Dunn, he had to drink heavily and try to appear indifferent, but it was difficult.Deanna Dunn's nose was slightly upturned, and her face was delicate, which was the face shape of an Anglo-Saxon beauty.And he is so familiar with her.He had seen her alone in her bedroom, sad, crying that her dead pilot husband had left her with fatherless children.He has seen her angry, hurt, and humiliated, but she is still aboveboard, neither arrogant nor humble.Even when the shameless Clark Gable swindled her out and dumped her for another sexy woman, she was strong (Deanna Dunn never played a sexy woman in the movie) woman).He had seen her wriggling in the arms of the man she adored, beaming with love rewarded; he had seen her die at least six or seven times, and it was a pitiful death.In short, he had seen her, heard her, dreamed of her.But he was not mentally prepared for the first words she uttered in private conversation. "Johnny is a real man with balls, one of the few in this town," she said, "the rest of the men are pussies." After finishing speaking, she took Nino's hand and pulled him to a corner of the hall where there were fewer people, lest others would come in and compete. Her demeanor was still calm and charming, and she asked him about his life experience.He sees through her intentions, she's playing the part of the rich courtesan, she's in love with the stableboy or the driver, but in the film she's either madly throwing cold water on his love (if the hero is Spencer T Rachel), or fall in love with him (if Clark Gable plays him).It doesn't matter.He told her how he and John had grown up together in New York, how he and Johnny had sung together at little club meetings.He found her exuding unusual sympathy and interest.She interjected, "You know how Johnny got that old bastard Jack Woltz into letting him play that part?" Nino was stunned and just shook his head.She didn't ask any more questions. It's time for a preview of a new Woltz film.Deanna Dunn led Nino, held Nino's hand tightly with her warm hand, and led him into the inner room of the building.There are no windows around, and fifty tiny loveseats are scattered here and there.The sofas are carefully placed without interfering with each other, and each sofa is like a small semi-hidden island. Next to the sofa, Nino saw a small table with a bowl of ice, some glasses and bottles of wine, and a saucer of cigarettes.He handed Deanna Dunn a cigarette and lit her.Then he filled them with wine again.They didn't speak, and after a few minutes, the lights went out. He expected violence, the old and new tales of Hollywood corruption, and he'd heard it all.But Deanna Dunn swooped on him without even a word of greeting, a friendly preparatory word.He was not fully prepared for her move.He kept sipping wine and watching movies, but he drank without distinguishing the taste of the wine and turned a blind eye to the movies.He felt a urge he had never experienced before, partly because the woman who inspired him in the dark was the beauty of his youthful dreams. However, to a certain extent his masculine initiative has been underestimated.So when the world-famous Deanna Downe was satisfied and straightened his clothes, he groped icily in the dark to mix her another glass of wine, lighted a cigarette, and, with great ease, The tone said: "This seems like a pretty good movie." He felt that she was pretending to be reserved, was she waiting for someone to compliment her?Nino groped around in the dark, grabbed the wine bottle closest to him, and poured himself a glass full of wine.What the hell.She took him for a down-and-out whore.Now, for some reason, he felt a cruel hatred for such women.They watched another fifteen minutes of the film, and he leaned sideways, and their bodies were no longer touching. She lowered her voice and said hoarsely: "Stop pretending to be a scumbag like a little hooligan, you like it." Finally it was over and the lights went on.Nino glanced around, only to realize that the dance was held in the dark just now, and it was strange to say that he heard nothing.But there are some girls who dance very well, the ones who are radiant and bright-eyed, and they dance with real ease.They walked out of the screening at ease.Deanna Dunn dropped him immediately and went over to chat with an older man.Nino recognized this well-known actor with his fine features, and he could also see that this man was a pussy: he was sipping his wine and thinking. Johnny Fontane came up to him and said: "Hey, old chap, were you having a good time?" Nino grinned grinningly. "I don't know, it's different anyway. But when I get back home, I can say: Deanna Dunn asked me to fuck her." Johnny laughed out loud. "She would do better if she asked you to her house. Did she ask you?" Nino shook his head. "I was so interested in movies," he said. This time Johnny didn't smile. "Take it seriously, boy," he said, "a girl like that does you a lot of good. And you laugh at everything. Boy, when I think of all the things you push and pull Ugly woman, still having nightmares." Nino waved his glass drunkenly and said loudly and wildly: "Yes, they are ugly, but they are still women." Deanna Dunn turned her head from a corner of the room and looked at the two of them.Nino waved his wine glass at her in greeting. Johnny Fontane sighed. "You just happen to be an idiot who doesn't know what to do." "I'm not going to change," Nino said with his characteristic, sweet, drunken smile. Johnny knew him well. He knew that Nino was drunk, but he was faking it.He knew that Nino's purpose in pretending was to speak his mind: to be honest, he thought it would be rude to tell his new Hollywood master while he was sober.Johnny put an arm around Nino's neck and said affectionately, "You're a cynical smart-wit, and you know you're on a one-year contract that's foolproof. Say what you want, do what you want." Go ahead, I won't fire you anyway." "You really won't fire me?" Nino said with drunken alertness. "Not really," Johnny said. "Then get out of here!" Nino said. Johnny was really irritated by this.Looking at the nonchalant look on Nino's face, he was still grinning foolishly.But in the last few years he's Johnny has grown wiser, or more sensitive as he's plummeted from stardom.At that moment, he understood Nino's psychology very well: why his childhood singing partner was always at a loss; why he was always trying to destroy the chance of success now.Nino's actions run counter to the path to success.He felt humiliated by any convenience provided to him. Johnny took Nino's arm and led him out of the gate.Nino couldn't even walk now, and Johnny was comforting him. "Okay, boy, you just sing for me. I want to make a lot of money on you, but I won't drive you around all day. You can do whatever you want, okay, man? All you do is Sing to me, give me money, and I can't sing any more now. Do you understand, old chap?" Nino straightened up. "I'll sing to you, Johnny." His voice was almost unintelligible. "I'm a better singer than you are now, and I used to be, you know that?" It was understandable, Johnny thought.He knew that when his voice was still good, he and Nino were not in the same singing team at all, and they never sang together in that year.He watched Nino dangle in the moonlight, waiting for his answer. "Go away!" he said softly. Then, as they did back then, they laughed out loud. " When Johnny Fontane heard the news that Don Corleone had been shot, he worried not only for his godfather's safety, but also for the continued funding of his film.He would have liked to go to New York, to pay homage to the Godfather in the hospital, but he was told not to get a bad name of any kind, so he waited.A week later, an emissary from Tom Hagen said funding was still available, but only one film at a time. Meanwhile Johnny let Nino make his own way in Hollywood and California; Nino got on well with the young starlet.Sometimes Johnny asked him to go out and play together for an evening, but never relied on him.When they were talking about the old man being shot, Nino said to Johnny: "You know, once I asked the old man to get me a job in his organization, and he wouldn't. I was tired of driving a truck, and I wanted to find a way out and make some money. You know how he To me? He said there is only one destiny for every man, and that I was meant to be an artist. The implication was that I wasn't cut out for illegal business." Johnny mulled the question over.The godfather really deserves to be the most shrewd person in the world. He saw right away that Nino was not suitable for illegal business.One wisecrack and he'd be done for.But how could the old man know that he would be an artist?Because, damn it, he figured I'd help Nino someday.How did he estimate this?For he will remind me of this in due time, and I will, in order to show my gratitude, endeavor to do as he wishes.Of course, he never asked me to do that, Johnny Fontane sighed at the thought.Now that the godfather is injured, he has no choice but to kiss the academy award goodbye.Only the Don had a back door to put pressure on; and the Corleones were too busy with other business to think about it.Johnny offered to help, and Hagen had already answered him with a simple "no." Johnny is busy with his own filmmaking business.He has arranged for the work of the star, which is the new novel that the author has now completed.At the request of Johnny, the author made a special trip to the west for face-to-face negotiations, without the intervention of agents or studios.The author's second work was just right for Johnny.He didn't have to sing; the storyline was good and powerful, with a lot of girls and a lot of sex; and there was a character in it that Johnny immediately thought was almost tailor-made for Nino.This character talks like Nino; acts like Nino, and even looks like Nino.This is really wonderful.At that time, what Nino will have to do is to put his original appearance on the screen. Johnny's entrepreneurial work was going well.He discovered that he knew a lot more about production than he had estimated, but he hired a director who was dedicated to producing it.This man is proficient in business, but cannot find a job because his name is blacklisted.Instead of taking the opportunity to blackmail, Johnny signed a fair and reasonable contract with him. "I'm counting on you to save me some money on this one," he said openly to the man. So he was surprised when the production director came and told him that he had to pay the union $50,000.There's also a lot of ambiguity in dealing with overtime, hiring, and $50,000 is worth it.Johnny wondered if the production director was ripping him off, so he said: "Send Biller Goff, head of the union, to see me." He said to Bill Goff: "I think the union has been sorted out by my friend. Someone has told him not to worry about the union, not at all." Guofu said, "Who told you this?" Johnny said, "You know who told me that. I don't want to say his name, but he told me that anyway." Goff said: "The situation has changed. Your friend is in a difficult situation. His words can no longer make any difference in this far west." Johnny shrugged. "Come see me in a day or two, okay?" Guofu smiled. "Of course, Johnny," he said, "but calling New York for help won't help." But Hagen told him straight up not to pay that money. "Your godfather will be pissed off if you pay that little bastard a dime," he said to Johnny. "Can I talk to the old man directly?" Johnny asked. "I've already got the filming done." "No one can talk to the old man right now," said Hagen. "He's very ill. I'll talk to Sonny to sort it out, but I can make up my mind on this right now: to that crafty little bastard, Don't pay even a dime. I'll let you know if there's a new decision." It's really nerve-wracking, the disruption of the union will greatly increase the cost of production, and will completely paralyze the studio.He changed his mind and wanted to quietly send Guofu fifty thousand dollars.Judging from the changes in the current situation, what the old man told him, what Hagen told him, and the orders he gave him were two different things from reality, and he decided to wait a few days before talking about it. By waiting, he saved $50,000.Two nights later, Goff was shot dead at his home in Grendel.This time, there was no more union trouble; Johnny was a little shocked by the murder, the first time the old man's long arms had shown their power at such a distance from him. As the weeks passed, Johnny became more and more busy preparing the screenplay, scouting for actors, and working out the details of the production plan.He forgot his voice, forgot that he couldn't sing.However, when the list of preliminary proposals for the Academy Award was announced, he found that he was one of the candidates, but he was not invited to make a national telecast.Although he was very upset, he just shrugged and went on, doing his job as usual.There is nothing the godfather can do now.He has no hope of winning an Academy Award, but being nominated still has some value. The record he made with Nino, a collection of Italian folk songs, sold far better than anything he had recorded lately.But he knew in his heart that Nino's contribution was greater than his.He has self-knowledge and thinks that he will never be able to perform formal singing again. He ate with Ginny and the children once a week.No matter how busy things were, he never neglected this duty.However, he didn't sleep with Ginny.At the same time, his second wife cheated him into a tacit divorce.So he became a bachelor again.Strange to say, he is no longer so keen on flirting with the little female stars, if he is willing, those little female stars are like meat delivered to his door.He has also done a great job.None of the still hot young female stars and actresses came to him, and he felt his pride hurt.But he also happens to be convenient for keeping his head down and working.Most evenings, he was home alone, putting his old records on the gramophone, sipping wine, and humming along to a few bars.He used to sing very well, very well.He was already a real artist, which he did not know himself.He also didn't realize how much he loved art.When he really learned what art was, it was precisely because of drinking, smoking, and fucking women that he ruined his voice. Sometimes when Nino came over to drink and listen to records with him, Johnny would always say to him domineeringly: "You stupid bastard, you never sang like that." Nino would always smile in a strangely naive way, shake his head, and say: "Yes, and I don't want to at all." There was always something sympathetic in his tone, as if he read Johnny's mind. A week before the start of filming on the new film came Academy Award night.Johnny invited Nino to come and accompany him, but Nino refused.Johnny said: "Old man, I never asked you anything, did I? Just do something nice tonight and come to me. If I don't get the prize, you're the only one who can really feel sorry for me people." Nino suddenly showed surprise, and said: "No problem, old chap, I'll do it for you." He said after a pause, "If you don't get the prize, just forget about it, just get drunk, get as drunk as you can, and I'll take care of you .Damn it, I don't even need to drink tonight: well, this should be enough friends, right?" "Goodwill," said Johnny, "that's enough for friends." Nino did not break his promise on the night of the academy award announcement.He came to Johnny's sober, not drunk.They went to the theater where the awards were announced, and Nino couldn't understand why Johnny didn't invite his mistresses and his two ex-wives to the awards banquet, especially Ginny.Did he think Ginny wouldn't applaud him?Nino wished he had a drink now, it had been a long, unbearable night. Nino Valenti found the academy award thing so boring that he didn't find it interesting until the best actor winner was announced.When he heard the name "Johnny Fontane," he couldn't help jumping and cheering.Johnny held out his hand for him to hold, and he held Johnny's hand tightly, and Nino knew his buddy needed to touch someone he trusted.Nino was sad that there was no one more suitable to touch Johnny in his moment of glory than him. Then came a veritable nightmare, when Jack Woltz's film scooped up all the major awards, so the studio evening was packed with journalists and all sorts of active men and women who were making their fortunes.Nino kept his word and still didn't drink; he tried to protect Johnny.But the women at the party kept pulling Johnny into the bedroom to talk, and Johnny got drunker and drunker. Meanwhile, the woman who won the best actress award met the same fate, but she liked it better and handled it better.Nino just doesn't buy her. Nino is the only man at the party who doesn't buy her. Finally, someone came up with the extraordinary idea of ​​having the two winners mate in public, with the rest of the party standing in the stands as spectators.The actress had been stripped; other women were busy stripping Johnny Fontane.At this critical moment, Nino, the only person present who kept a clear mind, grabbed the half-stripped Johnny, threw it on his shoulder, pushed and squeezed, rushed out of the room, and rushed to them. in front of his car.Nino thought to himself as he drove Johnny home that if this is what achievement is like, he would rather not have it.