Chapter 21 13-2

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 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 Dunn 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 wit, and you know you signed a one-year contract that's foolproof. Say what you want and 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 Johnny had grown wiser, or perhaps more sensitive as he had 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 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 some of 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 was what achievement was like, he would rather not have it.