Bugsy Malone by Alan Parker

gangster, who was standing in the doorway to his office. Knuckles peered from behind.
    â€œSure. Why?”
    â€œHow’d you like to earn yourself some green stuff ?”
    â€œAs long as you’re not talking about cabbages, sure.”
    Fat Sam beamed all over his face. “Step inside. I’ve got a little proposition to make to you.”
    Bugsy walked into Fat Sam’s office and Sam noticed the flowers. He beamed even wider. “For me? How nice.” He snatched at the flowers and slapped them into Knuckles’ face. “Knuckles, put these in water. What a nice thought. Bugsy, yous and me are gonna get on just fine.”
    Knuckles closed the door behind them, spitting the flower petals out of his mouth.

S MOLSKY AND O’D REARY burst through the double swing doors into the Hung Fu Shin Chinese laundry. The steam from the hot water troughs had subsided and there was washing strewn all over the floor. The two cops stayed long enough to take in the empty scene. The place was deserted. Smolsky deduced that wherever the Chinese laundry workers and Dandy Dan’s gang were, it wasn’t here. The two City Hall bloodhounds turned on their heels and scampered out as quickly as they had come in.
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    The phone rang in Dandy Dan’s living room – rather spoiling the efforts of the smartly-dressed string quartet which bravely struggled through the piece that Dan had insisted they play. In fact, to give him his due, he had been a little more general. “Play it classical, and play it loud”, had been his instructions. He really didn’t know how bad they were.
    A hairdresser clipped away at Dandy Dan’s already immaculate head, and teeny slithers of hair floated down like butterfly wings on to the white cloth covering his shoulders. Louella, Dan’s blonde, polo-playing companion – as immaculate as he was – sat in a soft, pink satin dressing gown with mink cuffs. She struggled with an enormous jigsaw that she had seen someone do in a movie. She wasn’t having a great deal of success, as she had only managed to join a few pieces of sky together to form a rather ragged top line. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. She had never claimed to be a genius. When you look as beautiful as she did, nature has a way of making you dumb to redress the balance with the rest of us mortals.
    Dan’s ears might not have told him that his lead violinist was off key – but they did tell him that the phone call his butler had just answered was important.
    â€œYou’re wanted on the telephone, sir,” murmured Johnson. “A Mr Fat Sam Stacetto.”
    Dan got up immediately and walked over to his chromium-plated personal phone. He threw off the white barber’s cloth and revealed a snazzy, neatly-pressed, silver brocade dressing gown. He smoothed down the white silk lapels as he picked up the receiver.
    â€œHello. This is Dandy Dan speaking.”
    In Sam’s office, the red Coca Cola sign in the street outside bled its coloured light across the wall and on to Sam’s face.
    â€œI want to meet you, Dan, to do a little talking.”
    â€œWhere?”
    â€œEast Chester Park. Fiveways, by the crossroads at Lexburg and Denver. You hearing me?”
    â€œYeah, I’m hearing you, Sam. No hoods, mind.”
    â€œNo hoods. You have my word. Monday, eleven a.m.”
    â€œJust you and a driver.”
    â€œAgreed.”
    Dan put down the chromium phone and smoothed his moustache with his forefinger.
    â€œGot him. The knucklehead.”
    Sam swivelled in his chair and his huge head blotted out the red Coke sign that breathed in and out behind him. He was pleased.
    â€œGot him, the salami. OK, Knuckles, let’s go and enjoy the show.”
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    On stage, Tallulah edged out from amongst the rest of the girls, who moved as smoothly as if they were made of marshmallow. Tallulah walked