The First Ten Pages

In 1984, after years of humiliating rejections, Robert Langiulli, a 34-year-old science-fiction screenwriter from The Bronx, takes a shot... and writes the screenplay of his life.

Well, not really his life, his father’s life – Tony.

Anthony ‘Tony’ Langiulli was a street hustler, number runner and mid-level gopher for the local mob boss, Orazio Donatello. In the early 1970s, Tony became the secret go-between for Orazio and then-councilman Carlo Marini.  

Marini had big plans for rebuilding the failing borough. His South Bronx Revitalization Program included rent-controlled buildings, clinics, rehab centers and shelters. They were popping up all over the poverty-stricken area. All financed by government grants, sweetheart contracts and huge tax-breaks.... and all built by Bonafide Construction, silently owned by Donatello.

Marini’s popularity sky-rocketed, and he was elected to the New York State Senate in 1974. Rumors circulated, however, tying the famous politician to the underworld. But there were no direct links - no paper trails - no money trails. The only real connection between Donatello and the newly-elected Senator was Tony Langiulli.

Tony disappeared – without a trace – in 1975.

Some feel he was cheating on his wife and took off with his girlfriend; but most assumed the other probability. Either way, one thing was clear. No mob member (nor any government official) ever mourned the disappearance of Tony Langiulli.

Now... back to 1984. During a casual visit, a local friend finds the first ten pages of the new script on Bobby’s coffee table. A screenplay titled “What Dad Told Me.” After skimming through it, the friend realizes what the struggling author is writing.

News of the script spreads through the neighborhood like a plague of locusts. Obviously, it doesn’t sit well with Orazio, Marini... or Bobby’s new girlfriend, Sheila.

Sheila Wolf helps run her father’s local business, Wolf’s Video Store. Her love for old, forgotten movies and her use of famous film quotes help form a close bond between her and Bobby. But when she finds out about the new script, she’s not happy. He has to keep her calm. She has to trust him, because he has an ace-in-the-hole.

Bobby has an old college friend from NYU who became a movie prop specialist. He now works at Abracadabra Films, an Independent film studio; owned by Irwin Goldman in New Jersey. Goldman was cheated out of purchasing dirt-cheap property in the South Bronx for his new production facilities. Who cheated him? You guessed it. A contracting company linked to the underworld; and an aggressive councilman getting a piece of everything. Goldman will do anything to get even with Marini, and Bobby can now give him what he needs to get his revenge.

It’s very simple. All Bobby needs to do is get the first ten pages of the script to Goldman, pitch it, and make the quick sale. But he has to do it before Orazio, Marini – or any of their henchmen – get to him first.