Daily Dialogue — May 17, 2020

“All they got from Paulie was protection from other guys looking to rip them off. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what the FBI can never understand — that what Paulie and the organization offer is protection for the kinds of guys who can’t go to the cops. They’re like the police department for wiseguys.”

— Goodfellas (1990), screenplay by Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese, book by Nicholas Pileggi

The Daily Dialogue theme: Cookout.

Trivia: Martin Scorsese first got wind of Nicholas Pileggi’s book “Wiseguy” when he was handed the galley proofs. Although Scorsese had sworn off making another gangster movie, he immediately cold-called the writer and told him, “I’ve been waiting for this book my entire life.” Pileggi replied, “I’ve been waiting for this phone call my entire life.”

Dialogue On Dialogue: Sometimes a cookout is a good place to transact some business as here in this scene.