Yeah, we're walkin. Yep.
- Nice to meet you, Mr Darin.
- Thank you very much.
Bobby, we've got an AP interview
tomorrow...
- AP interview?
- It's only two minutes.
It's my night with my wife and kid,
for us to experience it.
It's only two minutes. That's all I'm
asking.
It's my one night I don't have to do that.
It's my anniversary celebration.
You missed them in Florida. We can't
avoid 'em.
Good luck, Bobby.
- Bobby, have a good evening.
- Thank you.
Hey, Charlie.
And now, ladies and gentlemen,
tonight, celebrating his 10th
anniversary in show business,
the Coconut Grove is proud to present
the one, the only Bobby Darin!
Thank you.
Three guesses.
Wrong.
- Two, three and one...
Darlin', then we'll swing.
Stop! Stop! Richie, stop! Stop!
Hold it!
OK, I want to start over. I want to do
it again.
- You're kidding me. That was perfect.
- I want to do it again.
- I can do it better.
- Know how long it takes to set this up?
I don't know how much more
my chops can take today, boss.
When you start playing it right,
we can all call it a day,
but when you play it sloppy
like you been doing,
then we're gonna do it again and again
until we get it right.
- Bobby, the guys are tired, that's all.
- How do you think I feel?
Call it.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I'm gonna let you leave in a minute...
Whoa! Please stay in your seats
until Mr Darin has left the set.
Thank you. Can we have the bell up,
please?
Bobby, we can't keep doin' it
over and over and over.
If Bobby says he can get it better,
then he can get it better.
- What the hell's he snapping at everybody for?
- Just let him walk it off.
Mr Darin, do you want to start
from the very top?
Hey, Bobby, you know we've got
press on the set today,
can you give 'em a few minutes?
Ready to go in ten minutes.
And no-one is discarded.
- How you doin'?
- I don't know, Charlie.
Ah, you'll figure it out.
C'mon, let's go back upstairs.
Put those two pieces together.
I'll look at 'em after lunch.
Mr Darin? David said
I'd get a few minutes today.
- Do you mind if we do this now?
- He's busy.
Nobody's ever done something
quite like this, about their own life.
Sure, they have. It's a self-portrait
on film.
Think you can be objective about your
own life?
Listen, this guy was raised
to always tell the truth,
and that's what he's doing.
- I'm sorry, who are you?
- I'm his brother-in-law.
So you mess with him, you mess with
me.
I'm not messing with anyone, sir.
But being honest,
isn't the real truth
he's too old to play this part?
He was born to play the part
and you damn well know it.
Get outta here!
- Thanks, Charlie.
- That'sjust crap!
How can you be too old to play yourself?
C'mon! Let's get started.
OK, everybody... I want to change the
opening.
- What?
- Why, Bobby?
We can't start with Mack,
we blow our wad too soon.
Opening with Mack is brave.
It says, "You want me? Fuck you! Here
I am."
No. It's wrong.
- Let'sjust do Hello Young Lovers.
- Bobby, start when you got sick.
Nina, it's his story. Let him work it
out.
No, no, no. I know what's important
here.
Everything starts when he got sick.
- Uh-uh...
- Nina, please. Don't.
No, I think we should start when
they booed me off the stage.
Nobody's gonna come see
you get booed off the stage.
Stick with the hits. That's what
sells.
How do you know
what people will come to see, Boom-Boom?
- When did you become the big expert?
- You tell him, Bobby.
As long as I've known you,
as far as you're concerned, I am the expert.
Bullshit!
- Who was that?
- That's the kid playing him as a kid.
- Get down from there, kid.
- I'll sort this out.
- We're not ready for you yet.
- Take five.
- Wait. I wanna hear what he has to say.
- Jesus Christ!
What did you just say, kid?
I said that's bullshit.
- What's bullshit?
- That you know him better than anybody.
Great. A miniature version of you,
and he's a method actor.
I need a drink.
- He looksjust like him.
- I know, it looks like him.
- I'll be back.
- Here we go again.
So, you're playing me.
- I am you.
- You think you got me down?
I know you better than they do.
We could do it 100 times,
it'd never be good enough.
It's OK if he yells at me,
but not at the other guys.
They've been working their asses off,
man.
I've never worked
with such an arrogant asshole.
Listen, you prick.
There are four people here who can't be fired.
You're not one of 'em.
He might be an asshole... but he's our
asshole!
Look, he finally found himself.
So how do you think we should start?
You want some truth? I'll give you
some truth.
The kid is right.
This is how to begin -
on the street where I grew up,
with my sister Nina, my brother-in-law
Charlie,
and, to me, the greatest
in the world - my mother Polly.
Mrs Cassotto, I'm sorry to have to
tell you.
- Ow.
- The boy has rheumatic fever.
- What is it?
- It's a strep infection.
But why is it so painful?
Rheumatic fever damages the
heart.
It affects the joints and the muscles,
too.
So, what do we do, Doctor?
How do I make him feel better?
Just make him as comfortable as
possible.
Just tell us the truth.
You can never go wrong with the truth.
Even with the best medical care in the
world,
the boy will be lucky to see his 15th
birthday.
Come and sit down, Doctor.
What are you doing? Come on,
Bobby.
Silly man doesn't know what he's
talking about.
Come on, let's get you back into bed.
Mama, tell me about my father.
You know all about your father.
You just rest now.
But I like to hear you tell it.
Well...
Sam Cassotto was an important man.
He was a cabinet maker,
but then he started working for
another man.
- Who was a gangster?
- Walden Robert Cassotto!
He was a businessman.
I thought you said you could
never go wrong with the truth.
All right, he was a gangster.
But he never did anything for this
family.
But your father, Sam Cassotto,
he was a loyal and good man.
And he would've been so proud of you.
Keep the noise down, all right?
I want it to be a surprise.
Don't wake the kid, see?
Hey!
You wake my kid, I'm gonna
stick that horn up your fat ass.
You hear?
Y'know, before your sister was born,
this is what your mama did for a
living.
Music opened a whole new world to me.
No matter how bad I feel,
no matter how sad or sick I am,
I just touch these keys and "Poof!"
Like magic, I always seem to feel
better.
I've always known you had talent,
Bobby.
This piano is for you. Charlie worked
hard for it.
See, God wouldn't have made you
suffer so much
if he weren't gonna make up for it
later.
Mama was right about music.
It opened a whole new world to me,
outside of time and illness.
A world I could live in.
I knew then if I could live to 10,
maybe I'd make it to 15, and then
maybe 20.
From then on, music was the most
important thing in my life.
Mama taught me all the moves
and dances from vaudeville
that made the greats stand out.
I would spend most days in bed with
fever
but when I had the strength,
Mama and I would practise,
and practise, and practise,
until we created what she called "The
Plan".
Soon I would be old enough
to head to New York,
but Mama had one more lesson to teach.
From the halfway mark!
To be a star, a big star,
you've got to be talented, obviously.
But you got to be tenacious, have
charisma.
But most importantly, you gotta
have... it!
The great intangible.
And you've got it all, Bobby.
You're gonna be bigger than Sinatra.
I'd settle for a little Jolson. Mama,
Mama, Mama.
So part of Mama's plan...
- Wait a minute.
- What?
You didn't go dancing down the street
like that.
I know. It's a fantasy sequence.
- But it's not real.
- Forget real.
Listen, kid. Memories are like
moonbeams.
We do with them what we want.
Oh. OK, then.
Go on. I'll be around when you need
me.
Mama's plan was to surround myself
with the best.
So I now had a manager
who had never managed -
Steve Boom-Boom Blauner,
a public relations guy who had never
related to the public - David Gershenson,
Behrke, who had only
conducted the high school band,
and my brother-in-law Charlie,
a garbage man, as my valet.
Not in the school band now, huh,
Bobby?
Let me tell you, when you come from
nothing, like us...like him...
then you're destined to make a name
for yourself.
And we will, Richie, we will.
Drive over there.
Drive over to those friggin' girls. Go on.
Go on! Hey, girls,
do you wanna see a real star?
While Sinatra was playing at the Copa,
Walden Robert Cassotto would play
any place they would book him...
barmitzvahs, weddings,
and a few dives on Long Island.
- Hey, kid, you ain't no Sinatra.
- Stop. Stop.
They're lazy. They don't like to
rehearse.
They don't get better. They're wasting
my time.
- It's only the Safari Club.
- I don't care!
We know three songs, they can't
keep pace with two of them.
Bobby, you didn't know what F sharp
was, now you're an expert?
Bobby, you called the Safari Club a
disease.
- You guys sounded great.
- No, we sounded like shit.
The audience deserves better.
I had a hot head, a weak heart
and an even worse stage name.
Walden Robert Cassotto isn't a name
you could see on a marquee.
Well, maybe for one night only.
One thing most performers were doing
back then was to find a great stage name.
And then one day, I saw it.
The perfect name.
Just blinking. Darin.
Darin. Bobby Darin.
And no sooner did I change my name
that I got my first gig on television.
Unfortunately, I didn't know the
lyrics to the song,
so I had to devise my own method
to get through it on live television.
Didn't win me many fans.
But it didn't finish me either.
My record company was giving me
one last chance to make a hit.
Bobby, it's all about the image.
Are you starting again? It's my last
session.
- You look like shit.
- I know my hair is falling out!
Next time you go on television, wear
one.
- That looks so goddamn fake.
- John Wayne wears one.
Very authentic. Humphrey Bogart wears
one.
- Bogart has an album coming out, does he?
- Sinatra wears one.
All right, Boom-Boom,
you win.
I'll go back to making the vinyl and
the records,
and the putting the wax in the thing
and making it go.
Let's sing the song again, hello.
Does this song make any sense to you?
It takes place in a toilet. It
shouldn't.
Maybe he should be in the shower.
- Guys don't take baths.
- I agree.
I put the tow... Wait, wait.
I wrap the towel around me,
and then I jump back in the bath.
How comes he jumps back in the tub?
- Doesn't he know these people?
- Where else should he go?
- We gotta play with it.
- Play, butjust keep it to an hour.
That's all the time we got, Bobby.
Hey, tell me something.
Who's this guy, Yom Kippur,
they got booked on Friday?
What are they screaming?
I finally topped the charts with a
song I wrote in 20 minutes.
Now, listen carefully to the lyrics.
They're very profound.
He said he'd do it, and he did it.
Charlie, I'm trying to hear him sing!
He's going to be the biggest
star in show business.
Ma, get away, I can't see.
What's that on his head?
- What is it?
- It's a toupee. One of those.
I was a teen idol for about a minute
and a half,
but Mama's plan was to be bigger than
Sinatra.
I wanted to do the great standards,
but my producer thought
I was nuts to turn my back on rock'n'roll.
Teenagers aren't going to buy an album
of you doing standards.
Ahmet, how do you know
what teenagers will buy?
What, you got a crystal ball back
there?
I know you don't change your image
when you're hot like this.
You know what? I don't want teenagers
to be my only audience, so that's perfect.
Why can't you be satisfied?
You just did Bandstand!
Bandstand's mostly for kids.
Ahmet, I want the Copa.
Wth rock'n'roll,
I'm like a thousand other guys out there.
I gotta prove I can sing. I want it
all.
I want the major leagues.
I want nightclubs, Vegas, movies, TV.
This album will make it happen all
fast.
You don't have to prove anything.
You're a star already.
- Is that what you think, Ahmet?
- Of course!
Hang on a second. Hey, kid! Hang on a
second.
- Kid! Kid!
- I don't have time for this, Bobby.
- What's up?
- I've a question. Wll you do me a favour?
- Wll you look at me?
- What?
Just look at me.
Do you know me?
- What?
- Do you recognise me?
- What are you talking about?
- Do I look familiar to you?
No. You don't. I don't know you.
Leave me alone, crazy bastard.
I got things to do.
Thanks, pal.
Ahmet, when the delivery guy
knows me, then I'm a star.
- Give her the real thing.
- Yeah!
Cypress, 2-6-7-2.
Bobby, you're to remember this number.
Any time, if you need me,
no matter where you go, you call.
Cypress 2-6-7-2.
You have to answer it.
You have to tell what happens next.
- Hey, Nina. How's it going?
- Honey, I gotta tell you something.
What?
D Up A Lazy River
Go ahead.
You have to go.
Don't worry about me.
I can't.
You have to.
Mama, I think this is
what we've been looking for.
And here he is,
the greatest - Bobby Darin.
Best New Artist. Best Album. Bobby
Darin.
Bobby Darin, this is your life.
Let's go make movies!
So with success, Hollywood came
knocking.
I flew to Italy with Charlie and Nina
to make a movie with Rock Hudson
and Sandra Dee.
What is wrong with you, you stupid
wop?
There's things in there that break!
- Oh, my God. I'm sorry.
- Nina, just cool it.
No, I'll do it myself.
Look who's on the cover
of Screen magazine, Charlie.
- No, just...
- Nina, we're gonna take a walk.
- This is a movie.
- You bet.
- Can you act?
Charlie, I've been acting my whole life.
One, two, three.
- Ah.
- What did you wish for?
It's not good luck to tell.
I hope you get what you want.
Oh, that sure is sweet of you.
Cut! Great.
OK with that?
That's lunch.
We'll move on after lunch.
- Hey, Sandy?
- Hm?
What do you say
you and me have dinner tonight?
No, thank you. I'll have dinner
in my room and then go to bed early.
Oh, my goodness, how can you stand
all that excitement?
I'm not here for excitement. I'm here
to work.
- Maybe you should go to sleep early, too.
- How do you know I don't?
Sandra Dee, have you been spying on
me?
I have never worked with somebody
so unprofessional in my life.
- Have you ever even acted before?
- Well, I'm learning.
But, blondie, you're not
exactly Audrey Hepburn.
OK, people, that's lunch. One hour.
Poo-Poo, how you doin', boy?
The name's Pom-Pom and she's a girl.
Sandy, don't let that little cupcake
ruin your make-up.
Mary, there's something I don't understand,
you'll have to explain it.
What?
How is it possible that you are
Sandy's mother, not her sister?
Oh! Mr Darin.
No. I'm serious. Look at the two of you -
side by side, you're mirror images of each other.
Honey, when you smile,
just make it a really soft smile.
Keep your lips a little... That's
good.
There she is, Charlie, the girl I'm
gonna marry.
I want you to find me a florist, a
good one.
I want to send 18 yellow roses
to her hotel suite every day.
No cards. She'll know who they're
from.
I'll give it a week, maybe less.
It won't take that long for Mary to cave.
Mary?
You're gonna send roses to the mother?
You always make sure the mama dog
likes you before you go near her puppy.
Mary ain't no Rin Tin Tin.
She's a tough broad with a star to
protect.
You're gonna get yourself in a lot of
trouble.
Charlie, this is trouble I can handle.
Your florist is gonna make more
out of this movie than you are.
I know you want to act convincingly
and everything,
but in the front of your mind, think, "What are my
lips doing now? Where are my teeth?"
Sandy and I just got off on the wrong
foot.
If I could just get her away from her
mother.
Just imagine, Bobby Darin and Sandra
Dee.
We have a photo shoot in less than an
hour.
I want you to wear the dress the studio
sent over from Paris. Don't forget the belt.
That's it. I'm gonna start
all over. Like we've never met.
Only this time I'll romance her
the best way I know.
Hello, Sandra Dee, I'm Bobby Darin.
- I believe we're making a movie together.
- Hello.
Sandy, we have to go now.
I have an interview.
Tell 'em you met Bobby Darin
and he's gonna marry you.
Come on, Pom-Pom. Nice hat, Mr Darin.
- I think she likes me, Charlie.
- The mother?
- That's a different story.
- She'sjust doing her job.
Whatjob is that?
Steering her daughter clear of guys
like you!
Yeah, well, guess what, Charlie?
Mama'sjob just got a whole lot
tougher.
Yeah. That's my boy.
So, Mr Darin, I've read that you
think very highly of yourself.
Well, Miss Duvan, I'm a man
who was raised to believe
that you should have a plan in life.
So once I've set my mind to
achieving something, that's it.
Would you excuse me for a second?
She has a slight cold.
You know, Miss Duvan... Mary...
I just think your daughter's
absolutely terrific.
I just think she's the most wonderful
thing on earth.
But she's still only a child.
What you need is an older woman.
I just wanna be friendly with her.
We're doing a movie together,
she acts like she don't even like me.
Give her time.
She's not very comfortable around strangers.
Mary, I got an idea.
Why don't you let me take her out?
- On a date?
- No, no, for publicity. One time.
I'd never let her do anything like
that.
Mary, think about what it would mean
for the movie.
- One time?
- One time.
Well, maybe we can do something.
For publicity.
I swear undying fealty to thee,
Sandra Dee, Queen o' the Hop.
And I pronounce thee, Sir Splish
Splash.
- Arise, Sir Splish Splash.
- How was that, guys?
- Whoa!
- What about Rock Hudson?
- Rock Hudson's great. Isn't he great?
- He's great.
- I say we ditch these clowns.
- What?
- As soon as I say "run", run.
- You like it here?
- Terrific.
- You plan on more films together?
Oh, my God. Oh, my God!
Run. Run!
Hey!
Are you OK?
I can't believe I just did that.
God, you're beautiful.
Come on.
You OK? You look kind of pale.
Oh, no, I'm OK. I just kind of run out
of gas sometimes, that's all.
It really makes you think,
being in a place this old.
I mean, people have been
living here and loving here,
struggling, dying, for thousands of
years.
And now you and I are here.
So, what kind of things do you like?
Well, I can think of one right now.
- Really.
- Oh, OK.
Erm... let me think.
A great melody.
Seeing somebody do something better
than anybody else in the whole world.
Ice cream. A good book.
What about you? What kind of things
does Sandra Dee like?
Er... long walks on the beach.
Crossword puzzles.
Empty studios.
- Elvis.
- Hey.
Just making sure
you're paying attention.
I'm paying attention, trust me.
You know, I was right about you.
Right about what?
You're gonna be easy to love.
May I have this dance, Miss Sandra
Dee?
I would be honoured, Bobby Darin.
Oh, you son of a bitch!
I felt sorry for you and you betrayed
me.
Mary, I think you're overreacting.
I said you could take her out sightseeing.
For publicity.
- I didn't say you could marry her!
- Mother!
We are only engaged.
You, come with me!
D Because I want a girl...
Sit!
You... You don't even know how
to comb your hair without me.
You don't know how to dress without me,
walk, talk to people without me!
I'm the one who brought you into this world.
I created you.
You'd fall apart in 15 minutes without
me.
Oh, Mother, please.
When the time is right and you're
ready,
we will find a husband for you who is
suitable...
What's going on?
No, I love him! I love him with all my
heart.
- Oh, he's a loser.
- No, he's smart and he's funny.
I wish you'd concentrated more
on Rock Hudson.
Rock Hudson is a very nice man,
Mother, but I'm not in love with him.
He still would have been a better husband
for you than Bobby Darin!
Why can't you let me make
a decision on my own?
I don't even want to talk about this
any further.
We're leaving.
Him or me?
Fine.
Give her to me. Give her to me!
Mary! Mary! Wait, wait, wait a minute!
Nina, stay out of it!
It's none of your business!
Mary! I wanna talk to you!
You gonna plan to have any kids?
Show us the ring!
- Have you set the date yet?
- Marriage is such a big step.
We'll wait before rushing into anything.
Right, honey?
Right. Absolutely.
We are definitely gonna wait, gentlemen.
Absolutely.
OK, there.
- Bobby.
- OK.
This... is your home.
No...
I don't mind having a few friends
around every now and then,
and when your mother comes around,
which she finally will,
why, she'll be welcome too.
But for the moment,
I think it should be exclusively us.
Mr and Mrs Bobby Darin at home.
Sandy?
Hey, where'd you go?
Did you go in here already?
Sandush, where are you?
Hey, baby.
Baby, this should be
the happiest night of your life.
All right. Come on, let's get out of here.
Come on.
I can't. I can't, I can't, I can't, I
can't, I can't.
- You can't what?
- I can't go through with this.
- Of course you can, baby.
- I can't.
- Yes, you can.
- You don't want to be married to me!
I'm staying married to you until death
do us part.
How do you marry somebody
that you don't even know?
Who doesn't know who?
I don't know you or you me?
I don't know if I know you.
I know you don't know me.
- I know you, you're Mrs Bobby Darin.
- No!
It's never gonna work, Bobby.
Let'sjust get out of it now.
No way.
- I'll make you miserable.
- OK.
Do you not understand that?
I don't want to.
I don't want to. I can't help it.
Oh, my God.
What?
I love you.
I really love you.
Wait a minute.
Wait, don't move. Don't move a muscle.
Oh, God, Bobby, no! Please!
No, honey, honey. It's OK.
I'm not gonna hurt you. It's... Just
watch.
My mama used to tell me a story
when I was a kid.
That in the Middle Ages,
one of the knights in King Arthur's
court,
he laid down his sword
between himself and Guinevere
and he promised that he would never
cross over to the other side of the bed.
Really?
I am laying down this sword between
us.
That's my side of the bed, and that's
yours.
And I will never cross over...
...ever.
I don't care if we don't touch
for a thousand nights.
Only you can cross over to my side.
Only you.
I can't believe it!
Gimme a break.
You look like a dummy.
That's not my fault.
If it's not your fault,
who's running the goddamn thing?
- Hi, honey.
- Hey, sweetie.
Look who's on the cover.
Oh, honey, that's great. Did you see
this?
"I want to be a legend."
I can't believe you said that.
That's not exactly the way I
said it.
- Next time get him the cover.
- Yeah, it's a great story.
It gets better. "Brash, cocky
and arrogant, Darin then says,
"I hope to surpass Sinatra
in everything he does."
And now, ladies and gentlemen,
one time only on our stage:
Brash, Cocky and Arrogant.
We ought to use that
next time we play somewhere.
Boom-Boom,
where are we gonna be in five years?
Who knows? The Russians
may own show business in five years.
That's bullshit. What about next
week, next month, next year?
I can tell you where we're gonna be
next month.
Don't tell me Detroit.
You know everybody in show business
hates me because of the deals I get?
What do you think, guys,
is that the reason they hate him?
While we're on the subject of what's
next, I almost forgot to tell you.
We're gonna need a new comedian
to open for you at the Copa.
What did you just say?
Didn't I tell you? You're playing the
Copa.
You're friggin' kidding me?
- I got the call this morning, big shot.
- No, no, no!
We're gonna play the Copa!
We got the Copa!
Boom-Boom, you gigantic genius! Mwah!
Goddamned lunatic.
Sandush, I'm playing... Sandy!
Sandy, I'm playing the Copa!
We're playing the Copa.
My dream has come true, I'm playing
the Copa!
That's great, sweetie.
What's the Copa?
The Copacabana's the most important
nightclub in the whole world...
everybody famous has played here.
And one day, you're gonna play here,
Bobby.
And you're gonna break
all his box office records.
You got that?
Bobby, Bobby, Bobby!
All right.
George Kirby is the funniest comic
working today.
I never said he wasn't funny.
I said he was a negro.
He's breaking house records.
If they're a big act, like Sammy Davis,
they can headline here,
but they never- and you know that...
they never open at the Copa.
Look, Mr Podell,
there's a first time for everything.
Why not let one of the great
comedians play here?
Because I say so. You understand? It's
policy.
I understand but, frankly, to hell
with policy.
This is 1960, not 1860.
I heard you had a mouth on you,
kid. Save it for singing.
Listen, Mr Podell,
I respect that this is your club, I truly do.
But if you don't let George Kirby open for me,
I can't be responsible for the consequences.
You threatening me? Hm?
I'm cautioning you, Mr Podell.
Have you never heard of a sit-in?
A sit what?
It's a very popular form of protest
today.
It's where members of the black
and the white community...
actually, all communities,
come together to an establishment
that they feel is being unfair
to their brothers and sisters.
Then the media shows up,
they hold hands, and they... they sit.
Sometimes for days.
They sit?
Yeah, they sit and erm...
And they sing.
You know, songs like, what's the...?
Oh. We Shall Overcome.
Overcome?
Overcome what?
Policy, Mr Podell.
Outdated policy.
Thank you so very much.
I don't know if you've noticed
what a wonderful thing television is today.
I got Hollywood, California on one channel
and, of all people, I got Louella Parsons.
I'll never forget she started
out her programme by saying,
"Good evening from
Hollywood."
You don't know who I am?
I'm Bobby Darin's sister!
Don't put your hands on me,
I'm going over there!
Don't tell me where I'm going.
I know where I'm going!
I'm going right over there to see Mr Darin.
I'm his sister.
You don't say anything to me!
Nina.
Nina! What's going on?
These goons won't let me back to see
you.
I am family.
They're treating me like some goddamn fan.
They have instructions not to let
anybody back this close to a show.
Oh, I guess I'm just anyone, then,
huh?
No, you're... Guys, give me a moment.
Nina, I have to prepare to go on.
- Why are we sitting in the back again?
- What?
My table is almost in the kitchen.
Maybe I should bring you out some coffee.
You know the tables upfront
are for the boys I gotta take care of.
- Sandy's sitting right upfront.
- That's where they want her.
Why don't you just say it?
You are embarrassed by us.
- I am not, honey, but those are Podell's tables.
- Oh, that's bullshit.
It is not bullshit. Now go enjoy the
show.
It's the most important night of my
life.
I'll do my best. I won't see anything.
Maybe the matre'd will tell me how it
went!
Ladies and gentlemen, Bobby Darin!
Thank you.
Thank you and welcome to the Copacabana.
How about Richard Behrke right there?
I'm very honoured to be here
tonight at the Copacabana.
It's always been...
my dream to play this club.
And er... in connection with that
I would like to er... pay tribute to...
to two women in my life.
My er... mother Polly...
always dreamed and believed
that one day I would play the
Copacabana.
And so tonight this is for her, for my mother.
And the other woman, who is here
tonight,
is, of course, my lovely new wife
Sandra Dee,
the woman you are all looking at
when I'm trying to work.
Ah, would you look at that? She's
blushing.
Thank you for making her feel
so welcome tonight,
and for that I wanna do a special
number for her.
- I wanna dedicate this song to...
- Come on.
I love you, Sandush.
In those long ago years, it seemed as
if Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee,
were the most talked about couple
on the planet.
After the birth of Dodd Mitchell
Cassotto on December 16th,
they both stayed in Los Angeles
to make movies:
Sandra, in another Tammy picture,
and Bobby in a supporting role
in Captain Newman, MD.
- Shh!
- Quiet.
I'm sorry.
OK. Quiet on the set!
And rolling.
Speed.
And... action, Bobby.
OK, Big Jim, you go on,
you get this two-bit corn-feeder off
the ground, huh?
Hey, Buck! Buck?
We ought to get a couple
of broads when we get home.
Ones with real builds on them that
won't quit.
I'm talking about some real balloon
smugglers.
Jesus, what was that?
We got hit.
Buck, Buck, we're going down.
Oh, Jesus, we're gonna crash!
I gotta get out, I gotta use the
escape hatch.
Oh, come on! Oh, no!
He doesn't have a head. Oh, no!
God, please, can't you fix him
the way he was before?
- Oh, God, no.
- And cut. Fantastic.
Bobby, you were wonderful.
Oh, my baby.
Bobby. Thanks, that was incredible.
- It's the best part I've ever had.
- Told you it was a great script.
But how can you go wrong with
Gregory Peck and Tony Curtis?
Don't forget Angie. Thanks, Angie.
See you soon.
- So, what's next?
- Boom-Boom, what's next?
We open in Tahoe for three nights on
the 20th,
then we got Philly, Chicago and Miami
Beach.
- Thank you. Good luck.
- Thank you so much.
- What's he talking about?
- The tour, baby.
Honey, I'm not done filming my movie
yet.
OK, you can join me when you're done.
- I'm not bringing the baby on the road.
- Leave him with the nanny.
I don't want Dodd to be raised by the
nanny.
He's not gonna be raised by the nanny.
What'll I do on the road?
Who am I gonna sing to if you're not there?
Back to my set.
- Don't be mad.
- I'm not mad.
- You look mad.
- I'm not mad.
The sooner I finish filming,
the sooner I can join you.
Did you know your toupee was on
a little crooked?
- What?
- Yeah.
Are you kidding? How many times
have I told you to watch my hair?
Great timing, Steve.
It'd be nice to have him home for a while.
It's a wonder Dodd even knows
what he looks like.
Great having them both at the same
studio, isn't it?
So this is your suite, Bobby and Mrs
Darin.
Bar, fire pit. The bathroom's over
there.
- And the living room's this way, sir.
- Thank you.
- I'll just put your luggage in.
- Great, thank you.
Look at this, baby.
Gonna be a hot night in Vegas.
- Anything else I can do for you?
- No, that's all. Thank you.
- Would you like to have some ice?
- No, I'm great. There you go.
- Where are you from?
- I'm from Germany.
That's a terrific city. Thank you.
- I'm a big fan, Mr Darin.
- That's very kind. Good night.
Sandush...
Don't you think you're drinking
a little bit too much lately?
No, actually I don't think
I've had enough to drink.
OK, what's the problem?
I just want us to be together.
- We are together, baby, look.
- I mean some kind of normal schedule.
We have a baby,
and if I don't see you up on stage,
- I don't see you at all.
- Well, you're here, too.
Recording or performing or filming
or making appearances.
- Why can't we just stay home?
- Honey, performing is my life.
- Well, what about me?
- You're here, aren't you?
- Yeah, with all of them.
- They're a part of my life.
Just like Mary is a part of
your life and now a part of ours.
They are our family. All of them, like
it or not.
I can'tjust stop working to tour with
you.
- Yes, you can.
- No, I can't.
- You can.
- No. I'm an actress.
Making movies is what I do.
Kissing Troy Donahue's not acting.
- Oh, yeah? Then you try it.
- I'd rather not.
Hey, what a face.
- You should lock the door.
- Why?
- Before someone comes in.
- Nobody's coming in.
Yesterday, Charlie walked in on me
taking a shower.
You're kidding? What did he want?
He asked me if I wanted
a corned beef sandwich.
- Do you?
- Ooh, honey.
It's OK. It'sjust us.
Bobby! Whoa, sorry.
But I was right about the war picture.
Get your speech ready cos after the tour,
you're going to the Oscars, pal.
- You just got nominated.
- Hallelujah! Yes! Yes!
Oh, Christ.
And the nominees are,
Nick Adams in Twilight Of Honour.
Bobby Darin in Captain Newman, MD.
Melvyn Douglas in Hud.
- Hugh Griffith in Tom Jones.
- Hello!
And John Huston in The Cardinal.
And the winner is...
Melvyn Douglas? Melvyn Douglas?
My blood is up there on the screen
and they give it to him!
Unzip me, please.
"You don't care about people, Hud.
You don't give a damn about 'em."
I heard he was dying or something.
- It's a sympathy vote.
- He's dying? I'm the one dying!
Way before he was dying, I was dying.
Where's my sympathy?
You're doing fine feeling sorry for
yourself all alone.
"Stick your finger up my ass, Alma,
and wiggle it, just like the doctor does."
It's an honour just to be nominated.
I've never been nominated.
All your Hollywood friends
probably voted against me.
- I voted for you, Bobby.
- It's BD. What time's the car?
All right, see you then.
All the slaps and smiles,
and I'm a goddamn joke out there.
Not as big of a joke as you are right
now.
Warren Beatty is there with Leslie
Caron, nominated for Best Actress,
and I'm there with Gidget.
Leslie Caron is not box office!
- Those people don't care about that.
- It's all they give a shit about.
Only people from the Bronx
actually care about the Oscars.
Melvyn Douglas is married to a
congresswoman, I'm married to Tammy.
It took Melvyn Douglas 40 years
to get a Supporting Actor's face.
You should be happy you did it in just
two.
You know what?
Maybe I'll just go back out on tour.
Oh, that'sjust great, Bobby.
That'sjust fucking great!
Like usual, you leave Dodd and me
behind.
When you're on the boards, it's real.
The audience is right there, you can
feel 'em.
- Maybe movie audiences are too sober for you.
- It's reality, the nightclubs are reality.
It's not like the frickin' movies that
are all fake!
I just have one thing to say to you,
Mr Reality, Mr King of Reality...
your toupee's on crooked!
You're always trying to undermine me
every time I go on stage like that!
Telling me I've got a pimple on my nose.
I'm goddamn sick of it!
- What are you doing?
- What does it look like?
No, you don't. Oh, no, you don't!
You don't leave me! I leave you!
The cars and the clothes
and the hair and the premiere.
It's bullshit. I'm sick of all of it.
I'm telling you I'm out of here.
You stay here cos you gotta take care
of Dodd.
The nanny's here. He's fine!
You had a chance to be happy
and you messed it up!
Well, you...
You come... You...
You come back here!
You think it's gonna be easy
to find somebody who'll love you?
A big-nosed, self-centred, mean, nasty,
balding, little shithead with a bad heart?
My baby.
Maybe you're right.
Maybe you're right about all
these people being around us all the time.
Maybe it should just be us.
That's good, Moose, cos I left it
somewhere!
So I did stay home for a while.
The 1960's rushed by like a locomotive,
while Dodd grew up like a moose.
Sandy and I did a couple of movies
together but they were dogs.
The music scene was changing
as dramatically as the country.
Nightclubs were out
and big venues like stadiums were in.
I was suddenly irrelevant,
my stage literally disappearing.
I tried to write new music
and got involved in politics
because we were now a country at war.
But the fact was, I was a balding
chart singer
who hadn't had a hit in years,
and who should be dead.
So why Kennedy?
Like most people in this country,
I'm fed up with all the insanity.
The assassination of our president,
Vietnam, riots.
I'm looking for salvation from all the
madness,
and then along comes
another guy named Bobby.
Now, here is a no-bullshit guy
who is committed, passionate,
who really cares - I've completely
dedicated myself to this man.
I think he may be this country's last
hope.
Go out and vote.
While it seemed Bobby Kennedy
might heal the country,
Sandy and I drifted farther and
farther apart.
Bobby, why do you sing
the same songs every night?
Isn't it boring?
Well, honey, it's an act.
Do you expect me to sing
different songs every night?
Why not? I don't make the same movies.
Well, actually, you do. Sweet, little,
innocent...
Excuse me!
But I think I know what people want
in the movies nowadays, OK?
You may be the expert in... in music,
but I... I have had
years of movie experience!
Not bad, Sand.
Would've been even better
without the slur in your voice.
My sister came out to stay with us,
but her real reason for coming
I couldn't have possibly imagined.
Listen, Bobby, there's a reason
I felt I had to come and stay with you.
Yeah, what?
I heard you were going into politics.
You still thinkin' about doing that?
Well, I'm considering it.
I mean, they've asked me.
You know how the papers try and smear
people
with things from their past
when they're gonna run for office?
Mm-hm. Yeah. So what?
There's something about your past
that I think it's finally time for you to know.
What are you talking about?
It's about Polly.
She wasn't who you thought she was,
Bobby.
She was the best mother
in the whole goddamn world.
She was, because she was
my mother, so I know it's true.
- Then take that back!
- She was a wonderful person and mother.
But what I think you really need now
is the truth.
The truth about your mother.
And the truth is...
Polly was not your mother.
Sam was not your father.
You ain't my brother, Bobby.
We swore we would never let you find
out.
Polly was my mother.
Not yours.
She was your grandmother.
Sweetheart...
I'm not your sister.
Bobby, I'm your mother.
We made a pact that we would never
tell you.
Is she kidding?
She got pregnant when she was 17.
It's true. I didn't want you to be a
bastard, so I gave you to mama,
so that way no-one could call you one.
She couldn't give you up for adoption.
When I went off to the hospital
when it was time for you to be born,
Mama moved us to the Bronx
where we didn't know nobody.
And then when I came back,
we said you were her baby, not mine.
But that way, I could keep you.
Do you realise what you're saying to
me?
We did it to protect you, Bobby.
You need me now. I can really be here
for you.
You're lost.
You can finally have the mother
that you never really had.
Who was my father?
Oh, Bobby.
I was dating a lot of guys back then.
Who was my father?
Senator, how are you going
to counter Mr Humphreys
and his backgrounding you
as far as the delegate votes go?
We're just going to have to struggle
for it.
Senator Kennedy
has been shot! Is that possible?
Is that possible?
Oh...
Charlie...
How you been doing? You OK?
How can I sing the same old crap
when thousands of American kids
are getting their heads blown off
in some rice field?
We've been lied to.
The government lies to us every day.
There's no end to this war.
The President lies to us.
The people we trust the most, they lie
to us.
- You're just all worked up.
- No, it's not that.
Bobby Kennedy told the truth
and look what they did to him.
Look what he did with the time that he had.
He didn't waste his time.
What are you doing out here?
Sandy misses you.
Dodd misses you.
When did you meet Nina? What year?
Hell, I don't know. 1930-something.
Do you know who my father is, Charlie?
No, Bobby. I don't.
I wish I knew who he was.
Look, Bobby, I know...
I know I ain't no college boy,
but I always kinda felt like I was
your father.
Charlie, you've been more than a
father to me, you know that.
I just wish I knew.
Stay out here much longer and Dodd's
gonna be saying the same thing about you.
You may not know who your father is,
but you got two mothers out of the
deal.
Both are of them are great.
Have you thought how hard it's been for her?
Not to be able to tell anybody
that you're her son?
You wanna find yourself, get back on
the stage.
- You are Bobby Darin.
- That's who I thought I was.
OK, OK, then you're Walden Robert
Cassotto.
No, I'm not, Charlie. I'm not even
him.
Well, maybe you're both.
OK, Boom-Boom, let's go. We got a show
to do!
Come on! Get it on!
Woo-oo-ah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ah-ah ah-ah hah,
I'll let them know, yeah!
Sing Dream Lover!
Sing Splish Splash!
What is this, hm?
Is it a joke?
Bobby, you're turning into a
total hippie!
I don't have much time left. I'm a
dying man.
Stop that.
I'm not gonna listen to that shit from you.
- It's not shit! It's the truth!
- We're all dying.
That's not what I'm talking about!
- Every day I live is a miracle!
- I know. You weren't supposed to reach 16.
- Don't you make fun of me, Steve!
- I'm not making fun of you!
How am I supposed to react when you tell me
the same thing for the 2,000th time?
They booed me off the goddamn stage
like I'd swindled them
out of their last 15 friggin' bucks!
They wanted to hear Dream Lover!
They're not ready for the new you!
They either take me as I am,
or I don't want them!
Bobby, in seven years you've made ten
films,
won two Grammies, had seven Top 10
singles,
got nominated for an Academy Award...
What the hell more do you want?
I just gotta find myself, that's all.
Everybody else seems to know who you
are.
But you keep looking.
When you find yourself, give me a
call.
Then we'll see where we are.
Steve...
You don't really think I'm crazy?
My watch is slowing down.
Better get this fixed.
What does "your time's up" mean?
What are you talking about?
My friend Gregory said that my time's
up.
Your time's up! Bullshit. Here.
You wear that when you get older. Hm?
I'm gonna get older?
Well, sure, you are.
But you gotta believe it.
You always gotta believe it, Bobby.
As long as you really believe it, it's
true.
Hey.
You're back.
How do you feel?
Like somebody's had their hands in my
chest.
Yeah. They said it went well.
They replaced both valves.
It won't last, Charlie.
Ah, that'sjust the medication
talking.
- You need to eat.
- I need to eat?
Yeah.
You can't have this yet,
but I want you to have something
to look forward to.
- Well, what is it?
- Manicotti.
We got good manicotti.
And Nina sent her spaghetti
all the way from New York.
Nina's spaghetti?
What are you trying to do, kill me, Charlie?
She misses you, Bobby.
I'll just call her and Sandy
and tell everybody that you're OK. OK?
Nine hours on the operating table,
and he keeps on ticking!
Oh, yeah. I just have one thing to
say.
I bet old Dr Andretti, old dead Dr
Andretti,
would sure be surprised
to see I made it to my 36th birthday!
Don't steal that! It's not yours!
Ha-Happy birthday.
Thank you, Nina. You look great.
That's a nice outfit.
You like it?
Cos I got it special for your birthday.
I wanted you to know that your mother
can be a classy lady.
What, Bobby?
What, Bobby?
It's OK, Nina. I think I know why you
told me.
Excuse me for a minute.
- Hi.
- Don't he look great?
- Don't he look great?
- He looks great.
He looks like a million bucks.
He's gonna live to be 100.
Hey. I've been looking for you all
day.
- No, you haven't, you liar.
- I have. I have.
- You look so good.
- Oh, I feel good.
I feel great, physically.
In so much as I can actually breathe easy
for the first time since I can remember.
Dodd misses you being home.
I miss you.
I'm proud of you, baby.
- I'm really trying, Bobby.
- I know you are.
That's not why you left. There's more
than that.
I'm not what you want me to be.
I'm not an intellectual, I'm not as smart as you.
You're smart enough for ten of me.
And look what we did together.
- You gonna sing again?
- Oh, I'd love to.
I'm just not sure I can get used to
the idea of booing as a nightly ritual.
Oh, you can't blame them.
They don't understand.
You were always ahead of your time.
They're so shallow.
People hear what they see, anyway.
Yeah. I know, the...
- What did you just say?
- That you can't blame them...
No, no, no. About people hearing what?
Boom-Boom! Boom-Boom! Boom-Boom!
Boom-Boom, Boom-Boom, Boom-Boom.
Book me back in Vegas.
You don't wanna go back to Vegas.
Oh, yes, I do. I wanna go back to
Vegas, and I wanna go back on stage.
Don't tell me you found yourself.
- He's going back to Vegas?
- First I've heard.
I'm a nightclub animal, Boom-Boom,
and I love it.
Frankly, I think I do it better
than anybody else in the world.
You're also modest,
but I don't want you going back there.
It's gonna work this time.
I can be what I want,
I can say what I want, I can sing what I want.
Sandy just said it. She just said it
beautifully.
What?
People hear what they see.
It's funny. You weren't a girl
a guy like me was supposed to get.
I mean, there I was, a singer from the
Bronx,
and there you were, a movie star.
Bobby, what's gonna happen to me?
No matter what happens, baby,
you'll always be Sandra Dee.
- Why can't I open it?
- Because it's not like the gifts you're used to.
This one is very, very special
and nobody can know you have it.
What's in it?
$2 million hard cash,
but unfortunately it's Confederate money, so...
- Dad!
- No.
It'sjust some things I want you to
have.
So nobody can know I have it? Not even
Mom?
Not Mom, not Charlie,
not Aunt Nina, or Grandma.
Nobody but you and me. It's a secret.
When can I open it?
When I'm gone.
I don't want you to die, Dad.
Well, you know, Moose,
I'm no different than anybody else.
My time mightjust come a little
sooner, that's all.
- What about me?
- What about you?
You're gonna be just fine...
...if you're the man I think you are.
You know, I had to fight my way out of
the Bronx to make something of myself.
But not nearly as hard as you're gonna
have to fight to get out of Beverly Hills.
How you doing in there?
- Trying to find a heartbeat.
- That's not funny.
- Are my tux and toupee laid out?
- Yeah.
You got nothing to worry about.
You don't look so good.
To tell you the truth, Charlie, I
don't feel so hot.
I gotta go under the knife again,
that's why we're taking off early.
I got blood poisoning. It's catching
up.
Look, we don't have to do this.
We can call it off.
Charlie, I gotta get ready now.
I gotta go make sure Nina's at a good
table.
Charlie, I wouldn't have gone this far
without you.
Kid, you were a runaway train.
- Just get through tonight.
- Yeah.
Always leave 'em wanting more,
Charlie.
Ladies and gentlemen,
would you please welcome back
to the Flamingo stage an old friend,
one of this country's greatest
entertainers.
Academy Award nominee,
two-time Grammy winner...
Sing Dream Lover!
The Flamingo Hotel is proud to
present...
...the legendary Bobby Darin!
Jesus Christ, Steve! Where the hell
you been?
- Traffic getting out of LA!
- You gotta get in here!
- What the hell's goin' on?
- He's back.
We love you, Bobby!
Yeah!
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Please, sit down.
You've been a wonderful audience.
It's been delightful to be back in Las
Vegas.
I hope you've had luck at the tables.
Er... I may not be er... performing
for a while.
I'm gonna take a little break.
And as a result, I may not get a
chance to publicly do something
that I've wanted to do for a very long
time.
And that is to... introduce to you
the woman who raised me.
My mother, Nina Cassotto Maffia.
Please, take a bow, Ma. Take a bow.
- That's my son.
- All right!
That's my son.
I wanna do a song
that has been especially written for tonight.
Its lyrics have been changed.
It was an old Bob Hope number,
actually.
But we'd like to do it for you tonight
as our way of closing and saying good night...
as soon as Richie's finished
with that thing he's composing over there.
It goes something like this:
Wait a minute! Wait a minute!
Where you going?
No, that's it, kid.
You can't go. That's not the end.
Let me tell you how it goes.
The man we thought was our father
turned out to be our grandfather.
The guy we thought was our
brother-in-law is really our stepfather.
The woman we thought was our sister
turned out to be our mother.
Because she slept with half the Bronx,
God knows who our father was.
Right. So, now we know it. Now we're
done.
No, not you. I'm the one who goes.
Don't you get it? Bobby Darin doesn't
die.
- What are you talking about?
- Don't you remember?
Memories are like moonbeams.
We do with them what we want.
Just listen.
Listen, OK? It's not the way it goes.
Hey, hang onto this for me.