Episode 78 - Get Shorty

This week we are covering our first ever Patron's choice. Picked for us by people that throw us coins! 1995's Get Shorty.

Let us enlighten you with tales of Danny DeVito's hight, Rene Russo's film making class mate and the way the Academy did over the late great Dennis Farina.

Want to vote on August's Patron's choice? Join the Patreon for a quid at: https://www.patreon.com/100thingsfilm 

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Get Shorty Cast and Synopsis

Ernesto "Chili" Palmer, a Miami loan shark, mobster, and movie buff, gets his leather jacket and car keys taken from a restaurant coat room by rival mobster Ray "Bones" Barboni. Going to Bones', he breaks his nose and takes them back.

Days later, Bones attacks Chili in revenge. Expecting him, he grazes Bones' forehead non-fatally, intentionally leaving a scar. Bones unsuccessfully calls for a hit on Chili, as the bosses of their crews don’t want a mob war and his boss Jimmy Cap realizes Bones provoked him.

A month later, Chili's Miami mob boss in NYC 'Momo' dies of a heart attack, making Bones his direct boss. 'Inheriting' Chili, and his Miami list of outstanding loans, which has to be handed over to him updated and paid. A debt Chili wrote off as the client, dry cleaner Leo Devoe died in a plane crash, he is sent to check with his widow Faye if he had life insurance. She surprises Chili with the news that he left the plane after boarding. Scamming the airline out of $300,000 in life insurance, Leo is enjoying it alone in Las Vegas.

As Chili tracks down Leo at Las Vegas casino 'The Mesas', it's director of gaming asks him to help collect a large debt from well-known B horror movie director Harry Zimm in LA. Quickly locating him in actress Karen Flores' home, he wakes him and calmly explains he must pay his casino debt. He then pitches the dry cleaner’s mob debt and the plane crash story as a unique idea for a movie, seeing an opportunity to get into a better line of business--the movies.

Harry sees Chili as a tough guy to help him delay movie work with a $200,000 investment from Bo Catlett (owner of a limo service, a front for drug dealing). Harry cannot make the movie he has planned, as he gambled away the production money. He reveals the film he really wants to make, one with a great script, 'Mr. Lovejoy'. Both mobsters decide it’s their chance to become movie producers. The scriptwriter, Murray Saffron, recently died of a heart attack, so his widow, Doris controls his estate.

Bo has left the payment for a large drug deal in a LAX locker, but the Colombian sent to collect it, Yayo, fears DEA agents. That night, Yayo tells Bo that if he is arrested with the cash, he will squeal on him, leading Bo to shoot him dead. Soon after, he is visited by Colombian drug lord, Mr. Escobar, who demands both his money and Yayo -- his nephew.

With Karen Flores' help, Chili gets a meeting with A-list Hollywood actor, her ex Martin Weir, who loves the role. Harry becomes jealous of Chili and Karen's partnership, fearing they'll steal his project.

Feeding Harry's suspicions, Bo offers the locker money to him as an investment in the film, suggesting he send Chili to get it so the DEA get him. Sensing a trap, Chili rents a nearby locker as a test, and is interrogated by agents. Bo's henchman Bear jumps him in the parking garage, demanding the key. Chili winds him and then chats with him, fascinated by Bear's former work as a Hollywood stunt man.

After being intimate with Doris, Harry drunkenly calls Bones about Leo Devoe's scam. Bones immediately flies to LA, seeking the money from Leo. Surprising Harry at his office, when Bones is sure he doesn't know where the money is, he brutally beats him. Bo's partner, drug dealer Ronnie Wingate then confronts Bones, and gets shot.

Desperate, Bo kidnaps Karen telling Chili to bring the dry-cleaner's money as ransom. When he arrives with it, Chili seems to fight with Bear, during which Bo falls through the deck railing to his death, set up by Chili and Bear.

Returning to his hotel room, Chili is surprised by Bones, who demands the money from Leo. Searching his pockets, he finds the airport locker key, and Chili tells him the locker is in LAX locker (still being watched by DEA agents). As he is surrounded suddenly, the entire scene switches to the movie version of the story. 'Get Shorty', starring Martin Weir and Harvey Keitel, produced by Chili and Karen and directed by Harry Zimm. When the prop gun fails, Harry halts filming for the day.

As they leave, Chili comments to Martin's agent that he is too short to play him, and then he and Karen Flores and the stars of the film leave the studio lot for the day.

Cast

John Travolta as Chili Palmer:

A Miami mobster, loan shark, and film buff who gets involved in the film industry.

Gene Hackman as Harry Zimm:

A debt-ridden B movie film director and producer.

Rene Russo as Karen Flores:

A B movie scream queen actress dissatisfied with her career. Karen is the ex-wife of famed actor Martin Weir.

Danny DeVito as Martin Weir:

A successful and two-time Academy Award nominated actor, whom Chili and Karen pursue to star in his film.

Dennis Farina as Ray "Bones" Barboni, Chili's new mob boss.

Delroy Lindo as Bo Catlett, a Los Angeles limo company owner and drug dealer

James Gandolfini and Jon Gries as Bear and Ronnie Wingate, two members of Bo's crew.

David Paymer and Linda Hart as Leo and Faye Devoe, a couple who commit insurance fraud.

Miguel Sandoval as Mr. Escobar, a Colombian mobster and high level drug dealer.

Jacob Vargas as Yayo Portillo, Escobar's nephew.

Bette Midler as Doris Saffron, Murray Saffron's widow and Harry's new girlfriend.

Martin Ferrero as Tommy Carlo, the key member of Chili's Miami crew.

Renee Props as Nicki, Martin's live in musician girlfriend. Nicki is the woman who broke up Karen's marriage to Martin Weir.

Bobby Slayton as Dick Allen

Ron Karabatsos as Momo

Jack Conley as Agent Dunbar

Bernard Hocke as Agent Morgan

Vito Scotti as Manager at Vesuvio's

Rino Piccolo as Waiter at Vesuvio's

Alfred Dennis as Ed the Barber

Ralph Manza as Fred the Barber

Patrick Breen as Assistant Doctor

Barry Sonnenfeld as Doorman

Rebeca Arthur as Las Vegas Waitress

Leslie Bega as Vikki Vespa (uncredited)

Marlene Dietrich as Tanya (archive footage) (uncredited)

David Groh as Buddy Lipton (uncredited)

Charlton Heston as Mike Vargas (archive footage) (uncredited)

Harvey Keitel as Harvey Keitel (uncredited)

David Letterman as David Letterman (archive footage) (uncredited)

Penny Marshall as Penny Marshall (uncredited)

Dean Martin as Dude (archive footage) (uncredited)

Alex Rocco as Jimmy Capp (Ray Bones' Boss) (uncredited)

John Wayne as Sheriff John T. Chance (archive footage) (uncredited)

Orson Welles as Police Captain Hank Quinlan (archive footage) (uncredited)

Get Shorty also features an appearance from the real Ernest "Chili" Palmer, a Miami loan shark and mob-connected man who inspired the original character.[4]