Cafe Americain' - Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

1 Writer

Additional Project Info

Synopsis/Episode 1 outline: Rick Blaine, a manager at Nuova Villa Tammaro restaurant in Coney Island facilitates the assassination of Joe “Big Joe” Masseria under the orders of Charlie “Lucky” Luciano. Rick’s reward is, he gets to manage the Cotton Club, where he meets Sam Johnson, an African-American piano player. Now 1936: Ilsa Lund, in her late teens in Oslo, has just gotten braces off of her teeth, her reward for being so patient is, her father allows her to accompany her cousin Fredrika on a trip to Paris. Victor Laszlo is vehemently printing leaflets in a Prague basement warning of the imminent threat of National Socialism (Nazis) to his country and all of Europe. He is detained by National Socialist sympathizers and deported from Czechoslovakia. He travels to Paris where Ilsa and Fredrika have been swindled by two French con men. They lose all their money and a cameo which was Ilsa’s mother’s. Victor and his right hand man Tobias, “convince” the con men to tell them where they have fenced the ladies’ things. The cameo is returned, and a relationship is forged. Simone Boelly, a handsome-ish rogue gypsy, returns to the Gypsy camp outside of Lyon, France to the love of his life, Carina. While street performing for the townsfolk and children of Lyon, Carina falls ill, then locks herself in her tent. A doctor comes and it is revealed that she is covered in pustules and has small pox. She takes Simone’s rifle, goes into the hills and kills herself. This turns Simone to a dark path, as he curses God, and now is only out for himself. It is revealed at the end of the script that Simone will now go by the name of “Ugarte” which means, “an island unto one’s self.” Rick meanwhile, runs into trouble, getting caught between Thomas Dewey and Luciano. Dewey is going after Luciano and everything he has facilitated. Sam, on the other hand shares a showgirl with gangster Joe Adonis, which does not bode well. Luciano orders Rick to set up Sam, the same way as Coney Island. Rick does not go through with it, and a gangster is killed. Now both he and Sam have to go on the lam. The are last seen on a steamer heading for Europe, where they both think it will be ‘a lot more inviting” than where they are coming from. We end with a Cab Calloway’s rendition of “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and we SUPERIMPOSE Nazi goose stepping at tremendous National Socialist rally where Adolph Hitler gives a an impassioned, rallying speech. Rick and Sam are unaware that they are on a collision course to meet the rest of the iconic characters from Casablanca, as well as Nazi-ism and World War 2. Route of the series: Of course the way the series or mini-series would be a consensus with producers. It is outlined, and it takes us through the beginnings of Nazi aggression, Rick and Sam meeting Ugarte and becoming mercenaries, (“You ran guns to Ethiopia…”) Victor being arrested and sent to a concentration camp, etc. The good news is the series does not have to end with the “Casablanca” finale, because our four heroes walk off down the runway vowing to “Get back into the fight.”