The Artichoke King The Untouchables : Season 1 Episode 8

April 19, 1931. New York City. Every 48 hours, more than 25 million pounds of fruits and vegetables stream into the city; this multi-million dollar business is the target of gangsters. Eliot Ness and his Untouchables have recently been brought to New York on special assignment to investigate the produce market racket. After senior Angelo Cestari, a produce retailer, is machine-gunned by one of Terranova's gangsters, Ness talks to his son Tony Cestari; Tony tells Ness that his father didn't deal with Terranova like the other retailers did, and now he's paid the ultimate price. Ciro Terranova is The Artichoke King; his racket is simple: he buys carloads of artichokes at $6 a crate, and sells them for twice the price-- at the point of a gun. Despite his wealth, Terranova is a notorious cheapskate. Right now, Terranova is mad at his henchman Frankie Yale, and Yale's sidekick Marlowe, for rubbing out Cestari. But Yale has a surprise for Terranova: Yale says that Terranova is no longer his boss, from now on they are partners. Yale and Marlowe go to Tony Cestari and demand $1,200 for artichokes he should have bought from them; and they tell Tony he has to buy $600 worth of artichokes a week from them from now on. Ciro Terranova, meanwhile, goes to Chicago and hires a hitman for 20 grand-- to get rid of his new "partner." Hitman Felix Burke is expensive because he's the best, he did the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Terranova gives him 5 grand now, and promises to pay the rest of the money immediately when the job is done; Burke makes him sign a contract, in case Terranova tries to stiff him. Felix Burke rubs out Frankie Yale, and tosses the machine gun. Eliot Ness finds the tommy gun, and traces it back to the Capone mob. Just as Burke figured, miser Terranova is slow to pay him the rest of the 20 grand; so slow, that Ness and his men have time to tail Burke. When Burke gets the rest of the dough, he demands another 20 grand from Terranova, since his procrastination has pu