Green Book (2018) | 15 Question Movie Multiple Choice Quiz

Answer: A bouncer in a club

The film opens in 1962 at the Copacabana, the legendary New York City nightclub, where Tony is working as a bouncer and driver for Jules Podell, the club's owner. When we first see Tony, he is dressed smartly in a red tuxedo as he escorts a man and a woman to their table in the main room. When a fight breaks out between a couple of goombahs, Tony moves swiftly through the room towards the men and sucker punches one before he grabs the other and throws him out of the club. "You put your hands on me, you punk?" he says, as he picks himself up off the ground. "Do you know who I am? I'm going back in there." Tony shoves him away as he tries to re-enter the club, so the man takes a swing at him. Tony ducks, then knocks him down to the ground with one punch and proceeds to pummel him until he stays down.

When the Copa has to close for renovations, Tony and the club's other bouncers, captains, and maître d's are out of a job until the club reopens in January. Tony resorts to unconventional ways to make money, like going to Gorman's and betting Fat Paulie 50 dollars that he can eat more hot dogs than him. "He knocked off 24. Guy's an animal," Tony later tells his wife, Dolores, which sets her off. "Are you crazy?" she asks. "You lost 50 dollars?" Tony calmly pulls out a wad of bills. "Dolores, please," he says, as he holds up the money. "I ate 26."

Answer: He chucks the glasses in the trash.

Tony wakes up in his home in the Bronx and is surprised to find his relatives watching baseball in his living room. When he asks them what they're doing there, Dolores' brother Johnny motions over to the kitchen, where a couple of black workers are laying down new linoleum. "We came over to keep Dolores company," Johnny explains. Tony's father-in-law, Anthony, adds in Italian, "Don't be sleeping when my daughter is here alone with these sacks of coal. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Tony professes his innocence by responding (in Italian) that he didn't know they were going to send "eggplants" to do the job. "It's an Italian's job!" Nicola, Tony's father, complains. "Disgraceful!"

Dolores hands the workmen two glasses of lemonade and places the empty glasses in the sink when they're done. Later, when Tony sees the glasses, he picks them up from the sink and throws them in the garbage. Dolores sees them there when she's clearing the plates from lunch, and just shakes her head sadly. She quietly retrieves the glasses and places them back in the sink.

Answer: Carnegie Hall

Tony does a double take when he arrives at the address and finds himself standing outside Carnegie Hall. He discards his cigarette and enters the grand concert hall. A woman calls out to him across the vast, empty space. "We're not open right now, but you're welcome to purchase tickets to tonight's performance." Tony reacts like he was just offered a free colonoscopy. "Nah, that's alright. Uh, I think I got the wrong address. Is there a doctor's office in here?" he asks. "Dr. Shirley?" A look of realization flashes across the woman's face. "You have the correct address," she says. "Dr. Shirley lives upstairs, above the hall."

Upstairs, Tony is ushered into Dr. Shirley's apartment by his personal valet, Amit. The place is filled with an eclectic array of furniture, art and artifacts - framed pictures and paintings adorn the walls, a pair of elephant tusks sit in front of the far wall, a concert grand piano takes up most of the alcove, and in the center of the room an intricately carved high chair sits atop a riser, bedecked on each side by two giant vases, making it look like a throne. Dr. Shirley enters, a refined black gentleman dressed in a long, flowing African robe. "I thought I was going to an office," Tony says, as he settles into his seat. "They said a doctor needed a driver." Dr. Shirley realizes that Tony's been given few details about the job. "Actually, it's a bit more complicated than that," he says, and explains that he's not a medical doctor but a musician in need of a driver to accompany him on a concert tour of the deep South. "Do you foresee any issues in working for a black man?" he asks. "No," Tony replies. "Why, just the other day, me and the wife had a couple of colored guys over at the house. For drinks." This last statement gives Dr. Shirley some pause. "I'm not sure if this is a proper job for a married man," he observes. "We'll be gone for eight straight weeks - no breaks - right up until Christmas. You're quite sure you can leave your family for that long?" Tony's answer is practical. "Depends on what you're paying," he says.

"A hundred dollars a week, plus room and board," Dr. Shirley replies. "But let me be crystal clear. I'm not just hiring a chauffeur. I need someone who can handle my itinerary. Be a personal assistant. I need a valet. I need someone who can launder my clothes, shine my shoes." Tony throws his hands up in the air and gets up from his chair. "Good luck, Doc," he says as he turns to leave. "Tony," Dr. Shirley calls after him. "I had my record label ask around town to find me the right man. Your name came up more than once. You've impressed several people with your innate ability to handle trouble, and that is why I called and enquired about your availability." Tony considers this for a moment. "Ok, here's the deal," he says finally. "I got no problem being on the road with you, but I ain't no butler. I ain't ironing no shirts, and I'm not polishing nobody's shoes. You need someone to get you from point A to point B? You need someone to make sure there's no problems along the way - and believe me, you going through the deep South, there's gonna be problems. So if you want me, it's a buck and a quarter a week."

Answer: A guide for negro motorists

Tony and Dolores are asleep in bed when he gets the call about the job. Tony answers the phone, then passes the receiver to his confused wife. "It's Dr. Shirley, the piano guy," he tells her. "He wants to talk to you." Dolores tries brushing him off, but eventually takes the phone from her husband. Their conversation is polite, but brief. "What he say?" Tony asks. "He wanted to know if I'd be okay with him taking my husband away from his family for two months," Dolores replies. "He said he'd pay you what you asked for." She rolls back onto her side of the bed with her back towards Tony, so he can't tell if she's upset. "Hey, it's good money. We need it. I can't be eating 26 hot dogs every day," he tells her. "I know," she says quietly. "I told him it was okay for you to go."

Tony meets with the record executive to pick up the rental car - a blue-green Cadillac DeVille - and is given half of his agreed fee. "You'll get the rest when the tour's over," the exec explains. "We gotta have some guarantee you'll finish the job." When Tony protests, the exec becomes annoying. "Here's the deal, Mr. Vallelonga. It's your job to get Don to all his tour dates on time. If he misses any shows, you're not getting your back-end," he says. "Oh, you're gonna need this," he adds, as he hands him a copy of "The Negro Motorist Green-Book". Tony shows the book to Dolores as he bids her farewell. "Lists all the places coloreds can stay down south. Like if you're traveling while black," he explains. "They got a special book for that?" she asks, before changing the subject. "I want you to write me a letter every chance you get," she says. "Promise me you're gonna write." Tony reluctantly makes the promise, and kisses his wife goodbye. "You better be home for Christmas, or don't come home at all," she says.

Answer: Dr. Shirley has an allergic reaction to Tony's cologne.

Tony drags on a cigarette while driving the Cadillac, sending second-hand smoke swirling around Dr. Shirley in the back seat. "Could you put out the cigarette, please?" Dr. Shirley asks, as he clears his throat. "I can't breathe back here." Tony is incredulous. "What are you talking about?" he says. "Smoke's going into my lungs. I'm doing all the work here." He takes one final, defiant drag and tosses the cigarette out the window.

When they stop at a diner for lunch, Dr. Shirley makes an attempt at small talk by asking Tony how his food is. Tony thinks about it for a moment, and simply says, "Salty," in between bites. Dr. Shirley decides to have a little fun. "Have you ever considered becoming a food critic?" he asks. "Nah, not really," Tony replies. "Why? Is there money in that?" The sarcasm appears to be lost on Tony. "I'm just saying, you have a marvelous way with words when describing food. Salty. So vivid. One can almost taste it," Dr. Shirley replies in a deadpan.

Back on the road, Dr. Shirley enquires about the singer on the radio, and is surprised by Tony's answer. "Really? That's Little Richard?" he asks. "Yeah, think you could play somethin' like that, Doc?" Tony replies. "I don't know," Dr. Shirley says carefully. "Sounds fairly complicated." Later, when a different song is playing on the radio, Tony almost can't believe his ears at Dr. Shirley's admission. "You never heard of Chubby Checker?" he asks. "Of course I've heard of him, I just never heard his music before. But I like this. It's nice. He's got a silky voice, very smooth," Dr. Shirley says. Tony changes the station. "You know this song," he says rhetorically. "I don't think so, no," Dr. Shirley replies. Tony can't take it. "How could you not know this music?" he asks in exasperation. "Aretha Franklin. Chubby Checker, Lil' Richard, Sam Cooke. I mean, c'mon, Doc. These are your people!" Dr. Shirley is clearly embarrassed, and doesn't know where to look.

Answer: For stealing a jade stone

Tony pulls into a gas station, followed closely by the second car containing Oleg and George, the other members of Dr. Shirley's trio. On his way into the store to buy more cigarettes, Tony passes a table with several displays of rocks, minerals and gemstones. He spots a small, jade-colored stone that must have fallen on the ground. No one is around. Tony picks up the stone and pockets it. Oleg notices this, and spends some time whispering to Dr. Shirley through the car window. When Tony returns, Dr. Shirley has some choice words for him.

"Before we pull out, Tony, we need to have a talk," he says. "Oleg told me what you did." When Tony feigns ignorance, Dr. Shirley adds, "You stole a jade stone from the store." Dr. Shirley isn't buying his denials, so Tony takes a different tack. "I picked a rock up off of the ground. I didn't steal from the box," he clarifies. "And why would you pick up a rock off the ground?" Dr. Shirley enquires. "I don't know. 'Cause that ain't stealin'. It's just a regular rock," Tony says, exasperated. Dr. Shirley doesn't let it go. "And why would you want a regular rock?" he asks. "To have. For luck maybe," Tony says. Dr. Shirley asks to see the rock, then tells Tony to take it back and pay for it. Tony lashes out verbally at Oleg, angry at being caught out. "Pay for the stone, Tony, you'll feel better," Dr. Shirley tells him. "I feel fine, and I ain't paying for no regular rock I found in the dirt," Tony adds. They remain at an impasse, with Tony sitting defiantly behind the wheel, and Dr. Shirley refusing to let him start the car. After what feels like an eternity, Tony exits the car, storms to the table outside the store, and returns to the Cadillac. "Feel better?" Dr. Shirley asks. "No," Tony replies defiantly. "If you'd like, Tony, I'd happily buy you that stone," offers Dr. Shirley. "Don't bother," Tony barks. "You took all the fun out of it."

Answer: A Steinway piano

When they first set off from New York, Dr. Shirley has some very specific instructions for Tony. "The first thing I'd like you to do when we arrive in a city is check the piano where I'm playing. Make sure it's a Steinway as per my contract," he explains.

In Hanover, Indiana, Tony checks out the piano in the concert venue while George and Oleg rehearse in the corner. The piano is run-down, has empty paper cups and crumpled up papers inside, and worst of all isn't a Steinway. Tony locates the stage manager, who verifies that Dr. Shirley is expected to perform on this piano. "That ain't a Steinway," Tony clarifies. "Dr. Shirley only plays on Steinway-brand pianos. It's in his written contract." When the stage manager asks if it really matters and makes a derogatory remark aimed at Dr. Shirley, Tony gets serious. "There's garbage in there," he says. "So, take it out," the stage manager replies. Tony gives the guy one last chance. "Hey, you got two, three hours. Get a clean Steinway in here," he says. When the stage manager points out that the university doesn't have a Steinway and that there's probably not two Steinways in the whole of Indiana, Tony tells him that's not his problem and that he better get moving, which is the last straw for the stage manager. "Who you think you're talking to, greaseball?" he asks. Suddenly, Tony lashes out at the stage manager with an open-hand smack to the side of his head. The stage manager almost loses his balance, as he holds his hand to his pained ear. The scene cuts to the same stage later that evening, as Dr. Shirley plays a popular tune on a clean, new Steinway.

Answer: Kentucky Fried Chicken

The Cadillac lumbers sleepily along a nondescript highway, when Tony spies a billboard on the side of the road. "Kentucky Fried Chicken... in Kentucky!" Tony yells, barely able to contain his excitement. "When's that ever gonna happen?" They stop and Tony picks up a bucket. "I think this is the best Kentucky Fried Chicken I ever had," Tony says, in between bites. "But I guess it's fresher down here, right?" Dr. Shirley sits stoically in the back of the Cadillac, unmoved by Tony's enthusiasm. "I don't think I've ever met anyone with your appetite," he remarks, before adding that he's never had fried chicken in his life. Incredulous, Tony invokes the common stereotype that black people all love fried chicken, grits, and collard greens. "You have a very narrow assessment of me, Tony," Dr. Shirley says. "Just because other negroes enjoy certain types of music, it doesn't mean I have to. Nor do we all eat the same kind of food." Tony decides to ignore Dr. Shirley's protests and instead holds out a piece of chicken to him. "Doc, you want some or not?" he asks. "Tell me that don't smell good?" When Dr. Shirley comments that he doesn't want to get grease on his blanket, Tony threatens to throw the piece of chicken in the back of the car if he doesn't take it. "How? Do you have plates or utensils?" Dr. Shirley protests. "Eat it with your hands," Tony yells. "That's how you're supposed to." Still reluctant, Dr. Shirley takes a piece of chicken from Tony gingerly. "I can't do this, Tony," he says, even as he takes a bite. "This seems so... so unsanitary."

"Just relax and enjoy it," Tony advises. "You know, my father used to say, whatever you do, do it a hundred percent. When you work, work, when you laugh, laugh, when you eat, eat like it's your last meal. You want another piece? Here, have a breast." Tony hands a second piece to Dr. Shirley, who actually seems to be enjoying the chicken. "What do we do about the bones?" he asks, as he takes the breast meat from Tony. "We do this," Tony says, as he rolls down the window and chucks a drumstick bone out of the car. "This is what we do." With a grin, Dr. Shirley rolls down his window and does the same. It may be the first time we've seen him smile this whole trip. They continue eating, until Tony finishes his Coke and tosses the empty cup out the window. Dr. Shirley looks out the back window with a concerned look, smile gone. In the next scene, we see the Caddy backing up and stopping next to the discarded cup, as Tony opens his door to retrieve it.

Answer: A letter to Tony's wife, Dolores

Tony and Dr. Shirley sit at a table outside a South Carolina restaurant. Tony is working on a letter to Dolores, but it doesn't seem to be going well. "What on God's green earth are you doing?" Dr. Shirley asks. Tony tells him. "Looks more like a piecemeal ransom note," Dr. Shirley says, as he holds out his hand. "May I?" Dr. Shirley reads out the letter, which is peppered with typos and mundanities. "You know this is pathetic, right?" he says to Tony. "Tell me what you're trying to say." Tony is embarrassed. "I don't know. You know, how I miss her..." he says. "Then say that," Dr. Shirley says, a little kinder this time. "But do it in a manner that no one else has ever done before." Dr. Shirley hands the letter back to Tony and begins dictating. "Put this down," he says. "Dear Dolores, When I think of you, I'm reminded of the beautiful plains of Iowa." Tony scribbles away dutifully but looks up suddenly. "What planes?" he asks, puzzled. "The plains. P-L-A-I-N-S. Those big fields we saw," Dr. Shirley explains. Dr. Shirley continues giving dictation. "The distance between us is breaking my spirit... My time and experiences without you are meaningless to me... Falling in love with you was the easiest thing I have ever done." Tony finishes writing the last part, and compliments Dr. Shirley's romantic streak.

The scene cuts to Dolores at home, reading the letter. We hear the rest of it in Tony's voice, "Nothing matters but you, and every day I'm alive I'm aware of this. I loved you the day I met you, I love you today and I will love you the rest of my life." Dolores is reduced to tears by this point.

We cut back to Tony and Dr. Shirley in South Carolina. "So can I put, 'P.S. Kiss the kids'?" Tony asks, in the manner of a loyal dog trying to please its master. "That's like clanging a cowbell at the end of Shostakovich's 7th," Dr. Shirley remarks. "Right, and that's good," Tony says, nodding eagerly. Dr. Shirley doesn't have the heart to burst Tony's bubble. "It's perfect, Tony," he says with a smile.

Answer: He clashes with white supremacists in Tennessee.

In Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Shirley has to stay on his own at a "For Coloreds Only" motel identified from the "Green Book". He doesn't quite fit in with the other guests, who think he is too haughty to join them in a game of horseshoes, so he wanders off to find a bar to drink in. Later that evening, George finds Dr. Shirley in a bar getting roughed up by some rednecks. He retrieves Tony from his hotel room to intervene. Tony stares down the men at the bar and makes them believe that he has a gun tucked away under his jacket. The men let Dr. Shirley go, and Tony yells at him once they get back to the motel. "From now on you don't go nowhere without me. Nowhere!" he tells Dr. Shirley.

When Dr. Shirley performs a show at a large plantation in Raleigh, North Carolina, he attempts to locate the washroom during the intermission. His host, Morgan Anderson, intercepts him before he can enter to use the facilities. "Are you looking for the commode?" he asks. "Here, let me help you. It's right out there 'fore that pine." He points to a ramshackle outhouse at the edge of the property. "I'd prefer not to use that," Dr. Shirley says. "Well, don't be silly, Don. It looks a lot worse from the outside," Anderson says as congenially as possible. "Well, I could return to my motel and use the facilities there, but that would take at least a half an hour," Dr. Shirley counters. Anderson thinks about this for a moment, then looks up at Dr. Shirley. "We don't mind waitin'," he says with a smile.

In Macon, Georgia, Tony and Dr. Shirley are walking down the main street when Dr. Shirley stops to admire a handsome grey suit in the window of a store. Tony convinces him to go try it on. "What, you gotta wear a tuxedo on stage every time? You could mix it up a little, Doc," he says. They enter the store, and the tailor attends to them. When it becomes clear that it is Dr. Shirley rather than Tony who wishes to try on the suit, the tailor's demeanor changes. "Uh, excuse me, you're not allowed to try that on," he says, as he stops Dr. Shirley from entering the changing room. "If you would like to purchase it first, we'll be happy to tailor it to your needs," he continues, as he wrestles the suit away from Dr. Shirley. "I see," Dr. Shirley says. After an awkward moment, Dr. Shirley leaves the store.

Answer: He offers Tony more money to stay.

Tony gets a call in his hotel to attend at the YMCA in Macon, Georgia. He arrives to find the police in attendance, and a naked Dr. Shirley handcuffed on the floor of the locker room, next to a similarly naked and cuffed Caucasian man. "Manager caught him and the other guy," a policeman explains. Tony sweet talks and bribes their way out of the situation, but Dr. Shirley is upset that Tony effectively rewarded the police for their behavior. "I was hired to get you get from one show to the next. How I do it shouldn't matter to you," Tony tells Dr. Shirley matter-of-factly, before adding, "You know, if this got out it would kill your career." Dr. Shirley stops Tony as they reach the car. "Okay, Tony. I need you to stop with the phony altruism and concern for my career," he tells him. "You were only thinking about yourself back there, because you know if I miss a show, it'll come out of your pocketbook." Tony points out that Dr. Shirley could be more appreciative. "Besides, I told you never to go nowhere without me!" he adds. "I assumed you would want this to be the exception," Dr. Shirley replies.

At their next stop in Memphis, Tennessee, Tony bumps into a couple of friends from New York as they arrive at the hotel, and they have a conversation in Italian. When the guys realize that Tony is working for a black man, they tease him and offer him "a sack of money" to ditch Dr. Shirley and come work for them for the rest of the week. Tony indicates that they should talk about it later and agrees to meet them at the hotel bar. When Tony leaves his room to meet his friends, he finds Dr. Shirley waiting for him. Dr. Shirley reveals to Tony that he understood his conversation in Italian and wants an opportunity to present a counter-offer. "Tony, I think you're doing a wonderful job, so I'd like to formally offer you the position of my road manager. With the title also comes more responsibility but it also means a raise in pay," he begins, but Tony raises his hands and stops him. "No thanks," Tony says. "We agreed on a hundred and twenty-five a week, plus expenses - that's our deal, right? I ain't goin' nowhere, Doc. I was just goin' down to tell 'em." Dr. Shirley watches as Tony starts to head down the stairway and calls after him. "Tony," he says. "I'm sorry about last night." Tony just brushes it off. "Don't worry about it. I been workin' nightclubs in New York City my whole life. I know it's a... complicated world." Dr. Shirley watches as Tony makes his way downstairs. In his own way, Dr. Shirley has come to appreciate and even depend on Tony, and he is surprised and deeply touched by Tony's loyalty.

Answer: Robert Kennedy

A sundown town is a town that requires people of color to leave by nightfall, but Tony and Dr. Shirley aren't aware of the restriction as they got lost while making a detour. They get pulled over by two highway patrolmen, and when one of the officers says that it makes sense that Tony is driving Dr. Shirley around when he learns that he's Italian, because he's half a negro himself, he gets clocked in the face by Tony. They are detained in the local jail, where Dr. Shirley makes a phone call. A short while later, the Governor of Mississippi calls up the station and demands that they be released. In their jail cell, a stunned Tony turns to Dr. Shirley and asks him who he called.

Later, as they drive through the rain towards Birmingham, Tony behaves like he just won the lottery. "Bobby Kennedy just saved our asses!" he says. "How great is that?" Dr. Shirley is appalled, and thinks the whole situation is humiliating. "I just put the Attorney General of the United States in an incredibly awkward position," he says. "Calling from some backwoods swamp jail, asking to attenuate assault charges... who does that? Garbage, that's who." When Dr. Shirley reprimands Tony for hitting the cop, Tony defends his actions by saying that he didn't like the way the cops were treating Dr. Shirley. "Please. You hit him because of what he called you. I've had to endure that kind of talk my entire life, you should be able to take it for at least one night," Dr. Shirley observes bitterly. "What, I can't get mad at that stuff he was saying 'cause I ain't black?" Tony retorts. "I'm blacker than you are." Tony points out that Dr. Shirley doesn't know what his own people eat or what music they listen to. "You live on top of a castle and travel around the world doing concerts for rich people! I live on the streets - you sit on a throne - so yeah, my world is way more blacker than yours!" he says.

Dr. Shirley forces Tony to pull over and walks out in the pouring rain. Tony goes after him and tries to get him back in the car, but Dr. Shirley is angrier than we've ever seen him. "Yes, I live in a castle, Tony! Alone!" he says. "And rich white people pay me to play piano for them, because it makes them feel cultured. But as soon as I step off that stage I go right back to being another nigger to them, because that is their true culture. And I suffer that slight alone, because I'm not accepted by my own people, because I'm not like them either! So if I'm not black enough, and if I'm not white enough, and I'm not man enough, then tell me Tony, what am I?" Tony is speechless as he watches Dr. Shirley return to the car, leaving him alone in the middle of the road.

Answer: He isn't permitted to dine in the restaurant.

Tony and Dr. Shirley arrive at the Birmingham Hotel and are greeted by Graham Kindell, the general manager, who leads them to Dr. Shirley's dressing room, which is really a repurposed supply closet. While Dr. Shirley changes, Tony heads to the restaurant and is joined by George and Oleg. Dr. Shirley arrives, but is held up at the entrance by the maître d'. Tony goes to see what's wrong. "This gentleman says that I'm not permitted to dine here," Dr. Shirley explains. Kindell appears and tries to smooth things over. "I apologize, but these are longstanding traditions - club rules - I'm sure you understand," he says. "No. I do not understand," Dr. Shirley says. "In 45 minutes I'll be entertaining your guests up on that stage, but I can't eat here?" Kindell suggests a compromise - that Dr. Shirley order whatever he wants from the menu and they will bring it to his dressing room. "No, I'm not eating in that storage room," Dr. Shirley replies testily. When Kindell suggests that they go to a restaurant down the road that serves coloreds, Tony pulls Dr. Shirley aside and tries to convince him that the food there is probably better. "It's the last show. It's the bottom of the ninth. Let's just get it over with and we can go home," he says. Dr. Shirley thinks it over, then walks over to Kindell. "Either I eat in this room, or I'm not performing tonight," he tells him. Kindell asks to speak to Tony privately, and tries to pay him off. Tony gets offended and grabs Kindell by his collar, just as Dr. Shirley appears in the doorway. "It's all right," he tells Tony. "I'll play. If you want me to."

Tony finally understands what Oleg meant when he told him earlier that "it takes courage to change people's hearts". He lets go of Kindell's lapel, and leaves with Dr. Shirley.

Answer: A couple of drunks who are waiting to rob them

Tony and Dr. Shirley enter the blues bar and for once, Tony as the only white guy sticks out like a sore thumb. Dr. Shirley is also a strange sight, dressed as he is in his tuxedo. The pair claim a couple of seats at the bar and order food and drinks. When Dr. Shirley takes out a large bundle of bills to pay, two drunks on the far end of the bar perk up. "So, darlin', what you do, all dressed up like that?" the bartender asks Dr. Shirley, once they are done eating. "Nothing particularly important," he says modestly. "You shouldn't judge a man by his clothes." Tony interrupts to set the record straight. "He's only the greatest piano player in the world," he says. "That right? You good?" the bartender asks. When Tony tells Dr. Shirley to tell her who he is, the bartender shakes her head. "Don't tell me nothin'. Show me," she says, motioning over to the upright piano on the small stage.

Dr. Shirley walks up to the stage and sits at the piano. He begins to play Chopin's "Étude Op. 25, No. 11 in A minor ('Winter Wind')". The piece starts out simply at first - calm and regal - before erupting dramatically into a cacophony of notes. Everyone in the place stops what they are doing and takes notice - even the cook emerges from the kitchen to stare at Dr. Shirley, and the bartender can't help but smile. The biggest reaction comes from Tony himself, who has only heard Dr. Shirley play jazz renditions of popular tunes for the past eight weeks. He watches the maestro make his way effortlessly through the difficult classical piece and gains a new-found respect for the musical genius. Dr. Shirley finishes with a flourish and the entire bar breaks out in applause.

As they leave the bar and make their way towards the car, Tony places his hand on Dr. Shirley's shoulder, pulls out a gun, and fires it twice into the air. Immediately, the two drunks from earlier emerge from behind the Cadillac and run off. "Don't ever flash a wad of cash in a bar," Tony tells a shocked Dr. Shirley, who takes a moment to recover. "I knew you had a gun!" he says, as Tony walks over to the car.

Answer: Dr. Shirley drives the rest of the way.

As the weather starts to take a turn, Tony begins to express his doubts. "This could be bad, Doc," he says. "Yes, it's a shame we don't have something to protect us on our journey," Dr. Shirley says. "Oh, I know. Why don't you put your lucky rock up on the dash, Tony?" Tony drives in silence for a beat, then reaches into his pocket and places the jade stone on top of the dashboard. "Thank you. I feel safer already," Dr. Shirley says with a smile, and the two men share a laugh.

When the storm turns into a major blizzard, Tony is prepared to call it a night. "That's it. We're done. I'm pulling us into the next motel," he says. "Keep going as long as you can, Tony," Dr. Shirley encourages. "I can't keep my eyes open. I'm gettin' hypnotized here. I think my brain's gonna explode. We gave it a shot, Doc. What you gonna do?" Tony says. When we next see the Caddy, it is pulling up on Tony's street in the Bronx with Dr. Shirley behind the wheel, and Tony stretched out in the back seat, asleep. Dr. Shirley wakes Tony up and tells him he's home. "Hey, come up, meet my family," Tony says, but Dr. Shirley just wishes him a Merry Christmas and drives away. Back in his apartment above Carnegie Hall, Dr. Shirley sits on his couch alone with his thoughts. He opens his hand, revealing the jade stone which he had kept from the Caddy's dash.

Christmas dinner is still going strong back in Tony's apartment, with his extended family all around the dining table eating and enjoying one other. Tony gets up to answer a knock on the front door, but it turns out to be Charlie and his wife from the neighborhood pawnshop. As Tony turns to close the door, he sees Dr. Shirley standing in the hallway with a bottle of champagne. Tony's face breaks into a wide smile as he hugs his friend. "Everybody, this is Dr. Donald Shirley!" he says. The entire family sits in stunned silence for an awkward moment, until Tony's brother-in-law, Johnny, breaks the spell. "Well, come on, make some room! Get this man a plate!" he says. Dolores emerges from the kitchen and spots Dr. Shirley. "You must be Dolores," he says warmly. "Buon Natale. Thank you for sharing your husband with me." Dolores smiles and pulls Dr. Shirley into a hug, as she whispers into his ear, "Thank you for helping him with the letters."