***SPOILERS**** Sidewalk fisherman Gio Bartolo, Jay Novello, has been working for a living scooping up or fishing, with a string attached to a wad of bubble gum, on the streets of Manhattan nickels dimes & quarters but things are starting to get real rough for him and his friend and partner Shellshocked, Leonardo Cimino, as of late. It's these Time Square thugs lead by the smirking and brutal Jacko, Terry Green, who've been giving Gio a hard time by taking his business in sidewalk fishing for coins away from him.
One afternoon Jacko and his boys drag Gio into an hotel lobby and brutally work him over only to have the police come to his rescue and arrest the entire bunch of cowards: Five against one and the one, Gio, being old enough to be their grandfather. Besides fishing for coins Gio also wants to adopt 8 year old Paulie, Gary Morgan, out of the Saint Francis Orphanage where's he's been since he was two years old. Paulie is greatly impressed by Gio's tall tales about him once being a fearless fisherman on the high seas and deep rivers all over the globe. The truth is that Gio gets sea sick even when he's taking a bath much less in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean during a September hurricane. Besides that Gio is in no financial position to look after little Paulie as well as having no place to live for himself.
****SPOILERS**** Things come to a head with Jocko & co. holding Gio responsible for a member of their gang, who smashed Gio's skull in, being sent up the river for six months attempt to not only rough up but murder Gio just for fun! That's as he's stark naked and chilling out at the Allen Street Baths only to get themselves caught, after his friend Shellshock telephoned the police, and put behind bars for attempted murder. As for Gio not only has he gotten a new lease in life in getting a job as a custodian at a lower East Side housing development working the night shift but being able to adopt little Paulie if not for good but between the hours of 7Am to 7PM which is the best time to spend with him teaching Paulie how to fish not in the rivers or oceans of the world but on the streets of NYC.
One afternoon Jacko and his boys drag Gio into an hotel lobby and brutally work him over only to have the police come to his rescue and arrest the entire bunch of cowards: Five against one and the one, Gio, being old enough to be their grandfather. Besides fishing for coins Gio also wants to adopt 8 year old Paulie, Gary Morgan, out of the Saint Francis Orphanage where's he's been since he was two years old. Paulie is greatly impressed by Gio's tall tales about him once being a fearless fisherman on the high seas and deep rivers all over the globe. The truth is that Gio gets sea sick even when he's taking a bath much less in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean during a September hurricane. Besides that Gio is in no financial position to look after little Paulie as well as having no place to live for himself.
****SPOILERS**** Things come to a head with Jocko & co. holding Gio responsible for a member of their gang, who smashed Gio's skull in, being sent up the river for six months attempt to not only rough up but murder Gio just for fun! That's as he's stark naked and chilling out at the Allen Street Baths only to get themselves caught, after his friend Shellshock telephoned the police, and put behind bars for attempted murder. As for Gio not only has he gotten a new lease in life in getting a job as a custodian at a lower East Side housing development working the night shift but being able to adopt little Paulie if not for good but between the hours of 7Am to 7PM which is the best time to spend with him teaching Paulie how to fish not in the rivers or oceans of the world but on the streets of NYC.