I went to see The Godfather as a kid. We took my grandfather for his birthday to dinner and then the opening of The Godfather in Manhaten. Back in those days it was a treat to go to manhatten for a dinner and the opening of a movie. The Godfather was my grandfathers favorite book at that time so when the movie came out my family, including myself, took him to see it. I fell in love with the movie and then read the book. After that the rest was history as I started to read all kinds of gangster books.


Turnbull,

I met Armando aka punchy as a young teenager. What a character that I will never forget! At least with us he was a very funny guy who made everyone around him laugh and have a great time. My father was a Vice President of a Teamster Union Local, and my aunts husband was from President street. They both did some business together and we used to go to the fights ( boxing matches ) with Albert " Kid Blast " Gallo and many times Armando used to accompany Albert to the fights with us. Unfortunately I never got to see the infamous " Lion " that they used to keep in the basement.


Don Cardi

Scarface is not about the mafia

Scarface is not about the mafia [/b][/quote]Don Vincent,

He was not saying that Scarface was about the Mafia. He was just saying that he didn't like The Godfather as much as Scarface. Not that I agree with him, but he is entitled to his opinion. Oh jeez, what am I doing sticking up for one of Patrick's posts? PATRICK: Don't take this post the wrong way. Just because I have come to your defense on this one DOES NOT mean that I won't continue fueding with you on your other views!


Don Cardi

President Street in Brooklyn?

I grew up around there. Crown Street between Bedford and Rogers. Right around the corner from Ebbets Field.

President Street in Brooklyn?

I grew up around there. Crown Street between Bedford and Rogers. Right around the corner from Ebbets Field. [/b][/quote]Plawrence,

I am talking in the area of President & Columbia St. Van Brunt St. area.I believe that you are speaking more towards what is now know as the east new york area. Am I correct?


Don Cardi

I was hooked after hearing my family talking about one of my relatives (still trying to track down which one) had connections and was killed for "looking mean" (long story) but since then I was hooked and have been reading/watching everything I can about the mafia.

Yeah, the area I grew up in is Crown Heights, just west of East New York. That's where Turnbull grew up, BTW.

But President Street continues on the other side of Prospect Park, all the way down to the water.

I should have known when you mentioned it....that side was all Italian. The Crown Heights side was all Jewish

I bet Frank Vincent knew which side of the park you came from :p

Good one.

He's originally from Jersey City, I believe.

And if I keep going to that restaurant that we went to that time, I know I'm gonna run into him again some day.

Another little known Frank Vincent fact:

According to his website, he started out in a comedy team with Joe Pesci.

Being from a sicilian family, my father owns like every dvd movie that features an italian actor, and I was attracted to films like godfather 1 and 2, (GF 3 ) and goodfellas, got into the Sopranos as well.

Very nicely put. Thats the funniest "putdown" on Part III that I've ever seen.

This is my very first post, be nice to me im a rookie..
Believe it or not, i got interisted in organized crime because of...well, my church.
In the mid 80's my church got a new pastor, he was a former member of the Columbo family in New York who had been adopted by Joe Columbo upon the death of his natural father.
Aint that sumthin..lol church got me hooked
DB out

Mine's a little weird. When I was young, like seven or eight, we had this poker game for DOS where if you ran out of money, you could borrow some from a guy named "Guido the loan shark." I asked my dad what a loan shark was, and then I was hooked.

Goodfellas helped a lot too.

The Simpsons got me hooked. The character Fat Tony is great.

Believe it or not, it was a book called American Pharaoh. It's about Chicago's previous Mayor Daley. (The current Mayor Daley - or "da Mare" - is his son) The book eluded slightly to mob ties, but didn't go into them very much. I was very much in a civic pride frame of mind and reading as many books about Chicago as I could. Then I read the book "The Outfit" by Gus Russo. From there I just went nuts with it.

"Hizzoner Da Mare uh duh fine city uh Chicagah."

Gus Russo's book is exceptional. Captive City by Ovid Demaris is another good look at the outfit in Chicago during the late '50's and early '60's. Robert Cooley's book, When Corruption Was King, detailed the mob's control of the criminal court system in the '80's.

Welcome to the boards!

tony b.

Well..after I figured out a couple years ago that my family is Mafia lol...I really wanted to know more about it.

When I was 7 I saw 'Goodfellas' on fox.
Im 15 now, and have been hooked for the past 8 years

I always liked the GF movies but they just never seemed like a reflection on the mafia. The movie Goodfellas made me wunna be a gangster and I still do wunna be a gansgter but I can never be made cuz I'm half Irish.

Plaw, if you see him there, are you going to tell him to go home and get his shine box?


Don Cardi

Tom -

Funny that you should say that. I recently read an interview with Joe Piston aka Donnie Brasco, and he boldly stated that Goodfellas was the best and most realistic portrayal of how Mob life really was!

Don Cardi

I was at a friends house and we where fliping there the channels and we came across The Godfather. It was the sence where Michael asks for permission to date the mans daughter, just from that sence i went out and bought the movie and now i cant stop thinking about every topic coverd in that movie and book

The Godfather.

If im not mistaken Henry Hill is Half Irish,he could never be "made" though

Join The North Siders, of Chicago.

^^^ Still not the mafia

For me it was The Godfather and other mafia movies. And I'm addicted to True Crime books. Then my friend told me about this site, and I've been hanging out here ever since then.

Reading THE GODFATHER. Then watching The Godfather films, then going on JGeoff's Godfather site, and finding out about Gangster BB...

Seems to be the stock answer but it was the Godfather for me too..
When i was about 10 i noticed it was on & asked my old man if i could watch it. He said no cos it was too violent.
How is it violent? i asked with youthful curiosity! What's it about? i also asked...
I swear my Father looked over his shoulder (we were in our lounge at the time) & whispered "The Mafia!"
Whats the Mafia? i whispered back to him.
A secret society he whispered back.
The intrigue was too much for me to bear. I managed to persuade him to let me watch it & needless to say i was hooked.
Thanks Pops

It would have to be The Godfather for me aswell. I'm new to the whole thing as I have just not long seen the films. But for me I think Goodfellas made me want to find out more about the real mafia. The message board has also made me more interested as you hear other people views. I just finished watching the 1st series of The Soprano's aswell. Its good.