1. Between these Dons who was the most powerful that ever lived?

Salvatore Maranzano
Joe Bonnano
Joseph Profaci
Charlie Lucky Luciano
Frank Costello
Tomas Luchese
Carlo Gambino

2. Which Mob war was the most intense between these three? And in what particular order? From Least to deadliest

Castalamarese war
Banana war
The Colombo family war (In the early 90's)

3. What was the name of the don that got "clipped" in the early 70's on Carlo's orders? What was he killed for?

4. Vito was stressing in his cell over the fact that his fellow Dons were growing in power. He tried to orchestrate as many hits as possible from his cell. Who was on the hit list? And what was the outcome of all that?

1. "Power" is relative. Maranzano was the only one on your list who ever held the title of capo di tutti capi, but he held it for just a few months before he was murdered on Charlie Luciano's orders. I'd count Luciano as the most powerful because, after he got rid of "moustache Petes" Maranzano (and Masseria before him), he formed the Commission and made the Mafia a national organization. Even though he never claimed a super-title, Luciano was acknowledged as the most powerful Mafia guy in America. He continued to run his family even when he was sent away to prison. To me, that's power. Carlo Gambino ran the biggest family with the largest revenue in his time, but he didn't quite have Luciano's nationwide clout.
2. I don't know what you mean by "intense." The Bananna War probably generated more corpses than all of them combined. But the Castellemmarese War was more momentous, because it was the last gasp of the Moustache Petes, and led to the formation of the Commission and the new Mafia.
3. Joe Columbo supposedly was whacked on Carlo Gambino's orders because his "Italian-American Civil Rights League" and his TV appearances were way too high-profile for the Mafia.
4. If by "Vito" you mean Vito Genovese, he was essentially powerless after Joe Valachi's testimony. Probably the last hit he ordered was of Tony (Bender) Strollo in 1962, but Strollo was an underboss in his own family. Tommy Eboli ran the Genovese family for Vito while Vito was in prison, and took over when Vito died in '69. As far as I know, he had no hand in the Bananna War and the Gallo-Profaci War, the big events of the Sixties.

I think Joe Bonanno, was as powerful as any of the above,except for Maranzano's brief fling at the top.

Bonanno, through alliances with Profaci, Magadinno, Gagliano, and Mangano did influence the commision, and policy on the national scene, from the late 30's up to the early 60's.

This group, and variations of it, was the most powerful group on the commssion, for about 30 years, and they were very much influenced by Mr. Bonanno.

Gambino gets the credit for being the most powerful boss, but as Trunbull stated, he did not have the nationwide influence, and he also had the forture to be the boss, when Vito G was in jail. Tommy Luchese was dying of brain cancer. Joe Profaci died of cancer. Bonanno was weakend by his rift with Magadinno, who was egged on by Luchese.


One name not mentioned, who very well may have been the most powerful as a boss, was Tony Accardo. His word was law in Chicago and west from the early 40's til the late 80's. No one messed with the Tuna.

The Castelemarrese war was the biggest war, in terms of the people involved, and the changes that took place after the war was over.

Joe Columbo.

Nevr heard of Vito's list, but I'd bet it would make some interesting reading.

Another side note. Valachi was believed to be ratting out based on rumours started by a Buffalo NY soldier, who's brother was killed, after all three were arrested. The soldiers brother complained to Magaddino about how he, or his family was treated when he was in jail. Steve had him killed and his brother fearing he was next started the story that Joe V was talking to the feds to taske some heat off of him.

Al Capone is the most famous one, and a lot of them are notorious (most recent, of course, Teflon Don Gotti), but the way Charlie Lucania aka "Lucky" Luciano set up the two biggest crime bosses of the late 20's (enemies) and killed them both to become the great emperor himself, is enough for me to be called the #1 mafia king ever, if such a title would be appropiate. No matter how influential Gambino and Bonnano and others were...

Too bad the movies about Luciano aren't that special (the Christian Slater picture is awful).

Actually, Turnbull, there is still no proof that Gambino gave the order to Colombo's death. But whether he did so or not he also ordered the death of another Don. I can't think of his name nor can i remember what Family, of the four in New York, he ruled.

I was very careful to choose the word "supposedly" in identifying Gambino with Columbo's death, BofB. :rolleyes:
Gambino and Lucchese encouraged the Gallo brothers' revolt against Joe Profaci in the early '60's, but Profaci died of cancer, not their bullets. His successor, brother-in-law Joe Magliocco, also died of natural causes before assassins could get to him. Columbo was Gambino's choice to become Don after Magliocco, and he did become Don. Gambino also sided with Stefano Magaddino in deposing Joe Bonanno, but Bonanno lived into his nineties. Both the Genovese and Lucchese families had relatively orderly transitions after their namesakes died. That accounts for all the NY families in the 60's.

By far luciano was the most powerful,also the most feared,Gambino the wealthiest and smartest,
he ordered the hit on anastasia,he then took over
the family kka the Gambinos,he also with-out a
doubt,hit colombo,with the go ahead from the other
families and his own,crazy joe gallo was in on that also.The bananna war was a long drawn out
bloody mess.The philly mob wars that still exist
to this day are a direct roll over from that,
bosses were killed w/out permisson,bosses sons
were killed so that they could not follow-up
on their fathers deaths,also the pizza wars
were violent and bloody,they included actual
zips from the old country to do the killing.
Also do not forget Sam{mo-mo}Giancanna,very
powerful,his power in vegas was un-matched,he
even pulled one over on Howard Hughes.

Turnbull? Whoever runs the largest Family with the most revenue is considered the most powerful Don. Is there really a difference between having the largest Family with the most revenue and being the most powerful?

When I said the most tense I meant what war caused more corpses and bloodshed. You mean to say Bannana war is worse than the early 90's Colombo family war?

These are all relative terms, BofB. Your definition--most revenue--could certainly be right. I'd offer that Frank Costello, who had the most political influence, might have been the most powerful, regardless of revenue. Then again, how do we know how much real revenue they had? These guys aren't likely to provide the Internal Revenue Service with verifiable records.
My impression is that the Bananna War generated more corpses than all the others. But, who knows? Most of the killings occurred in neighborhoods where people kept their mouths shut. As you probably know: when Bill Bonanno came to Williamsburg (Brooklyn) for his putative meeting with Gaspar DiGregorio, more than 100 shots were fired at him, but nobody in the neighborhood ever told the police that they heard anything.

Also after that shooting no-one called the cops... Bill B called a writer, Gay Talese, and had him report it. The ensuing media attenation and the fact that they all missed caused the commision to bump Gaspar and replace him with Paul Sciacca.

According to the not-many texts I rode about real life mob, Charlie Lucky Luciano was the most powerful, but for a short time.
From 1931 to 1936, he lived as a king, everybody wanted to get in touch with him so much that he got reclusive, spending the whole days in his hotel room and just going out at night.
My opinion is that from the moment Charlie killed Maranzano until the day he went in jail he got the most power a mobster has ever had.