Agreed on all counts, HK... The published "Valachi Papers" is even somewhat underwhelming today, though you can still see its importance and its appeal. I'm sure "The Real Thing" is a mess given Valachi's education level and literacy but that burning NEED to express himself and reveal what he knew (from his singular vantage point) would be fascinating to see in its raw state.

The story of Peter Maas' trouble with the Dept. of Justice over Valachi is very interesting itself; I imagine Joe Colombo was lurking behind some of the pressure put on LBJ who then put it on AG Katzenbach.

"Wiseguy" is a good adaptation, though I wish Scorsese had spared us the anachronistic Stones/Cream stuff when they're in the late '70s, early '80s... although that's another discussion.

'Sicilian Vespers' is a pet peeve of mine too, btw; crazy how often it's still repeated!