If I fall off [horse] wrong and I sprain my wrist or I twist my ankle now that can put an undue burden on production ’cause maybe I can’t work for a week so, Cliff here is meant to help carry the load. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2019 starring Leonardo diCaprio & Brad Pitt & Margot Robbie & Emile Hirsch & Margaret Qualley & Timothy Olyphant & Julia Butters & Austin Butler & Dakota Fanning & Bruce Dern & Mike Moh & Luke Perry & Damian Lewis & Al Pacino et al, director Quentin Tarantino, interview on set with stunt double
Anybody order fried sauerkraut? ibid. hero with flamethrower
The dude killed his fucking wife … She doesn’t want his creepy arse around. ibid.
So you gotta do this playacting pattycake version. ibid. Bruce Lee
I unleash all my power. I kill people. ibid.
You’re a little man with a big mouth and a big chip, and I think you should be embarrassed to suggest you’d be anything more than a stain on the seat of Cassius Clay’s trunks. ibid. Cliff
Nobody beat the shit out of Bruce. It was a friendly contest. He barely touched me. ibid. Bruce Lee
It’s the world’s most powerful crime syndicate. Power created by violence and intimidation, murder and torture. It’s been widely suspected for many years that their influence reaches up to the highest level of politics, finance and business. Mafia Empire: Vow of Silence, 2006
For years the true history of the Mafia has been a closed book to the outside world. But now high-ranking members are betraying the Mafia and are telling the real story: Joseph ‘Joe Dogs’ Iannuzzi, family Gambino location confidential; ‘Joe Dogs’ criminal career involved him in one of the most powerful families in New York: he turned on the Mafia after being beaten nearly to death and lives in hiding. ibid.
Dominick Montiglio, family Gambino, location confidential. Montiglio also turned on the Mafia after they put out a contract on his life. ibid.
In the 1920s when it was illegal to have a drink Luciano’s ready-made criminal organisation was quick to capitalise on this unpopular law. Luciano and his fellow gangstas were able to diversify and forge a powerful syndicate of crime. ibid.
The Mafia made a mockery of the traditional role of the labor unions and destroyed the working of the free market in a variety of industries. ibid.
Former members and associates were part of a Mafia world that revolved around a cycle of violence, extortion and obedience. ibid.
At the heart of the secret ceremony is a vow of loyalty and silence called Omerta. Betrayal of the Mafia’s secrets was punishable by death. In America it became known as La Cosa Nostra. ibid.
In the wake of prohibition a wave of violence swept across as the Mafia leaders fought law enforcement and each other for control. ibid.
Luciano became the uncrowned king of American crime everything from bootlegging and prostitution to narcotics and loan-sharking. ibid.
Vito Genovese, Lucky Luciano, and Maya Lansky were some of the men who made up the Commission, the Mafia’s secret government. They were leaders of an empire that at the height of its power affected virtually all areas of everyday life. ibid.
The organisation flourished. Their wealth enabled them to buy police, politicians and judges. ibid.
Experts agree that Hoover’s stance allowed the American Mafia to grow virtually unchecked from the 1920s on. ibid.
In Palermo in 1957 American and Sicilian Mafia held a series of secret meetings to discuss their common future. In attendance were American godfathers Joe Bonanno and Lucky Luciano, now living back in Italy. ibid.
Joe Valachi testified before Congress about the existence of organised crime. ibid.
The continuing inactivity by American law enforcement was to the benefit of those who would follow in the footsteps of Lucky Luciano. ibid.
Luciano’s place in America had been taken by a quiet Sicilian, Carlo Gambino. He was to become the most powerful Mafia boss in America. ibid.
Under Gambino the Mafia extended their control of legitimate business, controlling trucking in the garment centre of New York and construction contracts throughout Manhattan. ibid.
It was during the Gambino era that the Mafia enjoyed closer and stronger connections in business and politics. It was widely reported the Mafia was even able to influence the presidential election. ibid.
It was 1960 through the ’70s under the leadership of the legendary godfather Carlo Gambino that the Mafia enjoyed the fruits of widespread political corruption. ibid.
Castellano was an imposing figure of a man, a contrast to the diminutive Gambino, and a Godfather who carefully cultivated the image of a business man. ibid.
For more than 50 years the Mafia reigns supreme in America and Italy. Mafia Empire: Breaking the Vow
New legislation in America allowed law enforcement to mount an effective assault against the leaders of organised crime. For the first time the Mafia was put on the defensive. ibid.
Since the turn of the century the Mafia in America consolidated its power creating a criminal empire which had its roots in a variety of different industries. Their unofficial headquarters was New York City where the five major Families were based. Their leaders formed the Mafia’s secret ruling council called the Commission. ibid.
Lending money at exorbitant interest rates known as Points and collecting debts with the threat of violence was the long-time Mafia tradition of loan-sharking. ibid.
Two years later law enforcement benefited from the introduction of new legislation: the Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organisations Statute known as Rico. ibid.
The historic case, called the Commission case, used Rico to bring Mafia bosses into a Federal courtroom for the first time. ibid.
For years the Mafia had perpetuated the myth that they were not involved in the drugs trade ... The international narcotics conspiracy was the link between the Sicilian and American Mafia. ibid.
Despite the Mafia’s awareness of the risks of drug trafficking the enormous profits proved too much of a temptation. ibid.
In the late 1970s the Al Dente was one of a network of pizzarias which provided the perfect cover for many of the Sicilians involved in the international heroin conspiracy.
The key intermediary between the Sicilian and American Mafia was Carmine Galante. ibid.
With convictions and lengthy jail sentences for almost all the defendants, the Pizza Connection trial was hailed as a major triumph. ibid.
But the Mafia would show remarkable resilience in the United States by replacing those leaders who had been imprisoned. And in Italy the Sicilian Mafia would wreak a terrible revenge on those who they blamed for their misfortunes in a bloody vendetta that would amount to a war against the state. ibid.
In Italy and America the Mafia is the number one target for an all-out assault by the FBI and the Italian police in an unprecedented attack on organised crime that began in the 1980s. Mafia Empire: Vendetta
In the United States the principle target of the FBI was John Gotti – a new style of Mafia, whose court victories made him appear invincible. ibid.
While the Sicilian Mafia dominated the heroin trade in the 1980s the American Mafia were opposed to it. ibid.
The murder of Castellano and his chauffeur on the streets of New York was the most sensational Mafia execution since the 1950s, and the brazen murder heralded the reign of a new Mafia boss – John Gotti. ibid.
As in the United States the trade in drugs had a profound effect on the internal structure and the character of the Mafia. ibid.
John Gotti had become a media superstar, grabbing a media spotlight that was a total anathema to the traditions of the godfather. ibid.
The last Godfather from the old generation was the wily Vincent Gigante, head of the Genovese family ... It wasn’t until 1997 that the government was able to get enough evidence to bring the head of the Genovese family to court. ibid.
In 1992 a new law for what was to become a flood of new cooperating witnesses from inside the Mafia. ibid.
Is he here now? So George gave you all permission to be here? And yawl take care of him. ibid. Cliff
One step closer and I will knock his teeth out. ibid. to advancing ladies
When you come to the end of the line with a buddy who is more than a brother and a little less than a wife, getting blind drunk together is really the only way to say farewell. ibid.
At around ten Sharon and her friends left El Coyote and arrived back at her house. ibid.
Dirty fucking hippies. ibid. Ricky
How to Succeed as a Gangster, 1963. The Gangster Files s1e1: Al Capone, Myth & Reality, Amazon 2023
Chicago alone boasts of having 20,000 speak-easys. Millions of Americans find that breaking the law can be fun. ibid. comment
The most powerful man in the underworld is Scarface Al Capone, now barely 30. He controls policemen, judges and mayors, and he openly runs a vast network of bootlegging, gambling, protection and vice. His annual revenue is reported at over 100 million. ibid.
By 1930 Capone was also a cocaine addict. ibid.
Al Capone Gets 11 Years in Prison: Chicago gangster chief’s reign of terror ends with his downfall in Federal Court. ibid. Hearst Metrotone News
This imbued the onscreen character with a sense of glamour which in real life he didn’t possess. ibid. comment
His was an amoral universe marked by incessant warfare. ibid.
Al Capone was known for his huge altruistic streak. ibid.
Once the bad guys were up there on the silver screen their vile low-life profession took on a romantic veneer of respectability. The Gangster Files s1e2: John Dillinger: Myth & Reality, comment
Dillinger, whose name once dominated the headlines, was a notorious and vicious thief. From September 1933 until July 1934 he and his violent gang terrorized the Midwest, killing 10 men, wounding 7 others, robbing banks and police arsenals. ibid.
In 1945 Monogram hit the big time with Dillinger. ibid.
The Dillinger gang: John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Alvin Karper, Arthur Barker, Homer Yan Meter, Pretty Boy Floyd. ibid.
Dillinger courted publicity. The media ran exaggerated accounts of his bravado and colourful personality, and cast him as a Robin Hood. ibid.
In truth, Dillinger was mowed down, almost in cold blood. ibid.