Everyone is probably familiar with this legendary, classic gangster film. There are probably facts you may or may not have known about this film. They can also be found on the Did You Know? section of IMDb.com, on the film Goodfellas.
1. "I've Been Waiting for This Call"
-Martin Scorsese had made a firm decision after the later 1980s to no longer direct Mafia-related movies. Hollywood was starting to pick up on the stereotype of Italians being connected with organized crime. Things changed when he picked up the 1985 book by Nicholas Pileggi, Wiseguy. After reading it, he called the author and said "I've been waiting for this book my entire life." Pileggi responded "I've been waiting for this phone call my entire life." The book was, not long after the phone call, transformed in to 1990's Goodfellas, starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta
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| Martin Scorsese |
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| Nicholas Pileggi |
2. To Play Jimmy or Not to Play Jimmy
-Robert De Niro had the choice of two roles to play: Jimmy "The Gent" Conway or Tommy DeVito. De Niro went with Jimmy "The Gent" Conway, which meant that the role of DeVito went to Joe Pesci, who pulled off the character perfectly. That role even won Pesci the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Both Jimmy "The Gent" Conway and Tommy DeVito were based on real life mobsters James Burke and Thomas DeSimone
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| Robert De Niro as Jimmy "The Gent" Conway |
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| Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito |
3. Real Money
-Robert De Niro didn't like the feel of the fake money. The person in charge of props took out $5,000 of his own money out of his actual bank account. But, before each person left the set, the money had to be thoroughly accounted for. No one could leave until the exact amount was returned.
4. The Fate of Fat Andy
-"Fat Andy" was played by Louis Eppolito, who was a former NYPD detective with family ties to the mob. His father, cousin and uncle were all made members (inducted into a mob family). His life took a bad turn in 2005 when he and Stephen Caracappa, his police force partner, were arrested and charged with racketeering, obstruction of justice, extortion, eight counts of murder in addition to other charges. Both were found guilty and sentenced to life in a federal prison
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| "Fat Andy" |
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| Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito. The "Mafia Cops" |
5. The real Mafiosos
-To get an authentic feel for the film, Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote the book Wiseguy in which this film is based, hired actual Mafia members as extras. These Mafiosos maintained a very low profile considering their normal day to day work and reportedly gave fake Social Security numbers to Warner Bros, the film's distributor. It's a mystery how they were paid.
6. The words from a Don to a Director
-According to Martin Scorsese, he had received advice from none other than Marlon Brando. Brando is most famous for his role as a Mafia don named Vito Corleone. He tried to advise Scorsese not to take this film on. Scorsese didn't listen and he came out pretty good: he received two nominations for Oscars for Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. All because of his film Goodfellas
7. One reason to be angry
-While filming, Ray Liotta's mother had died of cancer. Not surprisingly, he was under a lot of stress and feeling angry about losing his mother. He put some of that anger to use in some scenes. You can see the anger on his face in the scene where he pistol whips Karen's neighbor for touching her inappropriately
8. The Iconic Bar Entry Scene
-This scene, underscored by the song "And Then He Kissed Me" by The Crystals, is one of the more iconic scenes in the movie. This scene shows a point of view look at Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and Karen (Lorraine Bracco) skipping the long line at the Copacabana Club by going through the kitchen. This came as a result of logistics. The nightclub wouldn't allow Scorsese to film them going through the front door, so the crew was ordered to find another entrance. The entrance through the kitchen proved to be the successful choice, despite requiring eight takes. This long journey through the kitchen was meant to represent a symbol of the life that was ahead for young Henry. According to Scorsese "It had to be done in one sweeping shot, because it's his seduction of her and it's also the lifestyle seducing him."
9. Paulie Slapping Henry
-In the scene where Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino) is talking with Henry (Ray Liotta) and warning him to not get involved with drug dealing following his release from prison, Cicero slaps Henry to get the point across. He also warns Henry to not get involved with Tommy DeVito. He says that Tommy is a "cowboy", has too much to prove. That slap between Liotta and Sorvino was improvised, which explains the genuinely shocked look on Liotta's face. He had no idea it was going to happen
10. Paul Sorvino's dilemma
-Three days prior to filming, Paul Sorvino thought he didn't have what it took to successfully play Paulie Cicero. He called his agent to tell his decision and was told, in return, to think it over for a day before officially dropping out. That night, Sorvino looked in the mirror, in self reflection and realized he had what it took to be a stone cold mob member. He uses that icy stare throughout the movie and he decided to stick with it
11. The Bamboo Lounge
-Tony Darrow, who played Sonny Bunz, was the owner of The Bamboo Lounge. Henry, Tommy, Jimmy and the rest of the crew spend a lot of time there. There was an actual bar called The Bamboo Lounge. It was located in Canarsie, Brooklyn, a predominantly Italian area. In one scene, Bunz and Cicero (Paul Sorvino) are talking. Bunz asks for help. Martin Scorsese asked Bunz to improvise some of his lines, which surprised Sorvino. The confused looks on Sorvino's face are for real because he hadn't expected them
12. Attention to Detail
-Martin Scorsese is known for his near obsessive attention to detail. He wants everything era-accurate for films he directs. This film is no different. According to Ray Liotta, Scorsese was so fixed on the wardrobe worn by the cast that he himself insisted on tying the tie Liotta wore instead of Liotta himself tying it. Scorsese wanted the clothing to both reflect the accurate time period and also the Mafia culture of New York
13. More Attention to Detail
-There's a very good reason why almost every movie Martin Scorsese has directed, Robert De Niro has been a part of. They are both talented and also have a massive work ethic and take their work very seriously. An example includes the real Henry Hill being on set during the filming of Goodfellas. He said Robert De Niro would call him 7-8 times a day to ask about Jimmy Burke, who De Niro's character Jimmy "The Gent" Conway was based on. He even asked about minute details such as the way Jimmy would hold a cigarette
14. More Details
-When De Niro talked to Henry Hill, he was given all sorts of tips and advice. When Jimmy, Tommy and Henry eat at Tommy's mother's house, De Niro wanted to know how to apply ketchup to his plate ahead of time. Hill informed him that Jimmy would rub the bottle when putting ketchup on his plate. That is what De Niro does at the table
15. A Role Turned Down
-Ray Liotta was actually offered the role of District Attorney Harvey Dent in the 1989 film Batman. He turned it down in favor of Goodfellas. He accepted this film for several reasons. 1.) because it was a lead role, 2.) the chance to work with Martin Scorsese, 3.) the incredible cast. The role of Harvey Dent went to Billy Dee Williams instead
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| Billy Dee Williams as DA Harvey Dent in Batman (1989) |
16. "How am I funny?"
-This famous scene spawned the line "am I a clown?" The scene where Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) confronts Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), in a joking way, was inspired by a real life incident from Joe Pesci's life. When he was a young man working at a restaurant, he told a man who happened to be a mob member that he was funny. The mobster didn't appreciate the compliment. Pesci told this story to Scorsese, who loved it and insisted it go in the film. Pesci won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for this film
17. Someone else as Jimmy?
-Robert De Niro was not the original choice as Jimmy "The Gent" Conway. Actor Al Pacino was the original choice. He turned the role down in fear of being typecast. Luckily, Pacino had been cast as Michael Corleone in The Godfather series. Since he turned down this role, it went to Robert De Niro instead. Pacino then took the role of Big Boy Caprice in the film Dick Tracy (1990). Some feel it was an odd choice, given that his character was a gangster who ran a criminal world. Later, he admitted turning down Goodfellas was a mistake.
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| Robert De Niro as Jimmy "The Gent" Conway in Goodfellas |
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| Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice in Dick Tracy |
18. The jewelry worn by Lorraine Bracco
-It turned out that not only did Martin Scorsese AND Robert De Niro value authenticity, but so did Lorraine Bracco. She insisted the jewelry her character Karen Hill wear be real jewelry. The production designer got her real jewelry. It was real gold and expensive stones for Karen's dresser. Armed guards were on hand to protect the items
19. The two Henrys
-Ray Liotta had never been directed by Martin Scorsese. He didn't want Ray Liotta being influenced prior to filming, so he discouraged Liotta from having any contact with the real life Henry Hill. In 2004, both Ray Liotta and the real Henry Hill posed together in Los Angeles
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| It's sad to think both of these gentlemen are no longer alive |
20. The Real Henry Hill
-In order to accurately play him, Ray Liotta consulted the real Henry Hill to make sure he played him as accurately as possible. While driving to the set each day, Liotta would listen to cassettes of interviews that Hill did with Nicholas Pileggi, the author of Wiseguy, the book in which this film is derived. Hill would casually discuss murders and other crimes on tape, as if they were no problem. Liotta even recalled hearing Hill eating potato chips while discussing these crimes. On June 12, 2012, Hill died from heart disease at the age of 69. He had suffered from substance abuse most of his life
21. A story based on a book
-Nicholas Pileggi was an outsider who had a unique chance to learn about the mob. He learned about it while interviewing real life mobster Henry Hill. His book was called Wiseguy and was released in 1985
22. Hill and Pileggi's relationship
-At the time, Pileggi was dating Nora Ephron, who worked as a screenwriter and filmmaker. He would marry and live with until her death in 2012. Hill taught the both of them valuable lessons. Pileggi took Hill's life experiences and turned it into Wiseguy while Ephron took Hill's story and turned it into My Blue Heaven
23. Scorsese and Pileggi were thinking the same thing
-Scorsese was busy directing The Color of Money and he read a review of the book Wiseguy. He enjoyed it thoroughly and considered turning it into a movie. Stories have been told over the years that Scorsese told Pileggi "I've been waiting for this book my whole life" while Pileggi responded "I've been waiting for this phone call my whole life."
24. Shooting of the film was postponed
-Filming for Goodfellas took a backseat to another project Scorsese was working on at the time. This project was far more positive in terms of outlook-it was The Last Temptation of Christ. Funding came through for this film and he wanted to finish this before moving onto Goodfellas
25. Pileggi entered the movie industry with Goodfellas
-Pileggi has worked his entire life as a journalist and non-fiction writer. Then he wrote Wiseguy, depicting the life of a mob associate named Henry Hill. Scorsese rarely, if ever, gets scripting credit for his films. He personally asked that Pileggi be on set during the filming and both got credit. The same situation occurred with another book Pileggi had written, which was turned into the film Casino
26. Initially, the movie didn't have enough finances to finish
-Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, was the film's main figure. He was not the first actor cast nor was his casting enough to get a green light to start filming. Instead, Robert De Niro, who was cast as Jimmy "The Gent" Conway, helped the film get the necessary money to commence filming
27. Ray Liotta had to fight for the role of Henry Hill
-Since, at the time, Ray Liotta was not a well known name, he almost didn't get the role. The company behind the filming wanted a better known name. But Martin Scorsese came to Liotta's defense and said he was impressed by Liotta in Something Wild. Liotta read the book Wiseguy and had to fight hard to win the role.
28. It's a family thing
-This film is a historical film going from the time period 1955-1980. There are some well known actors in this film. They can perform as themselves. A good example of this is Bobby Vinton, an old time crooner from the 1950s. By 1990, he was considered too old for the film to play a younger version of himself. Scorsese had a plan to resolve this. He would use Vinton's son Robbie Vinton to portray him in the film
29. The various methods of acting
-All of the actors and actresses in the film used different methods of acting. They all came from different acting backgrounds. Robert De Niro worked hard, almost obsessively, on making his character Jimmy "The Gent" Conway as close to the real person, Jimmy Burke, as he could. He even took to calling the real Henry Hill and peppering him with questions like how Jimmy would hold a cigarette. Lorraine Bracco, who played Karen Hill, made the choice to never meet the real person her character was based on
30. Plenty of room for improv
-Despite writing the script with the help of Nicholas Pileggi, Scorsese didn't treat every word as law. He always left room to add on something. He encouraged the actors to ad lib and improvise in their scenes. The scene that came up unannounced was Tommy DeVito's "Funny how?" rant
31. The Copacabana scene took eight times to get it right
-The famed scene where Henry Hill and Karen Hill are entering the Copacabana Club took eight takes to get it right because it had to happen all at once.
32. An ending referencing an early film
-At the end of the film, Joe Pesci shoots a gun into the camera. Despite it appearing random, there's some logic to it. The film The Great Train Robbery ends this way. It's likely that anyone who studied cinema in college will get the reference
33. Scorsese didn't win at the Oscars, but he won a different award
-While six Oscars were nominated for Goodfellas, including "Best Picture", "Best Director", many of the critics believed it should have won over the Kevin Costner-directed Dances with Wolves. Not everyone agreed. Scorsese did, however, receive the Silver Lion, the Best Director Award, at the Venice International Film Festival
34. Joe Pesci spoke briefly at the Academy Awards
-Only one Oscar was given out related to Goodfellas that night. It was given to Joe Pesci for his role as the psychotic Tommy DeVito. He won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He said "It's my priviledge; I'm grateful."
35. There was one mistake that ended up being fine
-"Based on a true story" movies always end up making mistakes that somehow work out for the better. This film is no different. There was one mistake that worked out. In the scene where Sandy, played by Debi Mazar, meets Henry for the first time, she trips over the dolly track. Scorsese didn't reshoot it because it suggested she had fallen.
36. An injury on set
-This one was not on here. This one can be found on both the Did You Know section of IMDb.com for the film Goodfellas and in a little more detail in the book Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos by Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirrpa. Michael Imperioli goes into fine detail about this because he's the one who played the character who was injured. While filming the scene where Spider (Michael Imperioli) gets shot fatally by Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) for mouthing off to him, he accidentally smashed a glass in his hand. He had to be rushed to the hospital to treat the injury. He was still wearing his bullet-riddled clothing and the doctors thought he was the victim of a shooting. They ripped off his shirt to find explosive squibs to blow bullet-like holes into his shirt in addition to fake blood packs attached to his chest. After telling doctors he was filming a movie and that it was actually his hand, he showed them his openly bleeding hand and they stitched him up. He also mentions that he was only 23 at the time Goodfellas was filmed; that's why he looks so young and that Goodfellas was one of the first major roles he had gotten.
