Sonny from "A Bronx Tale"

Apologies if this has been answered before (I did search on the forum), but is it known who Sonny was based on? What about any of the other characters? I know some of the bronx guys on here say the movie is spot on so I imagine Sonny must have been based on someone. Thanks.

Sonny was a composite. He wasn't based on anyone, in particular. As a matter of fact, it's been rumored that, if anything, the Sonny character was based on a guy from the North End of Boston.

I've mentioned this here before. But when Chazz first moved to LA, his roommate was an Italian-American guy from the North End. He later claimed that Chazz lifted much of the basis for the play and the movie from him. Chazz eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money. Why pay when you have nothing to worry about? Where there's smoke there's fire.

That said, it doesn't diminish what Chazz accomplished with the play, the film, or his life. And even if the movie was largely fictional, it still perfectly captured the SPIRIT of the neighborhood at that time. Chazz is six or seven years older than I am. But we're close enough in age where I remember that time as well as he does.

As an aside (and I've also mentioned this before), but the part about the Black girl was not in the original play. We saw it on the East Side when it first opened back in '89. DeNiro added that for the film. And to his credit, the racial element worked. Chazz had to add it to the one man play years later when he revived it.

PB:

My father grew up in the Bronx before moving downtown when his aunt died and we saw that movie together when I was younger. He said that the movie was very true to life. Two observations he made. One was that the relationship with the black girl was bs. He said it never would have happened back in the neighborhood then and 2, the scene with the dice game in the basement. My father said that some of the guys in the scene were Bronx guys (gangsters) that my father grew up with and DeNiro put them in for authenticity. I have no need to doubt my father who grew up with a bunch of characters, but since he does when I was relatively young, was wondering if his observations were correct. Hope the post is ok using my iPhone

Meant died not does at the end of the last post

He's right. And this has nothing to do with race relations or how liberal and/or tolerant you are TODAY. But we're talking about the '60s. And I've got news for you, the old ladies would have been more judgemental than the men.

It's like I said, it wasn't in the play. We saw it when it opened back in '89. There was no mention of a Black girl whatsoever. DeNiro added that when he directed the film.


Half true, in the sense that they WERE neighborhood guys. And I say half true because those scenes weren't actually filmed in the Bronx.

30th Avenue in Astoria doubled for Arthur Avenue because the logistics couldn't be worked out. Filming around Fordham in the summer of 1992 would have been impossible. The only scenes that were actually filmed in the Bronx were the bus scenes. Namely the scene where DeNiro was on City Island with young Calogero.

So yeah, they did use old neighborhood guys (no made guys, by the way). But it was more a matter of Chazz reaching out to them and asking them to appear in the film. It's not like they were randomly picked off of Arthur Avenue. Because, like I said, they didn't film on Arthur Avenue.

I don't think opposition to inter racial or inter ethnic relationships reflects prejudice or intolerance.It's completely natural for people to go out with their "own".

I thought it was an interesting choice by the director to have the "bad" guy be okay with it and the "good" guy against it.

Absolutely. People tend to "stick with their own."


Interesting dichotomy. The duality of man and all that. It's like I said earlier, the Church going old ladies would have been MUCH more judgemental than the men. And this is coming from a guy who was born and raised in that neighborhood during that time frame.

pizza,
now, what's funny about the film is that Deniro is playing the character opposed to it.
He's dated some of the most beautiful Black women to ever walk the earth....so I always laugh during that scene.

Pozzaboy, I am a guy Boston guy born and raised in the north end and still around, with a VERY interesting family ties to say the least. I was wondering if you knew what guy or if the guy was a connected guy, street guy ? what part of bronx your from ? I see your very informative and in tact with your information that you input on this here form. And I learn from you about New York as I intended to do when I first joined this site. I appreciate your knowledge

Yeah, and there's that .

I just think the movie made you accept good things from people you may not like, and bad things from people you want to like. The duality of man as PB said. I didn't get a good guy/ bad guy vibe from those 2 roles

I grew up on 187th and Hoffman. Chazz grew up on 187th and Cambreleng. It's like a hundred yards lol. So I'm originally from Belmont (which is the technical real estate term for the Arthur Avenue/Little Italy section of the Bronx).

Today we split our time between Throggs Neck/Country Club (the easternmost and most suburban area of the Bronx), and Delray Beach, Florida.

As far as the guy from the North End who sued Chazz, it's a matter of public record. If I can find a link on a public webpage, I'll put it up. If not, I'll pm you later this week because right now I have my pm disabled because there are too many stalkers and trolls here lately.

And thanks for the compliment. I post what I know about, and try not to speculate about what I don't know about .

good points by pizza, and you

I used the quotation marks to highlight that these aren't standard movie types.

From what I've read JoJo the Whale is based on Fat Gigi Inglese

He was, to a degree. The degree being that they were both enormous. Because, for one thing, Gigi was a Harlem guy (although he was close to Tom Mix, and he DID spend a lot of time in the Bronx).

And for another thing---and here's the important part---no one was making Gigi go stand in the corner, or putting him in the fucking bathroom. Trust me on that .

Wasn't that kind of the point of that story line? That their relationship wasn't tolerated with the racial tension going on between their neighborhoods?

Thanks for the info, PB. It's funny because I actually always imagine you as Sonny when reading your posts! Especially the scene where he bangs one of C's friends heads against the car. I imagine that's how you must feel with some of the trolls around here.

Thanks Pizza for adding your personal reflections as a local Bronx guy. I was always wondering how authentic the movie was in terms of spirit of the neighberhood.

Thanks for all the great background information as this is one of my favorite movies ever.PB is right- back in that era, you just didn't have interracial dating.

Sorry but you can't say that "Back in that era, you didn't have interracial dating" there was. Lets not forget the Oscar winning movie, Guess who's coming to Dinner with Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn was both so popular and controversial.

Sammy Davis Jr. was married to May Britt (white) from 60 to 68
http://fanpix.famousfix.com/gallery/may-britt-pictures.htm

Not to speak for PB, but I think he was referring to the neighborhood in those days...or society in general. You can't cite movies (like guess who's coming to dinner) or entertainers (sammy davis) as the norm. Think he was referring to normal every day people (especially in a very italian neighborhood like his).

Just wanna makes sure I'm not going out with Nat King Cole, over hare



What I found brave about Scorcese's script is that he has Tommy saying this line, when earlier in the film he was complaining about prejudice against Italians. "Can you imagine a Jewish broad being prejudiced against Italians...in this day and age?"

" hey, gimme the phone. Two fuckin ni**ers( african americans) just stole my truck".
Classic goodfella's.

@Belmont

Scorsese was being ironic. And at the same time, showing the hypocrisy that most people are capable of (especially in the xenophobic world of the New York mob back then). I'm certain it was deliberate. Scorsese can subtly teach you something without preaching about it. That's a gift that can't be taught.

xenophobic? I gotta go the dictionary now!

It's basically a complete lack of trust of outsiders, it doesn't even have to apply to color, background or religion. As an ideology, it has plenty of flaws. But it's not without some merit.

You take care of your own first. That's human nature. But if you take it to the extreme where you assault people for walking down the wrong block (and that happened plenty in the Bronx when I was growing up), then you're part of the problem, not the solution.

thanks man,

All time fav Goodfellas line:

"Dr. Wellsler is here, wonderful doctor, gave a guy 6 months to live. Couldn't pay his bill, gave him another 6 months."



Kills me every time.

Its hard to imagine for someone who hasent grown up in that era and in those neighbourhoods of NY,that a guy like Sonny or a real gangster like Vario had such control of a certain part of the city.You really had to be there.
As I understand it Vario was the real power behind East NY Brownswile part of NY.
Thats what Bronx tale shows.Love that scene when C and Sonny sit in the car and drive to the bar in reverse.Sonny lived in that nhood all his life,never moving to the burbs.Although I dont like Brancatos acting at all and feel they could found somebody else,on the other hand loved Chazz s potrail of a gangster.
Dont know if somebody will get mad at me for saying this but thats how I feel.

Paulie:I don't like these people.

Rocky : You don't like em'? Well maybe they don't like you either Paulie.

Paulie: What'd I ever do to them?


Scorcese and Stallone should never be mentioned in the same paragraph, but I thought this little exchange between Rocky and Pauliie had a similar effect.From Rocky 3, when they go back to Apollo's old gym

That's a great analogy, Gets. Good scene. Paulie was one of those characters who you appreciated in spite of all his faults because of his one great attribute: His loyalty to Rocky.

Sure, he might have mooched off Rocky for a while. But after Rocky lost everything, he didn't run away. Most "entourages" are made up of yes men and sycophants who will dump a wealthy celebrity the minute things start going south. They were "old neighborhood" friends for life. And that's why I liked Paulie.

Pizza,
Not only did I like Paulie's character, I thought he was the most imposing opponent Rocky had in the whole series.Forget Drago , drunk angry Paulie with the baseball bat in the first film would have F'ed Rocky up.

I think you nailed it. I say this all the damn time...there will NEVER be a better movie about the mafia. The combination of a genius film maker and a guy who actually grew up around these guys and at this time...thats just something that can't be recreated. Sorry...I'm a total Scorsese fanboy.

Best line "I don't sweat you"

Burt Young. Tough guy in real life. He was close to Vinny DiNapoli. They had the restaurant together on Gun Hill. Il Boschetto. He came to Vinny's funeral when a lot of Hollywood phonies would have stayed away. He's still tight with Stevie, too.

Excellent character actor. I give him lots of credit for sticking it out with the acting career. He easily could have said fuck it and hit the street during the lean years. Good guy.

Chazz has said that the movie is based on his life. He said that he dated an African American girl when he as a teenager and that he was befriended by a local monster. Whether that's true or not I have no idea. Does anybody have any idea who this mobster is though?

Have you read any of my posts?

The part about the Black girl was not in the original play. The Sonny character is a composite, if that. He's not based on a real person. I lived in that neighborhood during that era. Chazz perfectly captured the SPIRIT of the neighborhood. But most of it never happened.

And please don't link me to articles about Chazz and the Black girl. What's he gonna say after DeNiro made him famous? I saw the play on the East Side in 1989. There wasn't a peep about a Black girl. DeNiro added that, and it worked. When Chazz revived the play a few years ago he had to put the Black girl in it. What choice did he have?

It doesn't diminish what Chazz has accomplished at all. But no one was shot over a parking space, a neighborhood boss wasn't shot in a local bar, and a car full of teenaged Italian bigots didn't burn to death on Webster Avenue. Trust me on that.

Best name in Hollywood.

Chazz Palminteri.



His birth-name's pretty cool too.

Where in the Bronx was IL Boschetto PB?

Towards the east end of Gun Hill Road, by I95. Not too far from Co-Op City.

Yes,just googled it,thanks PB.Was it any good.The rewievs say it was the best italian food in the Bronx?

years ago I would go to Gino's Cafe on Allerton Avenue and Chazz was always there. Also, I remember when he was the Doorman at the Limelight Disco in the '80's in NYC, where I guess he met Peter Gatien who I believe produced his movie. I used to like Gino's. Too bad they closed

It was very good, but I wouldn't call it the best.

Great place. Right around the corner from the White Castle on Boston Road. The movie would lead you to believe that Gino's was on or around Arthur Avenue. But, as you know, it wasn't even in the neighborhood.


It's a shame what happened there. The son went to one of the best cooking schools in the world, they dumped a ton of money into renovations, and then they lost the building lease. That neighborhood can't support an Italian restaurant today. Things change.

You're right PB a sad story.

Typed on google top 10 italian rest in NYC,and they only mention rest downtown,no outher borough spots or older than 5 years.Could that be or is it some kind of yuppi shit goin on?

Il Boschetto has been gone for longer than that, Alex. It was a Jamaican place for awhile. That neighborhood is mostly Haitian and Jamaican now anyway. I'm not even sure what's there now.

I think its an italian and latino place in one.Thanks pb

Yeah, that'll work .

Rocky: Come on, we're about to serve today's special.

Paulie: Italian food cooked up by a bunch of Mexicans ain't so special Rocko.

From Rocky Balboa.

Paulie ought to know that Mexicans and South Americans do the bulk of the cooking in nearly every restaurant in the city .

Ive heard of the New corner restaurant in Dyker heights,we even disccused it on this forum.It was the hangout of Armand Rava.I mention it because my unce celebrated his birthday a few years ago.PB you ever been there?Or anybody from south brooklyn,immpressions..?

It used to be very good. Old school red sauce type food. I haven't been there in years but I hear it's now just so so.

I believe you. I haven't really been reading your posts on this thread so I didn't really see you mention anything. But was the part about a mobster befriending him fiction as well? I would assume that it was if everything else was. But you're right it doesn't diminish what he's done.