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Who was the greatest Don? #606926
07/04/11 08:19 PM
07/04/11 08:19 PM
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The Ravenite Social Club
Don Cardi Offline OP
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Don Cardi  Offline OP
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From a Mafia point of veiw, who do you think was the greatest Boss/Don in Mob history?



Don Cardi cool

Five - ten years from now, they're gonna wish there was American Cosa Nostra. Five - ten years from now, they're gonna miss John Gotti.




Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #606928
07/04/11 08:26 PM
07/04/11 08:26 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 3,039
J
JCrusher Offline
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JCrusher  Offline
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I'd say Carlo gambino was. I mean he ran the crime family for 20 years and avoided any significant jailtime. He also was the boss of bosses at a time when the mafia was in full force. He was probably one of the smartest dons ever. Also Santo Trafficante was another guy who ran his thing in Florida without drawing much attention

Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #606935
07/04/11 10:11 PM
07/04/11 10:11 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 80
New Joisy and Naples
Gumad Offline
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Gumad  Offline
Button
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Posts: 80
New Joisy and Naples
Don Corleone


Touch my stuff.....I kill ya
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: JCrusher] #606936
07/04/11 10:13 PM
07/04/11 10:13 PM
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 477
Ontario
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Mussolini14 Offline
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Ontario
Originally Posted By: JCrusher
I'd say Carlo gambino was. I mean he ran the crime family for 20 years and avoided any significant jailtime. He also was the boss of bosses at a time when the mafia was in full force. He was probably one of the smartest dons ever. Also Santo Trafficante was another guy who ran his thing in Florida without drawing much attention


As good as Gambino, Accardo and Trafficante were I think the obvious answer Is John Stanfa. Time after time Stanfa showed his brilliance and acuity. He was clearly in a league of his own when it came to out foxing his enemies and law enforcement. I kid I kid.

Seriously though, I agree with Gambino and Trafficante but believe Tony Accardo deserves mention too. He lead the Outfit for decades and never spent a day in jail.

I'm not sure exactly what year Accardo became the official boss but I believe it was some time in the mid to late forties and he had the final say on all Outfit business until his death in 1992. Even when Accardo took himself down and made himself the "consigliere" giving the title of boss to Giancanna and later to Joey "Doves" Aiuppa, I think everyone would agree that Accardo was the one with the most power and influence and had the final say.


Last edited by Mussolini14; 07/05/11 10:38 AM.
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #606938
07/04/11 10:42 PM
07/04/11 10:42 PM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 22,902
New York
SC Offline
Consigliere
SC  Offline
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New York
Do Ho. (His racket was prostitution, thus his name).


.
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #606949
07/05/11 12:29 AM
07/05/11 12:29 AM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,171
pittsburgh pa
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phatmatress Offline
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Underboss
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pittsburgh pa
i always thought angelo bruno was a great don. not the greatest but he knew how to keep things quiet smooth.


I hate Dicknoses!!!!!!
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #606954
07/05/11 01:02 AM
07/05/11 01:02 AM
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VinnyGorgeous Offline
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The greatest boss in NY was probably The Chin. He came at a time when the FBI was really going for the jugular of LCN and he still managed to run his ship relatively smoothly. Very few rats and the cases against them were usually weak. The Chin, due to his cunning ways and clever thinking, was able to stay on the street for sixteen years as boss and he did it at a time when it was virtually impossible to do so.

Outside NY, I would say it's a tie between Accardo and Trafficante. Relatively no jail time and they were able to remain powerful till the end.


"What is given, can be taken away. Everyone lies. Everyone dies." - Casey Anthony, in a poem, July 7, 2008
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: SC] #606956
07/05/11 03:39 AM
07/05/11 03:39 AM
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 837
BarrettM Offline
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BarrettM  Offline
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Let's see here.

Frank DeSimone
Cola Schiro
Agree on Stanfa
Joseph Pinzolo whose only known orders were 'give me whores Joe Valachi'

Just kidding. After reading The Valachi Papers, I feel Salvatore Maranzano never got enough credit. He was educated and invented the hierarchy that has allowed Cosa Nostra to live past any other American crime syndicates. Furthermore, his moves against Masseria were calculating and efficient, true to his businessman nature - he made a smart move taking out only the chief confidantes to Masseria, the war was over fast!

Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #606960
07/05/11 07:21 AM
07/05/11 07:21 AM
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 725
Northumberland England
GaryH Offline
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GaryH  Offline
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Northumberland England
Old man Gambino would be my pick

Tommy Lucchese deserves a mention too.

THe Chin gets a consolation prize because as Vinny said he was a boss when it wasnt really a good time to be a boss

Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: GaryH] #606971
07/05/11 10:49 AM
07/05/11 10:49 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,296
Throggs Neck
pizzaboy Offline
The Fuckin Doctor
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Throggs Neck
The greatest Don ever.



"I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books." --- George Costanza.
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: pizzaboy] #606981
07/05/11 01:16 PM
07/05/11 01:16 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 227
Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto
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ONTARIO613 Offline
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Made Member
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Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto
Can anyone give some information regarding the relationship between Carlo Gambino And Joe Profaci I hear that Profaci helped Gambino Along early in his Carrear only to be stabbed in the back when gambino and Luchese told him to step down in 62 this is I think a prime example of Gambino`s treacherous nature and how wouldnt think twice about and he was more than willing to fck over men who had helped him greatly in his career because of his treacherous nature can anyone add some info on this I`m curious to know.

Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #606982
07/05/11 01:25 PM
07/05/11 01:25 PM
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Posts: 111
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Tyler_Durden Offline
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For my money it's either Tommy Lucchese or Frank Costello.

Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Tyler_Durden] #606989
07/05/11 03:12 PM
07/05/11 03:12 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 227
Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto
O
ONTARIO613 Offline
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ONTARIO613  Offline
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Made Member
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Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto
Cascio Ferro
Meyer Lansky(On top of everything else he ran a big gambling empire in havana and was untouchable I give him Don status)
Joe Bonanno
Joe Profaci
Carlo gambino

Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #606992
07/05/11 03:17 PM
07/05/11 03:17 PM
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Posts: 3,568
Sonny_Black Offline
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Frank Costello was a great businessman, bot I'm not sure if he was in fact also a good crime boss. You need more than brains for that.

Joe Bonanno sat on the top for over 30 years, that says something.. For the rest, the obvious ones, Luciano, Accardo, Gambino, Gigante..

I won't name Santo Trafficate. While he could very well have been a capable leader, he was never tested to run a very large criminal organization like the ones in New York or Chicago.


"It was between the brothers Kay -- I had nothing to do with it."
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Sonny_Black] #606994
07/05/11 04:25 PM
07/05/11 04:25 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,485
AZ
Turnbull Offline
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AZ
Can't disagree with Gambino and Accardo. But my vote goes to Charlie Luciano, the founding father of the modern American Mafia. He got rid of the Moustache Petes (Masseria and Maranzano), founded the Commission, and accepted partnership from non-Sicilians and even non-Italians, if they had something to contribute.


Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu,
E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu...
E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu
Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: pizzaboy] #606996
07/05/11 04:38 PM
07/05/11 04:38 PM
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VinnyGorgeous Offline
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Originally Posted By: pizzaboy
The greatest Don ever.



I take back what I said initially. The greatest don was probably Barney Fife. A lot of people don't know this, but it was Barney who really ran the Genovese family between 1931 and 1984. He is not to be mistaken for Barney Bellomo. That guy is a nobody.


"What is given, can be taken away. Everyone lies. Everyone dies." - Casey Anthony, in a poem, July 7, 2008
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: VinnyGorgeous] #607008
07/05/11 05:46 PM
07/05/11 05:46 PM
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Posts: 3,568
Sonny_Black Offline
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Originally Posted By: VinnyGorgeous
Originally Posted By: pizzaboy
The greatest Don ever.



I take back what I said initially. The greatest don was probably Barney Fife. A lot of people don't know this, but it was Barney who really ran the Genovese family between 1931 and 1984. He is not to be mistaken for Barney Bellomo. That guy is a nobody.


That's bull and you know it. Everybody knows Barney Five was an actor, stop using dope.

What most people don't know however is that is was in fact Guarino "Willie" Moretti who ran the Genovese family at least since Lucky was sent to the can. That's right, he faked his disease and death. It was actually his twin brother who was killed who was hidden behind an iron mask in some basement for most of his life. Costello and Genovese were in fact his proxies until he handed over power to Gigante somewhere in the 1970s. From whom do you think Gigante got his act? Make an educated guess...


"It was between the brothers Kay -- I had nothing to do with it."
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #607009
07/05/11 05:47 PM
07/05/11 05:47 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 151
S
Southphilly4ever Offline
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Southphilly4ever  Offline
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Posts: 151
Carlos Marcello

3 decades as boss, Illegal immigrant who managed to stay in this country (even after deported) despite his known status. Never convicted, no attempts on his life that I can think of, never did hard time and died of natural causes.

Lets not forget if he did have something to do with JFK and got away with that it really puts him over the top.

Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #607010
07/05/11 05:54 PM
07/05/11 05:54 PM
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 343
Mooney Offline
Capo
Mooney  Offline
Capo
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 343
Accardo


"Thank God for the American Jury System" - Nicky Scarfo
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Sonny_Black] #607015
07/05/11 07:33 PM
07/05/11 07:33 PM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,635
V
VinnyGorgeous Offline
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Originally Posted By: Sonny_Black
Originally Posted By: VinnyGorgeous
Originally Posted By: pizzaboy
The greatest Don ever.



I take back what I said initially. The greatest don was probably Barney Fife. A lot of people don't know this, but it was Barney who really ran the Genovese family between 1931 and 1984. He is not to be mistaken for Barney Bellomo. That guy is a nobody.


That's bull and you know it. Everybody knows Barney Five was an actor, stop using dope.


You're talking about a different guy. I'm talking about Barney FIFE..Not Barney FiVe! Barney Fife was a ruthless gangster, who during the day, worked as deputy sheriff in the sleepy, slow paced southern community of Mayberry, North Carolina.

Barney FiVe was an actor, that's true. He was great in Critters 2. If I'm not mistaken, he played 'boy with yo-yo'.


"What is given, can be taken away. Everyone lies. Everyone dies." - Casey Anthony, in a poem, July 7, 2008
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: VinnyGorgeous] #607022
07/06/11 04:41 AM
07/06/11 04:41 AM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 227
Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto
O
ONTARIO613 Offline
Made Member
ONTARIO613  Offline
O
Made Member
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Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto
also the financiers like Alfonso Caruana, Nicolo Rizzuto, Vito rizzuto, Vic Cotroni, Jack Tocco

Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: ONTARIO613] #607025
07/06/11 07:18 AM
07/06/11 07:18 AM
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 8
At Your Computer Screen
Devroy_Jones Offline
Associate
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At Your Computer Screen
Its gotta be Charles 'Lucky' Luciano....other notable mentions would include Carlo 'The Godfather' Gambino, Santo Trafficante Jr., Vinny 'The Chin' Gigante, Salvatore Riina, Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo, Tony Accardo, Angelo 'The Gentle Don' Bruno....

*NOTE* Salvatore Riina operated on Sicily as u guys know...i just had doubts whether i could include sicilian mobsters too....


Charlie Luciano is the rightful Capo Di Tutti Capi...., Al Capone sucks rat shit.
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Turnbull] #607065
07/06/11 07:09 PM
07/06/11 07:09 PM
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 18,238
The Ravenite Social Club
Don Cardi Offline OP
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Don Cardi  Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: Turnbull
Can't disagree with Gambino and Accardo. But my vote goes to Charlie Luciano, the founding father of the modern American Mafia. He got rid of the Moustache Petes (Masseria and Maranzano), founded the Commission, and accepted partnership from non-Sicilians and even non-Italians, if they had something to contribute.



Hmmmmm. While I agree that Charlie Lucky was indeed an entrepreneur in the underworld who, as you correctly point out, 'modernized' the mafia and organized a board of directors, if you will, that incorporated not only mafia leaders from around the country but also non Sicilians and non Italians, I have to respectfully disagree with you about his being the GREATEST Don..

My vote goes to Carlo Gambino. Don Carlo was able to stay waaaayyy under the radar not only during his rise in the underworld , but more importantly throughout his entire Donship. He ruled with an iron fist....spoke softly but carried a big stick. Don Carlo was able to seperate himself from ever being directly tied in with an order that he may have given out....made sure that he had a lot of buffers in his chain of command.

No question that Luciano was the Bill Gates of the mob who had the ability to partner up with a genius like Meyer Lansky and construct a 'corportion' of sorts. But to me what makes Luciano fall short of being the GREATEST Don is the fact that he liked to live the lavish life which eventually contributed histo his demise.

In my humble opinion if not for Lansky, Charlie Lucky wouldn't have ever risen to the position that he did.



Don Cardi cool

Five - ten years from now, they're gonna wish there was American Cosa Nostra. Five - ten years from now, they're gonna miss John Gotti.




Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Turnbull] #607068
07/06/11 07:42 PM
07/06/11 07:42 PM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 22,902
New York
SC Offline
Consigliere
SC  Offline
Consigliere

Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 22,902
New York
Originally Posted By: Turnbull
my vote goes to Charlie Luciano


Originally Posted By: Don Cardi
My vote goes to Carlo Gambino.


Fuhgeddaboudit, youse two. My vote stays with Don Ho.

Could either Luciano or Gambino sing "Tiny Bubbles"?


.
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: SC] #607069
07/06/11 08:13 PM
07/06/11 08:13 PM
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 18,238
The Ravenite Social Club
Don Cardi Offline OP
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Don Cardi  Offline OP
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The Ravenite Social Club
Originally Posted By: SC
Don Ho. (His racket was prostitution, thus his name).



DON CORRADO HO

NEW YORK — A woman accused of pimping for the Ho crime family has been sentenced to nine months of house arrest. She apologized to the court Friday before a Manhattan judge decided her fate. The 40-year-old was among 14 suspects arrested last year on charges they ran a prostitution ring for notorious mob boss Don Corrado Ho.


Ho was exposed SC....Don Carlo never was...So I just don't agree with you about Ho being the greatest Don!



Don Cardi cool

Five - ten years from now, they're gonna wish there was American Cosa Nostra. Five - ten years from now, they're gonna miss John Gotti.




Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Don Cardi] #607070
07/06/11 08:18 PM
07/06/11 08:18 PM
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,568
Sonny_Black Offline
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Sonny_Black  Offline
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Posts: 3,568
Originally Posted By: Don Cardi
Hmmmmm. While I agree that Charlie Lucky was indeed an entrepreneur in the underworld who, as you correctly point out, 'modernized' the mafia and organized a board of directors, if you will, that incorporated not only mafia leaders from around the country but also non Sicilians and non Italians, I have to respectfully disagree with you about his being the GREATEST Don..

No question that Luciano was the Bill Gates of the mob who had the ability to partner up with a genius like Meyer Lansky and construct a 'corportion' of sorts. But to me what makes Luciano fall short of being the GREATEST Don is the fact that he liked to live the lavish life which eventually contributed histo his demise.

In my humble opinion if not for Lansky, Charlie Lucky wouldn't have ever risen to the position that he did.


I wonder this sometimes too. And the same counts for Costello. Luciano and Costello were more "business men" than crime bosses.

For a real "Don" type I would rather go for guys like Gambino, Gigante, etc. Guys like that would probably not risen high in the legitimate world as they were born to be gangsters.


"It was between the brothers Kay -- I had nothing to do with it."
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Devroy_Jones] #607080
07/07/11 12:43 AM
07/07/11 12:43 AM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 498
Texas
TonyG Offline
Capo
TonyG  Offline
Capo
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 498
Texas
My votes go to Accardo, Gambino, Lucchese and Costello.

All died in their own beds, did no or little time, made a mint and corrupted politicians and the justice system. I think each would be described as a criminal genius.

Last edited by TonyG; 07/07/11 12:45 AM.

Best way to catch the smart ones? Get an idiot working for them.
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Devroy_Jones] #607081
07/07/11 12:47 AM
07/07/11 12:47 AM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 498
Texas
TonyG Offline
Capo
TonyG  Offline
Capo
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Posts: 498
Texas
Originally Posted By: Devroy_Jones
Its gotta be Charles 'Lucky' Luciano....other notable mentions would include Carlo 'The Godfather' Gambino, Santo Trafficante Jr., Vinny 'The Chin' Gigante, Salvatore Riina, Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo, Tony Accardo, Angelo 'The Gentle Don' Bruno....


I am surprised you include Scarfo on this list. I would rate him as one of the worst. He was paranoid and always killing someone. He almost destroyed the Philly Mob.

Just curious, but I do not see any greatness there.


Best way to catch the smart ones? Get an idiot working for them.
Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Southphilly4ever] #607083
07/07/11 12:54 AM
07/07/11 12:54 AM
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Posts: 477
Ontario
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Mussolini14 Offline
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Ontario
Originally Posted By: Southphilly4ever
Carlos Marcello

3 decades as boss, Illegal immigrant who managed to stay in this country (even after deported) despite his known status. Never convicted, no attempts on his life that I can think of, never did hard time and died of natural causes.

Lets not forget if he did have something to do with JFK and got away with that it really puts him over the top.


Marcello does deserve mention. I think he did about 6-7 years but I guess for a wiseguy that's not "hard time". What would you guys consider "hard time"? 10+ years? 15 years?

I'm not talking about an average guy but "hard time" in terms of what a wiseguy would consider "hard time". Apparently Frankie Coppa considered 2 years hard time and burst into tears in front of all the inmates.

Re: Who was the greatest Don? [Re: Mussolini14] #607085
07/07/11 01:27 AM
07/07/11 01:27 AM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 2,414
Bar Vitelli, Queens, NY
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Signor Vitelli  Offline
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Bar Vitelli, Queens, NY
I find myself in general agreement with Don Cardi's post, above, regarding Carlo Gambino being the "greatest" Mafia Don. He managed to insulate himself amazingly well, and certainly lived to a ripe old age - not something common in his line of work. So Gambino gets my vote as the Number One Greatest Don.

However, my vote for Number Two would have to be:

That's right, Don Martin. One look at him, and you realize immediately where Vinny "The Chin" Gigante learned all he knew about acting "Mad." He had an excellent teacher, one who really managed to fly under the radar for a great many years and remained virtually unnoticed by the Feds.

Signor V.


"For me, there's only my wife..."

"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"

"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"

"It was a grass harp... And we listened."

"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"

"No. Saints and poets, maybe... they do some."


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