I notice that many legendary, hardcore gangsters have really sissified sons who followed them into the life. Examples below:

John Gotti Sr. - John Gotti Jr.

John Franzese - both Michael and John Franzese Jr.

Giuseppe Bonanno - Salvatore Bonanno or Bill

William Cutolo Sr. - William Cutolo Jr.

I won't count those who didn't go into the life either as an associate or a made man, but this is truly a phenomenon. Any more?

Raymond Patriarca Sr. - Raymond Patriarca Jr.

Oh yeah, forgot about him. At least he didn't turn rat, to my knowledge.

Gotti Jr. before he proffered was respected on the street, he could never fill his fathers shoes.
Michael Franzesse was white collar he brought tens of millions into the family, could never walk in his fathers shoes.

Don’t know the full story about Bonnano, I think he led a faction during the banana war and stood his ground.

If we're talking grandsons,

Vincent Gigante - Vincent Fyfe

Andrew Russo - Frangesco Russo

Word out there is that Bill Bonanno was an informant during the Banana War. Even if he wasn't, it's hard not to see him as just someone who rode his father's coattails. He really didn't stand out from his father and make a name for himself or do anything extraordinary in The Life

Carlo Bommarito was a Detroit made man son of Frank (Frankie the Bomb) Bommarito,that was the link between the bikers and the blacks and Albanians.
Thanks his father he was made before his 30th birthday but become a junkie and become stealing from common racket so Carlo was killed with an overdose.

Wow I'm surprised anything like that came from Detroit, they're known for having their shit together.

I used the word sissy, but this doesn't necessarily have to be about how tough they were or not. Just guys that turned out to be not-so-flattering or legendary. We can even branch out and talk about grandkids, nephews, brothers, and cousins.

It's quite funny how people love to point out how the Angiulo brothers basically bought their way into the Patriarca Family, but truth is that they all earned tremendous money for the Family and none of them turned rat. Maybe it was against Mafia protocol, but was it really a mistake? They were assets! Meanwhile you got guys who entered into the Society the "right" way flipping and turning all over the place. Just thought it strange.

I disagree that Junior Gotti was respected on the street..His position might have been respected, but he wasn't...He was a clown, walking around trying to give reporters the same soundbites that his father gave..Even Delonardo says Joe Watts, an associate had no respect for him at all...

Cutolo jr. saying he went by Allie Boy's house and was ready to kill him is pure fantasy land stuff...

Bill Bonanno wanted to come off like some big tough guy, but he comes off more like a school teacher to me..Like Junior Gotti, he'd be nothing without his old man...

Michael Franzese: As soon as he had to do jail time, he rolled..And like Gravano told him, he never even broke an egg in his life

I really cannot stand Michael Franzese. Talk about a fucking blowhard.

Yeah my stomach turns everytime I see Michael Franzese and his rat denials and fake born again shit. And like everything else in this world, people justify it with "Well he's making money...."

You two have him pegged perfectly...Its frustrating to literally see hundreds of thousands of suckers believe every word he says...They wanna believe its all true, or ar just to naive to know any better

Any former member of the life that's making youtube videos trying to rehash their glory days is clearly a broke, desperate, attention seeking scumbag, but the way he hides behind "finding God" is despicable. He also recycles the same handful of stories, then charges people money to join his online "crew." Whatever the hell that is....

Yeah, outside of his gas stories, he doesn't have much else other then making stories up like Chin sent for him and offered him to switch families etc...

The born again stuff is really offensive, and everyone buys it hook, line and sinker....Gravano exposed him for a fraud, because as soon as Franzese got angry, the 4 letter words started coming out...The way he trashes his family, wouldn't even attend their funerals..what kind of christian is that ??

And to say that he didn't wanna be the focus of the funeral is bs...He either didn't give a hoot about going, or he was too scared to go...My guess, a little bit of both

Bingo!

I'm surprised we're this many posts into this thread without someone having mentioned Tommy Gambino yet.

Thomas Gambino can very well be considered a sissy, but he's been a tremendous earner, has served very little time, and hasn't turned rat as far as we know. He has set himself apart from Carlo Gambino, he's proved that he can be a tremendous asset to the Family without Don Carlo. So I'll give him a pass.

Thomas Gambino was “sissy” in the eyes of guys like John Gotti who was a glorified fuckin loanshark. The guy kept silent, served time, led a crew for around 20-30 years, was humble and kept his head down and will probably die an old man, free in his bed, with millions of dollars to his name. Not unlike his father.

If Paul had had his way, and Tommy had been named Acting Boss after Paul went to prison, we might have much stronger and less damaged Gambino family now. Tommy wouldn’t have had all his Capos reporting to the Ravenite or blabbing about murders on tape.

Gregory DePalma - Craig DePalma.

Jackie I agree with every word you've said. I only brought him up because Gravano himself would refer to Tommy as "the sissy dressmaker".

Whether Big Paul stuck around somehow, or whether Tommy ran things, or Nino Gaggi, or any one of the business guys from that side of the family with the exception of Scotto who was pretty high profile in his own right - would have been a better boss than John Gotti. Any one of the old school blue collar hoodlums would have been better too although maybe not as profitable a family.

On that we totally agree 100%.

Isnt that an example of keeping their house in order?

The son turned out to be a junky so the father gave him a "HOT DOSE"

That had to be tough on a father to do that and live with it.

I do not think Gotti Jr is anything close to a sissy.

Disgraceful. You’d murder your son if he was a junkie??

Me never that’s one of the reasons I never joined.
I couldn’t do what was required.

I don't know if Gotti Jr was necessarily a 'sissy," but he wasn't as about that life as his father, and I don't consider him as much of a gangster, mob-wise. For one thing, his father, despite being an idiot for a mob boss, loved the life, Junior on the other hand really didn't want it. I just don't think he was a good fit for that life. Just my opinion.

Agree but he was very far from a sissy/ wimp. He endured some tough time in the SHU ar MCC. . Most men would have hung themselves.

May I ask why he was in WITSEC? Was he a turncoat?

Jackie, the Gambino Family is actually on the upswing, they're stronger than they were 20 years ago. They were at their weakest under Peter Gotti. This new administration is working wonders. Not yet as strong as under Carlo Gambino or Paul Castellano, but they're not at their weakest.