Originally Posted By: pizzaboy
Originally Posted By: VitoC
I thought there was evidence to the contrary--she seemed like someone who stood up for herself and asserted herself (for example, her reaction when she found out about Henry's affair with Janice (Janice's name in real life was Linda).

You may be right about her self esteem, Vito. Who knows?

But as far as asserting herself against Henry's girlfriends, I think that was poetic license in the film. You should read "On the Run," by Greg and Gina Hill, and "The Heist," by Ernest Volkman and John Cummings. There is a ton of evidence suggesting that Henry and Karen had a VERY open marriage, including drug fueled orgies and whatnot. Henry's second wife, Kelly, actually had her own room in the same house with Henry and Karen prior to their divorce. Karen only got really upset when she thought Henry was falling in love.


Karen's reaction to Janice/Linda was not just in the movie--it was also taken from "Wiseguy," where Pileggi interviewed both her and Henry and they both said it happened. So while your general comments about their marriage may be accurate, I think this particular incident did really occur. It wasn't just something Scorsese made up for the film. Perhaps, as you say, Karen thought Henry was in love with her--indeed, in the movie she asks "Do you love her?" as she holds a gun to his face.

Also, remember that "On the Run" (as it's title suggests) focuses on a later time period than GoodFellas and Wiseguy do--when the family was living in the witness protection program. It seems that by this point, Henry and Karen used drugs much more than before. In fact, we see this starting in the last part of GoodFellas (which occurs years after the incident over Henry's affair with Janice).

Let me tell ya somethin my kraut mick friend!