‘Scarface’ achieves cult status with Al Pacino in starring role
When Scarface premiered in 1983, starring Al Pacino as a Cuban drug trafficker in South Florida, the movie was regarded as a flop. That didn’t surprise Pacino. “The whole film was a blatant indictment of the 1980s, and it went against the status quo — the ‘Just Say No’ campaign of Nancy Reagan and the establishment of the time,” he writes in his new memoir, Sonny Boy. “It certainly didn’t fit into the Hollywood mold either.” In the memoir, Pacino calls the movie a “flop — not commercially, but critically. Artistically. Spiritually.” Pacino’s book begins with his difficult upbringing in New York City, where ...
Learn More
Artifact Spotlight: Hollywood prop guns
What’s a Mob movie without guns? Prop guns have been a part of this movie genre since the first silent…
Learn More
Dead men walking: Murder Inc. trio electrocuted at Sing Sing prison eighty years ago
Eighty years ago, Sing Sing’s electric chair, “Old Sparky,” delivered its sinister, life-ending jolts in succession to the trio of…
Learn More
Netflix crime drama ‘Griselda’ highlights story of ‘Godmother of Cocaine’
The Netflix limited series Griselda, inspired by the true story of the Colombian “Godmother of Cocaine,” tells the story of…
Learn More
The Top 5 Mob myths: Hollywood’s creative license drives misinformation
From The Godfather to Griselda, the Mob is firmly embedded in pop culture, which comes with a few drawbacks. In…
Learn More
The 1863 draft riots and the birth of the New York City Police
On July 13, 1863, during the Civil War, New York City burst into flames when the federal government started a…
Learn More
Artifact Spotlight: Frank Calabrese Sr.’s handmade dictionary
“PRISON: IS WARE I AM AT,” reads an entry in the handmade dictionary of Frank Calabrese Sr., former boss of…
Learn More
Classic Mob drama ‘The Sopranos’ first aired 25 years ago
When the groundbreaking HBO series The Sopranos debuted in 1999, it was an instant hit and a critical success. It…
Learn More