# Henry Hill dies.



## tigerbob

Should be some interesting obituaries in tomorrow's papers, tomorrow's papers.







Original 'Goodfella' Henry Hill dead at 69


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## bobcollum

I put a link to it in the "Snitches" thread in the flame zone, I felt it was appropriate.


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## PredFan

Greatest gangster movie of all time, bar none.


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## BakshisMouse

PredFan said:


> Greatest gangster movie of all time, bar none.



Just seeing the trailer makes that clear.


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## BakshisMouse

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Epy0FiGc80]George Carlin on SNitches - YouTube[/ame]


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## BakshisMouse

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo5jJpHtI1Y]Goodfellas - Trailer - (1990) - HQ - YouTube[/ame]


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## BakshisMouse

Come to think of it, why the hell is this in the TV forum?


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## High_Gravity

Just read about it. R.I.P


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## BakshisMouse

Here is a Goodfellas parody that actually was on TV exclusively for a long time.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICDbmcaBRu8]Goodfeathers Theme Song - YouTube[/ame]


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## tigerbob

BakshisMouse said:


> Come to think of it, why the hell is this in the TV forum?



It's listed as "Discussion for TV, movies, etc."


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## BakshisMouse

tigerbob said:


> BakshisMouse said:
> 
> 
> 
> Come to think of it, why the hell is this in the TV forum?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's listed as "Discussion for TV, movies, etc."
Click to expand...


Gotcha. Henry Hill's life was like a big, long movie, so it fits here.

Not being sarcastic, by the way.


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## J.E.D

Great book -- Wiseguy. If you haven't read it, you should. Then, when you've finished that, read On the Run: A Mafia Childhood by Gregg and Gina Hill (Henry Hill's son and daughter). 

Great movie -- Goodfellas. One of the few movies that is at least as good as the book.


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## BakshisMouse

The movie is probably going to be popular long after that book is out of print.


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## J.E.D

Probably, but the book is well worth the read.


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## Toro

PredFan said:


> Greatest gangster movie of all time, bar none.



Godfather was better.


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## rightwinger

He was a good fella


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## Dr Grump

Good bloke..RIP Henry..


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## Trajan

Toro said:


> PredFan said:
> 
> 
> 
> Greatest gangster movie of all time, bar none.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Godfather was better.
Click to expand...


well, that was different, goodfellas was true to life, no on captures an era better than Scorsese, I grew up in Brooklyn. 

casino was good too oh and donny brasco....


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## J.E.D

Trajan said:


> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PredFan said:
> 
> 
> 
> Greatest gangster movie of all time, bar none.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Godfather was better.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> well, that was different, goodfellas was true to life, no on captures an era better than Scorsese, I grew up in Brooklyn.
> 
> casino was good too oh and donny brasco....
Click to expand...


Not to keep harping on about books; but, both the Casino and Donnie Brasco book were quite good as well.


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## Trajan

JosefK said:


> Trajan said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> Godfather was better.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> well, that was different, goodfellas was true to life, no on captures an era better than Scorsese, I grew up in Brooklyn.
> 
> casino was good too oh and donny brasco....
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Not to keep harping on about books; but, both the Casino and Donnie Brasco book were quite good as well.
Click to expand...


I never read casino, who wrote it?


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## Liability

I didn't like the fuck in life.  I don't give a shit that he croaked.

Fuck him.


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## J.E.D

Trajan said:


> JosefK said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trajan said:
> 
> 
> 
> well, that was different, goodfellas was true to life, no on captures an era better than Scorsese, I grew up in Brooklyn.
> 
> casino was good too oh and donny brasco....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not to keep harping on about books; but, both the Casino and Donnie Brasco book were quite good as well.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I never read casino, who wrote it?
Click to expand...


Nicholas Pileggi -- the author of Wiseguy. He also worked on the screenplay for both movies.


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## J.E.D

Where Goodfellas was as good and maybe even better than the book, Casino was - in my opinion - not as good as the book. Don't get me wrong, the movie is good - really good - but, not as good as the book.


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## Toro

Dr Grump said:


> Good bloke..RIP Henry..



He was?  

Why?


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## J.E.D

Ok, what's with the 'Free No 18625' I keep seeing? I googled it and got nothing.


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## Toro

JosefK said:


> Ok, what's with the 'Free No 18625' I keep seeing? I googled it and got nothing.



Just put in your sig and be one of us in the know cool kids.


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## rightwinger

Considering his chosen profession and decision to be a snitch....Henry Hill lived a long life


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## Synthaholic

*A sister mourns 'goodfella' Henry Hill in Spring Hill*


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## Synthaholic

I would put both Godfathers ahead of Goodfellas.  Maybe Casino, also.

I haven't seen Scorcese's third gangster movie, The Departed, yet.


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## Trajan

Toro said:


> Dr Grump said:
> 
> 
> 
> Good bloke..RIP Henry..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He was?
> 
> Why?
Click to expand...


good question and you're inference is correct. 

lets be honest,  just becasue Hollywood glamorized them doesn't make them good people.

 they stole, coerced with violence ( protection rackets) , shylocked ( loaned money at userous rates) murdered etc.....they are not nor were not good citizens. 

They were sharks that fed on anything and everyone around them,including each other when they could.

  oh yes their neighborhoods may have been safe but thats only becasue they did for a while have a code that said you don't do dirt where you live, not becasue they loved their neighbors but becasue it made good sense from a selfish stand point, the locals would watch their back ( to an extent ) to, if the cops where performing surveillance or asking around for witnesses etc. they were warned, also becasue,  the locals were also afraid if they didn't. 


did anyone forget the Jewish toupee shop owner who got his throat slit becasue he kept asking for his money? 



the godfather was a different movie altogether that glamorized that life too, it never ever was anywhere near that smarmy sentimentalism portrayed there, that's BS.


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## Trajan

Synthaholic said:


> I would put both Godfathers ahead of Goodfellas.  Maybe Casino, also.
> 
> I haven't seen Scorcese's third gangster movie, The Departed, yet.



rent it.....on't get up to use the head or get a snack, unless you pause it, its a very intricate story and very very good inho. Different style altogether....from the others we have been discussing.


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## Synthaholic

It's in my Netflix queue.

Funny, I was watching Goodfellas last night, and went to Wiki afterward to look up Tommy DiSimone, the real life creep who Joe Pesci played, which led me to Jimmy Burke (DeNiro) and Paulie Vario (Sorvino) and Henry Hill, where I saw that he had just died.  Each of those Wiki profiles are very interesting reading.  And the events in Goodfellas are 90-95% true, according to a lot of people.  None of them were nice guys at all, despite the way that DeNiro and Paul Sorvino softened up their characters.  They were horrible degenerates and psychopaths.  

Maybe that's why Goodfellas isn't as high up on my list - there was no one to root for, no one with a shred of redeeming qualities.


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## Polk

Trajan said:


> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PredFan said:
> 
> 
> 
> Greatest gangster movie of all time, bar none.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Godfather was better.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> well, that was different, goodfellas was true to life, no on captures an era better than Scorsese, I grew up in Brooklyn.
> 
> casino was good too oh and donny brasco....
Click to expand...


God, yes. All of those movies. We can have a marathon. I'll bring the beer if you'll bring the snacks.


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## Synthaholic

Polk said:


> Trajan said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> Godfather was better.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> well, that was different, goodfellas was true to life, no on captures an era better than Scorsese, I grew up in Brooklyn.
> 
> casino was good too oh and donny brasco....
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> God, yes. All of those movies. We can have a marathon. *I'll bring the beer if you'll bring the snacks*.
Click to expand...


That sounds like an offer I can't refuse!


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## LoneLaugher

Who can forget Henry's most memorable line:

"I want a caramel macchiato!"


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## High_Gravity

Synthaholic said:


> It's in my Netflix queue.
> 
> Funny, I was watching Goodfellas last night, and went to Wiki afterward to look up Tommy DiSimone, the real life creep who Joe Pesci played, which led me to Jimmy Burke (DeNiro) and Paulie Vario (Sorvino) and Henry Hill, where I saw that he had just died.  Each of those Wiki profiles are very interesting reading.  And the events in Goodfellas are 90-95% true, according to a lot of people.  None of them were nice guys at all, despite the way that DeNiro and Paul Sorvino softened up their characters.  They were horrible degenerates and psychopaths.
> 
> Maybe that's why Goodfellas isn't as high up on my list - there was no one to root for, no one with a shred of redeeming qualities.



Well to be fair I don't think a genuine good person could last long in that world.


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## J.E.D

Synthaholic said:


> I would put both Godfathers ahead of Goodfellas.  Maybe Casino, also.
> 
> I haven't seen Scorcese's third gangster movie, The Departed, yet.



The Departed is a really good movie. Watch it.


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## Synthaholic

High_Gravity said:


> Synthaholic said:
> 
> 
> 
> It's in my Netflix queue.
> 
> Funny, I was watching Goodfellas last night, and went to Wiki afterward to look up Tommy DiSimone, the real life creep who Joe Pesci played, which led me to Jimmy Burke (DeNiro) and Paulie Vario (Sorvino) and Henry Hill, where I saw that he had just died.  Each of those Wiki profiles are very interesting reading.  And the events in Goodfellas are 90-95% true, according to a lot of people.  None of them were nice guys at all, despite the way that DeNiro and Paul Sorvino softened up their characters.  They were horrible degenerates and psychopaths.
> 
> Maybe that's why Goodfellas isn't as high up on my list - there was no one to root for, no one with a shred of redeeming qualities.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well to be fair I don't think a genuine good person could last long in that world.
Click to expand...

This is Jimmy "The Gent" Burke, whom Robert DeNiro played.

What a charmer!







He got his nickname from being an extremely good tipper, which I'm sure he saw as good business.

I did find little pockets of kindness, mixed with brutality:



> His subsequent career in loan-sharking, cigarette smuggling, extortion,  drug-dealing, hijacking and armed robbery was built on a lethal fusion  of benevolence and murder. Burke earned his sobriquet "the Gent" from  his tendency to tip heavily, and to treat the drivers of lorries that he  hijacked well. *When Burke heard of a young criminal who refused to pay  back a $5,000 loan to his elderly mother, he gave the woman the money  out of his own pocket, and then killed the errant son.* He also murdered  and dismembered the body of the ex-boyfriend of his bride-to-be on the  eve of their marriage, and murdered his best friend as repayment for  being double-crossed over a lorry-load of cigarettes.


Obituary: Jimmy Burke - Obituaries - News - The Independent


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## High_Gravity

Synthaholic said:


> High_Gravity said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Synthaholic said:
> 
> 
> 
> It's in my Netflix queue.
> 
> Funny, I was watching Goodfellas last night, and went to Wiki afterward to look up Tommy DiSimone, the real life creep who Joe Pesci played, which led me to Jimmy Burke (DeNiro) and Paulie Vario (Sorvino) and Henry Hill, where I saw that he had just died.  Each of those Wiki profiles are very interesting reading.  And the events in Goodfellas are 90-95% true, according to a lot of people.  None of them were nice guys at all, despite the way that DeNiro and Paul Sorvino softened up their characters.  They were horrible degenerates and psychopaths.
> 
> Maybe that's why Goodfellas isn't as high up on my list - there was no one to root for, no one with a shred of redeeming qualities.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well to be fair I don't think a genuine good person could last long in that world.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> This is Jimmy "The Gent" Burke, whom Robert DeNiro played.
> 
> What a charmer!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He got his nickname from being an extremely good tipper, which I'm sure he saw as good business.
> 
> I did find little pockets of kindness, mixed with brutality:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> His subsequent career in loan-sharking, cigarette smuggling, extortion,  drug-dealing, hijacking and armed robbery was built on a lethal fusion  of benevolence and murder. Burke earned his sobriquet "the Gent" from  his tendency to tip heavily, and to treat the drivers of lorries that he  hijacked well. *When Burke heard of a young criminal who refused to pay  back a $5,000 loan to his elderly mother, he gave the woman the money  out of his own pocket, and then killed the errant son.* He also murdered  and dismembered the body of the ex-boyfriend of his bride-to-be on the  eve of their marriage, and murdered his best friend as repayment for  being double-crossed over a lorry-load of cigarettes.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Obituary: Jimmy Burke - Obituaries - News - The Independent
Click to expand...


He was a cold blooded killer, so was Tommy Desomino and everyone else in that crew.


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## Synthaholic

Here's Paul Vario, whom Paul Sorvino played:






Sorvino:






Vario was known to be brutal and ruthless, despite the  brooding and gentle Goodfellas portrayal, Hill saw first hand a show of  this violence. He watched, aged twelve or thirteen, as Vario drove up to  a barmaid's apartment, took a baseball bat from the trunk of his car  and severely assaulted her for telling his wife that the two were having  an affair. The barmaid's collar bone was broken.


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## tigerbob

Synthaholic said:


> Here's Paul Vario, whom Paul Sorvino played:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorvino:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Vario was known to be brutal and ruthless, despite the  brooding and gentle Goodfellas portrayal, Hill saw first hand a show of  this violence. He watched, aged twelve or thirteen, as Vario drove up to  a barmaid's apartment, took a baseball bat from the trunk of his car  and severely assaulted her for telling his wife that the two were having  an affair. The barmaid's collar bone was broken.



Not sure why anyone would willingly get involved with the mob.


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## High_Gravity

tigerbob said:


> Synthaholic said:
> 
> 
> 
> Here's Paul Vario, whom Paul Sorvino played:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorvino:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Vario was known to be brutal and ruthless, despite the  brooding and gentle Goodfellas portrayal, Hill saw first hand a show of  this violence. He watched, aged twelve or thirteen, as Vario drove up to  a barmaid's apartment, took a baseball bat from the trunk of his car  and severely assaulted her for telling his wife that the two were having  an affair. The barmaid's collar bone was broken.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure why anyone would willingly get involved with the mob.
Click to expand...


The good money and the flashy life style can be quite enticing, when things were good these guys could have practically whatever they wanted, but when things were bad they were very bad.


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## J.E.D

From the book, Wiseguy:

Most hijackers take the truck driver's license as a warning. The driver knows that you know where he lives, and if he cooperates too much with the cops or the insurance company he's in trouble. Jimmy got his nickname 'Jimmy the Gent' because he used to take the driver's license, just like everybody else, except Jimmy used to stuff a fifty-dollar bill into the guy's wallet before taking off. I can't tell you how many friends he made out at the airport because of that. People loved him. Drivers used to tip off his people about rich loads. At one point things got so bad the cops had to assign a whole army to try to stop him, but it didn't work. It turned out that Jimmy made the cops his partners. Jimmy could corrupt a saint. He said bribing cops was like feeding elephants at the zoo. 'All you need is peanuts.'


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## High_Gravity

I liked the book Wiseguy better than the movie actually, there was alot of stuff the movie didn't tell us like about Henry Hill's Military service.


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## J.E.D

High_Gravity said:


> I liked the book Wiseguy better than the movie actually, there was alot of stuff the movie didn't tell us like about Henry Hill's Military service.



Also, the movie only touched a little on his time in prison. He got away with a lot more inside than just selling some drugs. 

NPR interview with 'Wiseguy' author, Nicholas Pileggi:

On how Henry dealt with his frequent prison sentences

"There are religious furloughs where you go out for religious training. It allows you to get out of the program and have contact with your family. ... Henry sees this and he says, 'Get me a religious guy.' So they got a phony rabbi to write the letter to the prison. The prison is very responsive to religious letters. All of a sudden, Henry is now going off on 'religious studies' on weekends.

"He got Jimmy Burke to pick him up, they'd cross Pennsylvania, go to Atlantic City, he'd belly up to the craps table and shoot craps until his ankles swolled. And that's what he would do for his whole religious weekend. Then get back in the car Sunday night and drive back to the prison. At the same time, his wife would fly down from New York and other wiseguys would come down &#8212; and their weekends in prison were spent in Atlantic City."


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## J.E.D

I agree that the book is better (they typically are), but the movie was damn close to being as good as the book. It appears that Scorsese went through great pains to ensure that it stayed true to the book as much as possible.


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## Toro

Which was the movie about the Boston mafia with Damon and Nicholson?  I thought that was excellent also.


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## High_Gravity

JosefK said:


> I agree that the book is better (they typically are), but the movie was damn close to being as good as the book. It appears that Scorsese went through great pains to ensure that it stayed true to the book as much as possible.



He did a good job, I definently enjoyed the movie as well.


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## J.E.D

Toro said:


> Which was the movie about the Boston mafia with Damon and Nicholson?  I thought that was excellent also.



The Departed. Very loosely based on real-life gangster Whitey Bulger.


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## High_Gravity

JosefK said:


> High_Gravity said:
> 
> 
> 
> I liked the book Wiseguy better than the movie actually, there was alot of stuff the movie didn't tell us like about Henry Hill's Military service.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, the movie only touched a little on his time in prison. He got away with a lot more inside than just selling some drugs.
> 
> NPR interview with 'Wiseguy' author, Nicholas Pileggi:
> 
> On how Henry dealt with his frequent prison sentences
> 
> "There are religious furloughs where you go out for religious training. It allows you to get out of the program and have contact with your family. ... Henry sees this and he says, 'Get me a religious guy.' So they got a phony rabbi to write the letter to the prison. The prison is very responsive to religious letters. All of a sudden, Henry is now going off on 'religious studies' on weekends.
> 
> "He got Jimmy Burke to pick him up, they'd cross Pennsylvania, go to Atlantic City, he'd belly up to the craps table and shoot craps until his ankles swolled. And that's what he would do for his whole religious weekend. Then get back in the car Sunday night and drive back to the prison. At the same time, his wife would fly down from New York and other wiseguys would come down  and their weekends in prison were spent in Atlantic City."
Click to expand...


Yup I remember that, I think I also remember reading somewhere that Henry got a gambling operation going on post when he was in the service, this racket supposedly went all the way up the Colonel in charge of his command.


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## J.E.D

High_Gravity said:


> JosefK said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> High_Gravity said:
> 
> 
> 
> I liked the book Wiseguy better than the movie actually, there was alot of stuff the movie didn't tell us like about Henry Hill's Military service.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, the movie only touched a little on his time in prison. He got away with a lot more inside than just selling some drugs.
> 
> NPR interview with 'Wiseguy' author, Nicholas Pileggi:
> 
> On how Henry dealt with his frequent prison sentences
> 
> "There are religious furloughs where you go out for religious training. It allows you to get out of the program and have contact with your family. ... Henry sees this and he says, 'Get me a religious guy.' So they got a phony rabbi to write the letter to the prison. The prison is very responsive to religious letters. All of a sudden, Henry is now going off on 'religious studies' on weekends.
> 
> "He got Jimmy Burke to pick him up, they'd cross Pennsylvania, go to Atlantic City, he'd belly up to the craps table and shoot craps until his ankles swolled. And that's what he would do for his whole religious weekend. Then get back in the car Sunday night and drive back to the prison. At the same time, his wife would fly down from New York and other wiseguys would come down  and their weekends in prison were spent in Atlantic City."
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Yup I remember that, I think I also remember reading somewhere that Henry got a gambling operation going on post when he was in the service, this racket supposedly went all the way up the Colonel in charge of his command.
Click to expand...


Yeah I remember that now. It's been years since I read it. I just dusted off the book the other day in anticipation of rereading it.


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## High_Gravity

JosefK said:


> High_Gravity said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> JosefK said:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, the movie only touched a little on his time in prison. He got away with a lot more inside than just selling some drugs.
> 
> NPR interview with 'Wiseguy' author, Nicholas Pileggi:
> 
> On how Henry dealt with his frequent prison sentences
> 
> "There are religious furloughs where you go out for religious training. It allows you to get out of the program and have contact with your family. ... Henry sees this and he says, 'Get me a religious guy.' So they got a phony rabbi to write the letter to the prison. The prison is very responsive to religious letters. All of a sudden, Henry is now going off on 'religious studies' on weekends.
> 
> "He got Jimmy Burke to pick him up, they'd cross Pennsylvania, go to Atlantic City, he'd belly up to the craps table and shoot craps until his ankles swolled. And that's what he would do for his whole religious weekend. Then get back in the car Sunday night and drive back to the prison. At the same time, his wife would fly down from New York and other wiseguys would come down  and their weekends in prison were spent in Atlantic City."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yup I remember that, I think I also remember reading somewhere that Henry got a gambling operation going on post when he was in the service, this racket supposedly went all the way up the Colonel in charge of his command.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Yeah I remember that now. It's been years since I read it. I just dusted off the book the other day in anticipation of rereading it.
Click to expand...


Yeah I'm gonna do the same thing, I also remember reading that Paul Vario told Henry after he enlisted that if he changed his mind Paulie could go the recruiter and make it as if that enlistment paperwork never existed.


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## geauxtohell

Synthaholic said:


> It's in my Netflix queue.
> 
> Funny, I was watching Goodfellas last night, and went to Wiki afterward to look up Tommy DiSimone, the real life creep who Joe Pesci played, which led me to Jimmy Burke (DeNiro) and Paulie Vario (Sorvino) and Henry Hill, where I saw that he had just died.  Each of those Wiki profiles are very interesting reading.  And the events in Goodfellas are 90-95% true, according to a lot of people.  None of them were nice guys at all, despite the way that DeNiro and Paul Sorvino softened up their characters.  They were horrible degenerates and psychopaths.
> 
> Maybe that's why Goodfellas isn't as high up on my list - there was no one to root for, no one with a shred of redeeming qualities.



One of the reason that the book is worth reading (if you liked the movie) is that you get the inside scoop on the characters.  For example, the "Tommy" character in good fellows is more of a composite character between  Disimone and Paulie Vario's son.  It also goes into the criminally brilliant point shaving scheme that Hill came up with.  The movie doesn't even touch that.


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## J.E.D

geauxtohell said:


> Synthaholic said:
> 
> 
> 
> It's in my Netflix queue.
> 
> Funny, I was watching Goodfellas last night, and went to Wiki afterward to look up Tommy DiSimone, the real life creep who Joe Pesci played, which led me to Jimmy Burke (DeNiro) and Paulie Vario (Sorvino) and Henry Hill, where I saw that he had just died.  Each of those Wiki profiles are very interesting reading.  And the events in Goodfellas are 90-95% true, according to a lot of people.  None of them were nice guys at all, despite the way that DeNiro and Paul Sorvino softened up their characters.  They were horrible degenerates and psychopaths.
> 
> Maybe that's why Goodfellas isn't as high up on my list - there was no one to root for, no one with a shred of redeeming qualities.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One of the reason that the book is worth reading (if you liked the movie) is that you get the inside scoop on the characters.  For example, the "Tommy" character in good fellows is more of a composite character between  Disimone and Paulie Vario's son.  It also goes into the criminally brilliant point shaving scheme that Hill came up with.  The movie doesn't even touch that.
Click to expand...


Oh yeah. The college basketball scheme. I had totally forgotten about that. Good point on the Tommy character. Some of the stuff attributed to Tommy in the movie was actually done by or with Vario's son (according to Hill in the book).


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## geauxtohell

JosefK said:


> geauxtohell said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Synthaholic said:
> 
> 
> 
> It's in my Netflix queue.
> 
> Funny, I was watching Goodfellas last night, and went to Wiki afterward to look up Tommy DiSimone, the real life creep who Joe Pesci played, which led me to Jimmy Burke (DeNiro) and Paulie Vario (Sorvino) and Henry Hill, where I saw that he had just died.  Each of those Wiki profiles are very interesting reading.  And the events in Goodfellas are 90-95% true, according to a lot of people.  None of them were nice guys at all, despite the way that DeNiro and Paul Sorvino softened up their characters.  They were horrible degenerates and psychopaths.
> 
> Maybe that's why Goodfellas isn't as high up on my list - there was no one to root for, no one with a shred of redeeming qualities.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One of the reason that the book is worth reading (if you liked the movie) is that you get the inside scoop on the characters.  For example, the "Tommy" character in good fellows is more of a composite character between  Disimone and Paulie Vario's son.  It also goes into the criminally brilliant point shaving scheme that Hill came up with.  The movie doesn't even touch that.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Oh yeah. The college basketball scheme. I had totally forgotten about that. Good point on the Tommy character. Some of the stuff attributed to Tommy in the movie was actually done by or with Vario's son (according to Hill in the book).
Click to expand...


"For your birthday, I gotcha a mirror!  Now you can make tails!"

That's one of the few lines I remember from the book.  

Not to go off topic, but another good mob book:  "Havanna Nocturne" about how Mayer Lansky and Santo Trafficante had Cuba in the palm of his hands and how Castro fucked it up for him (and also the rest of the mob when they got greedy).


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## geauxtohell

I never understood why the main Irish Mobster in "The Departed" is named "Costello".

*edit*

Nevermind.  It's apparently an Irish name.


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## Synthaholic

The Boston College point shaving scandal is what actually sent Burke to prison, not the Lufthansa heist or all the murders and robberies.

Hill dealt untaxed cigarettes while in the military, along with loansharking.  He ended up in the stockade for a few months for stealing a sheriff's car.

Hill's wife, Karen (Lorraine Bracco) was having an affair with Paul Vario.  When Hill went off to prison, DeSimone attempted to rape her.  She told Paulie, and that's why Paulie told the Gambino family that DeSimone was the one who had murdered Billy Batts and another made man.

More evidence that pussy will get you killed.


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## Trajan

Toro said:


> Which was the movie about the Boston mafia with Damon and Nicholson?  I thought that was excellent also.



the departed, it was....


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## tigerbob

Anyone seen Layer Cake?  Well worth a look.


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## AgentSparky

Dr Grump said:


> Good bloke..RIP Henry..



Really?


He was a murdering mafia thug.


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