1000 Sopranos Facts E-Book

Scott Ambrose

• Herausgeber: epubli
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 158

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

1000 Sopranos Facts dives deep into the world of mob boss Tony Soprano and his dysfunctional crime family in New Jersey. Packed with information, behind-the-scenes stories, and trivia, this book is a must-have for any fan of the groundbreaking HBO series. Grab your cannoli and settle in for a fascinating journey through the world of The Sopranos.

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1000 Sopranos Facts

Scott Ambrose© Copyright 2024 Scott Ambrose

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ContentsIntroduction1000 Sopranos FactsINTRODUCTION1000 Sopranos Facts dives deep into the world of mob boss Tony Soprano and his dysfunctional crime family. Packed with information, behind-the-scenes stories, and trivia, this book is a must-have for any fan of the groundbreaking HBO series. Discover the real-life inspirations for the characters, the filming locations, and the memorable moments that made The Sopranos a cultural phenomenon. Grab your cannoli and settle in for a fascinating journey through the world of The Sopranos.1000 SOPRANOS FACTS(1) HBO didn't like The Sopranos as the title of the show and suggested it should be called The Family Man. Thankfully, they didn't get their way on this. (2) The exterior of Tony Soprano's house in the show was depicted by a real estate in North Caldwell, New Jersey. 150 houses were scouted by the production before they chose this one. The house was owned by Victor and Patti Recchia - who co-operated with the production for exterior and backyard shooting. In 2019, it was reported in the media that the house was up for sale for $3.4 million. (3) The gun logo representing the 'r' in the logo for The Sopranos was designed to make sure no one presumed the show was about singers.(4) Dan Castleman, an assistant D.A. in New York, was technical consultant on the show. Sopranos creator David Chase said that Castleman estimated that Tony Soprano's net worth would amount to about $6 million. Adjusted for inflation that figure would obviously be higher in today's money but Tony Soprano wasn't outrageously rich by (fictional) criminal standards. Take Gus Fring in Breaking Bad for example. Fring was making millions of dollars a month from his meth empire. (5) Tony Soprano's obsession with ducks might be inspired by Holden Caulfield in J.D Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Holden frequently wonders in the novel where the ducks in Central Park go in the Winter when the lakes are frozen. The ducks are a symbol of how one must adapt to the circumstances which present themselves. Holden must be willing to do the same. He has to accept change as an unavoidable consequence of life. Holden's cab driver tells him that Mother Nature will find a solution to the ducks. This is a soothing piece of wisdom that could apply to Holden too. The ducks in The Sopranos may represent Tony's fear of his family 'flying the nest' and leaving him alone. The ducks return to Tony's pool before flying away, symbolizing the fleeting nature of happiness and the inevitability of change. This scene is open to interpretation, with some viewers seeing it as a symbol of Tony's eventual demise or departure from his criminal lifestyle.(6) The first four seasons of The Sopranos were released on VHS. By the time of season five, DVDs had all but replaced VHS tapes so there was no VHS release.(7) The food you see the characters eating in The Sopranos came from real Italian restaurants. This is why the actors are often really eating and not just pushing the food around. (8) Tobin Bell played Major Carl Zwingli, the official at the military school Tony is attempting to put his son AJ into in season three. Bell would later become best known for his role as Jigsaw in the Saw horror film franchise.(9) Vito Antuofermo was in two episodes of The Sopranos as Bobby Zanone. Bobby runs Zanone Bros. Private Carting - a garbage haulage transfer station company front business for the Aprile crew. Vito Antuofermo is a former professional boxer. He was born on April 9, 1953, in Palo del Colle, Italy. Antuofermo is best known for winning the world middleweight boxing championship in 1979 by defeating Hugo Corro. He defended his title once (a controversial draw with Marvin Hagler) before losing it to Alan Minter. Vito Antuofermo also had a small part in The Godfather Part III. (10) The inspiration for the name of Tony's mother Livia is that a maternal aunt of David Chase had this name. The name was also apt because it evoked Livia Drusilla. Livia Drusilla was the third wife of the Roman emperor Augustus. She was born in 58 BC and married Augustus in 38 BC. Livia was a powerful and influential figure in Roman politics, often acting as a trusted advisor to her husband. She was also known for her intelligence, cunning, and ambition.(11) Phil Leotardo, when he learns that Vito is gay/bisexual, refers to Vito as a 'fanook'. This comes from the Italian word 'finocchio' – which means fennel. Finocchio can be used as a derogatory term for a homosexual man in Italian slang. The origin allegedly derives from the middle ages when homosexuals were burned at the stake and fennel seeds were scattered on the site afterwards.(12) Anthony LaPaglia was allegedly the studio's first choice for the part of Tony Soprano when the show was in development at Fox before moving to HBO. Anthony LaPaglia is an Australian actor best known for his roles in films such as Lantana, Empire Records, and Balibo. He also had a starring role in the TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award. LaPaglia has confirmed that he was approached to play Tony Soprano but said that it was for the best that James Gandolfini got the part because no one could have played it better. (13) Steve Schirripa (who played Bobby) said one of his oddest memories on The Sopranos was eating chicken cacciatore for a scene that involved Bobby, Feech and Tony. Nothing strange about that you might think. The only thing is, the scene was shot at 7 in the morning! Chicken cacciatore is a classic Italian dish that features chicken cooked in a flavorful tomato-based sauce with onions, garlic, bell peppers, and sometimes mushrooms. Not the sort of thing you'd want to be eating first thing in the morning. (14) The Mafia is also known as La Cosa Nostra. This translates into 'our thing'.(15) Will Janowitz, who played Meadow's boyfriend Finn DeTrolio, had never actually heard of The Sopranos when he was offered an audition. (16) Dan Grimaldi, who played Patsy Parisi, is actually a mathematics professor in real life. It seems quite apt then that Patsy is often seen as the accountant for Tony's crew!(17) The reason why Tony Soprano doesn't want Vito Spatafore killed is that Vito is Tony's biggest earner. Tony is also plainly less bothered by Vito's bisexuality than old school mob figures like Phil Leotardo (who is Vito's cousin-in-law). The conflict over what to do with Vito touches upon a recurring undercurrent theme in the show - the struggles of the mob to adjust to the modern world.(18) The characters in The Sopranos refer to pasta sauce as 'gravy'. The term 'gravy' used to refer to tomato sauce or marinara sauce on pasta is likely a regional Italian-American colloquialism. In Italian cuisine, gravy generally refers to meat-based sauces, such as ragu or Bolognese. However, Italian immigrants in America may have started using the term gravy to refer to tomato sauce because of similarities between the two sauces in terms of preparation and appearance.(19) In 2005, a young man named Jason Bautista was arrested in Riverside, California, after murdering his mother. After the murder he removed the head and hands to make identification more difficult. Bautista told the police he got the idea for this dismemberment after watching the episode of The Sopranos where Ralphie Cifaretto is chopped up. (20) In the episode Pine Barrens, Paulie famously muddles up Czechoslovakians with Chechens. Chechens are an ethnic group native to Chechnya, a region in the North Caucasus in Russia. They have a distinct language and culture, and have a long history of conflict with Russia. (21) Paulie Gualtieri's nickname 'Walnuts' is never actually explained. There is a theory that he got this name because he robbed a truck and it had nothing but walnuts in it.(22) Tony's mother Livia Soprano had a final scene in season three - despite the death Nancy Marchand (who obviously played Livia). Digital compositing and a stand-in was used to depict Livia in her final scene. Old lines of dialogue used by Nancy Marchand were deployed in the scene to make it look as if Livia is having a conversation with Tony - or at least responding to him. It is probably fair to say that the special effects in this scene have not aged very well. It is patently obvious that this is fake and isn't really Nancy Marchand. David Chase argued that the scene was necessary because the audience needed one last moment with the choleric Livia to remind ourselves of her character before her death occurred in the show and the stories moved on beyond Tony's relationship with his mother. David Chase has admitted the 'early CGI' in Livia's last appearance could have been better. (23) In the scene where Tony calls in Christopher to help him cut up Ralphie's body, Michael Imperioli gives a noticeably strange line reading of the word 'didn't' - which was left in because Christopher was high and so it made sense that he's mangling words. Michael Imperioli's 'drug addled' acting in this scene is brilliant.(24) The episode Pine Barrens was not actually filmed in the Pine Barrens. It was shot at Harriman State Park - which is 30 miles north of New York. (25) In the opening credits to The Sopranos, Tony begins his car journey in the Lincoln Tunnel. The Lincoln Tunnel is a three-tube tunnel that connects New York City to New Jersey underneath the Hudson River. It was opened in 1937 and is an important transportation link for commuters and travelers between the two states. The tunnel is named after President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the busiest vehicular tunnels in the United States.(26) Joe Pantoliano based his wig as Ralphie Cifaretto on the film director Christopher Nolan! Pantoliano had recently worked with Nolan on Memento.(27) James Gandolfini sounds different as Tony in the pilot than he did in the series which followed. He sounds more New Jersey in the series than the pilot.(28) David Chase said that The Sopranos, when you boiled it right down, was about money and death.(29) Bobby, amusingly, gets Quasimodo muddled up with Nostradamus. Nostradamus was a French astrologer, physician, and reputed seer who lived in the 16th century. He is best known for his book of prophecies, "Les Propheties," which contains cryptic predictions about future events. Many people believe that Nostradamus accurately predicted several major world events, while others argue that his prophecies are vague and open to interpretation.(30) There is a fan theory that the onion rings in the last ever scene symbolise the last communion - meaning that Tony, Carmela, and AJ got whacked. Suffice to say, David Chase has never confirmed this alleged subtext.(31) The highest ranked episode of The Sopranos on IMDB is a tie between Long Term Parking and Pine Barrens. Both have a rating of 9.7.(32) The singer Lady Gaga (who at the time was obviously still going by her real name Stefani Germanotta) appeared in The Sopranos episode The Telltale Moozadell. Gaga is one of the girls at the swimming pool who laughs. She has made light of her Sopranos appearance and admitted she didn't know much about acting at the time.(33) The mafia still exists today in the United States but in a diminished form compared to past decades. This is a theme that The Sopranos obviously touches upon. Tony Soprano was born into a tradition which no longer has the power and influence it once did and may even be threatened with extinction. Being a mob boss at the dawn of the 21st century feels like an anachronism. (34) Steven Van Zandt was best known for his work as a guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. He wasn't an actor when he was cast in The Sopranos as Silvio Dante but David Chase (who clearly must be a Bruce Springsteen fan) had a hunch that Steven would be great in the show. (35) Steven Van Zandt was considered for the part of Tony Soprano but in the end they obviously decided not to go with an inexperienced actor as the lead. (36) Silvio Dante is the consigliere to Tony Soprano. The term "consigliere" is an Italian word that has been adopted into English. It refers to a trusted advisor or counselor, especially in a mafia or criminal organization. A consigliere is someone who provides guidance, advice, and wisdom to the leader of the organization.(37) In 2000, a casting call for The Sopranos in the New Jersey town of Harrison had to be shut down when 13,000 hopefuls turned up. (38) David Chase said that when the show was in the planning stage they did reach out to a former mafia member to be an advisor but then decided this wasn't a good idea. (39) The interior scenes set in the Soprano house were shot at Silver Cup Studios. Silvercup Studios is one of the largest film and television production facilities in New York City. The studio is located in Long Island City, Queens. The exception was the pilot - in which some scenes were actually shot inside the North Caldwell, New Jersey home which was used as Tony Soprano's house in the show. (40) David Chase later confessed that he wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to say with the plot about Christopher meeting Hollywood film stars. He suspects he might have been attempting to draw parallels with between the mafia and Hollywood - which are both full of ambitious sociopaths!(41) Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler, who played Tony Sopranos's kids, are not of Italian descent in real life. This made them quite rare in the cast. (42) Peter Bogdanovich played Elliot Kupferberg in The Sopranos. Elliot is the therapist of Dr Jennifer Melfi. Peter Bogdanovich was primarily a film director best known for The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon. He was also well known due to his association with Dorothy Stratten. Dorothy Stratten was an actress, model and Playboy playmate. She appeared in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Fantasy Island, and the bargain basement but cultish sci-fi film Galaxina. She also got a small part in the Peter Bogdanovich film They All Laughed. Bogdanovich fell in love with Stratten and they began an affair. The only problem was that Stratten was married to a pimp and hustler named Paul Snider.Stratten wanted to start a new life with Bogdanovich and so arranged to meet Snider (from whom she was estranged) to ask for a divorce. Stratten was advised by Bogdanovich not to go and meet Snider but she did so anyway. Dorothy Stratten met Snider in the home they used to share and it would tragically be the last night of her life. Snider turned up with a shotgun and killed Stratten by shooting her in the face. She was only twenty years-old. Snider then shot himself. Bogdanovich was devastated by Dorothy Stratten's death. Several years later he raised a few eyebrows by marrying Dorothy's younger sister Louise. The marriage lasted until 2001. Two films were made based on this sad case in the wake of Dorothy Stratten's death - Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story and Star 80 starring Mariel Hemingway.(43) One of Tony Soprano's most iconic fashion items is the humble bathrobe. Tony is often seen in a big white bathrobe when he's at home.(44) The newspaper Tony Soprano has delivered is the Star-Ledger. The Star-Ledger is the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey.(45) Edie Falco was 34 years-old when she played Carmela Soprano in the pilot for The Sopranos. Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Carmela's daughter Meadow in The Sopranos, is now 42 in real life. (46) Over the course of The Sopranos, subscriptions to HBO went up by 50%. The Sopranos was a big part of this spike.(47) David Chase said in an interview that Carmela Soprano had 'done a deal with the Devil' by staying married to Tony - despite being aware of what he really did for a living. (48) Tony Soprano pretends to be a waste management consultant at Barone Sanitation. In reality this is the company he uses to launder money and he's really a mob boss in New Jersey. Tony's real income comes from typical mafia activities like loan-sharking, extortion, gambling, robberies, and union corruption. As the boss, all of the members of Tony's crew must pay him a slice from their criminal activities.  (49) Jamie-Lynn Sigler released a pop album in 2001 to try and cash in on her Sopranos fame. The album didn't do very well and Jamie-Lynn has since said she didn't especially enjoy her singing interlude. Jamie said her singing on the album was faked too. (50) When the show was still running, the Italian-American Anti-Defamation League actually arranged a meeting with David Chase to explain their gripes about The Sopranos. It transpired though that none of them had actually watched the show so they were complaining about something they'd never even seen. (51) Frankie Valli played the vertically challenged Rusty Millio in The Sopranos. Rusty is a capo in the Lupertazzi Family. Frankie Valli was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Four Seasons in 1990. (52) Drea de Matteo said that when her time on The Sopranos came to an end she took home the tiger-print spandex onesie that Adriana had. She was also allowed to take home the outfit that Adriana was wearing when she got whacked. (53) The year that The Sopranos came out there was a film with an uncannily similar premise. Analyze This is a 1999 film directed by Harold Ramis. The film follows the story of a powerful mob boss named Paul Vitti, played by Robert De Niro, who begins experiencing anxiety attacks and seeks out the help of a therapist, Dr Ben Sobel, played by Billy Crystal. Apparently it was just a coincidence that The Sopranos and Analyze This had a similar premise. Neither was influenced by the other. The big difference is that Analyze This was a comedy whereas The Sopranos is a drama.(54) In the episode The Telltale Moozadell, Tony refers to Edgar Allan Poe as 'the guy that did all the Vincent Price s***'. Vincent Price appeared in a number of AIP horror films based on Poe's work. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American writer, poet, and literary critic best known for his macabre and Gothic tales. He is known for works like The Raven and The Fall of the House of Usher.(55) Tony calls Christopher his nephew but in reality Christopher is Tony's cousin by marriage (Christopher is Carmela’s cousin). (56) Jerry Stiller was supposed to play Herman "Hesh" Rabkin on The Sopranos but he withdrew shortly before the pilot and was replaced by Jerry Adler. Jerry Stiller was known for his comic roles in television shows such as Seinfeld and The King of Queens.(57) Denise Borino-Quinn played Ginny Sacramoni - the wife of Johnny Sack in the show. Denise tagged along to the audition to support a friend but ended up being cast herself. She never acted in anything else either before or after The Sopranos. Sadly, Denise Borino-Quinn died of cancer in 2010 at the age of 46.(58) Goomah is Italian slang for mistress or girlfriend. It derives from 'comare' - which means second mother. (59) It is sometimes reported that the late Ray Liotta turned down the part of Tony Soprano. This is not true but Ray Liotta did say he discussed being in the show later on (possibly for the part of Ralphie, which was played by Joe Pantoliano). The reason he turned it down is that he didn't want to do another mafia part after Goodfellas and was also busy filming Hannibal for Ridley Scott. He felt television would be a step down for his career (which shows how much things have changed because Hollywood actors do television and streaming shows all the time now). Ray Liotta did though later appear in The Many Saints of Newark.(60) A very young Michael B. Jordan made a brief appearance in the Sopranos episode Down Neck.(61) Tony Soprano was partly inspired by Vincent Palermo. Palermo (who is still alive at the time of writing) was the boss of the New Jersey DeCavalcante crime family and ended up in witness protection. He owned a strip-club called Wiggles - which was the inspiration behind the Bada Bing! strip-club in The Sopranos. (62) There was a famous incident in 2002 where James Gandolfini vanished from the Sopranos set and then four days later telephoned from a beauty salon in Brooklyn.