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This article, written by Edward Ludvigsen, appeared Tuesday, July 26 on NYC Mob Tour
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Leave the Gun, Take The Giuliani
Certainly no stranger to self promotion, gangsters, or just hamming it the hell up— former prosecutor, mayor, misunderstood drag performer, and savior of NYC during 9/11 ( (just ask him, he’ll tell you), Rudy Giuliani will be hosting “Mob Week” on AMC from August 1 through 7. Giuliani is apparently a big Godfather fan, which will be great for him as AMC is playing the films in exhausting rotation over the course of the week. Over 300 hours of The Godfather, says quick math. Is that too much Abe Vigoda, or just enough to hook you for life? Food for thought.
One supposes that the former mayor of New York City is a sensible choice for a celebrity host, as he is very familiar with the organized crime landscape of the city. Notes The Gothamist:
Of course, Giuliani has always been a family guy—even when he was raiding bars during his mayorship, it’s long believed that he never touched Kokie’s—Williamsburg’s notorious members-only cocaine den—because it was owned by his friend’s brother (it was raided and shut down when Bloomberg came into office).
Breezing through AMC’s “Mob Week” schedule reveals a roster of all the expected biggies: Godfather, Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco, Untouchables, Scarface. More Pacino and DeNiro than you can shake a (bread)stick at. The Juror, curiously, is also in heavy rotation. Affordable syndication?
The only two films that stand out as being a little unexpected are Machine Gun Kelly, for which you will have to tune in at 4AM on August 2 to see, and . The latter is a funny little gem from 1993 starring DeNiro (playing against type), . It gets a few more time slots and may be easier to catch. It would have been nice to see a little more variety and unexpected fare within AMC’s gangland film festival. The Freshman, Mean Streets, and The Pope of Greenwich Village all spring to mind.
Got any favorite mobster movies that may NOT be amongst the expected family of classics? Let us know in the comments!