Goodfellas
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Suggested correction: False. Joe Pesci told the anecdote to Scorsese in the earliest stages of the movie. Scorsese asked him to add it during previous script readings and further rehearsals while notes were being taken by crew members. Then it was finally shot following those rehearsals and notes. In this video all the actors involved tell how Scorsese works and even he himself says he rewrote that scene 4 times. Minute 13:04: https://youtu.be/_bbzUZuxEB8.

Sacha

I have actually seen interviews where they admitted it was improvised. The reactions from the other actors was genuine.

lartaker1975

Just submitted a link to a video where they tell how they improvised during rehearsals and then scripted it.

Sacha

Trivia: The lines in the scene at Tommy's house where his mother makes dinner for them were entirely improvised by the actors.

Trivia: In the book Wiseguy, it is stated that even in the gangster world, discipline and order had to maintained. No one could kill anyone they wanted whenever they pleased. Dead bodies were not allowed to be haphazardly left in the streets for all to see. People who had grudges against certain individuals had to sit down with mob chiefs to get their okay to have them 'whacked'. Since Tommy killed Billy Batts and several others without permission, he sealed his own fate. There are similar cases mentioned in the book regarding loose cannons, deadbeats, and snitches and their ultimate demise. Henry put it so in the case of Stacks Edwards: "It was Jimmy who gave the order, but it was Paulie who gave Jimmy the look."

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: Lorraine Bracco was in both The Sopranos and Goodfellas. In the Sopranos she's raped by a man named Jesus Rossi. In Goodfellas she confronts the woman her husband is cheating with, and her name is Janice Rossi. The Rossi Family hasn't been kind to Mrs. Bracco.

Japan-Games

Trivia: The end of the film states that Jimmy Conway would be eligible for parole in 2004. James Burke, the inspiration for Jimmy Conway, with the same parole schedule, died of cancer in 1996 before getting the chance.

Kara

Trivia: In the film, we see a young Henry Hill in his parents' kitchen with his younger sisters. The opposite is true; Henry had 4 sisters older than him, and a brother who grew up in a wheelchair.

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: Though the film never mentions him, the second son of Henry's mob chief Paul, Paulie Jr., was actually Henry's best friend since youth and even introduced him to Karen. In the film he was replaced with Tommy, played by Joe Pesci. Paul Sr. had three sons with his wife Phyliss: Peter, Paul Jr., and Leonard.

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: In the film, Henry and Karen meet with U.S. Attorney Ed McDonald regarding the Witness Protection Program. It is the very same Ed McDonald who met with the real Henry and Karen Hill when they were about to go into hiding.

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: And what does the real Henry Hill think of Goodfellas? After viewing it, he stated that it was 'very, very good. If I had done the movie myself, had I known anything about filmmaking, who knows if I would've done a better job.'

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: Jimmy Conway really went by the name Jimmy Burke. In the book Wiseguy, he tells Henry that all he knew about his family is that he 'was born to a woman named Conway.'

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: When the Hill family were about to begin life in hiding under the Witness Protection Program, Karen's optimism is revealed. In the book Wiseguy, she said something to the effect of 'There'd be no more gangsters, hitmen, and no more cheating girlfriends. I thought maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after all.'

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: Although Paul Vario was a large fellow, this did not mean that he could not move fast whenever he wanted to. In the book Wiseguy, it is stated that Henry saw him grab a sawed-off baseball bat from the trunk of his car and chase a nimbler man up five flights of stairs to collect a loan shark debt.

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: In the film, Paulie had a younger brother, Tuddy. True in real life, but Paulie also had an older brother, Lenny, and another younger brother. Incidentally, the real Tuddy limped because he had a missing leg - he lost it in the Korean War.

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: Johnny Dio, who is seen cooking steak in a pan in jail is played by Frank Pellegrino, who is also the co-owner of the legendary NY Italian restaurant, Rao's. His real nickname is "Frankie No", due to the utter impossibility of getting a reservation in the restaurant where tables are reserved literally years in advance. Pellegrino also appears regularly in The Sopranos as FBI Agent Cubitoso.

Trivia: Near the film's end, Henry goes and apologizes to Paulie for being busted. Actually, it was not Henry that went to see Paulie; it was Karen. At the time, Paulie had already refused to help bail out Henry due to the drug charges and because of that, Henry was still inside. Paulie actually told Karen that he had to turn his back on Henry. He then gave the money to Karen.

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: Watch Jimmy Conway carefully. He often takes drags of his cigarette, but never exhales any smoke.

Trivia: In the film, Tommy is seen 'whacking' Morrie. In real life, by the time that happened, Tommy was already gone forever. Someone else was sent to hit Morrie.

Allister Cooper, 2011

Trivia: Both of director Martin Scorsese's parents are in the movie. The old lady that plays Tommy D's mother, and Vinny, who puts too many onions in the sauce.

Factual error: In the scene at Idlewild airport, the actors walk past the rear of an easily identified 1965 Chevy Impala. Occasionally Chevrolet introduced vehicles early, but never two years early.

More mistakes in Goodfellas

Henry Hill: Jimmy was the kind of guy that rooted for bad guys in the movies.

More quotes from Goodfellas

Question: What is the song being played during the scene when Henry is being chased by the helicopter towards the end? It starts when he puts the bags in the trunk of his car before going to pick up his brother, but it's not on the soundtrack and I can't see it listed in the end credits.

Stacey

Chosen answer: The song is called "Jump Into The Fire" by Harry Nilsson, and is not on the original motion picture soundtrack.

More questions & answers from Goodfellas

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