John Aprea, who played young Tessio in "The Godfather Part II" and John Stamos' father in "Full House", died on Aug. 5 at age 83, his manager Will Levine confirmed to CBS News. He died of natural causes in Los Angeles surrounded by his loved ones. Aprea was born in 1941 to Italian immigrants in Englewood, New Jersey. He moved to New York City in th...
READ MOREIn the annals of Hollywood, few actors have achieved what John Cazale managed in his brief but illustrious career. With a filmography that boasts only five movies, each one was nominated for the prestigious Academy Award for Best Picture. Even after his untimely demise, Cazale’s cinematic magic lived on when archive footage of him was incorporated...
READ MOREOn 14 March 1972, the iconic crime epic The Godfather premiered in New York. With its haunting score, its subtle, evocative cinematography, its endlessly quotable dialogue and its powerhouse performances – which served to revive Marlon Brando's career and make a star of a young Al Pacino – it is now widely regarded as one of the greatest films of...
READ MOREGianni Russo was 26 years old, with a couple million dollars in cash from running errands for mob bosses and a pretty big ego, when he used his Mafia connections to get the plum role of Carlo Rizzi in the classic 1972 movie “The Godfather.” He had never acted in his life, which was a serious affront to co-star Marlon Brando, who considered acting a...
READ MOREA 19th-century, 43,000-square-foot castle in Sicily, Italy, is on sale for $6.6 million. It may look familiar to you if you have watched the “The Godfather III.” Castello Pennisi di Floristella was originally built to serve as a museum. Set in a private 2.5-acre park, it boasts 22 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, chapel, and wine cellar. It’s located in the...
READ MOREThe masterpiece directed by Francis Ford Coppola won three statuettes at the 45th Academy Awards on March 27, 1973. It has remained in history the absence at the ceremony of Al Pacino and Marlon Brando, with the latter rejecting the award and sending Apache-born American actress and activist Yaqui Sacheen Littlefeather in his place. It has been 50...
READ MOREFew genres delve deeper into the mythos of the American dream like the mafia drama, and no Italian-American mafia tale is more iconic than "The Godfather" saga. Adapted from Mario Puzo's bestselling novel by the same name and premiering in 1972, the first "Godfather" film was the highest-grossing film of all time until supplanted by "Jaws" in 1976....
READ MOREThe work of Francis Ford Coppola is frequently regarded as some of the best of all time. Alongside Martin Scorsese, he is considered one of the most influential film directors to come out of the ‘New Hollywood’ movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola’s The Godfather Part II is often referred to as one of the greatest films ever made, even as a sta...
READ MOREWhen: Fri Sep 30, 2022 from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM PDT - Where: Amici Park, 1660 Union St, San Diego, CA 92101 Join us for our Little Italy signature event for 2022 as we present Gianni Russo ("Carlo" in The Godfather) as he recounts stories from the iconic film, provides excerpts from his best-selling book (Hollywood Godfather), and croons with the mu...
READ MOREThe Feast of San Gennaro put a hit on “The Godfather.” “In our rules, nobody can sell anything with ‘The Godfather’ or mobsters or anything that denigrates Italians,” John Fratta, a member of the committee that runs the iconic Little Italy festival, held from Sept. 15 to 25, told The Post. “We don’t need people thinking that the mob is running the...
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