Tony Soprano
The Taking of Pelham 123
October 13, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
The remake of The Taking of Pelham 123 opened in theaters this past summer. The film stars three actors who got their big breaks on the small screen.
Denzel Washington.
In Pelham, Washington plays Walter Garber, a New York City civil servant who becomes the link of communication to hostage takers on a subway train.
Washington was part of the terrific ensemble cast of St. Elsewhere. In this 1980’s NBC drama set in a Boston hospital, Washington plays the Yale-educated Dr. Phillip Chandler.
His breakthrough movie was Glory, a 1989 film set during the Civil War. Washington earned on Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
John Travolta.
In Pelham, Travolta plays Ryder, the leader of the hostage takers.
Travolta exploded onto America’s consciousness as dim-witted, girl-crazy, and self-involved high school student Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back, Kotter.
Kotter premiered in 1975. In the space of three years, Travolta’s career became hotter than a supernova. On the silver screen, he starred in 1977’s Saturday Night Fever and 1978’s Grease.
For the most part, notoriety subsided during the 1980’s. Travolta signaled his comeback in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction in 1994.
James Gandolfini.
In Pelham, Gandolfini plays the Mayor of New York City. If managed properly, the hostage crisis can be good for the politics business. Or very bad.
After highly significant roles on Broadway and supporting roles in films, Gandolfini got the role for which he will forever be identified.
Henry Winkler has Fonzie.
Alan Alda has Hawkeye.
And James Gandolfini has Tony Soprano, the main character in The Sopranos.
Gandolfini’s emotions as the New Jersey mafia don range from the tender to the explosive. He reveals a touching side when talking about or interacting with animals, like his racehorse, Pie-Oh-My.
There is a flip side. Disloyalty, betrayal, and disrespect trigger rage, violence, and an underlying fear of a weakened position in the Soprano mob family.
In 1973, Morton Freedgood wrote the novel The Taking of Pelham 123 under the pseudonym John Godey.
A year later, the story hit the big screen for the first time with Walter Matthau as Garber, Robert Shaw as Ryder, and Lee Wallace as the mayor.
The film accurately captures the aura of violence, fear, and despair surrounding New York City in the 1970’s. Riots. Crime. Financial turmoil. They all contributed to the pressure.
The feeling permeates the film. Walter Matthau’s Garber is in the middle -- a civil servant trying to do his job. On this particular day, it is an ordinary job under extraordinary circumstances. Matthau perfectly fits the role of the rumpled Garber.
The ending of this version of Pelham is an excellent example of a setup and payoff. Something occurs early in the story that recurs at the end.
Hector Elizondo and Earl Hindman play two of the hostage takers. Elizondo later starred in Chicago Hope and played supporting roles in a deep roster of films that include The Flamingo Kid, The Princess Diaries, and Pretty Woman.
Hindman’s face is not recognizable from his signature role -- Wilson, the neighbor on Home Improvement. The running gag on the show was the hiding of Wilson’s face behind the backyard fence and other objects.
Jerry Stiller plays a policeman working with Matthau. Maybe the hostage crisis was a source of sorts for Frank Costanza’s anger.
david@davidkrell.com
The remake of The Taking of Pelham 123 opened in theaters this past summer. The film stars three actors who got their big breaks on the small screen.
Denzel Washington.
In Pelham, Washington plays Walter Garber, a New York City civil servant who becomes the link of communication to hostage takers on a subway train.
Washington was part of the terrific ensemble cast of St. Elsewhere. In this 1980’s NBC drama set in a Boston hospital, Washington plays the Yale-educated Dr. Phillip Chandler.
His breakthrough movie was Glory, a 1989 film set during the Civil War. Washington earned on Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
John Travolta.
In Pelham, Travolta plays Ryder, the leader of the hostage takers.
Travolta exploded onto America’s consciousness as dim-witted, girl-crazy, and self-involved high school student Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back, Kotter.
Kotter premiered in 1975. In the space of three years, Travolta’s career became hotter than a supernova. On the silver screen, he starred in 1977’s Saturday Night Fever and 1978’s Grease.
For the most part, notoriety subsided during the 1980’s. Travolta signaled his comeback in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction in 1994.
James Gandolfini.
In Pelham, Gandolfini plays the Mayor of New York City. If managed properly, the hostage crisis can be good for the politics business. Or very bad.
After highly significant roles on Broadway and supporting roles in films, Gandolfini got the role for which he will forever be identified.
Henry Winkler has Fonzie.
Alan Alda has Hawkeye.
And James Gandolfini has Tony Soprano, the main character in The Sopranos.
Gandolfini’s emotions as the New Jersey mafia don range from the tender to the explosive. He reveals a touching side when talking about or interacting with animals, like his racehorse, Pie-Oh-My.
There is a flip side. Disloyalty, betrayal, and disrespect trigger rage, violence, and an underlying fear of a weakened position in the Soprano mob family.
In 1973, Morton Freedgood wrote the novel The Taking of Pelham 123 under the pseudonym John Godey.
A year later, the story hit the big screen for the first time with Walter Matthau as Garber, Robert Shaw as Ryder, and Lee Wallace as the mayor.
The film accurately captures the aura of violence, fear, and despair surrounding New York City in the 1970’s. Riots. Crime. Financial turmoil. They all contributed to the pressure.
The feeling permeates the film. Walter Matthau’s Garber is in the middle -- a civil servant trying to do his job. On this particular day, it is an ordinary job under extraordinary circumstances. Matthau perfectly fits the role of the rumpled Garber.
The ending of this version of Pelham is an excellent example of a setup and payoff. Something occurs early in the story that recurs at the end.
Hector Elizondo and Earl Hindman play two of the hostage takers. Elizondo later starred in Chicago Hope and played supporting roles in a deep roster of films that include The Flamingo Kid, The Princess Diaries, and Pretty Woman.
Hindman’s face is not recognizable from his signature role -- Wilson, the neighbor on Home Improvement. The running gag on the show was the hiding of Wilson’s face behind the backyard fence and other objects.
Jerry Stiller plays a policeman working with Matthau. Maybe the hostage crisis was a source of sorts for Frank Costanza’s anger.
The Sopranos
April 07, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
We miss The Sopranos.
The show about a North Jersey mobster ended its run on June 10, 2007.
And we miss it terribly.
We miss the meetings in Satriale’s, the Bada Bing, and Tony’s basement.
We miss the malapropisms.
Sacred and the propane.
Senator Sanatorium.
And Carmine Lupertazzi’s statement -- There’s no stigmata connected with going to a shrink.
And we miss Tony Soprano.
His anger captivated us.
His ruthlessness scared us.
His affection softened us.
As head of the DiMeo crime family, Tony Soprano faced tremendous struggles to keep the organization afloat.
First, Tony’s uncle tried to have him killed with the express approval of Tony’s mother.
Second, business associates did their best to undermine Tony, sometimes unwittingly.
Richie Aprile wreaked havoc after he was released from prison because he wanted to be boss.
Cousin Tony Blundetto killed Billy Leotardo and inspired a bloodlust in Billy’s brother Phil.
And the New York family bosses were tough negotiators for profit skimming, no-show jobs, and construction bids.
Third, the elephant in the room -- the ever present threat of family members ‘flipping’ and singing to the Feds in exchange for witness protection.
As head of the Soprano family, Tony also faced struggles familiar to any suburban dad.
Teenage daughter Meadow frequently rebelled while basking in a luxurious home in North Caldwell, New Jersey.
Wife Carmela relied on Tony for household chores, like getting the food for barbecues, a staple of life in the Soprano household.
And mother Livia needed Tony to look out for her, despite her malicious feelings towards him.
In some respects, Tony was no different than the first television dad to show life at work and at home.
Of course, I’m talking about Rob Petrie, expertly portrayed by Dick Van Dyke on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Rob dealt with a tough, emotional, and high-strung boss -- Alan Brady.
Tony dealt with a tough, emotional, and high-strung mob boss -- Phil Leotardo.
Rob had a broker in keeping peace with Alan Brady – Mel Cooley, Alan’s brother-in-law and producer of The Alan Brady Show.
Tony had several brokers to keep peace between families, including Carmine Lupertazzi, Junior or Little Carmine.
And when life got unbearable for Laura Petrie, she would cry out Oh, Rob!
When life got unbearable for Carmela Soprano, the cry of Tony! would not be far behind.
The Sopranos broke ground for the television medium, pushing the edge of the envelope in the areas of language, violence, and storytelling.
Language. We heard the C-word used in every day conversation.
Violence. We saw people beat to death, not merely stabbed or shot. First, Ralphie did it to his pregnant stripper girlfriend Tracy. Then Tony did the same to Ralphie.
We never saw a clear connection, though, between the two incidents.
Storytelling. We enjoyed storylines that were never quite tied up.
Did the Russian survive the ordeal in the Pine Barrens with Paulie and Christopher?
Did Dr. Melfi’s rapist ever get caught?
And finally, what happened when the screen cut to black in the final scene?
Did Tony get killed?
Did Tony get arrested?
Or did life merely go on with Tony looking over his shoulder more than ever before?
As Junior Soprano once told Tony, All good questions.
david@davidkrell.com
We miss The Sopranos.
The show about a North Jersey mobster ended its run on June 10, 2007.
And we miss it terribly.
We miss the meetings in Satriale’s, the Bada Bing, and Tony’s basement.
We miss the malapropisms.
Sacred and the propane.
Senator Sanatorium.
And Carmine Lupertazzi’s statement -- There’s no stigmata connected with going to a shrink.
And we miss Tony Soprano.
His anger captivated us.
His ruthlessness scared us.
His affection softened us.
As head of the DiMeo crime family, Tony Soprano faced tremendous struggles to keep the organization afloat.
First, Tony’s uncle tried to have him killed with the express approval of Tony’s mother.
Second, business associates did their best to undermine Tony, sometimes unwittingly.
Richie Aprile wreaked havoc after he was released from prison because he wanted to be boss.
Cousin Tony Blundetto killed Billy Leotardo and inspired a bloodlust in Billy’s brother Phil.
And the New York family bosses were tough negotiators for profit skimming, no-show jobs, and construction bids.
Third, the elephant in the room -- the ever present threat of family members ‘flipping’ and singing to the Feds in exchange for witness protection.
As head of the Soprano family, Tony also faced struggles familiar to any suburban dad.
Teenage daughter Meadow frequently rebelled while basking in a luxurious home in North Caldwell, New Jersey.
Wife Carmela relied on Tony for household chores, like getting the food for barbecues, a staple of life in the Soprano household.
And mother Livia needed Tony to look out for her, despite her malicious feelings towards him.
In some respects, Tony was no different than the first television dad to show life at work and at home.
Of course, I’m talking about Rob Petrie, expertly portrayed by Dick Van Dyke on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Rob dealt with a tough, emotional, and high-strung boss -- Alan Brady.
Tony dealt with a tough, emotional, and high-strung mob boss -- Phil Leotardo.
Rob had a broker in keeping peace with Alan Brady – Mel Cooley, Alan’s brother-in-law and producer of The Alan Brady Show.
Tony had several brokers to keep peace between families, including Carmine Lupertazzi, Junior or Little Carmine.
And when life got unbearable for Laura Petrie, she would cry out Oh, Rob!
When life got unbearable for Carmela Soprano, the cry of Tony! would not be far behind.
The Sopranos broke ground for the television medium, pushing the edge of the envelope in the areas of language, violence, and storytelling.
Language. We heard the C-word used in every day conversation.
Violence. We saw people beat to death, not merely stabbed or shot. First, Ralphie did it to his pregnant stripper girlfriend Tracy. Then Tony did the same to Ralphie.
We never saw a clear connection, though, between the two incidents.
Storytelling. We enjoyed storylines that were never quite tied up.
Did the Russian survive the ordeal in the Pine Barrens with Paulie and Christopher?
Did Dr. Melfi’s rapist ever get caught?
And finally, what happened when the screen cut to black in the final scene?
Did Tony get killed?
Did Tony get arrested?
Or did life merely go on with Tony looking over his shoulder more than ever before?
As Junior Soprano once told Tony, All good questions.