Queens is a popular location for filming movies about the mafia. In addition to the legendary film The Godfather, the gangster drama Goodfellas was also filmed here. It was directed by Martin Scorsese in 1990. The cinematic masterpiece has earned a place in the list of the best gangster movies of all time. The film provides an in-depth look at the inner world of the mafia and the consequences of such life. Read more about it on queens-trend.
WHAT IS THE MOVIE ABOUT?
Since childhood, Henry Hill has adored gangsters and dreamed of becoming like them. He wished to drive expensive cars, wear suits and enjoy popularity. In adult life, his dream comes true. He begins working for a caporegime (mafia boss) and his two associates in the working-class Italian-American neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Three mafia partners spent a lot of time in a nightclub, having fun with women up to the 1960s. Henry started to date a wealthy Jewish woman, Karen Friedman, and show her the glamorous side of his life. After being sexually assaulted by her parents’ neighbor, Karen calls Henry in tears. He immediately finds the young man and beats him to blood with a revolver. Karen liked such fearlessness and the couple got married soon. After the wedding, the woman gradually learns about Henry’s crimes but she begins to rationalize the gangster lifestyle.
Breaking the rules of the criminal world, Hill testifies against his former associates to avoid retribution. After that, he changes his name and disappears…
WHERE WAS IT FILMED?
Director Scorsese was born in Queens and couldn’t avoid the borough while creating the film. Young Henry Hill’s house was filmed on 32 Street in Astoria. There, Henry enviously watches the mobsters from his bedroom window. A pizzeria, a post office and a parking lot (where teenage Henry hones his skills as an arsonist) are located in the same area. Unfortunately, only young Henry’s house has survived here.
The first scene of Hill’s adult life was filmed in the parking lot of the Airline Diner. Henry and Tommy steal a tractor trailer. The diner is real. It is also located in Astoria, near LaGuardia Airport.
After the first 30 minutes of the film, we see Henry and Karen on a double date at a classy white-tabletop restaurant. Until 2012, it was Salerno’s Italian Restaurant (now Tropicana Lounge Indian Restaurant). If you look in the windows of the establishment at the corner of Hillside and Bessemer, you’ll see some of the tables and other equipment featured in the movie. On the other side of the building is a flea market.
As soon as Henry starts making money, one woman is not enough for him. A gangster settles his main mistress in a rich apartment. The latter is located in Forest Hills, along Queens Blvd.
The bar meeting scenes after the Lufthansa robbery were filmed at Neir’s Tavern. The iconic scene where Frankie Carbone shows off his companion’s new fur coat was filmed here as well. In 2019, Neir’s Tavern nearly closed due to a rent dispute. Its walls are decorated with Goodfellas souvenirs.
A somber moment is shown as a pair of young men approach a brand-new pink Cadillac parked by the tracks. A few seconds later, one of the best pieces of music in the film begins. This scene was filmed in the Richmond Hill area.
The scene where Jimmy destroys the phone booth was filmed at the former Clinton Diner (Maspeth area). From the parking lot of the facility, one could see the top of the World Trade Center. In the summer of 2017, a fire destroyed most of the interior.
The house where Henry stands at Jimmy’s front door, wiping Coke from his nose and trying to sell mufflers, is located at the intersection of 220 St and 94 Rd in Queens Village. This is a quiet residential street located two blocks north of Jamaica Ave. In addition, some scenes were filmed in New Jersey, such as the one where Henry is detained near Rockville Centre.
BASED ON A REAL STORY
The tough crime drama is based on the true story of Henry Hill, an American gangster who worked closely with the Lucchese crime family. Hill participated in two robberies of JFK International Airport, one of the largest such crimes in US history.
The events of the film are true. The murder of Billy Butts happened almost as it was depicted in the movie. The Lufthansa heist was also real. Criminals stole almost $6 million from Kennedy Airport.
Goodfellas takes viewers on a fascinating and, at the same time, creepy journey through the world of organized crime, providing an in-depth look at the rise and fall of a group of gangsters. The role of Hill was performed by Ray Liotta. Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino also starred in the movie. Robert De Niro was very obsessed with the role. When he created the character of Jimmy Conway, he called the real Henry Hill up to 8 times a day to find out every important detail about him.
8 INTERESTING FACTS
- Director Scorsese co-wrote the screenplay. However, he did not adhere strictly to every word. The filmmaker allowed the actors to improvise.
- The film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards but only Joe Pesci won for Best Supporting Actor.
- Sometimes, a mistake can be turned into an advantage when making a film. Scorsese had a moment like that in Goodfellas. Debi Mazar, who played Sandy, tripped over the walkway in the scene where she met Henry. Instead of reshooting this, Scorsese decided to leave the shot with the hint that Sandy tripped because she was stunned.
- Scorsese used his own experience to start the film. In the opening minutes, we see a young Henry looking out his window at the gangsters. Scorsese was a frail child who suffered from chronic asthma. This forced him to spend a lot of time sitting in his apartment and watching the world outside. Asthma saved the director from a life of crime. Then, Scorsese fell in love with cinema, spending a lot of time watching movies.
- Joe Pesci came up with the film’s most quotable scene, where Tommy repeats ‘Funny how?’ to Henry, calling him funny. This scene is one of the few in the film that is not based on the life of Henry Hill.
- The money was real in the scene where Jimmy threw out $20 bills. Although fake bills were used during filming, Robert De Niro didn’t like the way they felt in his hand. A crew member gave the actor $5,000 out of his own pocket. After each scene, no one was allowed to leave the set until all the dollars were collected and counted.
- Ray Liotta’s mother died during filming. The actor directed his anger at the performance, particularly the scene where he pistol-whipped a man for stalking Karen.
- Some extras were real gangsters. Secondary roles were played by men who were associated with organized crime. Some of them knew mobsters in real life and one of the extras was later convicted of murders for the mafia. In this way, Scorsese decided to combine real life with Hollywood.
