The Youngstown Goodfellas Mob Connection...

Back in the early 90s I worked in the up and coming cellular phone industry for a local company called Wilcom Cellular, an offshoot of a local media family. It was a good time to be in the field and I did well for myself (this was how I was able to afford a year of travel...). But I learned how to sell and got to meet some interesting people.

I remember receiving a call late one afternoon from a woman who said she was from California and her boss was coming in to town and needed a local hookup. I said I'd wait. He arrived late and we began talking and he informed me that he was a producer from California who had worked with Michael Jackson and some other well known figures and had been in Goodfellas and was friends with the cast. I was skeptical, of course, but found his story interesting. We talked for a while and he told me he had a home south of where we were. He had a "flip phone" which, at the time, was a big deal as these cost upwards of $1000 at the time. I hooked him up and he was on his way.

So of course I went home and got out the Goodfellas VHS (pre-DVD remember...) and watched the move and lo and behold there he is hanging out on the street when Ray Liotta's future wife cusses him out. Far out. Go to the credits and, yep, there he is, Frank DiLeo. He was also "Mr. Big" in Wayne's World. Apparently, based on his Wikipedia entry, he has been a big player in the music industry. Kinda cool...

But this is not about him or meeting someone famous. I find it more fascinating in a six degrees of separation kind of way.

I remember the very first time I saw the film and was immediately struck at the very end of the film when Ray Liotta, now in the witness protection program, bends down to pick up the newspaper. I instantly recognize the Youngstown Vindicator with its old typeface (anyone know when it was last used?).

I am not too surprised because of Youngstown's notorious history thinking maybe they filmed in Youngstown or something. Goodfellas, mob, Youngstown...makes sense. After meeting Frank DiLeo I knew it was the Vindicator.

Here are some stills:



And, though a bit fuzzy, a better one:

If anyone can find out the exact date of the paper that would be really cool.

For years and years I've thought this and told people about it but looked up the IMDB entry for Goodfellas the other day and found this:

"During one of the final scenes in the movie, Henry Hill is shown opening his front door and picking up a newspaper. Close inspection reveals that the newspaper is the Youngstown Vindicator. This detail was included by Martin Scorsese as an homage to Youngstown, Ohio, which has been referred to as Mobtown USA."

It's August 23, 2023. I finally found out exactly which Vindicator he picks up. 

It's the 7/12/1989 paper. 

A Spiritual Mutt exclusive: