You probably saw the 1990 blockbuster hit "Goodfellas" with Joe Pesci, Robert DeNiro, Ray Liotta and Paul Sorvino. In the movie, Paul Sorvino plays real life mobster Paul "Paulie" Cicero, then boss of the Lucchese crime family. "Cicero" is a fictionalized substitute for Paulie's real surname.
The real life drama is based in the East New York section of Brooklyn, NY. I'll continue to use the fictional name of "Cicero" so as not to incur the wrath of Paulie's descendants.
Paulie Cicero had a sister who was married to my paternal grandmother's brother, making Uncle Joe my father's uncle and my great uncle.
It was in the late 40's or perhaps 1950 when my father, then a young man in his 20s, bought a used car from a lot on Atlantic Ave, a major east-west thoroughfare slicing through the heart of Brooklyn. The car turned out to be a bomb with lots of hidden defects. Repeated complaints by my father fell on deaf ears.
During a Sunday family gathering, my father's uncle Joe complimented my father on his new car, at which time my father told him that the car was a bomb and he'd been screwed by the dealer. Uncle Joe nodded in sympathy and said he'd "look into" it. A few days later, my father receives a phone call from Paulie Cicero, who said he learned about the bum car deal and thought he could help. He instructed my father to pick him up and take him to the dealer.
A few days later, with Paulie Cicero sitting in the front seat, my father pulls up to the used car dealer. Perhaps because of a sun reflection off the windshield, the dealer did not see who was in the front passenger seat. My father gets out and the dealer, disgusted to see him is about to tell him to ****off when Paulie Cicero steps from the car.
My father, now 94 years old, still laughs in describing the instant transformation that overtook the dealer, who piously assured my my father and Paulie Cicero that it was all a misunderstanding and an oversight, he was short handed, etc, all the basic lame duck excuses. My father said the dealer broke into a nervous sweat and began to shake. The dealer begged my father to bring the car back to him and he'd make everything right. So far, Paulie Cicero hadn't said a word.
They left the dealership and a few days later, my father returned the car to a dealer who did everything but kiss his feet. When my father returned for the car several days after that, he found that the dealer had installed a new clutch, four new tires, new battery, new plugs and wires, new shocks, oil change, new air and oil filters and a complete detailing and Simonize. He threw in four new hubcaps for good measure.
What is interesting is that in all the mob movies, there's always someone who bucks or defies or disobeys the mob, justifying the violence that often follows. At this point I could lie and say that Paulie Cicero showed up with mob muscle and threatened the dealer with a head-to-foot tuneup of his own if he didn't fix the car.
The truth is, it only took the mere sight of Paulie Cicero for the dealer to undergo a total epiphany and to transform a used car into a nearly new one. Paulie Cicero never once uttered a
threat and the dealer, making good on his word, continued enjoying his good health.
Fortunately for my father, Paulie Cicero was doing a favor for his brother-in-law (Uncle Joe) and did not expect anything in return from my father. Anyone who lived under the shadow of the mob knew that if you accepted a favor from them, sooner or later, they might expect a favor from you, a favor you could not refuse.
The real life drama is based in the East New York section of Brooklyn, NY. I'll continue to use the fictional name of "Cicero" so as not to incur the wrath of Paulie's descendants.
Paulie Cicero had a sister who was married to my paternal grandmother's brother, making Uncle Joe my father's uncle and my great uncle.
It was in the late 40's or perhaps 1950 when my father, then a young man in his 20s, bought a used car from a lot on Atlantic Ave, a major east-west thoroughfare slicing through the heart of Brooklyn. The car turned out to be a bomb with lots of hidden defects. Repeated complaints by my father fell on deaf ears.
During a Sunday family gathering, my father's uncle Joe complimented my father on his new car, at which time my father told him that the car was a bomb and he'd been screwed by the dealer. Uncle Joe nodded in sympathy and said he'd "look into" it. A few days later, my father receives a phone call from Paulie Cicero, who said he learned about the bum car deal and thought he could help. He instructed my father to pick him up and take him to the dealer.
A few days later, with Paulie Cicero sitting in the front seat, my father pulls up to the used car dealer. Perhaps because of a sun reflection off the windshield, the dealer did not see who was in the front passenger seat. My father gets out and the dealer, disgusted to see him is about to tell him to ****off when Paulie Cicero steps from the car.
My father, now 94 years old, still laughs in describing the instant transformation that overtook the dealer, who piously assured my my father and Paulie Cicero that it was all a misunderstanding and an oversight, he was short handed, etc, all the basic lame duck excuses. My father said the dealer broke into a nervous sweat and began to shake. The dealer begged my father to bring the car back to him and he'd make everything right. So far, Paulie Cicero hadn't said a word.
They left the dealership and a few days later, my father returned the car to a dealer who did everything but kiss his feet. When my father returned for the car several days after that, he found that the dealer had installed a new clutch, four new tires, new battery, new plugs and wires, new shocks, oil change, new air and oil filters and a complete detailing and Simonize. He threw in four new hubcaps for good measure.
What is interesting is that in all the mob movies, there's always someone who bucks or defies or disobeys the mob, justifying the violence that often follows. At this point I could lie and say that Paulie Cicero showed up with mob muscle and threatened the dealer with a head-to-foot tuneup of his own if he didn't fix the car.
The truth is, it only took the mere sight of Paulie Cicero for the dealer to undergo a total epiphany and to transform a used car into a nearly new one. Paulie Cicero never once uttered a
threat and the dealer, making good on his word, continued enjoying his good health.
Fortunately for my father, Paulie Cicero was doing a favor for his brother-in-law (Uncle Joe) and did not expect anything in return from my father. Anyone who lived under the shadow of the mob knew that if you accepted a favor from them, sooner or later, they might expect a favor from you, a favor you could not refuse.
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If you didn't, or they didn't like you...... 
