I did 7 years in prison with Sonny. He was in great spirits 99% of the time. He was elderly when I met him and even though we were in prison it was a pleasure and privilege to know and speak with him. Always greeted you with the same words " Hi yah Pal"
Learning about Michael Franzese's early yrs breaks your heart, makes you understand him that much more. The trauma, emotional pain he managed to work through after tough lessons in life and then raise a family of his own. He was fashion, suave, street smart, business and a man on a mission of his own terms meeting God along his path. Thank you! Jesus for saving this beautiful soul.
It really makes it seem like his earlier adulthood was just a quest to buy himself happiness in any way he could. But that never works, the pain doesn't go away. I'm glad he met his wife.
@@johngullo9420 dished out by an FBI who were butthurt because he wouldn’t flip.The actual bank robbers got a 5 year sentence because they sang.Sonny,”the mastermind” got 50 because he stuck to what he believed in whether right or wrong.No doubt for his family’s sake he could’ve flipped but he didn’t wanna rat on anyone else.Bottom line
To hear Sonny's son say "he was no match for her...he was always at a disadvantage because he couldn't help that he loved her so much". That to me was one of the most powerful statements in the whole series!! It really hit home!!
Michael Franzese made the statement once that men in that life should not marry or have children, as it's not fair to inflict the kind of mental pain he suffered because of it and I agree. Why drag a woman and kids into that mess?
@6:27 shows the family structure or heirarchy. Before family comes marriage. So marriages under the Sharia Law (or contract) are likely to succeed because then people don't go crazy and end up having more spouses which leads to more kids. Now, my point is that theres nothing wrong with having more spouses. But keep in mind a bigger family comes with great responsibility and upbringing. And if kids don't get the right parents, they won't have the proper direction in life
It's crazy because we see the movies like Goodfellas, Casino and so many others. It shows how in the end it all comes crashing down, but what those movies fail to capture is the struggle each and every Family in that Life go through in between the beginning and the end. This captures so much of that. Every Family is affected and hurt by that Life, the Franzese's more than most but it's really eye opening and crazy to think about how every Family, the Gotti's, the Franzese's, the Persico's and so many others were severely damaged by the choices these guys made in their lives. I grew up in a Biker Family, my Godfather was the President of the Chapter, my Mom's best friend is married to the President of a different one and my Dad was just associated but it caused a ton of problems growing up. We were raided 5 times by the time I was 19, shared a Cell with my Father, parents split up and just in general made a normal life impossible for me but yet that was all I wanted. I dated a girl, went on my first real date where it didn't lead right in to sleeping together it was strange for me, eating Dinner with Family at a table was weird for me and just normal things that Family's did was so different from my life. I'm proud to say I've dropped any sort of criminal anything, I work Construction and I've never been happier than now not fearing that door being kicked down or robbed or killed. I don't know why I got in to sharing so much on here but I am going to post it anyways. I wish anyone reading this everything they want in life!
Honey I understand My husband was a biker I was christian I loved that man but it was an awful life we separated 30 years ago My parents were an older couple n had got down he wouldn't help me at all. Its ruff was on my son.
@@jonsnipe5484 Nope, I was right. I just looked it up. He went in from 1967-1978. He received parole violations and went in and out of the correctional system. I believe he did 20-25 years in total for all of his stints. About a quarter of his life but nowhere near 50 years.
MY UNCLE WAS A MEMBER OF THE COLOMBO FAMILY I WAS AN ASSOCIATE I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF MEETING AND WORKING WITH SONNY IN THE EARLY 80s HE WAS A TRUE GANGSTER COSA NOSTRA TO THE CORE I KNEW THROUGH OUT THE YEARS HE WAS AN AWESOME GUY
Sonny was so proud of his daughter for being a teacher . These guys were in a violent world but they also had respect for people who were honest citizens. If you weren't in the game they left you alone. Sad Story !
The mafia did not leave others alone. They sold their ' protection, ' and founded, directed and enforced union activities ( which Johnny Roselli said was their money-making master stroke ) with cold blooded severity. Their activities cast a very wide net. Which is why ' everyone ' was afraid of them. A visit from them could make you ' wish ' you were dead.
This is my first comment ever but I have followed Michael Franzese life story very closely. I’m a retired employee after almost 3 decades in the Michigan department of corrections so my thoughts on the crime life are very dim at best. This video made me feel a different level of respect for Michael. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and what he had to endure as a child.
I am in tears in certain parts here...so many layers to the story. "Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut." It's a double-edged sword.
Reminds me of that scene in Goodfellas when Karen, beautiful by comparison to the other mob wives, comments on how they all look "used up". She definitely stood out compared to the other gals in that black-and-white interview. Stunner!
I said in another vid that John looked like Sonny and Michael looked like Tina. Yet Sonny and Tina were better looking than their children. Sonny in his prime looks like a rugged tough guy in Hollywood movies. Tina was a model. John was whacked out on drugs and Michael is a bit odd looking. Not ugly. Just hard to describe.
Once again Sonny proves that he’s the absolute real deal. I’ve watched so many of these interviews and documentaries and I’m not sure there is a single mobster that’s more legit than him. 100 years old and doesn’t admit that the mafia exists. Goddamn savage.
A real deal of a loser indeed. Only real deal fools don't recognize who their enemies are. They live this one life they have to give and give it to the streets at the expense of their families. That's your real deal?? I'm ashamed at the intellect of many of you.
I love when people act like everything and everyone in power isn’t as corrupt as Franzese... These idiots elect murderers, extortionists, whore masters, thieves, blackmailers, liars and criminals to be... Presidents, Senators, Congressmen heads of government agencies and every other assortment of political leaders. They cast their vote with a smile... Pretending that they’re doing humanity a favor.🤯 Always remember the government didn’t go after the mafia because they’re opposed to bad things... In fact they’ve been in bed with the mafia for a hundred years... The government went after the mafia because they don’t like competition.👍🥃
@Asphincter says what? Your name says it all. But I’m game sphincter boy. What’s the other options kiddo? The Girl Scouts? Hot yoga? What does a sphincter consider a power structure? I’m sure we’re all dying for someone who names himself after a poop hole to enlighten us. Please do.👍
Wow Mrs. Franzese is a beautiful woman, how sad to have to leave that beautiful family behind. Not in a million years would I do that, (not judging at all) just saying I personally would never put any person or organization over my family.
Always scary to see comments on these videos of people respecting lifelong murderers, extortionists, thieves, etc. "He held to his convictions! He's a real man. Nothing but respect." His convictions were grotesque and abominable. Convictions never worth holding in the first place.
Thanks! That's the best comment so far under all those mafia videos. It's crazy that the bulk of the people worship such evil people like Michael Franzese, Sammy the bull, Joe Merlino. They all have extorted good, honest and hard working people. And they are all murderers.
This is one documentary that hit me hard,my father was a Gambino family associate,and he went away for 30 years and it fucked up my family, especially me being the oldest! And he just passed away from throat cancer in Canada,they wouldn't let him die in America free in a hospital RIP RAPHAEL MILONE!!
I think a Franseze movie would be as big as casino or Goodfellas. If they got the right actors and got Michael to help with the story it would be huge! Especially now that Sunny is passed on now. It's gotta happen eventually
This is an absolutely amazing documentary. Mob life is ironic in the sense that they can b so family oriented and care and b so close to there families, but it almost always destroys families. It's not the kind of life that's meant for a man with a family.
John finally sees the truth, that family would have been so different if he would have done normal work, raises his kids and watch them grow. Sadly it’s all over now
@@fransesco97 Yh but, I don't actually know if Sonny was his biological father or not, sonny claimed he was and Michael believes he is but never wanted to do a DNA test.
Mr Franzese wouldn't even admit that Omerta was actually a thing....say what you want about the man but he was absolutely the real deal and stuck to the code .....to bad you can't really say the same thing about either of his sons though especially John jr
John Jr IS ALSO the real deal. He finally got the opportunity to chose a life he feels comfortable in and thank his father., John Jr IS living testimony standing strong within the life you choose for yourself.
It´s hard not to care for these people. Especially when they were kids, but that mother! They broke the mold with that one. A one of a kind, and that´s putting it mildly. I sure can see why her husband loved her so much. And from what I can see, her husband was way too good for the Mafia. If they´d had a shred of decency, they would have financially supported that family forever.
I know, I wish my parents were money grubbing child abusers and mass murderers too. To think of how my siblings and I could have went on to be career criminals and junkies instead of decent people who earn their own way through this life...
Sonny is Michael’s step father. They even show that at 6:27 on the family chart. It’s even when Michael’s book. He’s never said Sonny is is his birth father. Michael was born Michael Grillo not Franzese. Read Michael’s book. It’s all in there.
@@italiancapo7 his mother later told him sonny was his biological father she had a thing with sonny while being married to that grillo guy thats why his last name was grillo... the FBI also have both of their DNA from sonny and michael if he was not his son they would make some propaganda article making fun of michael back in the day
Isn't it weird that women were sending Sonny love letters when he in jail and in his 90's...Now, we have adult men sending Michael love letters on RUclips
yeah man I hear and I see enough of this on all the other shows on TV. this is just one big psychological trauma drama. Really gets to be depressing after a while listening to the same old stuff. How many times are you going to say you're innocent, you're innocent, you're innocent, and time after time you keep on getting locked up, and locked up, and locked up?
I get it that everyone is enamored by the romanticized life, and the allure of organized crime including myself, but at the same time it's a sick fascination. This illusion of stand up guys, and real men. A real gangster supports, and raises his family, and is present. A provider, a protector, and someone you can go to for anything, but I guess that isn't exciting enough to get air time.
The elder Franzese did not want his sons following in his footsteps. I feel very sorry everything went as it did. I remain thankful for the real Godfather, God, who has been accepted into their lives.
@@DD-fm7xbFOR WHAT LITTLE YOU KNOW...HOW DO YOU KNOW MICHAEL DIDN'T OFFER TO HELP HIS MOTHER? FOR ALL YOU KNOW HE DID TRY TO HELP HER BUT SHE COULD HAVE POSSIBILY REFUSED HIS HELP. SOMETIMES THE MOST DIFFICULT PEOPLE TO HELP IS FAMILY.
@@valerieneal2747 He didn't help his 102 year old father either...Left him to die alone 3,000 miles away in a dump of a nursing home and it took friends to buy him clothes, and shop owners offering him free food to survive, and then just blows off both of their funerals...That's some nice christian fella, right Valerie ??
That hit home when Michael was talking about how his mom would throw him a beating. My mom used to do the same thing. Throwing anything that was in reach. Shoe , remote control , so on. She even kicked me in the balls with her high heel shoes on. It hurt.
"Could have made it in industry and buisness". They always say that however in that world it's who you know not what you know or how you carry yourself. The reason people from the streets don't make it in industry is because it's a closed world of old dynastic families who don't want outsiders involved
Bubba but if u carry yourself a certain way and make them an offer they can't refuse you'll get into a closed type of business! Or attract someone to help u start ur own business! U just gotta persist and believe!
Mom Franzese is more gangster then the kids were...Cracking them in the head with ashtrays and guitars, calling Michael a rat for being an informant etc..Weird that his mother calls him an informant, but all the RUclips experts say that's bs !!
Michael still says he never got a dna test and that his father always said he was his real son. They look alike too. So when I see someone saying he's adopted....for one that was his mom...so at the least hes a half brother to the John and his sisters but there was never proof he wasnt Sonny Franzese's legitimate son.
He’s not adopted. Tina would say it as a joke and in that type of life rumors get spread so much it turns into reality. Roberta is carmines ex wife Sonny is my uncle Michael is my cousin. He’s Sonny’s real sons he’s not adopted. Why would they adopted a kid when they had so many. Roberta is a great lady she’s my cousin kristens mother but she doesn’t know everything about the family
@@chriscapolino2392 I agree.but there are interviews of Michael himself saying that she was definitely his mother but had been in a relationship before and Michael came around the same time she left the guy around the time she started seeing sonny. So Michael said there was never a DNA test done and that when ppl brought it up his dad(sonny) would get very upset and say that Is his son. He said he never wanted a test the man had died long ago and sonny raised him anyway
I spent 3 years in leavenworth with Sonny. WE played handball often, chatted a little and respected each other. To me, Sonny was one of the nicest and respectful people i've known.. I will always remember him with dignity and honor. RIP my friend
Even Michael Franzese tells it like it is…Sonny was so addictive to the power of being mafia he chose that power over his family. No different than a degenerate gambler or drug addict who gave up his family for his addiction. Dude would rather be worshipped and feared in prison than with his family without the high of fear and worship.
Scarpa was a real piece of work--working both ends against the middle. I can't imagine the emotional turmoil of knowing a man like him is your father and you love him in spite of everything he did.
That guy that said that he would kill he's own son. He most have had he's hands full in the 90s when 50 Colombo members testified against there own family.
So suprised they haven’t made one yet. No one realizes what he has done from even in jail. There were Colombo wars that stopped and didn’t even happen because of him. Those wars could have kept going and going if it wasn’t for Sonny
Yeah check out Michaels RUclips videos. I’m trying to remember what he said in the video I think Sonny was messing with Tina before they were married and she was with another guy at the time. And she got pregnant with Michael but to this day they don’t know if Michael is sonnys or the other guys. Sonny always told Michael you are my son I don’t need to take a test to tell me that.
If anyone was born into an Italian family, even if there’s no mafia relation, were you raised with Omertà??? 😂 I was. When he said at the beginning, “but I just couldn’t live with myself.” That was passed to me and my sibling by my dad, grandpa, and great grandpa. No rats. Never roll.
It"s new. It is the best mob doc I've seen. The poison of this life inflicts it's lies upon an otherwise gifted family. There is a light of truth that shines through this tragedy.
Sleazy trick to carry a huge stack of what are allegedly Scarpa’s FBI files in the middle of a narrative about Mike Franzese so as to give an exaggerated impression of his cooperation. You also left out how Walters used the Franzese family to intimidate his clients from leaving his firm. So it was a partnership, not just a simple extortion of Walters.
Micheal has plenty of money, and his mother dies broke, living in a basement of a friend. He couldn’t have at least got her a small house or something?
You don't know the true circumstances & how it all went down between Michael & his Mother she had a temper too & may out of anger at the moment refused Michael's help you just know what it was about & until you walk in their shoes "don't judge"!!
I did 7 years in prison with Sonny. He was in great spirits 99% of the time. He was elderly when I met him and even though we were in prison it was a pleasure and privilege to know and speak with him. Always greeted you with the same words " Hi yah Pal"
A great man!!
When did u meet sonny sir?
Thanks for sharing
Cool
@@edwardjohnson7985People think the mafia is romantic. It isn't. Sunny hurt people for a living. Not a great man, a sociopath.
I love how even at ~100 years old in an old folks home, sonny still wouldn’t acknowledge omertà being a thing. Unbelievable.
Sometimes they are real solid thorough people. My own brother sent me to prison
He's from the Lucky Luciano era of gangsters.
@@DerekDaly92 well so did mikes bro John franzese, he told on his own family!
@@DerekDaly92
Wow.. sorry to hear your own brother did that to you... do you mind I ask what you went to prison for?
What’s the mafia?
Learning about Michael Franzese's early yrs breaks your heart, makes you understand him that much more. The trauma, emotional pain he managed to work through after tough lessons in life and then raise a family of his own. He was fashion, suave, street smart, business and a man on a mission of his own terms meeting God along his path. Thank you! Jesus for saving this beautiful soul.
Please Mikey boy is a lying pos
It really makes it seem like his earlier adulthood was just a quest to buy himself happiness in any way he could. But that never works, the pain doesn't go away. I'm glad he met his wife.
He is one of the coolest guys on the planet real shit
There’s a movie waiting to be made about Sonny.That guy was the real deal
No. Michael is real deal. Sonny is guy born in it and live it. Michael was able got out.
Sonny was the real deal of a fool.
Yeah. The real deal who was dumb enough to violate his probation multiple times and spent 50 years in prison.
@@johngullo9420 dished out by an FBI who were butthurt because he wouldn’t flip.The actual bank robbers got a 5 year sentence because they sang.Sonny,”the mastermind” got 50 because he stuck to what he believed in whether right or wrong.No doubt for his family’s sake he could’ve flipped but he didn’t wanna rat on anyone else.Bottom line
With Jon Berntha cast as Sonny. l
To hear Sonny's son say "he was no match for her...he was always at a disadvantage because he couldn't help that he loved her so much". That to me was one of the most powerful statements in the whole series!! It really hit home!!
The thing about these old school mafia guys is how they take their Omerta oath so seriously and yet take their marriage vows so lightly.
Michael Franzese made the statement once that men in that life should not marry or have children, as it's not fair to inflict the kind of mental pain he suffered because of it and I agree. Why drag a woman and kids into that mess?
Yet woman throw themselves at these guys and even trick them into getting pregnant, marriage isn’t always a choice.
The mafia becomes your wife
@@DarlingNikki2 it’s likely a struggle between “the life” and Italian culture and tradition of church, marriage and family
@@bruciekibbutz4698 Watch Sonny's Family Hates Me! On YT. This is too one sided
Crazy how the ugliest and most destructive part of so many peoples lives comes directly from their family.
@6:27 shows the family structure or heirarchy.
Before family comes marriage. So marriages under the Sharia Law (or contract) are likely to succeed because then people don't go crazy and end up having more spouses which leads to more kids.
Now, my point is that theres nothing wrong with having more spouses. But keep in mind a bigger family comes with great responsibility and upbringing. And if kids don't get the right parents, they won't have the proper direction in life
It seems like every case is family killing family that's fuckin terrifying and scary
It seems to be appropriate that Sonny’s life story could be Martin Scorsese‘s final movie...
No something fresh new director , the irishman was boring n pathetic cgi
@@danschuster5187 nope not at all
Be FKN Epic(💯) “The Life of a Legend” Sonny Franzese.
@@danschuster5187 I agree. The only good scenes in that movie were all the Al Pacino scenes and the steak scenes.
I would be at the theaters for that one.
It's crazy because we see the movies like Goodfellas, Casino and so many others. It shows how in the end it all comes crashing down, but what those movies fail to capture is the struggle each and every Family in that Life go through in between the beginning and the end. This captures so much of that. Every Family is affected and hurt by that Life, the Franzese's more than most but it's really eye opening and crazy to think about how every Family, the Gotti's, the Franzese's, the Persico's and so many others were severely damaged by the choices these guys made in their lives. I grew up in a Biker Family, my Godfather was the President of the Chapter, my Mom's best friend is married to the President of a different one and my Dad was just associated but it caused a ton of problems growing up. We were raided 5 times by the time I was 19, shared a Cell with my Father, parents split up and just in general made a normal life impossible for me but yet that was all I wanted. I dated a girl, went on my first real date where it didn't lead right in to sleeping together it was strange for me, eating Dinner with Family at a table was weird for me and just normal things that Family's did was so different from my life. I'm proud to say I've dropped any sort of criminal anything, I work Construction and I've never been happier than now not fearing that door being kicked down or robbed or killed. I don't know why I got in to sharing so much on here but I am going to post it anyways. I wish anyone reading this everything they want in life!
@Terri Davis.Homecrafters Sure if that helps you feel better.
It's true man. In the end it's not worth it. Glad to hear your living a better life.
Honey I understand
My husband was a biker
I was christian
I loved that man but it was an awful life we separated 30 years ago
My parents were an older couple n had got down he wouldn't help me at all. Its ruff was on my son.
@@lindaarrington9397 Watch Sonny's Family Hates Me!
Growing up Gotti--yikes remember that one???
I love that sonny looked at the judge when he's slap wit 50 years and said I'm gonna do the 50 and he actually did... That freaking amazing
Guy is a Legend.
He didn't do the full 50 years. I believe he did 11 years. That's still a VERY long time but it wasn't 50 years.
@@ejkk9513 i think he did 40 of the 50
@@jonsnipe5484 Nope, I was right. I just looked it up. He went in from 1967-1978. He received parole violations and went in and out of the correctional system. I believe he did 20-25 years in total for all of his stints. About a quarter of his life but nowhere near 50 years.
@@ejkk9513 so when did he get out b4 he died
Bottom line, Sonny took an oath. He lived by this oath until the day he died.
He’s still alive, I believe
@@michaelc1326 he passed in 2020
Didn't take an oath to his wife and kids
@@jamesmcnaughton5092 He took an unwritten oath to be there for them but he didn't.
MY UNCLE WAS A MEMBER OF THE COLOMBO FAMILY I WAS AN ASSOCIATE I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF MEETING AND WORKING WITH SONNY IN THE EARLY 80s HE WAS A TRUE GANGSTER COSA NOSTRA TO THE CORE I KNEW THROUGH OUT THE YEARS HE WAS AN AWESOME GUY
Sonny was so proud of his daughter for being a teacher . These guys were in a violent world but they also had respect for people who were honest citizens. If you weren't in the game they left you alone. Sad Story !
The mafia did not leave others alone. They sold their ' protection, ' and founded, directed and enforced union activities ( which Johnny Roselli said was their money-making master stroke ) with cold blooded severity. Their activities cast a very wide net. Which is why ' everyone ' was afraid of them. A visit from them could make you ' wish ' you were dead.
That's not entirely true sonny would shake down Pizzarias strip clubs and many other businesses
That’s an awfully romantic thought. A lot of mobsters were complete scumbags.
@@jbvap like you
@@jbvap bn
This is my first comment ever but I have followed Michael Franzese life story very closely. I’m a retired employee after almost 3 decades in the Michigan department of corrections so my thoughts on the crime life are very dim at best. This video made me feel a different level of respect for Michael. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and what he had to endure as a child.
I’m in Michigan as well and I agree. Michael turned his life around and is a strong Christian.
@@djquinn11 Ed McDonald, the lawyer who prosecuted Michael Francese, says that Francese's Christianity is a complete con.
Well the thing about sonny is regardless how u feel about crime life it's hard not to respect sonny
I am in tears in certain parts here...so many layers to the story.
"Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut."
It's a double-edged sword.
Sonnys faculties were so sharp at 100yrs old wow. RIP Sonny
Tina Franzese was absolutely beautiful back in her day ....she had a really nice shape to her face
Absolutely
Reminds me of that scene in Goodfellas when Karen, beautiful by comparison to the other mob wives, comments on how they all look "used up". She definitely stood out compared to the other gals in that black-and-white interview.
Stunner!
She was a beautiful woman
I said in another vid that John looked like Sonny and Michael looked like Tina. Yet Sonny and Tina were better looking than their children.
Sonny in his prime looks like a rugged tough guy in Hollywood movies. Tina was a model. John was whacked out on drugs and Michael is a bit odd looking. Not ugly. Just hard to describe.
@@StuUngar michael is not their son by blood, they adopted him
Once again Sonny proves that he’s the absolute real deal. I’ve watched so many of these interviews and documentaries and I’m not sure there is a single mobster that’s more legit than him. 100 years old and doesn’t admit that the mafia exists. Goddamn savage.
A real deal of a loser indeed. Only real deal fools don't recognize who their enemies are. They live this one life they have to give and give it to the streets at the expense of their families. That's your real deal?? I'm ashamed at the intellect of many of you.
I love when people act like everything and everyone in power isn’t as corrupt as Franzese...
These idiots elect murderers, extortionists, whore masters, thieves, blackmailers, liars and criminals to be...
Presidents, Senators, Congressmen heads of government agencies and every other assortment of political leaders.
They cast their vote with a smile...
Pretending that they’re doing humanity a favor.🤯
Always remember the government didn’t go after the mafia because they’re opposed to bad things...
In fact they’ve been in bed with the mafia for a hundred years...
The government went after the mafia because they don’t like competition.👍🥃
@@Yomi4D You have NO respect for choices someone of value abides by...
i think at 100 years old he really forgot what the mafia is
@Asphincter says what?
Your name says it all.
But I’m game sphincter boy.
What’s the other options kiddo?
The Girl Scouts?
Hot yoga?
What does a sphincter consider a power structure?
I’m sure we’re all dying for someone who names himself after a poop hole to enlighten us.
Please do.👍
Michael has aged gracefully. God bless him with his life story.
The evil in that way of life is hurting other people's family members that are innocent and don't deserve any of it.
Sonny says, "what is that?" Omerta, funny guy!!!
Funny how??
@@yudhajitvishwakarman0825 Watch Sonny's Family Hates Me!
like hes a clown, he amuses you, hes here to amuse you?
Wow Mrs. Franzese is a beautiful woman, how sad to have to leave that beautiful family behind. Not in a million years would I do that, (not judging at all) just saying I personally would never put any person or organization over my family.
Always scary to see comments on these videos of people respecting lifelong murderers, extortionists, thieves, etc. "He held to his convictions! He's a real man. Nothing but respect." His convictions were grotesque and abominable. Convictions never worth holding in the first place.
Thanks! That's the best comment so far under all those mafia videos. It's crazy that the bulk of the people worship such evil people like Michael Franzese, Sammy the bull, Joe Merlino. They all have extorted good, honest and hard working people. And they are all murderers.
He was part of the ugly side of humanity but accepted it and keeps it moving .
Sonny is from poverty came from Sicily and has like 17 siblings lol all through ny he had nothing came from streets
This is one documentary that hit me hard,my father was a Gambino family associate,and he went away for 30 years and it fucked up my family, especially me being the oldest! And he just passed away from throat cancer in Canada,they wouldn't let him die in America free in a hospital RIP RAPHAEL MILONE!!
Wasn't he an Amecitizen? How did he even end up in Csnada?
Boohoo, and what part of that didn't he bring on himself? My sympathy is for the people that had to waste their tax dollars on him.
Thank you for your share ⭐️
🙏🏼
I’m so very sorry, friend. ❤
I think a Franseze movie would be as big as casino or Goodfellas. If they got the right actors and got Michael to help with the story it would be huge! Especially now that Sunny is passed on now. It's gotta happen eventually
This is an absolutely amazing documentary. Mob life is ironic in the sense that they can b so family oriented and care and b so close to there families, but it almost always destroys families. It's not the kind of life that's meant for a man with a family.
He couldn't live with himself if he ratted but he could live with the fact he destroyed his family? Geez, priorities
very good documentary, I really enjoyed it.
John finally sees the truth, that family would have been so different if he would have done normal work, raises his kids and watch them grow. Sadly it’s all over now
Did not know that Michael was beaten with a guitar and a metal bar by his mother😯 and took it like a man
She wasn't his mother though, I think that Michael explains somewhere that he was the son of sonny and one of his mistresses...
@@crazyciler50 i know but sonny wasnt he's father either, and they where the only parents he knew
@@fransesco97 Yh but, I don't actually know if Sonny was his biological father or not, sonny claimed he was and Michael believes he is but never wanted to do a DNA test.
@Earl Rogers OOOO yh ok, yh this sounds more like the story Michael said :p I probably mis-remembered :/
The best documentary EVER. Well done, I’m speechless, this is the best ever
Mr Franzese wouldn't even admit that Omerta was actually a thing....say what you want about the man but he was absolutely the real deal and stuck to the code .....to bad you can't really say the same thing about either of his sons though especially John jr
Yes. He said he could sleep at night even though he’s also admitted it wrecked his family.
John Jr IS ALSO the real deal. He finally got the opportunity to chose a life he feels comfortable in and thank his father., John Jr IS living testimony standing strong within the life you choose for yourself.
@@stacynels4 Watch Sonny's Family Hates Me!
When your wife pulls the knife on you so many times that it's normal to her I'm sure after a while prison don't seem so bad. Ijs
I'm still amazed how Gotti was looked at as "the " mobster.. while guys like this embodied the actual spirit
100 years old and still knows how to answer about the life... well done sir
"They wanted you to violate omertà"
"What does that mean, I don't get it (Hehehehehe)?"🤣🤣🤣🤣
He's honest about what happened to his family because of his actions.
This was an amazing story. Put together perfectly.
It´s hard not to care for these people. Especially when they were kids, but that mother! They broke the mold with that one. A one of a kind, and that´s putting it mildly. I sure can see why her husband loved her so much. And from what I can see, her husband was way too good for the Mafia. If they´d had a shred of decency, they would have financially supported that family forever.
I know, I wish my parents were money grubbing child abusers and mass murderers too. To think of how my siblings and I could have went on to be career criminals and junkies instead of decent people who earn their own way through this life...
Agreed.
Thanks for sharing, Sonny the last of cosa nostra RIP Sonny
When he said I wouldn't be able to live with myself, I felt that.
My God you guys really did a good job on this documentary! Amazing editing specially.
He looks just like Michael during that era! Whoa, apparently he is his legitimate father
Like Mike says it doesn't matter cause he only had one dad
Sonny is Michael’s step father. They even show that at 6:27 on the family chart. It’s even when Michael’s book. He’s never said Sonny is is his birth father. Michael was born Michael Grillo not Franzese. Read Michael’s book. It’s all in there.
@@italiancapo7 his mother later told him sonny was his biological father she had a thing with sonny while being married to that grillo guy thats why his last name was grillo... the FBI also have both of their DNA from sonny and michael if he was not his son they would make some propaganda article making fun of michael back in the day
@@italiancapo7 He found out later, but Sonny was his real father. Michael didnt know either earlier in his life.
He looks just like him no doubt about it. I thought he was his step dad but clearly looks exactly like him.
Im glad this story is finally coming out for people to hear
If you're going to be a criminal please know that jail is a reality . Salute him for staying solid. God Bless.
He is 1 of a very few that took his oath to the grave gotta respect a man like that regardless of his past and sins true gangster
Lefty two guns too
i love this seris newsday you guys knocked it out the park
Excellent documentary! Very well done!
Those KIDS in THAT old picture are NOT HAPPY, especially THE GIRL ( DEPRESSED /FRIGHTENED)!
at 17:41 why did they show pictures of mostly people who were before michael's time?
Isn't it weird that women were sending Sonny love letters when he in jail and in his 90's...Now, we have adult men sending Michael love letters on RUclips
They're gay. Who gives a shit.
this is the best mob life documentary i have ever seen. it really shows the grim reality of the mob family life and eviscerates all the fake glamour.
yeah man I hear and I see enough of this on all the other shows on TV. this is just one big psychological trauma drama. Really gets to be depressing after a while listening to the same old stuff. How many times are you going to say you're innocent, you're innocent, you're innocent, and time after time you keep on getting locked up, and locked up, and locked up?
My father was deeply involved in that life & I really didn’t get to know my father until I was in my late 20’s. It wasn’t worth it.
I get it that everyone is enamored by the romanticized life, and the allure of organized crime including myself, but at the same time it's a sick fascination. This illusion of stand up guys, and real men. A real gangster supports, and raises his family, and is present. A provider, a protector, and someone you can go to for anything, but I guess that isn't exciting enough to get air time.
Sonny in his 100’s still keeping his mouth shut about that life. Old school LCN guy.
The elder Franzese did not want his sons following in his footsteps. I feel very sorry everything went as it did. I remain thankful for the real Godfather, God, who has been accepted into their lives.
Hard to believe Tina was evicted from home and broke , I guess Michael could not help her ?
Good question? I wonder if he knew? It sounds like she was a very prideful lady-
He may have been thinking about those beatings he took
Some man of god huh ?? That's all a scam and he's gotta laugh when he sees people posting how great he is...Usually all men
@@DD-fm7xbFOR WHAT LITTLE YOU KNOW...HOW DO YOU KNOW MICHAEL DIDN'T OFFER TO HELP HIS MOTHER? FOR ALL YOU KNOW HE DID TRY TO HELP HER BUT SHE COULD HAVE POSSIBILY REFUSED HIS HELP.
SOMETIMES THE MOST DIFFICULT PEOPLE TO HELP IS FAMILY.
@@valerieneal2747 He didn't help his 102 year old father either...Left him to die alone 3,000 miles away in a dump of a nursing home and it took friends to buy him clothes, and shop owners offering him free food to survive, and then just blows off both of their funerals...That's some nice christian fella, right Valerie ??
It breaks my heart for him and his family. I know what it's like all too well.
I love how sonny kept his mouth shut. Hes a real true authentic stand up guy. The best ….
That hit home when Michael was talking about how his mom would throw him a beating. My mom used to do the same thing. Throwing anything that was in reach. Shoe , remote control , so on. She even kicked me in the balls with her high heel shoes on. It hurt.
Bad woman.
Sorry but loving Mothers don't do things like that crazy ones do but not loving ones!!
@@cynthiawilliams737 well I was a drug addict at the time so yeah kinda deserved
This was awesome! Thanks!
Very good documentary 👍
its really strange seeing so many people commend Sonny for not ratting while watching a documentary on how it completely collapsed his family
"Could have made it in industry and buisness". They always say that however in that world it's who you know not what you know or how you carry yourself. The reason people from the streets don't make it in industry is because it's a closed world of old dynastic families who don't want outsiders involved
Some street guys do make it in the industry, most don't. It's not all cracked up to be, it's not.
Bubba but if u carry yourself a certain way and make them an offer they can't refuse you'll get into a closed type of business! Or attract someone to help u start ur own business! U just gotta persist and believe!
Very well made. Bravo
now this is the stuff that matters. the moments that no one sees. being told as it was.
Great informative video , please post more , thank you
Mom Franzese is more gangster then the kids were...Cracking them in the head with ashtrays and guitars, calling Michael a rat for being an informant etc..Weird that his mother calls him an informant, but all the RUclips experts say that's bs !!
RESPECT! Honor a man who lives by the courage of his conviction.
Michael still says he never got a dna test and that his father always said he was his real son. They look alike too. So when I see someone saying he's adopted....for one that was his mom...so at the least hes a half brother to the John and his sisters but there was never proof he wasnt Sonny Franzese's legitimate son.
He’s not adopted. Tina would say it as a joke and in that type of life rumors get spread so much it turns into reality. Roberta is carmines ex wife Sonny is my uncle Michael is my cousin. He’s Sonny’s real sons he’s not adopted. Why would they adopted a kid when they had so many. Roberta is a great lady she’s my cousin kristens mother but she doesn’t know everything about the family
Plus Michael & John Jr are obviously Brothers.
@@chriscapolino2392 I agree.but there are interviews of Michael himself saying that she was definitely his mother but had been in a relationship before and Michael came around the same time she left the guy around the time she started seeing sonny. So Michael said there was never a DNA test done and that when ppl brought it up his dad(sonny) would get very upset and say that Is his son. He said he never wanted a test the man had died long ago and sonny raised him anyway
Sunnys wife sounds like Tony sopranos mother mixed with Carmela
Sonny could have been a movie star with his good looks.
Outstanding stuff 👏 it really was thanks for this I really enjoyed it
0:40 Sonny at the age of 103, is sharper then most of the people.
I spent 3 years in leavenworth with Sonny. WE played handball often, chatted a little and respected each other. To me, Sonny was one of the nicest and respectful people i've known.. I will always remember him with dignity and honor. RIP my friend
Even Michael Franzese tells it like it is…Sonny was so addictive to the power of being mafia he chose that power over his family. No different than a degenerate gambler or drug addict who gave up his family for his addiction. Dude would rather be worshipped and feared in prison than with his family without the high of fear and worship.
I just don't understand someone who would snitch on their parents.
Scarpa had been cooperating since the ‘50’s, not ‘80s, for what it’s worth
Scarpa was a real piece of work--working both ends against the middle. I can't imagine the emotional turmoil of knowing a man like him is your father and you love him in spite of everything he did.
Young Sonny has a remarkable resemblance to actor Jon Bernthal.
That guy that said that he would kill he's own son. He most have had he's hands full in the 90s when 50 Colombo members testified against there own family.
Why did Tina live in a basement? When she was evicted, didn't one of her children or Micheal help her?
This was incredible.
I never knew michael wasnt sonnys child 6:35
Just make a docuseries in Netflix about the story of sonny franzese👍
So suprised they haven’t made one yet. No one realizes what he has done from even in jail. There were Colombo wars that stopped and didn’t even happen because of him. Those wars could have kept going and going if it wasn’t for Sonny
This gentleman to have a conversation with would be amazing/honor
Did this say Michael was adopted???
Yeah check out Michaels RUclips videos. I’m trying to remember what he said in the video I think Sonny was messing with Tina before they were married and she was with another guy at the time. And she got pregnant with Michael but to this day they don’t know if Michael is sonnys or the other guys. Sonny always told Michael you are my son I don’t need to take a test to tell me that.
She was pregnant when they got together so it was always known he was a stepson
Wow very loyal man.. he was a man of gangsta morals.. salute!
If anyone was born into an Italian family, even if there’s no mafia relation, were you raised with Omertà??? 😂 I was. When he said at the beginning, “but I just couldn’t live with myself.” That was passed to me and my sibling by my dad, grandpa, and great grandpa. No rats. Never roll.
Seems very, very few from that life could actually live up to that philosophy, hence, the downfall of the life.
You were born in a Sicilian family, not just Italian.
@@scottlosey4978 Watch Sonny's Family Hates Me! On YT
What order am I supposed to watch these in?
Why did no one help Sony's wife in later stage
That's the mob
Sonny could be the most loyal wise guy
But the mob didn't give a tooth bout his family
Too bad he couldn't have stayed alive a few more years , he was a legendary figure
He was 103 when he died how much longer do you expect people to live 😂
@@melissaford2087 203 ;) xD
@@melissaford2087 exactly, I mean he had more time than 98% of ppl
@@melissaford2087 unless he meant that he finally got out of jail after all those years and died not long after
Too bad all of his victims could have stayed alive as well
Where is Michael when this happened to Tina
He never betrayed his oath and not ratted out but lost his all beautiful family..
How can this only have 446 views??
It"s new. It is the best mob doc I've seen. The poison of this life inflicts it's lies upon an otherwise gifted family. There is a light of truth that shines through this tragedy.
It'll blow up soon
Stop interviewing Ori Spado. Michael Frazese has said time and time again that man had no association with the Colombo family.
Ori Spado ain't shit
Michael also believes he sold Jr the drugs
Sleazy trick to carry a huge stack of what are allegedly Scarpa’s FBI files in the middle of a narrative about Mike Franzese so as to give an exaggerated impression of his cooperation. You also left out how Walters used the Franzese family to intimidate his clients from leaving his firm. So it was a partnership, not just a simple extortion of Walters.
Bradley,,,are you a fart smella,,, or a smart fella?
Sonny was the last of a breed that disappeared long time ago
Wait why did the mom get evicted when Michaels a millionaire
Just sad terribly sad
Micheal has plenty of money, and his mother dies broke, living in a basement of a friend. He couldn’t have at least got her a small house or something?
Maybe he hates her
You don't know the true circumstances & how it all went down between Michael & his Mother she had a temper too & may out of anger at the moment refused Michael's help you just know what it was about & until you walk in their shoes "don't judge"!!
This is much better than those gangland videos with that corny voice.