A&E - The Real Godfathers (2007) Part 5 The Genovese Family
A sweeping saga of bloodshed, betrayal and big business, this collection of documentaries from A&E and HISTORY offers a cold-blooded examination of organized crime, from prohibition and WWII to the hitmen and women who are currently administering the brutal judgments of the mob. An investigation into the origins - and present-day activities - of the ethnic gangs that turned criminal activities into family enterprises, The Real Godfathers exposes an underworld of danger, money, glamour and murder, covering such notorious figures as Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Carlo Gambino and John Gotti, as well as topics including the bloody mob wars , the ordinary, privileged, and at times remarkable women who gained stature in a male-dominated world, and the gangster-turned-informants who make it possible to prosecute the Mafia.
Part 5: The Genovese Family
An inside look at the ruthless Genovese crime syndicate known as “The Ivy League of the Underworld.” Vito Genovese rose to power working under legendary mob boss Lucky Luciano. Through murder, cunning and greed, he carved out a place in crime history and established one of the pre-eminent crime families in America. From Vito's rise to the top of the underworld to their ongoing operations, this is an inside look at the crime syndicate that is so well run that one detective calls them The Ivy League of the Underworld. The Genovese Family put the “organized” into “organized crime”, then backed it up with a ruthless determination to remain all-powerful in the mob world. Known as the most elite of the five crime families in New York, the Genovese family has always boasted some of the shrewdest and most feared members in Mafia history. Using rare historical footage and new interviews with mob experts, we reveal the family's tale through the life stories of its four most charismatic bosses: Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Frank Costello, Vito Genovese, and Vincent “The Chin” Gigante. A soldier breaks the sacred mobster's oath of silence (omerta) and the Genovese family hits the headlines. From Joe the Boss to Vito Genovese to the “Odd Father” himself, every personality and gripping detail in this ongoing saga comes to life.