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Whatever Happened to Jimmy Hoffa?




It's pretty clever to reframe Hoffa's ties to the mob through Frank Sheeran.  Charles Brandt coaxed the "confession" out of The Irishman shortly before his death in 2003, and laid out corroborating evidence in his book, I Heard You Paint Houses, published the following year.  The book has been widely discarded as pulp fiction, and in turn Scorsese has taken some heat for giving weight to Sheeran's account in his epic movie, but then I saw the Netflix original as a geriatric version of Goodfellas.

Scorsese relishes in not just one but several conspiracy theories from the 60s and 70s.  According to the Irishman, it was the mafia in Chicago that carried Illinois for Kennedy in 1960; the Bay of Pigs Invasion was a mafia-coordinated effort that didn't get the aerial support promised by Papa Kennedy; and the mob had Jack Kennedy rubbed out when the president no longer answered to their interests, namely getting rid of Castro and letting them have free access to Havana again.

Hoffa had a separate beef with Kennedy.  The Teamsters and other labor unions were believed to be in bed with the mafia, which this movie amply illustrates.  The Irishman also implies Hoffa threw his support behind Nixon, which you would think would be against his best interests.  I suppose this was to give a reason for young Attorney General Robert Kennedy going after Hoffa, finally getting his conviction in 1964.  It was only after Hoffa exhausted all his appeals that he faced jail time in 1967.

The Teamsters offered their support to Nixon in 1971 in exchange for the President considering a pardon for Hoffa.  The catch was that Hoffa would retire from union activities.  While this made Jimmy none too happy, the Irishman chose to focus more on the old boss' acrimonious relationship with Tony Pro, who became the favorite of the mafia.  This sets up the fallout that occurs between Jimmy and the Bufalino crime family, leaving Sheeran caught in the middle.

As the story goes, the Irishman owed his rise in the labor world as much to Russell Bufalino as he did Jimmy Hoffa.  It was Russell's hope that Frank would keep Jimmy in check, but no one kept the fiery labor leader in check.  With events spiraling out of control Frank found himself thrust into the position of settling the matter once and for all.

This is in sharp contrast to the 1992 movie, which didn't mention Tony Provenzano at all.  Jimmy's anger was largely vented on Fitzsimmons, who had negotiated the deal with Nixon.  This caused a deep rift in the Teamsters.  However, Danny De Vito takes his own artistic liberties in casting himself as an imaginary friend to Hoffa and indulging in his own fantasy as to how Jimmy was ultimately dealt with.

It would have been long forgotten had not Scorsese dragged the story back up again.  Hoffa had faded into history.  Labor for the most part is in shambles, never really able to recover from the infamous 70s and all the Right-to-Work laws that followed.  Even Michigan is now a Right-to-Work state.  Hoffa and the Teamsters invested heavily in Detroit, only to see the auto industry crumble apart and leave Motown an empty shell.

Reagan and succeeding presidents, Republican and Democratic alike, have not been friends of labor, but we are seeing a bit of a resurgence in the labor movement today so maybe this movie will spark some interest.  I'm not sure Hoffa is the best role model.  Mostly, it is a crime movie, which Scorsese has long reveled in, bringing back his cast of favorites and adding Al Pacino as Hoffa.

I'm not sure who did Hoffa better: Al Pacino or Jack Nicholson.  The movies are told from completely different angles so you can enjoy them both on their own terms.  All I would say is that Scorsese's account of Jimmy's death is more convincing.

Comments

  1. Jimmy Hoffa put some investments into Jo name , the address is 1614 Ray Ct, Lake Orion, MI. It's off of Allendale Rd, on the SW shore of Square Lake& Hoffa went to prison, fired Josephine from her $40,000 a year job as head of the IBT women's DRIVE committee, and then Jimmy, from his $30,000 a year position as a counsellor for the IBT!Who all were in Detroit Michigan July30-1975?In that time peroid rumored to be (july30) Russell Bufalino, Wm Bufalino ,Tony Provenzano,Steve & Tom Andretta & Tony Jack Giacalone capo detroit crime family,Sal Bugs Briguglio, Chuckie O'Brien?Joseph Zerilli (born Giuseppe Zerilli)December 10, 1897 – October 30, 1977) was an Italian-born American Prohibition-era gangster. He led the crime family known as the Detroit Partnership from the 1930s through the 1970s.Tony Zerill underboss says he know where hoff buried 1975 that Hoffa buried 20 min from Restaurant that he disappear from but when He was questioned after his Release He refused to talk about it & denied any knowledge part in it? So why do so many mobsters/Gangsters claim they know where Hoffa is when it turns out to be a lie ? Are they just enjoy run a wild goose chase & play society for fools & when write a book to sell it with some info people would like to know about? The mafia have code of Silence -So would reveal truth? Moldea believes Sal Bugs Briguglio did in Hoffa ? Author Brandt believes Irishman Frank Sheeran did in Hoffa ? Friday Nite August 1,1975 Wedding Detroit of the year in Detroit Bill Bufalino Hoffa lawyer as well Mafia lawyer father Wm brother Russell Bufalino& Mike Polizzi & Vito - Tony - Billy -Giacalone &Tony Provenzano &Jacks Tocco & Dominic & Tony Corrado (clock restaurants) & Daniel Triglia - Isadore Marion (Vegas) & Tony Teramine( all go to Coffee Shop 1017 st Antoine Detroit Mich goes Hellenic House Cocktail Lounge re-enters coffee shop )in month of July 1975 (present jackie Gleason birthday party feb1975) And Tony Zerilli & mike Polizzi release pen July 21-24,1975(Dominic Corrado private office 1013 St Antoine Detroit)? Wm E Bufalino pres of Teamsters Local 985 Detroit!SO who all had grudge against Hoffa didn't want him back in Teamsters?

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  2. Your guesses are as good as mine. It has now all been relegated to the domain of urban folktales.

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  3. Rumors of Jimmy H retiring to Brooklyn like trouble makers did in the old days didn't quite pan out. Thought for sure that he would be found playing checkers or perhaps reading the Daily Racing Form, or maybe even feeding swans or ducks in or near Prospect Park. All turned out to be fudge factory material. Alas poor Jimmy has never been found in one piece (at least not yet).

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  4. Nicholson's Hoffa was entertaining, as was Al Pacino's interpretation; however, IMHO--one of my most favorite actor's portrayal of James Riddle Hoffa in the 1983 mini-series telepic " Blood Feud ", is by far the Best, eons far above and beyond all the rest! Robert Blake's portrayal of Jimmy was Absolutely iconic and riveting, totally eclipsing Cotter Smith's RFK--and Cotter was so Very good as Well! Get it if you can, you won't be disappointed { run time: almost 3 and a half hours }.

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  5. Forgot about that one. Thanks for reminding me Robert.

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    1. So glad to refresh your remembrance of R. Blake's " Jimmy Hoffa ", James; do hope you monumentally enjoy " Blood Feud " as much as I! I know that you can't get it at Amazon, as a matter of fact, I'm appalled that it hasn't been on DVD there yet; however, one site does have it on DVD { I have a couple of copies, and quality is Very good }. I'll let you know the site--just a moment!

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  7. James--the site " PandorasVideo.com " has " Blood Feud " on DVD for $9.99 a copy. As I said, the quality of the copy is good { not Amazon quality, but still good }, if you're at all interested!

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  8. Thanks. Always appreciate the comments, especially when they lead to something new. I vaguely remember the movie, but will have to watch it again. Always liked Robert Blake. Electra Glide in Blue has long been one of my favorite movies.

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  9. You are so Very welcome James--I concur, " Electra Glide In Blue " was excellent!; also his movie where he portrayed John List was also gripping. .and of course, can't forget " In Cold Blood ". As to his Jimmy Hoffa--
    do you think Jimmy is buried at Brother Moscatos Dump, as does the author of " The Hoffa Wars " Dan Moldea, firmly believes [ he is considered the preeminent authority on Jimmy Hoffa?; also, I understand that Robert Blake wanted that role more than anything-- he even put up some of his own money to get it!

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  10. No idea where Hoffa lies, but neither Hoffa nor The Irishman offered a very convincing end. I was kind of disappointed with The Irishman to tell you the truth. De Niro's character was too much a caricature and too much at the center of the story. I thought Joe Pesci pretty much stole the movie. In my mind, Danny DeVito did a better job overall in fleshing out Hoffa.

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  11. James--I wholeheartedly agree with you concerning " Hoffa's " ending, however, I really need to see " The Irishman ". You know James, with respect to Jack Nicholson's portrayal of ' Hoffa '--I could really feel the intense hatred he had for RFK, but it mostly was manifested through his flinging enormous amounts of 4 letter words at Kennedy; the majesty of Robert's portrayal of ' Jimmy ', was that he embodied that Very same visceral hatred and contempt without those 4 letter colorful metaphors! That's the hallmark of a great and gifted actor! ! ! Also, by the by, I saw a segment on one talk show that had Jimmy on it after his release from prison; several things he talked about, however one topic I enjoyed was his reaction to JFK's assassination
    where he didn't lower the flag half-mast and/or letting staff to take the remainder of the day off. He said that was true, the reason that while he highly honored the office of the Presidency, he DID NOT RESPECT JFK! Very interesting.
    Actually, aside from Jimmy's involvement with the mob, I have way more Respect for him than the Kennedy's! He was always faithful to his wife, he truly Loved her and his children; he also, I believe, wasn't a boozer, he really cared about the men in the Teamsters, for their safety, wages and better contracts. Shame that the mob was his Achilles heel! ! !

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  12. It's really hard to present a complete picture of Hoffa. He built the Teamsters into the most powerful union in the world. Yes, it was riddled with corruption, but when you look at the clout its members had and that they all had decent wages, health and pension plans, it shows how effective unions can be. Jimmy deserves a ton of credit for that. But, the mafia ties proved his undoing, both fairly and unfairly. There is no way to excuse this behavior, but at the same time the Kennedys went after him not because of his connections but to destroy him and the unions. From this point onward, every president has either actively fought against or passively resisted unions. Yet, this is the only form of representation blue collar workers have, and you see what has happened to day with all these right-to-work laws. They have been reduced back to having to fight for their jobs, any kind of health insurance or pension plan. We need unions!

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  13. I was trying to remember the president who cleaned up the Teamsters in the 90s and finally remembered it was Ron Carey, not to be confused with the Ron Carey who played Levitt on Barney Miller ; )

    https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/13/us/13carey.html

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  14. James--you are so monumentally correct in all you have declared; we most assuredly need unions, and you're right on, Jimmy does deserve credit with everything he accomplished for the Teamsters! As I earlier said, there were so many good and positive qualities about him that truly saddens that his many altruistic works were buried because of his association with mob ties! Again, ultimately, my respect for James Riddle Hoffa overwhelmingly eclipses respect the Kennedys never earned or deserved!

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