The Gangster Chronicles

Whether it was the TV company scheduling (or mis-scheduling!) but it seemed to me to stop in mid- action. Did you feel this? Just like 'Amazon' did! This was my first sight of both Joe Penny and Michael Nouri and I have followed with interest their careers from then to date. As an avid reader of all things Mafia styled this was the most authentic portrayal of that lifestyle until the more recent Sopranos and Goodfellas.Why have the TV companies never repeated this series? It would be a welcome change from some of the current dross that is being shown. The epithet 'Lucky' was given to Luciano after he survived a severe beating and left for dead in a wooded area, not as some say due to his gambling luck.

I would like to see this mini-series again,(also I would like my boys to see this) I watched this round about 1981 possibly, it was when my children were small I used to get them into bed so I did not have any disturbance, phone would be left off the hook - it used to come on at 11.00 on a Monday night for 2 hours. I have seen a condensed version of the story but it does not have the characters in it who are in the mini-series. Me and my family loved this series we couldn't wait for the next Monday to come. I bought the Gangster Chronicles DVD on the ebay just before Christmas 2006 but its like a documentary thing not what I want, I wondered if there was anybody out there who has this series so i can watch it along with the rest of my family. This miniseries was great, you did not want to get up and make a cup of tea as I did not want to miss any of it. I like the Godfather but I preferred this because it showed you how they were when they were kids. thanks hopefully Terri.

I watched this series when I was 13. I remembered I watched them all in one weekend and it was beta video tape format and guess around 12 tapes. As I have personal interest in Mafia movies and series I can easily say this is one of the best mafia series I have ever watched. Micheal Nouri , Joe Panny and Brian Benben was great and espeacially Johnathan Banks as Dutch Shultz was extraordinary. It was a true story of orginise crime in New York from 1900 to 1930's and foundation of orginise crime in USA. The hit of Joe Masseria in Coney Island restaurant and hit of Dutch Shultz in a phonebox was unforgettable scenes. You can not compare this series with now a days phenomenon Sopranos because yes Sopranos is really great however it is fiction but Gangster Chronichles based on a true story and events. I would be really happy to watch it again but there is no DVD or VHS format of the series is available anywhere.

I notice a comment from Terri in the UK. I have the same problem. I want a copy of the original Gangster Chronicles - not the documentary sent to me from Amazon. This was still very good but, as Terri found, it was virtually 'news' clips and was NOT the original mini-series, as I remember it. As others have said - it was a proper history performed as portrayed by proper actors - such as Michael Nouri as Luck Luciano, Robert Davi as Vito Genovese and in particular Richard Castellano as Joe 'The Boss' Masseria. Can anybody out there tell me where I can get a copy? I cannot get, also, in the UK The Borgia Stick (1967) TV. and Timestalkers (1987) TV. Where do I go to get these please? RON DURY

Effectively this film is the story of the mafia's coming to power in 1920's America. The film is not that bad. However, it loses a lot by depicting the main characters as being intelligent, friendly, loving men, never addressing the fact that these men were brutal cold blooded murderers.