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The Joe Spinell Appreciation Thread

post #1 of 16
6/17/07 at 4:08am
Thread Starter 
This guy was freaking great actor that took what could have been many a thankless roles, and made them memorable. Gazzo wouldn't have been the same without him. Frank Zito would have just been another slasher clone. It's a shame he died so long ago, because I'm sure he'd be enjoying a great career in this day and age, a la Christopher Lee, because there's probably a lot of other people who really dug his acting way back when, who are making movies now.
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post #2 of 16
6/17/07 at 4:10am
Patrolman DiSimone
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post #3 of 16
6/17/07 at 5:29am
This guy was great, it is a true shame how much his personal life was in shambles but that's par for the course for film actors I guess. Wonder if that ever made Coppola guilty for yanking him into the movie business back when he met the guy as a taxi driver.

I love how he shows up for that little cameo at the end in The Godfather as Willy Cicci the hot-shit jackass new goon, showing how Michael's bringing in new blood and the new generation is running things now. But then he comes back in Part II and he goes from this tiny bit part to a major supporting character! That rarely happens, and I wonder what the idea process was for them on that one.
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post #4 of 16
6/17/07 at 10:08am
The Maniac DVD has a great documentary about Spinell; it was great seeing how Coppola kept him on the Godfather payroll just because he liked having him around. I also like his bit part in Taxi Driver as the guy who interviews Travis for the job at the beginning ("you tryin' to bust my chops?"). It's really a shame he's not around; I'm sure Tarantino would give him some good work at the very least.
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post #5 of 16
6/17/07 at 4:36pm
I remember when I first heard Joe Spinell died. All the kids in my classroom were so confused... they asked the teacher why this happened. I remember one girl was crying uncontrollably, and I felt helpless because I couldn't even comfort myself, let alone her, in a world without Joe Spinell. When I came home my father was watching the news, I guess he was trying to make sense of it all. My mother was washing dishes and all eyes were on her when one of them crashed on the ground. She ran to her room, and my dad went after her. I just sat in my room and tried to focus on my coloring books... but I couldn't make myself cry. It wasn't until years later, when I was going to check into some hotel, I was in a revolving door and I... I just broke down and wept right there.
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post #6 of 16
6/17/07 at 5:27pm
Much like John Wayne Gacy, I'd want him to play me in my biopic.

I kid...but I can't believe this fucking thread exists!

Another good film that he had a small part in was Brubaker with Robert Redford. Spinell played greasy inmate Floyd...really cool flick.
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post #7 of 16
6/17/07 at 5:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpnspaulding

I kid...but I can't believe this fucking thread exists!

I figured that there must have been other people who liked him as much as I do. That documentary on the Maniac dvd that was mentioned a few posts up, is really great.
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post #8 of 16
6/17/07 at 7:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by le Stephanois
I remember when I first heard Joe Spinell died. All the kids in my classroom were so confused... they asked the teacher why this happened. I remember one girl was crying uncontrollably, and I felt helpless because I couldn't even comfort myself, let alone her, in a world without Joe Spinell. When I came home my father was watching the news, I guess he was trying to make sense of it all. My mother was washing dishes and all eyes were on her when one of them crashed on the ground. She ran to her room, and my dad went after her. I just sat in my room and tried to focus on my coloring books... but I couldn't make myself cry. It wasn't until years later, when I was going to check into some hotel, I was in a revolving door and I... I just broke down and wept right there.
For a good portion of this I thought you were serious. Now I can only hope you were.
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post #9 of 16
6/17/07 at 8:06pm
I can't believe we're eight posts in and no one's mentioned Spinell's brilliant turn as the evil Count Zarth Arn, ruler of the League of Dark Worlds, in the brilliant Italian Star Wars ripoff STARCRASH (which also stars Christopher Plummer and David Hasselhoff)!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jXug3DXNU...elated&search=
(not his voice, of course; it being an Italian b-movie from the 70's everyone is dubbed, and only Plummer, Hasselhoff and Marjoe Gortner got to do their own dubbing)
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post #10 of 16
6/17/07 at 8:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Eko
I figured that there must have been other people who liked him as much as I do. That documentary on the Maniac dvd that was mentioned a few posts up, is really great.
Oh agreed. I have a friend that, after we watched Maniac last summer, had a HUGE conversation about how much it sucked that Joe Spinell died so young. I never figured anyone else had ever though about it.

As for the doc, I've seen it. Really interesting stuff.
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post #11 of 16
11/10/11 at 1:53pm

Joe Spinell fucking rocked!

 

Had he lived, I suspect he would have seen continued work with Friedkin and Coppola..................and likely with Sly now that he has had a career resurgence.  You are very much missed, Joe!

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post #12 of 16
11/11/11 at 7:08am

Stallone loved Spinell. In The Rocky Scrapbook (or whatever it was called) Stallone tells a story about how Spinell started suffering an asthma attack in the middle of a dialogue scene. Spinell just whipped out his inhaler, did a shot, and went on with his dialogue like that was part of the character.

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post #13 of 16
11/11/11 at 9:31pm

I suspect he'd also be getting a good bit of work from Zombie, Tarantino, and Rodriguez if he were still around.

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post #14 of 16
11/12/11 at 11:53am

Yeah, him and John Cazale.

 

...Why do I not see this listed on Moviefone right now? The universe sucks.

 

TWO GUYS

 

Cast: Joe Spinell, John Cazale

 

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

 

Script: Improvised

 

Plot: Two guys go for a car ride. They talk about life.

 

Running time: 3 hours, 17 minutes

 

12:30 - 3:55 - 7:50 - 11:30

 

...Name me one Chewer who wouldn't see all four showings of that back to back on opening day and I'll name you a Chewer who isn't a goddamn Chewer. Goddamn it.

 

 

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post #15 of 16
11/12/11 at 12:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Blank View Post

Stallone loved Spinell. In The Rocky Scrapbook (or whatever it was called) Stallone tells a story about how Spinell started suffering an asthma attack in the middle of a dialogue scene. Spinell just whipped out his inhaler, did a shot, and went on with his dialogue like that was part of the character.



I always loved the way he dressed down Stallone's character in "Nighthawks".

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post #16 of 16
11/12/11 at 2:29pm



 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rene (Mr.Eko) View Post
 That documentary on the Maniac dvd that was mentioned a few posts up, is really great.


 Yes.

 

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