On Set - The History of the Mob

Today I was on set for The National Geographic Channel's History of the Mob, another reenactment cable television show.

Originally, I submitted for the role of an FBI agent.  I was surprised at the audition when I read for the role of a hitman.  I was even more surprised when I got the part.

I was cast as Salvatore "Salvie" Testa, a rising star in the Philadelphia underworld during the early 1980s.  As a hitman for the Scarfo crime family, Testa was known as the "Crowned Prince of the Philadelphia Mob."



For people who aren't familiar with the lore of the Philly mob or it's gang wars of the early 80s and 90s, Testa is probably better known as the son of Philip "Philly" Testa, otherwise known as the "Chicken Man."  Philly Testa and the Philadelphia mafia wars were immortalized in Bruce Springsteen's song Atlantic City, with the lyric, "Well, they blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night.."

When I was growing up in Southern New Jersey, the local broadcast news and newspapers were filled with the notorious exploits of the mafia.  After being executed, Salvie Testa's slain body was dumped near one of the local high schools.   Many of the kids that I went to school with had, if not direct connections to some of the South Philly families, then their extended families, friends and neighborhoods did.

While I was in high school and then college, a new generation of mobsters reignited the Philadelphia Mafia Wars.

The scene we filmed today was an infamous story of Testa and his partner Phil Leonetti walking by Enrico Ricobenne's Jewelry store on Jewelers Row in Philadelphia.  The story is that when Testa walked by the shop window he smiled and pointed at Enrico.  Enrico had already lost an uncle and his father in the Mafia Wars.  Devastated and frightened, Enrico went to the back of the store and killed himself with a gun.

What we shot was a little more dramatic, but the point remained, Testa had a brutal and violent reputation.  Testa's brutal life sounds like a movie screenplay.

The picture above is Michael Gucciardo playing Phil Leonetti (left), Mike Valentino playing Enrico Ricobenne (right) and I'm in the middle as Salvie Testa.

As far as I know, most of the series is focused on the New York City mob.  However, some of the other scenes shot centered around Philly mob boss, Nicky Scarfo.    

I was able to sneak onto the set while they were reenacting the true story of Nicky Scarfo stabbing to death a longshoreman with a butter knife at the Oregon Diner in Philadelphia.

Here is a picture of the actors playing Nicky Scarfo (left) and the longshoreman (right) after their scene.  The guy playing Scarfo is actually really nice and speaks with a thick Spanish accent.  

In the holding area, we tried to match the actors to their real-life counter parts.

Here's a picture of me with the actor playing John Gotti, The Teflon Don.

Instead of sitting around, I participated in the reenactment of the shooting of Carmine Galante.  Galante was nicknamed "Lilo," or "The cigar," for always having a cigar in his mouth.  Famously, Galante's death picture has a cigar still in his mouth.  I wore a ski mask so that no one would know that I was doubling up characters.

A shot of the crew setting up the lights outside of the restaurant on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.  

The production truck setting up my scene on 5th avenue Brooklyn.

The jewelry shop on 5th avenue Brooklyn that was being used as Ricobenne's jewelry store.