Falconetti? - Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) Discussion

[–] carl170 16 years ago

No one remembers Falconetti???

Carl Brown
Ipswich, England

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Falconetti. Was there ever a more terrifying screen villain?

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I completely agree with you.
Falconetti was a great villain.
I like what they did with his character in Part II, showed that although he is a psychotic bully, he is also just a scared little boy who cant stand it when he doesnt get his own way!
A true psycho.

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[–] carl170 16 years ago

The beef he had with Tomn Jordache was the highlight of the show for me. Falconetti v Tom Jorhache.

I think in the end the evil Falconetti stabbed him and killed Tom is that correct?

Carl Brown
Ipswich, England

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[–] filmbforever 16 years ago

He had someone else do it but yes. That sets his brother off on a mission to get Falconetti (spoilers). In the books Falconetti is actually two characters but amalgamated into one for the series - check it out.

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[–] zaphod08 16 years ago

I read the book back in the 70's and I liked how them combined the two characters into one. I think it was an improvement.

Where there's life there's hope and where there's hope there's crosby

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[–] kriault 13 years ago

For those that read the book, one of the first quotes I could quote was, "Jesus Christ," Thomas thought, "Falconetti's everywhere". Still remember it 30 years later. Truly terrifying. Loved the book and hated Falconetti. One of the best tributes one can give to an actor. Also love David Morse for that same reason. He was an excellent villian in The Long Kiss Goodnight.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] santor 16 years ago

Beautiful Girls reference alert!

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[–] cwholdsworth 8 years ago

Always happy to see a fellow "Beautiful Girls" fan. If not for that movie I may not have ever known about Falconetti.

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[–] thedeb50592000 16 years ago

I remember watching this mini-series when it first came out in '76, during the Innsbruck Winter Olympics (I didn't start watching til about the 4th episode).

Yes, Falconetti was definitely a real mutha, especially considering what he did to Tom Jordache's friend on the ship (I won't spoil)!

But it wasn't until many months later that I learned that the character's name was Falconetti and not "Falcon Eddy" as I had originally thought (ha!).

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[–] arbgast641 16 years ago

I,read a newspaper in 1976 about william smith (falconetti) he was walking in los angeles and someone threw a bottle a him and said i hate you falconetti. william smith called the police and they told him falconetti deserved it. true story.

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[–] Sofi_sooner 16 years ago

I HATE Falconetti. I just finished watching the last episode of Book 1 and can't stop crying. I'm a huge fan of Nick Nolte and really wasn't expecting this kind of ending for his character. I'm so furious!!

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[–] wowcharlie3 15 years ago

I hate him. To this day I hate him!!!

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[–] ridgerunner72160-609-362419 13 years ago

Good grief is that true? Don't the idiot who threw the bottle and the cops realize William Smith was an actor playing a role? Unbelievable!! Maybe he ought to move here to the South. When he was in the series 'Laredo' he was one of the good guys and that way he could get police protection if any crimes were committed against him. But he couldn't move too far east in Dixie though. I remember an episode of the 'Dukes of Hazzard' where Smith was playing the role of a hitman from Atlanta....LOL.

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[–] [email protected] 16 years ago

Ha Ha -- that's too funny -- I also thought his name was Falcon Eddie!!!!!!

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[–] carrigcleena 16 years ago

I was only 12 when it first came out in Ireland. All my school friends and I also thought he was falcon eddie. The series was half over when we discovered he was called falconetti but we kept calling him falcon eddie because it sounded better. When you are 12 falconetti came across as very evil. He played his part well.

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[–] bradford-1 16 years ago

That "Falcon Eddie" issue may have arisen because no one ever seems to say his first name. I just got my hands on a copy of RMPM and unless I missed it, and I'm not sure anyone, even among his shipmates ever calls him by his first name.

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[–] dobrydennis 16 years ago

William Smith is quite a renaissance man, a Russian literature scholar, fluent in several languages, a biker, a former world arm-wrestling champion and weightlifting champion. I'm sure Nick Nolte got a kick out of a storyline that has him beating up such a physical specimen.

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] cryptoman 14 years ago

>I'm sure Nick Nolte got a kick out of a storyline that has him beating up such a physical specimen.

Besides the fact that most people tend to enjoy watching a good guy triumph over a bad guy, I always appreciated the fact that there was a very plausible reason why, despite being somewhat physically over-matched, Tom usually got the best of Falconetti. Namely, his excellent boxing skills. If I remember correctly, didn't he once (unintentionally) kill an opponent in the ring when he was boxing professionally? I think that's why he ultimately ended up joining the Merchant Marines, thereby putting him in Falconetti's path in the first place.

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[–] powersroc 13 years ago

I'm not sure about the book but on the TV mini-series Tom was on the run from the mob.The mob was grooming their up & coming boxer & Tom was a sparing partner.Tom was also having an affair with the boxer's girlfriend(or was it wife?). The boxer,who was a nasty bloke,caught them together & went after Tom.Tom was a superior boxer(he had once been a contender himself) & he knocked out the pro.He might have so injured the pro that the pro's boxing career was kaput.The mob were not at pleased by Tom & a price was on his head.His former manager helped Tom escape & get into the Merchant Marines.

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[–] Jwest81_98 12 years ago

It was his wife and the boxer treated Tom like Crap...

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[–] mvance-1 11 years ago

If you want to watch Smith in another all-out brawler role, look for ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN, the sequel to Clint Eastwood's big hit EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE. Smith portrays the world's supposed greatest bareknuckle fighter whom Eastwood is matched against in the slambang finale. It's not as realisitic a fight as Jordache vs. Falconetti, but it's fun. Steve V.

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[–] rogerscorpion 10 years ago

Physical, as well as intellectual---as you pointed out. He taught Russian at UCLA.

They should do a bio on Smith---but who could possibly play him?

Carpe Noctem!

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[–] waldenpond88 13 years ago

They mention his first name, Anthony, several times in season 1. His sister maria calls him Anthony in season 2.

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[–] wowcharlie3 15 years ago

I thought it was Falcon Eddie, too, until I bought the book.

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[–] sandyh-7 13 years ago

I was in college in '76 and didn't watch this at the time because I didn't want to make the recurring time commitment to a mini-series. But I would hear my friends discussing it, and always referring to some rotten guy named "Falcon Eddie." That's how it sounded because they pronounced their T's like D's. (So "butter" sounds like "budder," etc.) It was more than 30 years, and the arrival of the internet, before I learned it's actually "Falconetti," with T's, not D's. Good to know I'm not the only one that had it wrong.

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[–] jondoe888 12 years ago

I always heard Falcon Eddy, too. At some point, I think I read the character name. Duh!

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[–] kaelberg 11 years ago

I thought the same thing about the character's name! Glad I wasn't the only one.

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[–] Rudy_Jordache 9 years ago

I remember getting laughed at at school for think his name was Falcon Eddie .... Nearly 40 years on I'm happy to hear that it wasn't just me :D

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[–] SuperCatMonkey 16 years ago

I despised William Smith for years because he was so good in this despicable role.

Renaissance man nothing, he's a renaissance man's renaissance man. Look at his bio/trivia section - everything line you read is even more impressive then the line before. What an incredible life!

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[–] gregrchstr 15 years ago

William Smith's bio is very impressive. He has always been a villian I love to hate! He definitely looks like someone you would not want to mess with, a very intimidating presence.I thought he was great in The Ultimate Warrior with Yul Brynner, "we're gonna go together".

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[–] drewskovitch 14 years ago

Aye - a great character for sure and a great series. Is it just me, or does Flaconetti look a lot like Jack Palance??

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[–] PinkIcicle 14 years ago

Yes, he does...........

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[–] AlbinoBadBob 14 years ago

So I'm watching The Outsiders and Rumble Fish, and I got to thinking how whenever William Smith appears I always think Falconetti! I was only a kid and he was terrifying. Do you remember his doting sister?

God will forgive them, He'll forgive them and allow them into Heaven. I can't live with that.

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[–] ttaskmaster 14 years ago

All the lead cast and many of the supporting cast are phenomenal actors.
It's just not always that obvious...

This was the first role I'd seen Bill Smith in, so from here on my perspective of him was tainted. The way Falconetti behaves, I thought the actor was either really crap, or just mentally deficient.

Turns out Falconetti is the mentally deficient one. He is truly a screwed up character. But Bill does an amazing job of playing him.

Bill isn't all seedy villain, though - I much later twigged that this was the same guy who played Conan's father!! The contrast betwixt the two characters is astonishing and having see what else he can do, I love him all the more!!

Falconetti still deserved a fate far worse than what he got, though!

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[–] rogerscorpion 10 years ago

He's a totally badass individual, but few people realize it.

Carpe Noctem!

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[–] ThereWillBeBeer 14 years ago

Count me as another viewer who initially thought his name was "Falcon Eddie."
At some point of the series I realized that his name was Anthony Falconetti.

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[–] Jameson73 14 years ago

Isn't his name Arthur Falconetti?

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[–] tony.marshall2 13 years ago

No, we discover his name is Anthony Falconetti in 'RM,PM:BKII'; for some reason the Universal-Playback (UK) DVD release have printed the 'Arthur' bit on the cast/character listings on the back cover?!

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[–] Smush Master 13 years ago

He was one of the biggest cowards in movie history.
Tom Jordace was ready to kill him, and Falcon begged him not to. Crying "no no no"
Then he had some goons sneak attack Tom, and stab him to death, while he looked on.
He couldn't even kill Tom himself.
Cowardly.
You could tell in book 2, he's a mama's boy.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] bgaudetb 12 years ago

Yes! He's one of the two worst evil men in all of movie history. The other is Magua (Wes Studi) from the Last of the Mohicans. I will never forgive him!

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[–] rogerscorpion 10 years ago

2 great villains & 2 great actors!

Carpe Noctem!

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[–] IdiotDomainer 11 years ago

Yes that is a great comparison with Darth Vader.

Falconetti is with out a doubt one of the greatest villains in Hollywood history.

My all time favorite villains are

1. Hans Gruber
2. Falconetti
3. Hadley Lamar
4. Darth Vader
5. Dr. Hannibal Lecter

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[–] ttaskmaster 11 years ago

3. Hadley Lamar

"That's 'Hedley'... Hedley Lamarr"!!

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[–] MrBullo 10 years ago

Add Don Logan (Sexy Beast) that list.

I also thought for ages that it was Falcon Eddy!

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[–] hackraytex 10 years ago

My then wife and I were glued to the set when this show played and I think I arranged my college classes so I would not miss it. Thank God for DVR and before that VCR. It made stars of Peter Strauss and Nick Nolte.

William Smith was also good going up against Clint Eastwood in Any Which Way You Can. A villain who always delivers. He is still in there kicking it although I think his voice is about gone. Hang in there Mr. Smith.

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[–] rogerscorpion 10 years ago

'Voice almost gone'? Are you talking about Smith or Nolte?

I love BOTH of them!!

Carpe Noctem!

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[–] hackraytex 10 years ago

I guess both of them but I think more about the voice of William Smith. Both of them have lived hard and fast and that catches up to one over an extended period of time. Looks like Smith has not had any issues with working and seems active but Nick Nolte has just about gotten back on his feet after an extended period of issues with alcoholism when, I don't mean to sound insensitive, he just about drank himself out of his career. I wish both of them good luck.

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[–] deck007-1 10 years ago

I agree that Kingsley was good as Logan. But I actually thought that Teddy in Sexy Beast would be a bit higher on the list (Ian McShane I think).

And don't feel bad about Falcon Eddy. I always thought the Beach Boys song My Little Deuce Coupe was My Little Loose Tooth.

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[–] ultravio13 9 years ago

Anyone who watched this in the 70's will never forget Falconetti. I hated him with a passion, and was happy to see Tom kick his ass. And yes, like a lot of others on here, I also thought it was falcon eddie LOL.

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