211. 'Mean Streets' (1973)

Show Notes

The Full Cast and Crew MartyVerse run continues with the first of Scorcese's unofficial trilogy of gangster films, 'Mean Streets'.

In this episode: Marty's Little Italy, Family, High School, NYU, Los Angeles, and early directorial experiences and how they influence and inspired 'Mean Streets'.

How 'Mean Streets' was very nearly a blaxploitation film funded by Roger Corman. 

John Cassavetes seeing 'Boxcar Bertha', an exploitation film Scorcese directed for Corman, and telling Marty "You just spent a year of your life making a piece of shit. Don't you have something more personal to do?"

Films mentioned by Scorcese as inspirational/informational to 'Mean Streets'

‘Gilda’

‘The Shanghai Gesture'

'Shadows'

'Who's That Knocking At My Door'

'Boxcar Bertha'

'Open City' 

'Paisa'

'Shoeshine'

'Bicycle Thieves'

'Cool Breeze' 

'Buck Privates'

'Scorpio Rising'

'Saturday Night, Sunday Morning'

'The Road to Singapore'

'Marty'

'Fatso'

'Accatone'

'How Green Was My Valley'

'The Informer'

'The Searchers'

'On The Waterfront'

'East of Eden' 

'His Girl Friday' 

'The Big Sky'

'The Thing' 

'Two Rode Together'