Difference between revisions of "Anthony D'Amico"

Revision as of 17:01, October 24, 2007

Fat Tony (voiced by Joe Mantegna) is the local Mafia Don and leader of the Springfield Mafia.

Fat Tony is a pastiche of Mafia characters from movies and dramas. His nickname may be a reference to "Black Tony",(Anthony Stracci) the Don of the fictional Stracci family in the The Godfather franchise. His fellow mobsters include Joey, Legs, Louie, and occasionally Johnny Tightlips. Tony's schemes have ranged from supplying rat's milk to the school cafeteria to dabbling in the illegal fireworks racket. His gang also attempts to monopolize various legitimate business, once waging war with the local Yakuza over Marge Simpson's pretzel business.

Name

Fat Tony's actual name is the source of some dispute, as several different 'real' names have been revealed over the course of the series.

In the third-season episode Bart the Murderer, Fat Tony is referred in a news report given by Kent Brockman as William "Fat Tony" Williams. This may be his real name, or it may be a hastily-created pseudonym.

In another episode, Frankie the Squealer reveals Fat Tony's real first name to be Marion. This is possibly a reference to John Wayne, whose real name was was Marion Morrison.

In the eighth-season episode The Homer They Fall, the announcer at Homer's boxing match against Dredrick Tatum refers to Fat Tony as Anthony "Fat Tony" D'Amico.

Of course as a known mob boss, Fat Tony likely has numerous aliases, and it is possible that none of the above might be his 'real' name. His nickname also may be a reference to real-life mobster Anthony 'Fat Tony' Salerno.

"Business" dealings

Fat Tony has been behind most, if not all of, Springfield's criminal enterprises. Fat Tony's associates meet in what is known as the "Legitimate Businessmen's Social Club." Tony's rackets include the usual organized crime activities such as illegal gambling, cigarette trafficking, and rum running to more unusual activities. In "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" Homer contracted with the Springfield mafia to drive out Marge's rival snack food distributors to assist her pretzel franchise, demanding 100% of Marge's profits from her pretzel business in exchange, only to be stopped by the local Yakuza brought in by Marge's rivals. The two gangs then had a mob war, which continued off-screen(Fat Tony and his gangsters displayed very impressive fighting skills, as opposed to when they usually just pull out their guns). Much of Springfield's municipal government is involved with the Mafia. Chief Wiggum has been seen taking bribes from Fat Tony, and in retaliation for a raid on their rat milk facility he attempted to take out a hit on mayor Joe Quimby. In "Papa's Got a Brand New Badge", Tony put out a contract on Homer after his private security business interfered with the mob's interests. Homer would have been executed gangland-style if not for Maggie coming to the rescue with her rifle. Marge usually has a more peaceful relationship with Fat Tony, even driving his son Michael home from school. In the episode "Moe Baby Blues", she mentions that the Mafia frequently congregates outside her house, and that she often brings them lemonade.

Fat Tony appears in "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer". His son Michael is introduced (he was mentioned earlier in "Moe Baby Blues" and "The Seven-Beer Snitch") and Bart reveals that Fat Tony muscled McDonald's and Burger King out of Springfield so Krusty Burger can have a monopoly. The episode also reveals that Fat Tony's wife was whacked by natural causes, and that he once nearly killed Chief Wiggum.

Though not strictly a "business" dealing, he has shown to be involved in gambling several times, most notably in the episode "Homie the Clown", in which he made numerous sports bets with Krusty.

Character traits

Moe Baby Blues featured several interesting references relating to Fat Tony. To entertain his subordinates, Fat Tony puts an orange slice in his mouth in imitation of Don Corleone from The Godfather. Minutes later, Fat Tony responds to an emotional scene by saying "I haven't cried this much since I paid to see Godfather III" (in which Mantegna played the character Joey Zasa, one of the inspirations for Fat Tony). His son's name is a reference to Michael Corleone. Fat Tony is also a competent violinist.