Four Mafia Bosses to Remember Trivia Quiz

Answer: Albert Anastasia

An appropriate nickname for Anastasia, who was considered to be crazy by his fellow mob members. Gotti was known as the 'Teflon Don' for his penchant to escape conviction in court, despite his high profile actions and the strong evidence against him; and also as the 'Dapper Don' for his penchant for fancy dressing. Joe Bonanno was referred to as 'Joe Bananas', a take-off on his name that aptly described many of his actions.

Answer: Joe Colombo

Two decades before Gotti paraded around in Armani suits, Joe Colombo was known for wearing $1000.00 outfits in the late 1960's and early 1970's. He would change clothes several times during the day, and kept an apartment just for that purpose.

Answer: Joe Bonanno

All evidence points to Bonanna faking his own kidnapping the night before he was scheduled to go before a grand jury. Despite his being at odds with the other New York bosses, who wanted to oust him from power, he was out with no bodyguards and the alleged kidnappers left a living witness at the scene. Wiretaps revealed that the other families knew nothing about a kidnapping, and his own underboss was heard to state that Bonanna did it to avoid indictments or contempt charges from the grand jury.

Joe Columbo, as an underboss of the then named Profaci family, was one of five members kidnapped by a rival faction led by Crazy Joey Gallo. He earned the respect of his kidnappers when, as they were being initially abusive, he demanded that they treat he and the others with respect. If they had to shoot them, fine, but until then they were to be treated like men.

Answer: John Gotti

John Gotti died from cancer while in the federal prison system in 2002. Anastasia was shot to death in 1957. Colombo died at home in 1972, in a vegetative state, due to injuries from a shooting six years previous. Joe Bonanno died from natural causes in 2002, almost four decades after he was ousted from control of his family.

Answer: Joe Colombo

Colombo took over what was then known as the Profaci family, and later known as the Colombo family, when the acting boss died from natural causes. He had the support of the Gambino and Luchese families because he had notified them that his boss and Joe Bonanno were plotting to kill Carlos Gambino and Thomas Luchese. Gotti took over the Gambino family when he masterminded an unsanctioned hit on then boss Paul Castellano. Bonanno was named boss of the family that would carry his name after reigning boss Salvatore Maranzano was eliminated by Lucky Luciano. And Anastasia betrayed his boss of twenty years, Vincent Mangano, to take over the Gambino family.

Answer: Joe Bonanno

Bonanno and his son both made that claim. The events in the "Godfather" were loosely based on a variety of events in Mafia life involving many mobsters. One similarity is that Bonanno pushed for his son to take over, as did Vito Corleone, causing resentment within the family. And Bonanno, like Corleone, claimed drugs was a dirty business, despite the fact that the Bonanno family was notorious for its involvement in the narcotics trade.

Answer: Albert Anastasia

Albert's brother, Anthony, said this in an interview with a police detective five years after his brother's death. Anthony himself was a minor hood, who was involved with unions and extortion on the docks of New York City. Several other brothers chose a life of working class respectability instead of crime. Albert Anastasia was violent.

Besides 'Mad Hatter' he was also known as "the Lord High Executioner".

Answer: Joe Colombo

Colombo was shot by a small-time African-American hood named Jerome Johnson during a rally of the Italian-American Civil Rights League. After Johnson was tackled by police, Colombo's bodyguard, who had been on the podium instead of along side Colombo, shot him several times, silencing Johnson forever.

There are those who think Johnson was a lone nut with his own agenda. However, he was able to obtain press credentials, and rumors were that Colombo had not shared the substantial money brought in by the League with the other Five Families. Definitely a sure way to get oneself executed. Colombo survived, but was basically a physical and mental cripple for the rest of his life.

Answer: Gotti

John Gotti was finally put away by the government when Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, Gotti's underboss testified against him. Gravano implicated himself as being involved in 19 murders to one degree or another. After being put in the witness protection program, Gravano, his wife, son, daughter and son-in-law would all be convicted of running a drug ring in Arizona. Gotti was sentenced to several life terms due to Gravano's testimony.

Answer: Anastasia

Willie Sutton, a free lance bank robber, had been caught after a citizen, Arnold Shuster, recognized him and turned him into the police. Anastasia happened to be watching television when Shuster was being interviewed, and declaring that he hated stool pigeons, the Mad Hatter ordered a hit on Shuster.

The heat that this brought down on the mob earned Anastasia the animosity of his fellow bosses, and became a contributing factor in his own future elimination.

Answer: Joe Colombo

Colombo, who started the league after his son was arrested for melting down coins for their silver content, was named as man of the year by the organization. His award banquet had to be moved up two days, because on the day it was originally scheduled, Joe Colombo was due to report to jail for lying on his real estate license application.

Answer: Bonanno

Bill Bonanno, a self proclaimed man of honor, used a card that was extorted or seized from an associate. Bill of course claimed that he had permission to use it from a third party, who was conveniently dead at the time of trial. The jury didn't buy it.

Answer: Colombo

Colombo's son, Joe Junior, was arrested for this violation of federal law in 1971. Daddy Colombo had his men first picket the FBI offices in Manhattan, then formed the Italian American Civil Rights League to combat this injustice. Joe Junior was acquitted in this case, but he and his two brothers would be jailed for other crimes in the 1980's.

Answer: John Gotti

Gotti said this, while in prison, after a raid on a friend of Junior Gotti's warehouse recovered proposed membership lists from several of the five families from several years past. They provided this info to each other to ensure there were no outstanding beefs with any proposed member. Why Junior kept them is unknown. For his part, Gotti Junior has publicly lamented his father bringing him into the business and tossing him to the wolves. Of course, he hadn't complained until after he had been arrested several times.

Answer: Anastasia

Anastasia was killed while in the barber's chair at the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York, by two shooters. A combination of things, among them Anastasia's attempt to muscle in on Meyer Lansky's Cuban gambling interests; Vito Genovese's desire to be 'boss of bosses' and needing to eliminate Anastasia to do so; the ambition of Carlos Gambino, Anastasia's underboss; and the belief by all that Anastasia was too violent and unstable all led up to this killing in 1957. On another note, unlike the other three mob bosses featured in this quiz, there is no evidence that Anastasia's son, Anthony, named after his uncle, ever entered the criminal life.

Thanks to The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia; Joey the Hitman; and Bound by Honnor, Bill Bonanno's autobiography for providing the information for this quiz.