A macabre romance that mixes comedy and thuggery, this fact-based made-for-television film from HBO recreates the affair between powerful Chicago mobster Sam Giancana (John Turturro) – the original “Teflon Don” – and Phyllis McGuire (Mary-Louise Parker) of the popular wholesome singing sister trio.
The unlikely pairing of the mobster and the squeaky-clean star sparked a furore that eventually ruined them both.
From the time he first saw her in 1960 at a Vegas casino and began wooing her with jewellery, cars, mountains of yellow roses, and promises of meeting Frank Sinatra, Giancana and McGuire became locked in an increasingly fervent cycle of fighting and making up.
Though the film is smartly acted and has a believable ’60s flavour, it tells its boisterous beauty-and-the-beast fable with little visual or imaginative flair.
The script includes several amusingly wry moments, however. At one point, for instance, Giancana meets with a pair of CIA operatives who want him to assassinate Fidel Castro.
He quickly agrees but with three conditions:
The Mob gets back its casinos in Havana; the government butts out of the shrimp business; and, most importantly, CIA spooks must set up a wiretap on Dan Rowan, of the comedy team Rowan and Martin.
Giancana was consumed by jealousy after watching Rowan kiss McGuire onstage in Vegas.
Mr “Sock It to Me” was lucky he didn’t end up sleeping with the fishes.
Much of the dialogue in Sugartime came from actual FBI wiretaps, but Phyllis McGuire – who died in December 2020, aged 89 – did not cooperate in the production of the film.
The McGuire Sisters’ vocals are not used in the movie.
Sam Giancana
John Turturro Phyllis McGuire
Mary-Louise Parker Butch Blasi
Elias Koteas Tony Accardo
Maury Chaykin Chuckie English
Louis Del Grande Christine McGuire
Deborah Duchene Dorothy McGuire
Larissa Lapchinski Annette Giancana
Amanda Blitz Francine Giancana
Renessa Blitz Doris
Kelly Bodanis Mr McGuire
Bob Clout Vince Inserra
Stuart Clow Robert Maheu
Bill Cross Wadden
Reg Dreger William Roemer
Greg Ellwand Fredrick Jones
Ron Gabriel Mrs McGuire
Carole Galloway Bonnie Giancana
Yamit Geiger Johnny Roselli
Sam Grana Russian Louie
Howard Jerome Carlene Delfano
Nahanni Johnstone Frank Sinatra
Patrick Jude Ralph Hill
David Keeley Marie Perno
Deborah Kirshenbaum Eddie Vogel
John Kozak Robert F. Kennedy
Peter Krantz Queen Mother
Corinne Langston Fanning
Adam Large Bennett Williams
John Lefebvre Jimmy Perno
Vincent Marino Dick Martin
Robin McCulloch Dan Rowan
Jonathan Whittaker Libonati
Gerry Mendicino Moretti
Tony Munch Schippers
Michael Rhoades Judge Campbell
Nicholas Rice CIA Agent
Bill Roemer Phil Alderisio
Rino Romano Frank Ferraro
Tony Rosato Michael Delfano
Chuck Shamata John Bassett
Ralph Small
Director
John N. Smith
Video
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The unlikely pairing of the mobster and the squeaky-clean star sparked a furore that eventually ruined them both.
He quickly agrees but with three conditions:
