Sopranos denied film permit over ‘negative’ image

THE producers of hit TV show The Sopranos were denied a permit to film in Bloomfield, New Jersey, because the mayor and some city council members say the series negatively depicts Italian-Americans.

The owners of an old-fashioned ice cream parlour selected for the series’s final scene, however, said such “personal feelings” shouldn’t stand in the way.

“He should do what’s good for the town,” Chris Carley, co-owner of Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionery, said of Bloomfield Mayor Raymond McCarthy.

Permits were approved last week. But after complaints, the council voted again and rejected them. Officials have agreed to reconsider the issue for a third time next week.

The mayor, whose wife is Italian, said: “I don’t think The Sopranos depicts the life of a typical Italian-American in a positive way and I still don’t like the way people see New Jersey based upon The Sopranos series.” He added that he plans to oppose filming again at the next vote.

“As a member of Unico, an Italian-American civic group, I am pledged to honouring my commitment to its mission to speak out in defence of Italian-American dignity,” Mr McCarthy said.

One council member, Peggy O’Boyle Dunigan, has changed her mind and now wants to allow the show to film.

She said she was given incorrect information that Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo disliked the show, and she has since been flooded with calls of support for Holsten’s.

“If you don’t like the show, you can turn it off,” she said. “It’s hard enough to have a small business in town.”

On Wednesday, Mr DiVincenzo visited the store to show his support and said he asked the Bloomfield mayor to reconsider.

“Nobody is more proud to be an Italian-American than I am,” said Mr DiVincenzo. “I’m not offended by the show at all.”

The Sopranos tells the story of fictional New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini. It is scheduled to begin its final season on April 8.

Mr Carley said he was thrilled that the ice-cream parlour had been selected for the show. He and business partner Ron Stark are both married to Italian women.