Every ethnic family is made up of unique values and customs. Such characteristics are shaped by factors such as religion, society, and socioeconomic statuses. The influence of these factors is quite evident once we try comparing the families in Radio Days (1987) to those in Goodfellas (1990). On one hand, we have Joe’s (Seth Green) Jewish-American struggling financially yet escaping from reality by listening to the radio, while on the other hand we have Henry Hill’s (Ray Liotta) Italian family admiring crime and using it as a way to get wealth and fulfill their fantasies.
The nuclear and broadly communal families depicted in Radio Days and Goodfellas is different from each other on many levels as well. On a broader perspective, Joe’s family is normal and fits into the society. Joe’s father drives a taxi, Uncle Abe loves fishing, and Joe likes to watch Mast Avenger. There is nothing about this family that makes it stand out in its community. In contrast, Goodfellas is completely opposite. The ethnic family of gangsters isn’t the social norm, and Henry, Jimmy, and Tommy aren’t fitting into the society. They stand out as killers, robbers and gangsters. They forcefully put themselves on a pedestal and use violent and immoral means to earn wealth and respect. The nuclear family in each family is obviously different as well. Joe’s family is linked by blood and regardless of their ups and down, all the members come together in the end. On the other hand, this made-up mafia family might stick together through crime, but it can turn its back on anyone at any time. An example of this is when Jimmy plans on killing Henry.
Although the two ethnic families are very different, they consist of many similarities as well. The connection of Joe’s family to the mob family in Goodfellas was evident right away when the film began introducing each of Joe’s family members. Every person played a different role in the family. Joe’s parents fought over ocean lengths while Ruthie (Joy Newman) giggled away to the personal matters of the Waldbaums next door. The first ones were representative of the difficult financial conditions of the family and hence their anger at trivial matters, while the latter escaped familial troubles via the world of gossip, where things were temporarily amusing. Uncle Abe (Josh Mostel) was busy fishing as grandma tightened her corset. Aunt Bea was one of the more interesting characters among the family. She was introduced dancing to the radio, and her nature was portrayed to be very free spirited and jolly. I found her to be the epitome of the Golden Age of Radio where dreamy personalities were formed –just swaying to the music and dancing away. Unlike tradition, she openly expressed her interest in men and marriage as well. The times were changing and the film made sure to point this out. The eclectic nature of the family reminded me of the variety of family members found in Henry Hill’s family. We had Pauly (Paul Sorvino), one of the leaders of the mafia, Jimmy (Robert DeNiro), infatuated with hijacking cars, and Tommy (Joe Pesci), the ill-tempered robber. Each of these gangsters obviously had their own role in the crimes that they pursued. Moreover, their wives and children played a role in the entire image of these goodfellas as well. Families were sometimes the backbone of the entire clan because it gave them a sense of normality. They were made average at the slightest bit, because they had birthdays to celebrate and honeymoons to attend.
The most obvious similarity between the two movies was the autobiographical voiceover. Joe plays the same role of tracing his childhood and presenting his views on the people around him as does Henry when he explains his youth. The audience was not only able to see the events that took place in the lives of these characters but it was also able to hear their biased opinions. The audience wasn’t given a choice either – it was just left to sympathize with the protagonist, regardless of his morality.
The radio is probably the most crucial object of this movie. Not only does the radio’s constant background music give a sense of flow to the movie, but it sets the tone as well. The entire film is given a jolly and colorful tone with the radio’s music, and this works very well for the comedic element of the film. The radio seems to play an interesting socioeconomic role as well, and this is evident quite early in the film. Joe brings us into his family and introduces his tiresome mother as she works hard and does the dishes while listening to her favorite radio show, Breakfast with Irene and Roger. He mentions that Irene and Roget sit in their high-class Manhattan townhouse and talk about places they had only dreamt of. The contrast on each side of the radio is what gives the radio a characteristic of setting apart the wealthy and the mediocre people, in this case. In many instances in the film we see the opulence of radio singers and actors by their clothing and the parties that they attend. Sally White (Mia Farrow) is exemplary of this class division that stands on each end of the radio. In the beginning of the movie, Sally struggles to make ends meet as she works as a cigar seller at parties. She enjoys listening to the radio very much and aspires to sing one day. When the woman finally makes it big and reaches into the radio to actually be able to sing on it, she attends the same parties as a wealthy guest now, rather than a poor worker. One’s financial status and thus indentity seems directly related to the side of the radio that he/she stands on.
Another interesting characteristic of the radio is it ability to be the entertainer and unifier of the nation. The radio entertains people of all ages. Joe is obsessed with Mast Avenger, his mother likes Breakfast with Irene and Roger, Aunt Bea loves the music, Uncle Abe likes listening to the sports, and Aunt Ceil loves listening to the ventriloquist. The identity of each person is set apart by the type of show he/she sees. As incomparable as it might feel to us, the radio actually takes the role of a television in this society. It provides entertainment for everyone. Just like television, it comes with a negative connotation as well. This is evident is Joe’s case most of the time. His obsession with Mast Avenger always gets him in trouble with his parents, especially when they meet the Wizkid, a mathematics genius who pretty much makes Joe look dumb in front of him. Joe’s mother even tells Joe that his parents can listen to the radio because their lives are ruined already, while he still has time to make something of himself. Our society today looks down on television as a time-waste as well. The key to success and intelligence is considered to be found in books rather than movies. Of course the television today unifies the nation. The east coast watches the same shows, movies and sports, follows the same fashion trends, and listens to the same news as the west coast. Similarly, the radio is that unifying element that assures unity as it plays songs, shows, and music across the nation. A tragic example is seen in the movie when a young girl is trapped in a ditch and authorities are trying to rescue her. The entire nation doesn’t know this girl, but it does take part in following the story and eventually grieving over her death. The film has various cuts with different characters placed in different settings to show how the entire nation is involved and concerned about this girl, thus, making them unified. Moreover, the radio can be the newspaper for the nation as well. It interrupts shows to inform the nation about World War II, and it even begins new America vs. Japan war shows that have to do with the current events. By having such shows, the radio speaks out the views of American society as a whole. We do see the Japanese being placed as antagonists and fighting the Americans in a radio show. We have catchy army songs on the radio as well, and these allure men to come and fight in the war. Finally, the radio has the amazing ability to bring back memories. Joe lists many songs that remind him of the memories of his first kiss or the time he went to Radio Hall with Aunt Bea and her boy friend. In a nutshell, what I’m trying to stress is that the Radio not only reveals the identities of people based on what where they stand in relation to the radio and what they like to listen, it unifies the entire nation as well.
