MovieChat Forums > The Getaway (1972) Discussion > Great story about Al Lettieri in new McQ...

Great story about Al Lettieri in new McQueen book

posted 11 years ago by rgl-6
10 replies | jump to latest

Steve McQueen: The Cooler King by Richard Sydenham (2013). Just finished it. A must read for any McQueen fan. Each chapter is dedicated to one of his movies supported by first hand accounts by those who acted in or worked in the movie. I would say it paints an even handed portrait of the man with both the good and the blemishes. Long time friend Robert Vaughn wrote the forward. One of my favorite tidbits in the book doesn't even directly involve Steve. In the chapter on The Getaway it states that actor Al Lettieri who plays the main villain (and who played The Turk Sollozzo in The Godfather) was a 6'3 coked out beast of a man that threatened to kill his co-star and girlfriend Sally Struthers and who McQueen was afraid of and steered clear of. Things got so bad that director Sam Peckinpah had to bring in some mobsters from Juarez to intimidate Lettieri into behaving. No wonder Lettieri's heart blew up at age 47. That is what I call taking method acting too far.
https://www.google.com/search?q=steve+mcqueen+and+al+lettieri&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS673US673&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=915&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjsj7-Z__jOAhUW8WMKHbX-CvYQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=4Sm_wBM1it3GAM%3A
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[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] rgl-6 11 years ago

Great story! I fixed the link to the picture in my original post which must show McQueen, Ali, Sally, and Al in happier days before the death threats.

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[–] eddie-fendel 10 years ago

Thanks for that guys. I didn't realise he was just as menacing in real life as on film. I enjoyed his performance in T G and he was equally menacing in Mr Majestyk with Charles Bronson.

[–] Eli-Tuco 9 years ago

rgl-6
Great story about two of my favorite actors and one of my favorite movies.
Also, I like your signature which is from one of my favorite bands.

[–] arthurab 9 years ago

Both links dialed as of Jan 2016.

[–] arthurab 9 years ago

DISABLED

Friggin auto fill

[–] rgl-6 8 years ago

Fixed link again.

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[–] arthurab 8 years ago

Thk u!!

[–] Iceveins (3) 2 years ago

Could you by any chance fix the link to this story about Lettieri from McQueen's book? I'm interested in reading that bit. Thanks.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 2 years ago

You'll have to try googling it as the post you just replied to is 9 years old and from IMDb.