Many of the GM-owned Cadillacs have had mafia connections, and when movies about the mafia are made, like Donnie Brasco, the cars are very much there, like the Cadillac DeVille in it. Along with being plush, Caddies have always been one of the biggest cars on the road, and the sheer size intimidates. Plus, they were, once upon a time, the ultimate symbol of rich America – so it’s natural that one OTT thing drew another which is why the mafia gravitated towards the Caddy, and the dealers were more than happy to oblige.
Donnie Brasco, the movie based on real-life undercover FBI agent Joseph "Joe" Pistone came out in the early 2000s, at a time when Johnny Depp was not the untouchable he is today because the movies he came in did well. Perhaps he also not the man he is today because back then, he was thought of as one of the good guys, but that’s another story altogether.
Anyhow, the movie made by Tristar Films did well, and Depp notched another hit in his belt, and basically, yet another movie about the mafia earned well at the BO.
The Caddy was another hero of the movie, and while we know where Depp is, where is the Cadillac DeVille from Donnie Brasco today?
The Cadillac DeVille Story
The first of the DeVille cars came in 1949, and it was basically a prestige trim over and above the Series 62 luxury coupe. It remained a trim for the next decade, finally turning into its own nameplate by 1959, split into the same two names the trims carried, the Sedan de Ville and the Coupe de Ville.
This was also the year, the only year of the inordinately tall tailfins, and some 53,000 of these sold in the debut year of the nameplate, accounting for 37% of all Caddy sales. Cadillac had a winner on its hands.
Over the years and the generations, the styling of the Caddies remained plush but moved from the ostentatious style of the late ‘50s and the early ‘60s to the subtle elegance of the ‘70s. By the time Joe Pistone aka. Donnie Brasco got his hands on it, it was well into its fifth generation, lasting 1977 to 1984.
Brasco’s story may have gotten over by then, by DeVille continued its merry run all the way till 2005, for a total of eight generations, finally being renamed and replaced as the Cadillac DTS.
The 1978/79 Coupe De Ville Of Donnie Brasco
The one thing that confused people about the movie, other than Al Pacino’s characteristic drawl and Michael Madsen’s mumbling is which Coupe de Ville was featured in it.
According to the goof-ups page on IMDb, Brasco is first seen driving a Cadillac Coupe de Ville, as in the two-door coupe, but later it magically turns into the Sedan de Ville as in a four-door sedan. And strangely enough, even later, it's back to being the Coupe de Ville. Quite the magical car.
Some viewers also pointed out that it looked like two cars were used, the outside shots came from a 1979 Coupe de Ville, while the inside shots seemed to come from a 1978 model. Either way, there are subtle differences in both the model years, considering they belong to the same fifth generation of the DeVille cars. The 1979 models had a different hood and grille design and for 1978, there were changes in the tail lamps.
What Happened To The Coupe De Villes Of Donnie Brasco?
Most of the shooting of Joe Pistone/Donnie Brasco’s house was done in a New Jersey home owned by Clark and Rita Seymour, who used the house only in winters. They woke one morning to a flier stuck on their mailbox at their home at 202, Abbe Lane in Clifton, New Jersey. The Tristar Company was looking to rent a house to shoot their next movie at, and Seymour’s residence had a large kitchen, which worked to everyone’s benefit.
The production company paid them to rent to move out, trashed but fixed up the house and made sure they met with Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, and Anne Heche. They also got to shoot Johnny Depp and have whole albums with him.
Tristar then made it easy for the Seymours to buy the red 1978 Cadillac de Ville in the movie. And when the Seymours’ friends, Bill and Pat Morgan fell in love with the 1979 Cadillac de Ville, a brown one used for the interior shots, Tristar helped them get that car too.
So the movie was a hit. The Seymours got their home back, refurbished to their taste. And both the Cadillac de Villes found their forever homes. All’s well that ends well, especially for Donnie Brasco, aka, Joseph D. Pistone.
Sources: IMDb, TampaBayTimes