[rabidralph]

...objected to the movie's negative depiction of Italians. As a concession, a producer offered to donate some of the proceeds to the league's hospital fund and to give some of the league's members small roles in the movie.

Mmmm, what were they protesting, again?

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

The Italian-American Civil Rights League was run by Joseph Columbo, the Mafia Don of one of the Five Families in New York. Columbo was assassinated by Mafia enemies at a big rally of the League. Richard S. Castellano, who played Clemenza, was the nephew of Big Paul Castellano, another Mafia Don who was publicly assassinated.