Aahana Swrup
Tony Lip Vallelonga remains at the center of the road trip period film ‘Green Book.’ The Italian-American bouncer comes from a working-class background in the Bronx, New York. However, a dip in his usual employment steers him towards an alternative job: chauffeuring a musician across the country over the course of a 2-month-long tour. The musician in question is Dr. Donald Shirley, an African-American pianist.
In the 1962 setting of the film, traveling in the Deep South comes with more than a few complications for Doc, who had to deal with the reality of segregation and discrimination on a daily basis. As a result, Tony is meant to not only be a driver, but also a companion who can look out for the artist’s safety. Thus, what starts off as a driver and a passenger dynamic turns into a deeper friendship on the road. Given the real-life inspiration behind the film, Tony’s character also retains a similarly realistic basis.
Frank Anthony “Tony Lip” Vallelonga Directly Inspired Nick Vallelonga to Pen Green Book
In 1962, Don Shirley, an acclaimed pianist, undertook a tour in the Southern states. Given his identity as an African-American man in a country still reigned under the Jim Crow Laws, such a tour in the Deep South presented potential danger to his safety. As a result, the musician ended up hiring Frank Vallelonga, better known as Tony Lip, to be his driver and bodyguard. Back then, Vallelonga was a bouncer for the Copacabana club in New York City. By the admission of Nick Vallelonga, the real Tony Lip’s son and one of the screenwriters for ‘Green Book,’ the latter was also somewhat of a racist at the time.
The film’s depiction of his personal practice of segregation, racist language, and assumptions all remain true to the real Vallelonga’s identity at the time. “My dad was a product of the times and his environment, and that’s not an excuse for anything,” Screenwriter Nick Vallelonga told Time Magazine. He also added, “All that went away after he became friends with Dr. Shirley, and after this crazy trip they took together and what happened to them.” In real life, Vallelonga took the job of being Shirley’s driver, and in fact had to consult a copy of Victor Hugo Green’s ‘The Negro Motorist Green Book’ to find establishments and public services that accommodated the musician.
It was during this trip that the Bouncer from New York and the pianist from Florida became close friends. Along the way, Vallelonga witnessed the real brutality of the Jim Crow laws and how they affected Shirley. As a result, the trip, which was 18 months long in real life, became a transformational experience for Vallelonga. Afterward, he and Shirley remained in touch, maintaining their close friendship. In fact, according to Nick Vallelonga, in the 1980s, he got explicit permission from both his father and the acclaimed pianist to tell the story of their tour road trip in 1962.
In real life, after the trip, Vallelonga returned to work at the Copacabana club, where his paths crossed with one Francis Ford Coppola. The filmmaker offered the bouncer an uncredited role in his film ‘The Godfather,’ which ended up catapulting Vallelonga into an acting career. Over the years, the actor went on to star in various other projects, including ‘Goodfellas,’ ‘Donnie Brasco,’ ‘Lock Up’ and more. Additionally, he also plays the role of Carmine Lupertazzi in the series ‘The Sopranos.’ While the ‘Green Book’s’ depiction of Shirley has garnered some controversy, particularly from the pianist’s family, the film’s portrayal of Vallelonga remains fairly accurate. Even the part, showcasing the former bouncer eating 26 hot dogs in one sitting.
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