Citations

[regarding his short-term membership in the Communist party in the 1930s] I went to about five or six meetings. When I got bored at home I'd go to a meeting.

I had this effect on people. I remember walking along the street and seeing Eddie Cantor's name up on one of the theaters, so I stopped by the ticket seller and asked him, 'When does Eddie go on?' He looked at me and went pale and said, 'You-you-you-you're the guy in that picture up the street!' He was petrified of me. So I went and watched that movie again and thought to myself 'Christ Almighty, what an ugly [expletive]!' Holes in my face, black eyes that pierce right through you. Here I thought I looked like Ronald Colman and the ticket seller was right.

I was typed as the arch gangster. It's this face -- what could I do about it?

The time I met Lucky Luciano in Italy, I swear to God, I thought he was imitating me.