When it comes to filming the final scene of the acclaimed mob drama "The Sopranos,'' this North Jersey town has told HBO to fuhgeddaboudit.
The town this week denied the show's producers a permit to shoot here because the mayor and council members say the show depicts Italian-Americans in a poor light.
The owners of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor selected for the scene said the personal opinions of Bloomfield Mayor Raymond McCarthy and the council shouldn't stand in the way.
"He should do what's good for the town and not let his personal feelings dictate his decision,'' Chris Carley, co-owner of Holsten's Brookdale Confectionary, which sells homemade ice cream, said of McCarthy.
The town first approved the permits last week. But after complaints, the council brought back the issue for a second vote on Monday and rejected it. Officials have agreed to consider the permits for a third time at a meeting next Monday.
The mayor, whose wife is Italian, has said he opposes how the mob drama portrays Italian-Americans.
"I don't think 'The Sopranos' depicts the life of a typical Italian-American in a positive way and I still don't like the way people see New Jersey based upon 'The Sopranos' series,'' he said, adding that he plans to oppose the permit again on Monday.
"What the rest of the council does, that's their choice. I stand by my convictions,'' he said.
As a member of Unico, an Italian-American civic group, "I am pledged to honoring my commitment to its mission to speak out in defense of Italian-American dignity,'' McCarthy wrote in a statement. ``This is what I chose to do in this case.''
At least one council member, Peggy O'Boyle Dunigan, said she has changed her mind and now wants to allow the show to shoot here.
She said she was given incorrect information that the Essex County executive didn't like the show, and she has been since flooded with calls of support for Holsten's, where she is a regular customer. She is not a regular viewer of the show.
"If you don't like the show, you can turn it off,'' she said. "It's hard enough to have a small business in town I don't want to discourage them.''
"The Sopranos,'' which debuted in 1999, tells the story of fictional New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, and his family. Scenes for the Emmy-winning show have been shot in New Jersey and New York. The show is scheduled to begin its final season on April 8.
Carley said the ice cream shop has been used in commercials and he was thrilled with the news it had been selected for the HBO drama.
He and his business partner, Ron Stark, said they were told by HBO officials that the 1939 building would be used for the final scene of the series finale. While they hadn't finished negotiating a price, the shop would have been used for three days in late March, with one day for shooting and two days to set up and break down.
Creator David Chase had been in twice to scout, said the partners, whose wives are both Italian.
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