The Gang's All Here

WEDNESDAYS are always busy around John Gotti's Little Italy Headquarters -- the Ravenite Social Club.

That's especially true on summer days, with residents, tourists, and investigators rubbing elbows with scores of mobsters who stop by to pay their respects - or vigorish - to the Dapper Don.

Last July 19 was no exception. In addition to the usual crowd, however, were two cameramen and a producer from Channel 12 in Philadelphia.

The three men were working on a recently aired PBS three-part series, "Mobfathers," which dealt primarily with mob doings in Philadelphia and Atlantic City but also touched on New York's Gambino crime family.

"No Mafia show would be complete without a segment on John Gotti," said producer Jim Barry, whose cameras caught Gotti, his brothers, Peter (top right) and Gene, his reputed consigliere, Salvatore (Sammy Bull) Gravano, reputed capos Thomas Gambino, (top left) James (Jimmy Brown) Failla, (right) Louis Vallerio and scores of others.

Barry's cameramen were leery about taping in full view so they got three hours of footage by placing a camera on a garbage pail in front of the Ravenite and pointing it at the front door.