I was unlucky enough to have promoted a baseball card show after the movie "Raging Bull" Came out with Jake LaMotta as the signing guest. I had to arrange interviews and his showing up at the show and worst of all I had to pick him up at the airport and hang out with him for three days. Even though the show was in Florida and he arrived from New York where it was then having a blizzard and 10 degrees, he was wearing just a T-shirt , no comb , toothbrush etc. I asked him about his luggage and he said "I Travel light"
He was all around probably the most despicable human being I have ever met. People have asked me many times if HE IS AS BAD IN REAL LIFE AS IN THE MOVIE ...My answer is HE IS MUCH WORSE. The agreement was he was to sign at the show for 4 hours each day for two days. On the second day he refused to sign unless paid more money (we already had a contract) several shouting matchs ensued followed by a stare-downs. I was sure he was going to take a poke at me. He was rude to everyone except pretty women and then well...he was embarrassing. I knew his ex-wife Vikki who also lived in Florida and she had already told me what to expect. But his behavior far exceeded even her warnings. On the last day I could not even stand driving him to the airport and paid someone to do it for me.
As a favor when ever I booked celebrity guests for shows I would always leave my credit card open in case they wanted something during their stay. NO ONE ever took advantage except Jake who ran up a $700.00 tab which to this day I have a hard time imagining how one person could have done that much damage in two days. That was over 20 years ago and he's probably gotten worse since then. Unless you have $40.00 or whatever he is charging to sign something to just throw away, I can;t imagine him sending it back. Unless he has someone taking care of those matters as he personally could care less.
As for getting the autographs of Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorcese, the chances are slim and none and slim is out of town. Both are very private , detest signing and unless you happened to literally bump into them on the street with the item you wanted signed you'll have to (maybe) settle for just Jake.
That being said will end on a positive
and say that RAGING BULL was probably the best boxing film ever made