Is obviously a fake story for the movie but the back page with the sports was real and published in the Monday June 14th 1993 New York Post, the New York Mets made that days headline and a top column says Suns Rise In 3 OT s after their game 3 win that year in the NBA finals against the Chicago Bulls. Cage is a gracious, good-natured New York cop who wins the lotto; against the wishes of his demanding, mercurial wife (Perez), he splits it with a hard-luck waitress (Fonda) as repayment for not leaving a tip! Origins: Not just the fanciful plot of the Nicolas Cage movie It Could Happen To You, this did happen to one lucky Yonkers plate-slinger back in 1984. 2023-05-01T12:14:42.844Z, Musikkapelle Poing celebrates its 30th birthday in the best weather and in a good mood Join here: Get the best of Cracked sent directly to your inbox! The waitress and her husband have been happily married for 37 years. 2023-05-01T14:02:55.675Z, May 1: In Le Havre, Marine Le Pen intends to bring social peace 2023-05-01T12:38:48.937Z, Katy Perry loses the trial against Katie Perry: the singer infringed the trademark of the Australian designer The end credits include a disclaimer stating that although the film was inspired by true events, at the time of production both Phyllis and Robert were happily married to their respective spouses. Madonna and Marisa Tomei turned down the role of Yvonne Biasi. Buy one Powerball ticket and get a second one free! The diner where Yvonne works in the film was constructed in a parking lot at the corner of N. Moore St. and West Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan. Massive losses on The Late Late Show may have meant that the show was close to the ax whether or not Corden walked away. For twenty-four years, Penzo served as a waitress at Sal's Pizzeria in Yonkers, New York. Rosie Perez appeared in the sequel, Perdita Durango. In both stories, the tip was a tad bigger than either expected from a $5 ticket that could also have paid out something tiny. It did happen to them, but not quite the way the movie depicts. It was Cunningham, calling to give her the big news they had just won $6 million! I don't have enough for a tip, I will split the lottery ticket. Marketing and digital 2023-05-01T11:50:58.901Z, Is this an office? 2023-05-01T13:08:43.779Z, AI in education? This material may not be reproduced without permission. Nicolas Cage and Richard Jenkins both appear in Trapped in Paradise (1994) which also came out in 1994. The cast includes three Oscar winners: Nicolas Cage, Red Buttons, Isaac Hayes, and four Oscar nominees: Rosie Perez, Seymour Cassel, Richard Jenkins, and Stanley Tucci. Detective Cunningham was just about to leave a tip for Phyllis Penzo, who had been a waitress at the restaurant for 24 years, when instead he offered her the following deal: split whatever the lottery ticket in his pocket might win them. Since they shared the house with his wifes parents, its obvious the house sometimes felt crowded. Dont forget to share with your friends and family. 2023-05-01T14:03:06.602Z, He never arrived at his accommodation: police are looking for construction worker - only his car was found Theres no sweep-you-off-your-feet romance. Today in 1984, The World's Most Valuable Tip. In March of that year, Officer Robert Cunningham, a regular patron and longtime friend of Penzo, suggested that the two split a lottery ticket, each of them choosing three of the six numbers, in lieu of his leaving her a tip. Cunningham, who ordinarily might have left a couple of dollars on the restaurant table, had no regrets about splitting the prize. On Friday afternoon, March 30, 1984, 55-year-old Dobbs Ferry Police Department Chief of Detectives Sgt. On April Fools Day, at 9:00 am, Penzo received the call that would change her life. One day in March, 1984, Cunningham asked Penzo for help picking his weekly lottery numbers. He would do so again in The Wicker Man (2006). 2023-05-01T12:03:04.546Z, Japan cries for the final decision of Daisuke Takahashi, an ice skating legend Yvonne tells Officer Lang in the diner that her luck is so bad that she had a puppy die of"parvo," but she doesn't even know what that is. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Since Charlie doesn't have enough money to pay the tip, he promises Yvonne to give her either double the tip or half of his prospective lottery winnings. 2023-05-01T12:39:05.382Z, Gantz: "Negotiations on the reform are not progressing - especially not regarding the Committee for the Appointment of Judges" - Voila! In a plot inspired by a real-life news story,[3][4] a New York City police officer (Cage) who is short on cash and unable to tip his waitress (Fonda), half-jokingly offers to share his winnings if he happens to win the lottery. In 1984, Phyllis Penzo was a waitress at a pizzeria commonly frequented by Yonkers, New York, police officers. While ruminating about their future at the diner, they are gracious enough to provide a hungry and poor customer some soup, which he eats at the special table. For twenty-four years, Penzo served as a waitress at Sal's Pizzeria in Yonkers, New York. If I win, tomorrow we will split the winnings and if I don't I will come back and leave you the tip. On This Day In 1984, the world's "most valuable tip" was - Facebook While the movie was based on the story of the shared lottery ticket, it didnt stay true to what actually happened. After all, the possibility of winning millions is much more tempting than a measly tip. Cunningham, a thirty-year veteran of the police force in nearby Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., was a regular customer at the restaurant, well-liked by the staff there. The movie poster starring Cage and Fonda. Color data: in the film his name is Charlie Lang and she is Yvonne Blasi. . Netflix subscribers cant get enough of Harry Hole. Such is the story of lottery winners Robert Cunningham and Phyllis Penzo, in which a shared gift in lieu of a tip turned out much better for both of them. EW: Does the script ring true to what really happened?Penzo: Ours is really a luck story, but the filmmakers turned it into a love story. Three years after winning the lottery, he stopped working at the pizzeria where he spent 27 years of his life. After 24 Years Pushing Pizza, Waitress Phyllis Penzo Gets a Tip to Remember: $3 Million - People Magazine 1984. 2023-05-01T13:44:44.348Z, What Steven Spielberg Regrets From ET The Extra-Terrestrial In the 1850s, there was a newspaper column titled Fun, Fact, and Fancy, a sort of Twitter Moments of its day. Waitress Gets $3M Tip from Lottery Winner | Lottery Critic phyllis penzo and officer robert cunningham Welcome offer: Save 25% off your entire first order, Welcome offer:Get 25% off your entire first purchase, Welcome offer: FREE Powerball entry with first purchase. What do you think? Not only a good showcase for the film's three ideal leads, but also a kindhearted film that gives hope to the notion of human decency. Robert Cunningham and Phyllis Penzo starred in a lottery commercial after the win The 1994 rom-com, starring Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda, sees a police officer promising a waitress. In another development, Charlie becomes a hero for foiling an attempted robbery at a grocery store but gets wounded in the process, forcing him to take leave from the police force.