Dedicated to my good friend and partner, the late Patrolman Angelo Renardo (1935-86), Chicago Police Department, who loved the picture!

Rating: 10/10 (12 February 2009)

MOTION PICTURES having organized crime as the subject matter seem to be forever "IN" as fair game for a movie ("Film' if it's a special, 'Top-Shelf'production). In every era we have seen filmed stories of Gangland. Some have been factual(ST.VALENTINE'S MASSACRE), some 'loosely' based on factual material (AL CAPONE-Monogram 1959, THE UNTOUCHABLES-all incarnations) and then there are those that are all fictional(THE DON IS DEAD,THE LAST DON,DONDI).
FINALLY we have a category which is fiction, but not strict fiction; being an original work which, while not being the representation of historical events, it contains fictional events that are inspired by real life occurrences.
THIS is the type of storyline that makes for the best fiction; also this type is the one that makes and needs those disclaimers that appear in the either the opening or closing credits of a Feature Film or TV series episode that say something like: "THE EVENTS DEPICTED IN THIS FILM/TV EPISODE ARE FICTICOUS. NO COMPARISON TO REAL PERSONS, LIVING OR DEAD ARE INTENDED NOR SHOULD BE INFERRED."
TODAY'S honored/dissected film, MARIO PUZO'S THE GODFATHER(Alfan Productions/Paramount Pictures Corporation, 1972), is perhaps the best example of an exponent of this category of Gangster Film. While we all are aware that the story is not a true one; at the same time we also note that there are many characters and occurrences in the story, both in the book and on the screen, that were clearly either suggested by real people and actual incidents or were out and out caricatures of such.
READILY we can identify fictional characters in the story that were doubtless obvious make-believe versions of denizens from our real world. The main character of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) seems to be a composite character; having taken certain characteristics from both Vito Genovese and Carlo Gambino, New York Underworld Big-Wigs both as well as Dons of two different 'Families'. Carlo Gambino even had been known as 'the Godfather'.
ANY casual gambler or vacationer recognizes that the character of Moe Green, a Las Vegas Casino Operator closely corresponds to the profile of real-life Ben "Bugsy" Siegel; who was both an early advocate and promoter of investing in and expanding the already existing gambling in 'Sin City'.(Ben Siegel was portrayed by Warren Beatty in BUGSY (Baltimore Pic./Mullholland Prod./Dessert Vision/Tri-Star, 1991, but that's another story!)
QUITE POSSIBLY the most obvious connection between the factual actual and the all made-up fictional lies in that of the fictional singer. 'Johnny Fontaine' (real life singer Al Martino) has the most widely held opinion of naming 'old blue eyes'(himself), Frank Sinatra as being the leading suspect.
THERE is indeed many similarities both in Mr. Martino's characterization, as well as the story's references to "That Movie Big Shot" and Johnny Fontaine's not getting the part in the War Picture that he wanted.* But in the novel, the singer Fontaine has a Comedian Partner! Can you say Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis? Allen & Rossi? how about Brown & Carney, Wheeler & Woolsey, Clark & McCullough, Abott & Costello, Laurel & Hardy, Samson & Delilah, St. Paul & Minneapolis....
ON a personal note; the reported indignation expressed by some Italian-American Civic groups over NBC's premiere network broadcast of the film seemed to be less serious than originally reported; as practically every Italian we ran into that day said something like, "Hey! The Godfather's on tonight!"
AND in summary, we admit it, we love those Gangster Pictures. Most folks do. But our only real criticism of the Film and the Puzo Novel is that they both tend to raise the status of Don Corleone to that of being something that a real Gangland Boss would not ever be. By way of a comparison, let us just say that Vito's conscientious and benevolent characterization is an extreme and a sophomoric falsehood. It rings no truer than the persona given to mythical Nevada Senator Geary(G.D.Spradlin) as a completely evil, patently dishonest & ruthless louse in THE GODFATHER, PART II, (1974).
NOTE * The references are thought by many to be of Frank Sinatra's getting the part in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY over Columbia Pictures Mogul Harry Cohn's preference for Eli Wallach. Maybe, but again, maybe not.
AND remember, Schultz, the answer is no about the singer character. He was Johnny Fontaine, not Frank Fontaine (Crazy Googenheim in the Joe the Bartender segment of THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW (CBS, 1960's)!)