Mark Seal - Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather

Acknowledgments

T his book began one early winters day in the Gallery Books offices of my extraordinary editor Aimee Bell, and her associates Max Meltzer and Ed Schlesinger, who instantly shared my enthusiasm for a movie released fifty years ago. Thank you, Aimee, Max, and Ed, for your guidance and gusto, which kept me going throughout the writing and editing of this book. And thank you Aimee for your excellent editing, along with your and Maxs continuously illuminating notes and encouragement. And gratitude to Jonathan Karp, Jennifer Bergstrom, Eric Rayman, and Jonathan Evans, along with the Gallery Books publicity and marketing teamSally Marvin, Emi Battaglia, Lauren Truskowski, and Mackenzie Hickeyfor your time and talents.

Endless thanks to the great Eric Bates, Spencer Gaffney, Erica Commisso, Jon Leckie, Lottie Jackson, Barbara Davis, and fact-checkers extraordinaire Susan Banta and Tess Banta.

Literary agent Jan Miller is a mentor for anyone fortunate enough to have crossed her path, which I was lucky enough to do in the early 1990s in Dallas, Texas. She has been spurring me on ever since, as has her illustrious husband, Jeff Rich, who I am blessed to call my friend.

The book could not have been produced without the help of Francis Ford Coppola, who was so gracious in answering my endless questions, and film producer Anahid Nazarian, longtime keeper of the archives of American Zoetrope and everything pertaining to The Godfather.

One of my first calls was to Peter Bart, who went from New York Times reporter to vice president of production at Paramount Pictures. He was at the studio from the start of The Godfather and fostered the film throughout its tumultuous production. His memories and writings on the movie provided me with a path to follow. Thank you, Peter, for your time and insights.

Thank you to the movies forever-young and prolific producer, the iconic Al Ruddy, and the wonderful Wanda McDaniel.

Francis Coppolas Godfather team kindly shared their experiences: producer and former casting director Fred Roos; production designer Dean Tavoularis; associate producer Gray Frederickson; film editor and sound designer Walter Murch; Coppolas assistant Mona Skager; assistant director Fred Gallo; agent Eddie Goldstone; casting director Andrea Eastman; cinematographer Hiro Narita And thank you to Francis Coppolas publicists, Lois Najarian ONeill and the late Kathleen Talbert.

Eleanor Coppola also provided her indelible memories of those fraught days when she and her young family lived in a cramped New York City apartment in 1971 while the masterpiece was being made.

Thank you to the authors who wrote about The Godfather before me, many of whom were kind enough to speak with me and share their insights: Harlan Lebo, Peter Cowie, M. J. Moore, Peter Biskind, Jenny M. Jones, Nicholas Pileggi, Don Capria, Lawrence Grobel, and the fabled Gay Talese.

I am forever grateful to the stars of The Godfather: Al Pacino for answering questions for this book, and James Caan, Talia Shire, Gianni Russo, and Johnny Martino, who spoke with me for the Vanity Fair article and this book. And to Robert Duvall, who spoke with me in 2008 for the Vanity Fair story.

Anthony Puzo, Mario Puzos eldest son, was kind enough to answer my questions for this book, as had his sister, Dorothy Puzo, for the 2009 Vanity Fair story.

Stanley Jaffe, president of Paramount Pictures during The Godfather films, gave me his time and insights.

And Ali MacGraw, who shared her memories of Robert Evans and the events she witnessed surrounding his reign over The Godfather.

My 2009 Vanity Fair story, The Godfather Wars, was an assignment that first drew me into the furies involved in the making of the movie. For that I am indebted to my incredible VF editor, the legendary Wayne Lawson, who cheered me on and edited the Godfather story and so many others; Graydon Carter, who assigned the story; Matthew Pressman, Waynes erstwhile assistant; and the storys fact-checker, Simon Brennan. Forever in my gratitude is Vanity Fairs incomparable legal affairs editor, Robert Walsh, along with my VF editors Radhika Jones, Doug Stumpf, Eric Bates, David Friend, and Michael Hogan.

Scout Noffke at the Rauner Special Collections Library at Dartmouth University spent days locating and scanning pertinent documents in the librarys Mario Puzo Papers. In Los Angeles, my first stop for all things Hollywood is always the Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whose Kristine Krueger sent so many files which provided rare insights. Thanks also to the librarys Barbara Hall and Brendan Coates.

Invaluable in bringing the magic of Mario Puzo to these pages was his first assistant in Hollywood, Janet Snow, who began working with Mario from his very first days in the city of dreams.

Thank you to Puzos assistant and longtime friend Lanetta Wahlgren and her brilliant son-in-law Miles Fisher.

Gratitude to the dearly departed, who I was fortunate to interview: Robert Evans, who welcomed me into his home (and his bed) in 2008; Al Martino, who spent hours regaling me with tales of music, the movie, and the Mob at Nate n Als delicatessen in Beverly Hills and afterward in his home; Bettye McCartt, who met me in LA and related stories of the horses head and all the bullets and the blood; Abe Vigoda, who inhabited the role of Tessio and welcomed me into his New York City apartment; Carmine Caridi, who imparted the heart-wrenching story of how he landed the part of Sonny Corleone only to lose it; New York casting director Lou DiGiaimo; Anthony Colombo, who met me in a New Jersey diner and further boosted my fixation on the film; and Alex Rocco, who breathed fire into the character of Moe Greene

Marilyn Stewart, known as the Godmother of The Godfather, spent hours telling me stories of her incredible life and her pioneering work in promoting this film and so many others.

Charlie Bluhdorns daughter Dominique and son Paul helped me re-create their illustrious fathers insatiable pursuit of excellence, both in business and film.

Ed Walters, for your memories of Mario Puzo in Las Vegas.

Alice Marchak, for your insights into Marlon Brando.

Robert Towne, for telling me about the writing of your incredible succession scene.

Mike and Irena Medavoy, Michael Korda, Dick Snyder, Raymond Martino, Jim Mahoney, Martha Luttrell, Kenji Fujita, Stevie Phillips, Neil Olson, Luisa Towne, Steve Casale, Gelasio Gaetani dAragona, Michael Quinn, Tom Luddy, Rob Cohen, Alan Selka, Meryl Gordon, and, as always, Wendy Stark, thank you for your time and help.

John Bowers worked alongside Mario Puzo at Magazine Management, and was kind enough to share his memories of those days, as did Josh Alan Friedman, whose father, Bruce Jay Friedman, hired Puzo at Magazine Management; Robert Deis, author of the collection Weasels Ripped My Flesh!, which includes many of the Magazine Management classics, opened his archives, which contain many of Mario Puzos early adventure stories. And Saul Braun, who brought Mario Puzo to G.P. Putnams Sons.

Nina Rota, for your insights into your brilliant composer father, along with Francesco Lombardi and Franco Sciannameo; Laura Jacobs, for your memories of Candida Donadio; Roger Corman, for your thoughts on your former assistant Francis Ford Coppola; David Shire, for the story of the apartment you loaned to the Coppola family; Brad Krevoy, for your friendship; George and Sally Wieser, for remembering the literary dynamo who brought Puzos book to the attention of Paramount; Diann Zecca, for the conversations about your amazing brother, Richard Castellano; Ivor Davis, for your insights into getting into that early showing of the film; writer Greg Oliver for sharing your insights into the former wrestler Lenny Montana; Michael Degani, for the entries in Robert Evanss diaries; Michael Alfred in Robert Evanss office; Thomas Myrdahl, for speaking about Jeannie Linero; thanks also to Rip Beyman and David Karp.