The 50th Anniversary of The Godfather

How Collin Street Bakery Made a Cameo in One of the Biggest Films of All Time

IMPORTANT: This article contains movie spoilers

The year 2022 marks the 50th Anniversary of the release of one of the most iconic films in American cinema—The Godfather. The story chronicles the lives of an extraordinarily tight-knit and influential Italian family living in New York in the 1940s. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring the now highly-recognizable figures of Al Pacino, James Caan, and Diane Keaton, the film ranks as perhaps one of the most quintessential movies of all time. The film was so well received, audiences' clamor for more spurred the creation of two additional films, making The Godfather one of the most highly-recognizable trilogies in history.

Unbeknownst to many, the film franchise holds a place very near and dear to Collin Street Bakery’s hearts, as our own DeLuxe® Fruitcake played a special cameo in the trilogy’s first installment. In the scene where Sonny (James Caan) learns his father, Vito Corleone, has been shot, our traditional Lone Star Tin can be seen on the counter just beside his elbow. One of the set designers felt our tin brought to the scene a sense of "classic Americana" and added it without Collin Street’s knowledge. Despite this lack of forewarning, Collin Street is ecstatic to have played a small role in such a mammoth film.

So, in honor of this landmark film, this landmark year, and our own special appearance, we’re taking a look back to learn more about what inspired the film, how it was created, and how it has become a cultural touchstone in American theater.

Mario Puzzo, author of The Godfather—Artnet.com

The Novel that Inspired The Godfather

The script for The Godfather was adapted from an award-winning novel sharing the same name. Written by Mario Francis Puzo in 1969, the story chronicles the life of a fictional Mafia family living in New York City and led by the family’s patriarch, Vito Corleone. The novel spans ten years and even includes flashbacks to Corleone’s early childhood and adulthood.

Puzo was born in “Hell’s Kitchen,” a district of New York City heavily populated by Italian immigrants. Yet, he claims his inspiration for the story came from research into organized crime, not from personal experience. Despite the book’s lack of first-hand knowledge, the novel became a literary sensation, selling over nine million copies in two years and landing it on The New York Times Best Seller list, where it remained for the next sixty-seven consecutive weeks.

Shortly after its publication, the novel found its way onto the desk of Paramount Pictures’ Literary Scout & Production Vice President, Peter Bart. Inspired by the cinematic shift brought on by the wildly violent and sexualized 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, Bart believed Puzo’s novel could be the foundation for a fast and cheap gangster-themed box-office hit. Little did Bart know the magnitude of the film that would be produced.

Mario Puzzo's novel The Godfather with Coppola's hand-written notes inside the margins—Den of Geeks

Puzo sold his famous work to Paramount Pictures for $50,000. Adjusted for inflation, this would equate to $425,000 in 2022. Throughout the filming of the picture, Coppola kept Puzo nearby, using him as a creative collaborator and key sounding board for ideas. Notably, Coppola held great respect for all writers and always made it a point to feature the original author’s name above the title of the movies based on their works. He was famously quoted as saying:

"That’s why his name is above the title. It says: ‘Mario Puzo’s The Godfather,’ it doesn’t say ‘Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather,’ because he created it. If you look at all my pictures, you’ll always see I put the writer above the title. It’s ‘John Grisham’s The Rainmaker,’ it’s ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula.’ And, it really should be ‘John Milius’ Apocalyse Now.’ Because the writer does the heavy lifting.”

The Making of The Godfather

While today, the name “Coppola” is synonymous with The Godfather, he wasn’t Paramount’s first pick for director. In fact, he wasn’t even on their top ten list.

The studio’s first choice was Italian-American director Sergio Leone. However, Leone was preoccupied with directing his own gangster film, Once Upon a Time in America, and therefore turned down the offer. Paramount then approached nine other directors, including Peter Bogdanovich, Peter Yates, Richard Brooks, Arthur Penn, Costa-Gavras, Otto Preminger, Elia Kazan, Fred Zinnemann, Franklin J. Schaffner, and Richard Lester, before landing on the then novice director Francis Ford Coppola.

In 1969, when the film was being specced, Coppola was still a Hollywood up-and-comer, having only one notable achievement under his belt—the successful direction of the 1968 musical Finian’s Rainbow. The decision to hire Coppola was two-fold—he was willing to take a significant pay cut to direct the film, and his last name ended in a vowel. The inference being Coppola was of Italian descent and, therefore, fit the advertising strategy Paramount was determined to present. The film was to be positioned as the first Italian mob drama made by an Italian director. With Coppola as the director, this ad campaign would be made possible.

Francis Ford Coppola during the filming of The Godfather—TCM

Shortly after hiring Coppola, Paramount ran into its second issue. When the rights to the story were purchased from Puzo, the novel was still fairly new. Its immediate success was alluring, as was the studio’s prediction of widespread interest in the adaptation of the story from print to the big screen. However, as word circulated about the movie’s creation, the studio began questioning its ability to deliver a film that met with audiences’ growing expectations. In fact, the film was almost dropped as a result of these concerns.

Troubles regarding the film didn't stop there. For the entire duration of the movie’s creation, the studio encountered issue after issue. These ranged from threats from well-known gangsters to friction between Coppola and Paramount executives relating to everything from casting choices, set design, and set location.

Joseph Anthony "Joe" Colombo Sr., Founder of the Italian-American Civil Rights League—American Mafia History

The Mafia’s Reception of The Godfather

While the marketing campaign presented by the studio was intended as an homage to those of Italian descent, its reception by the Italian-American community was far from warm. Continuously portrayed as criminals and mobsters, groups of Italian-Americans rallied to protest the film’s creation.

Ironically enough, one of the most adamant protestors of the film was Joseph Colombo, the notorious crime boss of the Colombo family and one of the Five Families of the American Mafia located in New York City. Colombo also bristled at phrases used in Puzo’s novel and later adapted for the screen. Phrases like “sleeping with the fishes” and “going to the mattresses” came from the Gallo-Profaci wars, the decades-long altercation which took place in the 1960s between the Gallo family and the Profaci family (later to become known as the Colombo family).

Partly in an attempt to manipulate the studio and partly to mislead FBI investigators savvy to his crimes, Colombo created The Italian-American Civil Rights League and demanded words such as “Mafia” and “Cosa Nostra” be removed from the script. The League held rallies around the city, including one at Madison Square Garden, which raised $500,000 to stop production.

However, illegal tactics were also employed, including stealing a truck with a million dollars worth of film equipment from a set in Little Italy where Coppola was conducting a test shoot. Colombo also had producer Al Ruddy stalked and even threatened Paramount’s executive Robert Evan's wife and son. And twice, Paramount offices were evacuated for bomb threats.

Finally, it was decided that filming could not continue under these circumstances, leading producer Al Ruddy to arrange a meeting with Colombo. In a Park Sheraton Hotel, Ruddy conceded to removing the only use of the word “Mafia” from the script causing Colombo to bestow his blessing upon the film. In an almost comical turn of events, once Colombo no longer publicly denounced the film, mobsters started showing up on set to watch production and meet the cast. This strongly impacted the film’s trajectory as actors like Caan and Brando became comfortable enough with gangsters like Andrew “Andy Mush” Russo to ask them for elocution lessons and acting prompts.

FUN FACT #1

"Puzo actually invented the term 'godfather' as a term of mobster respect.” —The Godfather Effect, written by Tom Santopietro

Casting & Character Inspiration for The Godfather

Luckily, when casting for the movie began, Coppola and Puzo had shared visions for whom they wanted to play each key role. However, securing their actors of choice was easier said than done. The studio had its own vision for who would play each part, and it did not correspond with the film’s director or the script’s author's ideas.

Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather—Vanity Fair (from Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock)

Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone

For the role of Vito Corleone, Coppola and Puzo wanted Marlon Brando. Brando, originally a Broadway actor, had been criticized for leaving the stage to pursue a career in film. However, when he appeared as the daringly-seductive Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 rendition of Tennessee Williams’ A Street Car Named Desire, critics changed their tune. Despite ample evidence proving his multifaceted talents, the studio was not sold on casting Brando. Instead, they wanted Laurence Olivier, the eloquent Englishman known for Shakespearan acting abilities.

The studio wasn't the only one with doubts about Brando’s participation in the film. Brando himself was hesitant to audition. However, a combination of flattery and outright trickery soon secured his spot in the production. Puzo admitted to sending Brando a personal letter saying he was the “only actor who can play the Godfather,” while Coppola fooled Brando into accidentally participating in a screen test for Paramount President, Stanley Jaffe. Ultimately, Brando agreed to do the film, and for free.

FUN FACT #2

Coppola’s wife, mother, father, and two sons all appeared as extras in the picture. His father, Carmine Coppola, is credited with writing some of the movie’s scores and can even be seen playing the piano in the background of one scene.

Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather—Town and Country Magazine

Al Pacino as Michael Corleone

For the role of Michael Corleone, the returning WWII vet and college graduate, Coppola and Puzo wanted the yet-to-be-famous Al Pacino. But, because in the book, Michael is portrayed as tall and blonde, the studio wanted Robert Redford.

When Pacino came to screen test for the part, he hadn’t memorized the scene, causing Puzo to pull his initial support for the novice actor. Ultimately, Pacino won over casting director Fred Roos by agreeing to do the part for only $35,000.

FUN FACT #3

Pacino's role in The Godfather ended up being so extraordinary, it’s often credited with launching his career from virtual obscurity to stardom. Pacino was so adept at portraying a ruthless Italian mobster that it won him roles in the 1983 production of Scarface.

Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) & Sonny Corleone (James Caan) in The Godfather—RollingStone (Paramount Pictures)

James Caan as Sonny Corleone

James Caan originally screen-tested for the role of Michael Corleone. However, Caan’s style of acting was too improvisational and emotional and, therefore, unfitting for the part of the calm, composed Michael. Coppola realized Caan would be far more fit to play Sonny, the rash and dramatic brother who acts before he thinks, nearly destroying his family in the process. Ultimately, Caan filled the role perfectly. His knack for choosing the right moments to launch off-script often elicited authentic surprise and alarm from cast members. In fact, in the scene where Sonny fights his brother-in-law Carlo Rizzo, Caan broke fellow actor Gianni Russo’s ribs when he spontaneously and without warning hurled a garbage can.

According to Caan, one of his inspirations for Sonny’s brash, chaotic nature was insult-comedian Don Rickles. Oftentimes, Caan became so wrapped up in his character, he’d randomly improvise his lines. Frequently, Coppola would keep these ad-libs in the film's final edits. Among these was Caan’s ad lib of the phrase “bada bing.”

Mark Seal, author of Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli, a book published in 2021 examining how The Godfather came together despite a constant stream of setbacks, said, “James Caan’s fiery portrayal of Sonny will surely be remembered as one of the greats, as evidenced by what Caan told me about how people would test him in public to see if he would react like Sonny Corleone.”

Sadly, James Caan recently passed away. He died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on July 6, 2022, at the age of 82. His passing was caused by a heart attack resulting from a long-standing battle with coronary artery disease. Some of his most notable roles include Brian Piccolo in Brian’s Song, Walter Hobbs in Elf, and, of course, Sonny Corleone in The Godfather.

The Godfather’s Production Budget

For Coppola to achieve his vision for The Godfather, he requested a $5 million budget and an eighty-day shooting schedule. Paramount, having recently produced a box office flop with the 1969 film The Brotherhood, initially rejected the suggestion. The Brotherhood was widely criticized for key actors Kirk Douglas’ and Alex Cord’s unbelievable portrayal of Italians. Therefore, the studio was reluctant to sink too much money into an organized crime flick and actually suggested moving filming to Kansas City to cut costs. However, Coppola remained firm on his request. The studio counter-offered, agreeing to pay Coppola’s requested dollar figure, but with the contingency that filming was to be capped at fifty-three days.

Unfortunately, Coppola was now under Paramount’s thumb to produce a high-quality film on budget and on time. This meant the studio’s Vice President, Jack Ballard, was constantly hovering, closely watching the till. Paramount’s sizable financial contribution also meant executives felt they had the right to question Coppola at every turn.

Throughout the entirety of filming, Coppola's creative direction was critiqued, and oftentimes various heads would threaten to fire the director. Luckily, both Brando and Pacino believed their director’s vision, counter-threatening to quit if Coppola was removed from the project. The studio even made it known, Elia Kazan, the highly-respected Turkish-born director, was in the wings to take Coppola’s place at any point in time.

It wasn’t until the scene where Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, shoots Sollozzo and McCluskey while at dinner that Paramount realized Coppola might have a knack for producing the kind of film they were pursuing. After that, the studio relaxed, allowing filming to continue uninterrupted.

Marlon Brando in the makeup chair becoming Vito Corleone—Den of Geek

Turning Marlon Brando into The Godfather

Turning Marlon Brando from a stunningly-handsome heartthrob into the bulldog-faced mob boss was not an easy feat. It required several hours each day in the makeup chair, as well as a handful of out-of-the-box tricks to create the a