I remember a time when we had Netflix and Hulu and that gave us pretty much every thing we needed to watch movies and TV shows. That’s not the case today. So many “parent companies” are pulling stuff off Netflix to add to their own streaming platform and quite frankly, it ticks me off.
All the NBC shows are now on Peacock, all Star Wars, Pixar and Disney is on Disney +, and so on and so forth. We’ll guess what? I’m not paying for all of them! We’re barely getting by with all of the inflation, gas prices, and life in general! I cannot afford $20 a month here and $15 a month there. The cable bill alone is high enough! To add more streaming services would put us in one big financial hole!
What really angers me is that there are things that I would LOVE to watch, but can’t because there is no way to justify paying for another streaming service. Paramount + has The Offer, a series about the making of the Godfather. I would love to see it. HBO Max has the new Christmas Story movie, which I hear is great! My list goes on and on. I just cannot in good conscience pay for something that I will only use to watch one or two shows.
The TV shows I would binge watch, well, many of them I have on DVD. I can pop them in whenever I want to. It seems to be more worth buying them outright at $40 and watching them for years that to pay $20 a month and maybe not even get the chance to watch them. And when you have them on DVD, you get the bonus features that don’t show up on streaming.
Actor Jack Palance once said, “The only two things you can really depend upon are gravity and greed.” The fact that there are almost as many streaming services as there are cable channels makes me sick. I’m sorry greedy streaming company – you aren’t getting my money every month.
I suppose I will hope that the one or two things I want to watch on their platform will end up on DVD soon …
It has been some time since I have been able to participate in a Blogathon, but when I saw that The Ultimate Decades Blogathon was being hosted by my friends over at Tranquil Dreams and Drew’s Movie Reviews, I had to take part in it. The basic theme is to blog about a movie that was released in a year ending in “2.” While scanning the releases from 1972 – it became very obvious which movie I would be writing about – The Godfather. (This blog may contain spoilers.)
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the film. This puts me at a disadvantage. Why? Because, let’s face it, there will be plenty of articles, books, internet articles, magazine special editions and more about this movie. You will not have to go far to find material on this masterpiece. As a matter of fact, I am currently reading one of the books that was released just a few months ago about the film.
I had actually hoped to finish the book prior to having to write this blog. I am just over halfway finished and it is fantastic!
This week, I watched the film in its entirety in preparation for this blogathon. With every viewing, I come to appreciate it more and more. It remains a film that I never tire of watching. It never gets old. It still holds up 50 years later. The Mark Seal book I am reading has certainly made me more aware of the difficulties that surrounded the making of The Godfather. At times, you wonder how it ever was finished!
At any rate, what could a lowly blogger like me possibly present to you about the Best Picture Winner of 1972? My thoughts, my observations, and my reasons for loving it. Now that I think about it, I guess I chose this film for selfish reasons. I have quoted it and referred to it in passing in past blogs, but I have never actually devoted an entire blog to it.
Unlike some blogs, mine is a personal blog that features stories from my past, posts about my family, posts about my struggles, posts about my passions, likes, and dislikes. It is a picture of “me.” No picture of me would be complete without The Godfather. So, here goes….
The First Viewing
I was two years old when The Godfather came out. I don’t recall exactly how old I was when I first saw it. What I do remember is that it was not a complete viewing.
As a teen, I remember my dad would always be laying on the floor watching TV. I had come into the room and dad was watching the movie which was playing on one of the local networks. I remember being instantly being caught up in it. As my memory serves me, the scene I was watching was where Michael goes to the hospital and no one is watching his father. I remember him begging the nurse to help move him because people were coming “to kill him.”
Once the Don (Marlon Brando) is moved to another room, Enzo the baker is shown walking up the stairs and down the hall. The entire scene where Michael and Enzo are out in front of the hospital as the car carrying the murderers pulls up (and drives away) had me at the edge of my seat! I watched the rest of the movie with my dad and remember asking him a gazillion questions.
Eventually, my dad purchased the movies (Part 1 & 2) on VHS. I remember watching part one from beginning to end and being blown away. I was never really aware of the film’s length because it held my attention all the way through. Admittedly, it took more than a couple viewings to finally get all the names of the various characters right.
For the next couple years, it seemed like HBO or The Movie Channel played the Godfather films in a hot rotation right around Christmastime. I remember going over to my girlfriend’s house and her dad was watching it. I sat down on the couch and we bonded immediately over the film. I’m not sure she was too happy that our time together was sitting on the couch watching a “mob movie.”
The movie is one of the few films that I have to sit down and watch if it is on TV. If I am scanning channels and it is on, I stop and watch. I can’t help it. I get caught up into it immediately.
The Big Screen
In 2002, select theaters were showing the film for its 30th anniversary. This was an opportunity that I had to take advantage of. My wife at the time had never seen the movie and I asked if she would like to see it. She said yes and we bought tickets.
I wish I could convey to you the amount of excitement that I felt as I sat in the seats of the Royal Oak Main theater (in Michigan) as the lights dimmed and the movie started. This was my first time watching this masterpiece on the big screen. The camera fired up and there was the solo trumpet playing the opening 7 notes of The Godfather Theme. I had chills!
“I believe in America….” The words of Amerigo Bonasera came through the sound system. The camera fades in on his face as he tells the story of his daughter and the boys who beat her. The camera pulls further and further away from him and eventually we see the back of Don Corleone. We hear the dialogue between them and it isn’t until we see Bonasera whispering in the Don’s ear that we finally see the man – Don Corleone.
The opening scene of the film remains one of my favorites of all time. It is just brilliant. It is perfect. Watching it on the big screen for the first time remains one of the coolest moments!
Mario Puzo’s novel does not open with this scene. Director Francis Ford Coppola stated that he knew this was the scene that should open the film. I can’t imagine it opening any other way. So much is conveyed it this scene – respect, disrespect, power, and family. It is the perfect springboard for the remainder of the film.
Mario Puzo, author of the Godfather
Casting
It is probably easy for me to say that the cast of the Godfather is perfect, especially since it is 50 years old. Believe it or not, Paramount was against Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone. They also were not keen on Al Pacino as Michael. Can you imagine James Caan as Michael (and NOT Sonny)? How about Martin Sheen instead of Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen? There was quite a lot of fighting over who should play who in the movie. In the end, Coppola wound up with the cast that he wanted, and when you see the finished product, you see that he had it right all along.
The Corleone Boys – Michael, Vito, Sonny and Fredo
Fun Fact: Mario Puzo actually wrote a letter to Marlon Brando telling him that he thought Brando would be perfect for the role of Don Vito Corleone in the film. He stated in his letter that Brando was the “only actor who can play the Godfather.”
Fun Fact: Throughout the entire film, the word “mafia” is never uttered.
Not Just Another “Mobster Flick”
People who have never seen the Godfather assume that it is just another mobster film. I would tend to disagree. To me, it is more about family, greed, power, and loyalty. Coppola stated somewhere that he wanted to show that the Corleone family were real people, with jobs (illegal or not), children, a home life, etc…
One of the first things we see in the film is a huge family wedding. There is laughter, dancing, music, food, and plenty of friends and family. We also see the mixture of business and family, as the Don is “working” in his den as the wedding is going on. We see him as a husband and father, dancing with his wife and his daughter at the wedding festivities. The importance of family is present as the family poses for a photo, but the Don states that it cannot be taken until Michael arrives.
The “Family” Business
The phrase “family business” is used a few times in the film. To me, the term illustrates that the two are separate, yet connected. It becomes very clear that when it comes to business, the Don, his consigliere (Tom Hagen) and his two older sons (Sonny and Fredo) are involved. The youngest son, Michael, is not a part of the family business. Sonny says that he didn’t want to “get mixed up in” it. Michael is also referred to as a “civilian” by family members. Yet his entering the business is one of the most intriguing things to me about the movie.
When Michael makes his entrance into the film he is walking hand in hand with his girlfriend Kay (Diane Keaton) in his military uniform. We see him walking from behind almost swaying, without seeing his face, we know that he is happy and in love. He is a far cry from the man he will transform into. He is soft spoken, even when he explains to Kay some of the terrible things his family is responsible for. He also makes it a point to explain, “That’s my family, Kay. NOT ME.”
In an interesting turn of events, not very far into the movie the “star” is shot and absent for much of the middle of the film. I am talking about The Godfather himself, Vito Corleone (Brando). This event leads to the beginning of the transformation of Michael. The soft spoken son, who had had his jaw broken by a corrupt cop, is now telling his brothers that he will step in and knock off the man responsible for shooting his father (which brings about a lot of laughter at first, but ultimately is what the family decides to do).
It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s just business.
In this scene, Coppola again works magic with the camera. As Michael describes what he wants to do, the camera slowly moves closer and closer to him. As the camera stops he states firmly, “I’ll kill them both.” The transformation has begun.
It continues quickly. During the scene where Michael does it, you can see him lost in thought as Virgil Solozzo (who sets up the hit on the Don) and the police captain are sitting next to him at the table. I love that as the camera sits on his face, the sounds of the trains get louder and louder until he finally stands and shoots his victims.
By the end of the film, Michael has become Don. His dark eyes tell a story of tragedy and anger. He is cold and heartless. He has “settled” all family business.
To me, this is one of the most amazing character transformations in all of film. He has gone from likeable to someone you cringe at when you look at him. He makes your stomach turn.
Final Thoughts
I feel as though I have not even begun to scratch the surface of just what a powerful movie this is. When someone thinks about the Godfather, they think of:
The horse’s head
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli
Sonny getting shot at the toll booth
Luca Brasi
The meeting of the Five Families
The interplay between the “settling of family business” and the baptism
There are so many wonderful scenes throughout this picture. I could write a blog about each of those scenes just as easily as I could write a blog about each character. The things presented here, are the things that stood out for me right from the get go when I wondered what to present.
For anyone who has never seen the movie, it is a must watch. You also need to watch it more than once. As I stated, it gets better every time. I also recommend reading the book, whether you do it before or after watching the movie, it really doesn’t matter. In some cases, reading it before will give you a better chance at remembering who is who. For me, it gave me a lot more insight as to what characters were thinking during key scenes.
(Note: Pick up Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather Notebook. It has pages from the novel and his notes. It is fun to see how he thinks about what to keep and what to leave out. It is also cool to see what he thought was important and just how to convey things on film.)
There is plenty of imagery throughout the film. One of my favorite examples of this involves the scenes where someone kisses the Godfather’s ring. Like a pair of book ends – we see two Dons (Vito from the beginning of the film and Michael from the end of the film) in an almost identical scene. The family’s power has been transferred from one to another.
Coppola is a master at tying things together and the pictures above illustrate that.
I, on the other hand, tend to ramble (hence the title of my Blog Page). I hope that you have found my thoughts on the film enjoyable. I hope that they move you to watch the film again or for the first time.
In closing, I want to thank my friends at Tranquil Dreams and Drew’s Movie Reviews for allowing me to take part in this blogathon. I highly recommend that you follow them for some pretty amazing content. Check them out here:
My Facebook friend, Bill, shared that today is National Twilight Zone Day!
He says,
Twilight Zone Day is mysterious, weird, surreal and perhaps a little scary. I can think of many other adjectives, but I think you get the picture. Every once in a while, you have a day like this. And, May 11th is designed to be that day.
The television show The Twilight Zone, was created, written and narrated by the late Rod Serling. It premiered on October 1, 1959. The episodes were wildly popular, stretched the imagination, and captivated viewers. The show aired from 1959-1964 and is available on DVD.
My friend Max has been reviewing each episode of the series weekly. While I wish I had time to do that, I thought for today, I would give a run down of my 20 favorites (I’m sure there are more than 20, but I jotted down the ones I like from memory and there are 20).
What I have always loved about this show is the “twist” endings. It reminds me of so many of the great old radio shows of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s!
Time Enough At Last
By far, my favorite episode of the series. Burgess Meredith is fantastic in this episode! I wrote about it in detail in another blog, which you can read here:
Quick Synopsis: A henpecked book lover finds himself blissfully alone with his books after a nuclear war.
Escape Clause
Outside of his over the top portrayal of The Mad Hatter on Batman, this is a great performance by David Wayne.
This is the sixth episode of the first season.
Quick Synopsis: A hypochondriac man sells his soul to the devil, exchanging it for several thousand years of immortality.
A Game of Pool
This episode features two amazing performances by Jonathan Winters and Jack Klugman. Like many of the Twilight Zone episodes, it has the “Be careful what you wish for” lesson …
This is the fifth episode of the third season.
Quick Synopsis: A frustrated pool champ has beaten everyone. Everyone except one man; the legend, Fats Brown. Brown is dead, and the champ can only curse his name. But guess who just walked in.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
A classic episode with William Shatner. This was redone in the Twilight Zone movie years later. Shatner’s performance is just frantic! His overacting only makes the character more insane!
This is the third episode from the fifth, and final season.
Quick Synopsis: A man, newly recovered from a nervous breakdown, becomes convinced that a monster only he sees is damaging the plane he’s flying in.
The Masks
Little known fact: This episode was directed by actress, Ida Lupino (who starred in a season 1 episode I will mention next).
Greed and vengeance are the central theme in this episode. The ending remains one of my favorite twists.
This is the 25th episode of the fifth and final season.
Quick Synopsis: Wealthy Jason Foster is dying and he invites his greedy heirs to a Mardi Gras party where they must wear the masks he specially had made for them or else be cut off from their inheritance.
The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine
Ida Lupino and Martin Balsam star in this episode. While I wouldn’t call this a time travel episode, it does focus on living in your past.
This is the fourth episode of the first season.
Quick Synopsis: Barbara Jean Trenton is a faded film star who lives in the past by constantly re-watching her old movies instead of moving on with her life, so her associates try to lure her out of her self-imposed isolation.
Back There
Since I mentioned time travel, this is one of my favorite time travel episodes. Russell Johnson (the Professor on Gilligan’s Island) is the time traveler in this episode.
This is the thirteenth episode of the second season.
Quick Synopsis: At a prominent club in Washington, D.C., a socialite argues about whether it would be possible to change history by traveling back in time. When he leaves the club he finds himself in 1865, on the night that President Lincoln will be shot.
The Odyssey of Flight 33
Ok, sort of another time travel story. The captain is played by John Anderson. Always thought he had a great voice!
This is the eighteenth episode of the second season.
Quick Synopsis: Passing through the sound barrier, a commercial airliner inadvertently travels back in time.
Living Doll
Great performance by Telly Savalas. I’m not going to lie, this episode is one that creeped me out!
This is the sixth episode of the fifth and final season.
Quick Synopsis: A frustrated father does battle with his stepdaughter’s talking doll, whose vocabulary includes such phrases as “I hate you” and “I’m going to kill you”.
Eye of the Beholder
The beautiful Donna Douglas appears from under the bandages in this awesome story. I guess I just gave away the ending …..
This is the sixth episode of the second season.
Quick Synopsis: A young woman lying in a hospital bed, her head wrapped in bandages, awaits the outcome of a surgical procedure performed by the State in a last-ditch attempt to make her look “normal.”
The Fever
I always loved Everett Sloane as an actor. He is great as the angry gambler in this episode. How can you not freak out at the fact that the slot machine has followed him to his room?
This is the seventeenth episode of the first season.
Quick Synopsis: A middle-aged man catches gambling fever from a slot machine that he believes is calling his name.
To Serve Man
The great Richard Kiel is featured as Kanamit in this episode with the great twist ending.
This is the twenty-fourth episode of the third season.
Quick Synopsis: An alien race comes to Earth, promising peace and sharing technology. A linguist and his team set out to translate the aliens’ language, using a book whose title they deduce is “To Serve Man.”
Quality of Mercy
A MUST watch! How things would be different if we looked at it from the other side. Dean Stockwell is great in this episode.
This is the fifteenth episode of the third season.
Quick Synopsis: Hot-shot new Lieutenant Katell tries to make his mark on the last day of World War II in the Pacific and gets a unique perspective on his actions.
Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
Great cast in this one! Jack Elam, John Hoyt, Bill Erwin, Jean Willes, and John Archer all star in this episode which cashes in on the Martian craze.
This is the twenty-eighth episode of the second season.
Quick Synopsis: Following a frantic phone call about a crashed spaceship, two policeman try and determine who among the passengers of a bus at a snowed-in roadside diner is from another world.
A Nice Place to Visit
Another classic twist ending. Sebastian Cabot (Mr. French of Family Affair) is Mr. Pip. Little known fact: Cabot was reluctant to dye his brunette hair and beard blonde, since the peroxide used for it ensured that the color would remain for about six months.
Great story and again, a be careful what you wish for…
This is the twenty-eighth episode of the first season.
Quick Synopsis: When bad guy Henry Francis Valentine dies in a shootout with police, he wakes up in the next world where his every wish is granted forever, and ever.
Nothing in the Dark
This episode stars a young Robert Redford. I saw the ending coming a mile away, but it is still a good one to watch.
This is the sixteenth episode of the third season.
Quick Synopsis: An old woman has fought with death a thousand times and has always won. But now she finds herself afraid to let a wounded policeman in her door for fear he is Mr. Death. Is he?
Nick of Time
Another over the top performance by a frazzled William Shatner! Good stuff. Watch for Batman’s Chief O’Hara (Stafford Repp) as the mechanic in this episode.
This is the seventh episode of the second season.
Quick Synopsis: A pair of newlyweds stopping in a small town are trapped by their own superstition when playing a fortune telling machine in a local diner.
Deaths-Head Revisited
Powerful episode here. Great performances by Oscar Beregi Jr. and Joseph Schildkraut!
This is the ninth episode of the third season.
Quick Synopsis: A former German SS captain returns to Dachau concentration camp and begins reminiscing on the power he enjoyed there, until he finds himself on trial by those who died at his hands.
One For the Angels
Ed Wynn was known as a comedian, but he gives a marvelous dramatic performance here! Murray Hamilton is great as Mr. Death.
This is the second episode of the first season.
Quick Synopsis: A pitchman is visited by Mr. Death and is forced to get his priorities in order.
Night of the Meek
A wonderful, feel-good episode to wrap up my twenty favorites. Art Carney is just brilliant in this episode. The episode looks weird because it was one of only a few episodes that were shot on video tape in hopes of cutting production costs. Don’t let the quality take away from a wonderful episode!
This is the eleventh episode of the second season.
Quick Synopsis: After a derelict Santa Claus is fired on Christmas Eve, he finds a mysterious bag that gives out presents. With this bag he sets out to fulfill his one wish – to see the less fortunate inherit the bounties of Christmas.
Did I miss your favorite?
Tell me your favorite episodes in the comments! Happy International Twilight Zone Day!!
This blog is part of the 6th Annual Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon, hosted by A Shroud of Thoughts. This is my second year taking part in it. The rest of the entries can be found here:
I could have picked a few episodes from Sanford and Son. It remains one of those classic shows that makes me laugh out loud. Home Sweet Home is from the fourth season of the show. It is the 7th episode of that season. It originally aired on October 25, 1974. The episode is full of some great lines and physical comedy from Redd Foxx.
Greed is a powerful thing. It is also a great premise for comedy (It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a classic example). Fred and Lamont return from a miserable camping trip when their neighbor, Julio comes knocking on the door with news. He informs them that a Japanese company wants to buy up all the houses on their block to build a brewery. All they need to close the deal is Fred and Lamont to accept their offer and the deal is done.
Greed begins to take hold. Fred knows that he is in a position to take advantage of the fact that they need him to sign in order to make it happen. He is going to hold out for the most money. Julio and Lamont beg him not to mess up the deal. All of his neighbors are counting on him. As he leaves, he reminds Fred that the Japanese representative will be by “first thing in the morning.” Fred responds, “I know. They always attack at dawn.”
The following morning, Julio returns wondering if the Japanese realtors have been by. They have not. Fred is stuffing fortunes he wrote in fortune cookies (“You’ll meet a tall, dark, handsome stranger. Give him what he wants!”). Again, Julio begs Fred not to blow it for everyone. He reminds him that as soon as he signs, they all get their money. “Mr. Sanford, we are all in the boat!” Fred’s reply cracks me up – “This is your captain speaking. Get your poop off my deck!”
The realtor is not at all what Fred expected, in that she is a young and pretty Japanese lady who introduces herself as Miss Funai. She explains that they have appraised the house and factored in extra money for “sentimental value” and offer them $20,000. Upon hearing the price, Lamont becomes frantically excited and rushes to get a pen (a very funny moment, as he continues to try to keep a calm voice). Fred, of course, plays up the whole “sentimental value” aspect and fakes some tears. She explains that she will leave, discuss this with her partners and return later. As she leaves, she says “Sayonara” to which Fred replies, “Frank Sinatra to you, too!”
Lamont is upset, but Fred explains that since they are t he last to sign, he knows they will be back with an offer for more money. When she returns, the offer has indeed increased – by $2500. Fred refuses and she asks if she can use their phone to call her partners. While in the kitchen on the phone, Lamont rips into Fred saying he is going to blow the deal. When Miss Funai returns, she explains that she cannot discuss any further, however, if they would come to dinner at her house, they can discuss with the other business partners. Lamont says that they will be there.
Upon arriving at the home of the Funai’s, they are asked to remove their shoes and jackets, which makes Fred a bit uneasy. In the next scene, the two emerge in Japanese robes. Lamont notices a Samurai sword on the wall and asks about it. Miss Funai says that he uncle used it to kill himself. Fred says to Lamont, “What’s the big deal about killing yourself. My Uncle Alfonzo killed himself in St. Louis and you don’t see me hanging wine bottles around the house!”
Miss Funai’s father and grandfather enter the room and they are asked to sit at the table. The table is on the floor and there are no chairs, allowing some very funny physical comedy from Redd Foxx as he tries to (and eventually does) sit on the floor. On the table is traditional Japanese food. Miss Funai tells them what each dish is, and Fred passes. He instead says he’ll eat “some of these grapes” which he describes as “a little slippery.” Miss Funai applauds him for trying them and informs him that he is eating fish eyes! This brings about another magical moment of visual comedy as Fred spits out the fish eyes. His face is priceless.
Fred is told by the father that the grandfather is impressed by their sentimental attachment to their home. Because of that they are offered a “top price” of $27,000. He immediately asks for $30,000 as a “tip top” price, to which Lamont tells him he is going to take this deal and sign the paperwork. Fred is handed a pen, which he cannot hold onto because of “his arthritis” which he says may have happened as he tried to sit on the floor. The father asks if he has a bad back. Fred says he does, and the father instructs a family member to get acupuncture needles to help him.
Upon seeing the needles, Fred jumps to his feet and claims they are going to torture him. This is my favorite scene in the show. He yells, “Stand back! I know kung fu! I never miss a show!” Fred begins to move his arms and body around doing some hilarious kung fu like moves before running out of the house.
The Sanfords return home and Lamont is sure that the deal is off. Fred has obviously offended their Japanese hosts. Fred insists that they need their house, so they will be back. He has his eyes set on much more money. Sure enough, there is a knock on the door and it is Miss Funai and her grandfather.
The grandfather speaks Japanese to him and Miss Funai translates. She says, “Never is his life had he met a man as great as you. He respects your great love for your home. He wouldn’t dare ask you to leave it.” Lamont reacts and rolls his eyes. Now Fred starts to insist that they buy his house. “Ask me!” he says. She says that her grandfather wouldn’t think of uprooting them. “Uproot me!” Fred yells.
Before leaving, Miss Funai hands Fred a gift. She says, “As a gesture of respect and friendship we offer you this sea shell” and they walk out the door. Fred continues to try to get them to reconsider as they leave. As the door shuts, Fred stands next to Lamont and looks down at the sea shell. Fred asks, “What am I gonna do with this?” Lamont’s reply is priceless. In a calm voice he says, “It’s a sea shell, Pop. Hold it up to your right ear (which Fred does), and (angrily) push it through to your left!”
In the final scene, Lamont comes in and asks if the neighbors have called to yell at Fred yet. He says they haven’t. Lamont says he thought they’d have been all over him for messing up the entire real estate deal. He goes upstairs and we find out why the neighbors haven’t gotten angry – Fred is calling them, disguising his voice saying they aren’t going to buy the properties. His call to Julio ends the show in standard Sanford fashion.
In Closing
Sanford and Son has so many great episodes. My dad, my grandparents, and I would often spout out quotes from our favorite episodes. Thanks to Terence from A Shroud of Thoughts for allowing me to participate again this year! I am already looking forward to next year. There are so many great shows to chose from, but then again, there are still plenty of Sanford and Son episodes to chose from …
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 