I heard about the Puzo vs. Sinatra thing, where Sinatra thought that Johnny Fontane was supposed to be based on him. I think Puzo had nothing against Sinatra. He didn't say a word. What do you guys think?

Mario Puzo was a man of respect for not saying anything.

In The Godfather Papers- Mario Puzo talks about Sintra and his book!

Are you saying he was not a man of respect!?!?!? I kidd I kidd.

[ September 27, 2001: Message edited by: MobbingForMoney ]

I once heard Puzo say or write something about where Sinatra totally snubbed him at a restaurant when Mario first started out. I can't remember exactly what was said between the two...somebody may need to refresh my memory. Or at least tell me i'm not imagining shit.

Yeah D.L.'s right, check "The Godfather Legacy" by: H. Lebo for the details of the fist fight that almost broke out between Puzo and Sinatra.

No. There would never have been a fist fight. Sinatra would never have dared. Mario didn't have the heart.

Read "The Godfather Papers and other Confessions" by Mario Puzo himself. It explains the exact details of the incident...

B.C. -> I don't know, although there's probably more info. in the source u've listed. It seems that Puzo was pretty pissed. He said that Sinatra (who is of Northern Italian heritage) threatening himself (Puzo is of I believe Neapolitan heritage) was akin to "Einstein pulling a knife on Al Capone." Either way the whole incident was pretty ugly.

No, not Neapolitan. Northern Italians disrespected Southern Italians, not Neapolitans...

Hello Bogus are you receiving? Napoli is southern Italia, why it's right across the golfo from Sicilia!

Oh I thought it was "land of Napoleon"...sorry.

Think a little bit before you post eh?

Johnny Fontaine had to be based on Sinatra. There's too many coincidences. He was signed to a bad contract early in his career and he sang at Willie Morreti's daughter's wedding in 1947, which just happened to be in Morreti's back yard in New Jersey.

Here's an interesting link to something about Sinatra and his alleged mob ties

SINATRA AND THE MOB

Look at some of the other sections on that site (try the "home page" at the bottom of Sinatra's page). There's lots of good mob stuff with short, concise stories.

Beth -

I haven't read the book (by Tina Sinatra), but the little I've heard about it suggests it deals more with the family life rather than the "public" image of Frank.

I believe the Havana "gathering" made in 1946 to see Lucky Luciano was a basis for the Hyman Roth birthday scene. The real life event had every major boss attending to see Luciano, who had earlier been exiled to Italy by the U.S. government. He was not allowed to return to the U.S., but he could travel to Cuba, which he did.

Some time back, I had read that Sinatra, at the behest of one of the bigshots in Chicago (possibly Sam Giancana or Tony Accardo) delivered $2 million to Luciano in Cuba. (That figure sound familiar?.....that's what Fredo brought to Cuba with him).

Tina Sinatra and her dad.
The cover of her book,
"My Father's Daughter"

I am an avid fan of anything that is Frank Sinatra and the same goes for Mario Puzo. I think that when you watch the movie you do not get the same feel for Johnny Fontaine that you get in the book. I think that once you read the book it becomes very obvious that Mr. Puzo is referring to Frank Sinatra. The paralells are too obvious, I mean look Johnny Fontaine needs that movie so that he can get his carrer going again (From Here to Eternity) he has that problem with his voice which happens to almost the same thing that happened to Frank Sinatra, those are to just name a few. I do not think that Mr Puzo ment any disrespect because if there is one thing that Sicilian men have in abundance it is honor. I mean he draws a lot of inferences to a lot of different people Moe Green=Bugsy"Ben"Siegel etc.. I am sure that you all can see where this is going.

Corleone256

If there's a godfather 4, and Fontane dies in 1998, he's Sinatra, DEFINITELY! But Fontane wasn't in GF2. He would have been good at the Havana meeting.

Johnny Fontaine definately represents FS and Jack WOltz is definately Devid O. Selznik