Originally posted by Turnbull:
Johnny Fontaine serves a highly useful purpose at the beginning by helping to define Vito's influence and the range of his caring--excellent. Thereafter, Johnny, and Nino, serve only to enable Puzo to show off what he learned about Hollywood.
We had a similar discussion about this aspect of the book in another thread recently.
I disagree with TB's asessment of the imprtance of the Johnny Fontane.
I think that except for Vito & Michael, he was meant to be the novel's most important character - and indeed, a fairly hefty portion of the book is taken up by his story, not just those little "insider details" about Hollywood that Puzo had picked up over the years.
I think it was MP's intention to draw a paralell between the dishonesty, treachery, and corruption in the business of organized crime and the same characteristics in the supposedley "legitimate" business of Hollywood.
