dt, if I understand your question correctly: Everyone spotted Johnny Fontaine as Frank Sinatra as soon as the book and the film were released--including Frank. Probably a lot of people identified Moe Green as Bugsy Siegel, and, later, Hyman Roth as Meyer Lansky. But other associations--like the Rosatos as the Gallos, Luca Brasi as Willie Moretti, Vito as Frank Costello (or other Dons), etc., was left to the Mafia buffs.