During the II flashback scene, Tessio states that 30,000 men signed up (presumably for the Army) this morning. What morning? As Sonny states, the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor on Pop's birthday - December 7. By my reckoning, it would have been 2PM on Sunday in New York. Again, what morning? Even if the morning in question was that Sunday, what recruiting office woul dbe open?
That whole scene fascinates me. I understand that Brando was suppose to be in it but pulled a "no-show"? The script was hastily rewritten to accommodate his absence so some details were fuzzy? Also, why wasn't Morgana King in the flashback scene? That scene could have been so much greater... not that it wasn't good as is.
Vito's influence on all the men in the scene was powerful and, ultimately, destructive. Having him as an invisible spectre really emphasizes how his legacy is still impactful years later. It also shows how he was the central force holding a very disparate group of people together - something nobody else could manage.
I think having Vito actually there would have made the scene less powerful.
"A man in my position cannot afford to be made to look ridiculous!"
