True Pete. It's interesting decision by Puzo to have that line spoken by Tom and to change it in the film to "the fishes."

Yep you are correct. There was some trivia deal about The Godfather online and folks were raising hell in the comment section that Tessio said it. Even after I copied and pasted the damn script where it clearly says Clemenza said it, they still want to try and say it was Tessio

Michael learns of Vito's injuries and returns to the mall. Upon entering the house, he asks Teresa if anyone has heard from Tom. Why? How does Michael know about Tom's kidnapping? If he doesn't know, why does he ask anything about Tom?

Also, why is it bad luck for you (Tom) as Sollozzo tells Tom if you don't make that deal?

After Kay tells Michael that Connie wants Michael to be the Godfather of their baby, Michael and Kay get out of the car and it seems Michael is the one who puts his arm around Anthony and walks with him whilst Kay just walls on

Also the way Kay was holding Carlo and Connie's baby during the baptism, the baby's head was rolling, the neck and head were not supported like Kay had never held a baby before!

Michael and Kay nearly blinded the baby when they were untying the bonnet!

When the Gold phone was being passed around the table in Havana, Michael and Roth glared at the other contemptuously when each had the phone

At the superman club in Havana just after Michael realises Fredo is the traitor in the family, he was gutted, distraught etc. and seemed sort of disorientated
The woman on Michael's left looks bewildered and couldn't take her eyes off him

At the senate hearing when Geary says during his spiel, extolling the virtues of Italian Americans “some of my very best friends are Italian Americans” the man smoking a pipe, who was sitting left of Geary sort of sniggers

At the New Year's Even show at the Capri in Havana, when Geary says, "I'll try one of those red-headed Yolandas," Michael rolls his eyes, as if to say, "There he goes again."

When Connie was asking for money from Michael, towards the end Michael says to Connie
“If you don't listen to me......and marry this man.......you'll disappoint me”

Only Michael Corleone can make even a simple “you'll disappoint me” sound threatening!

Anyway it seems Connie ended up not marrying this man! [Merle Johnson]

Just before Clemenza throwing his guns to young Vito through the window scene, presumably Little Italy buzzing with market stalls, traders, shoppers etc.
A woman had her basket over her elbow and was looking through some items in the stall A man casually steals an item from her basket and walks off

When Michael was visiting Roth in Miami, Michael seemed amazed and peeved to see how Roth was living a 'normal' suburban life, his neighbours unaware / nobody [including Roth's wife Marcia [who addressed Michael as Mr Paul in Havana] knowing Roth was Mafioso

Roth's house was unassuming in an unassuming street. Garage open even the front door not locked
[Then again Johnny Ola who went in just before Michael might have left the door open!] but seemed Ola just walked in too

Even inside, the house was modest, sparsely furnished and tuna sandwich for lunch!

What does Roth who always makes money for his partners [and for himself] do with all that money?!

Whereas Michael was living in a fortress with sentry, armed guards, dogs etc. and yet assassins were able to spray his bedroom with bullets!

And Michael's sheepish embarrassment when Roth said "heard you had some trouble”

He uses it to make other money. That's what money's for.

The real-life Meyer Lansky, on whom Roth is based, also lived modestly--as did many Mob higher-ups--the better not to call attention to himself and his wealth. Income tax evasion has put more Mob higher-ups in prison than RICO.

It's been posted here before by me and others about the flashback scene and the 30,000 enlistments. However, I was watching an AHC Pearl Harbor documentary which prompts me to post again.

In New York, it was about 2:30 PM on December 7 when the Japanese attacked Pearl (and Vito's birthday). So, how is it that anyone enlisted "this morning" as Tessio states in the flashback scene in response to the attack? Also, I attributed Michael's enlistment in the Marines as a response to the Pearl Harbor attack, an enlistment which took place before the attack.

Like so many other things, I guess we'll know the answers when we get to Heaven. That being the case, some of us will never know the answers.

You're off by one hour, oli, but your argument is correct. It was 1:00 in the afternoon NYC time when the attack on Pearl Harbor took place. And since it was a Sunday the local enlistment offices would probably have been closed.

To add to the error in film detail, it was still light out when that scene took place (you can see daylight in the window behind the dining room). Sunset in NY in early December is at 4:30 in the afternoon - only three hours after the attack took place.

You REALLY wanna split hairs? That day was unseasonably warm in NYC. My mother used to tell the story that because it was so warm she put my sister in the baby carriage (my sister was six months old then) and took her outside to get some sunshine and fresh air in the afternoon. As my mom was pushing the carriage down the block she was singing to my sister. One of the neighbors yelled at my mother for singing on such a day. My mom had no idea what she meant and she asked the neighbor why she was yelling. The neighbor told her that it had been on the radio for 30 minutes already that the base in Hawaii had been attacked. Anyway, it's doubtful Tessio would have been wearing a heavy overcoat then. (OK, OK, that's dumping on details).

SC, I forgot about Tessio's overcoat. It is an important inconsistency given the warmth of the day as is picking up a specialty cake (from Nazorine, no doubt) on a Sunday.

I wonder why FFC worked Pearl Harbor into the script anyway. Michael's enlistment could have been introduced through any number of scenarios.

I think the weather of that day is such a trivial thing that hardly anyone would know is really not worthy of discussion here. The only reason I know of it is that it figured big in my mother's recollection of that day (although one could look it up online on some internet site). As far as the cake goes, I suspect that Nazorine would have felt honored to show his respect for Vito on Vito's 50th birthday by baking a special goodie.

FFC may have used the Pearl Harbor story as the catalyst for Mike to enlist to further his showing that Mike was more "American" (i.e. more "modern") than the rest of the family. That obviously changed after Vito was almost killed by the shooting outside his office.

Well, if we really want to get into inconsistencies on that date:
Vito's birthdate, accoding to his tombstone in GF, was April 29, 1887. How'd it get moved to Dec. 7 in the flashback scene? Probably so FFC and Puzo could write a comic line for Fredo: "Japs didn't know it was Pop's birthday."

The Pearl Harbor timing issue goes away if the party is held after Vito's birthday, right? I realize that raises other questions, as the little girls appear to have been dressed for church.

Clearly Part 1 and Part 2 had different timelines. Part 2 had Vito's age as nine when he came to America in 1901; that just doesn't agree with his tombstone in Part 1.

FFC usually is pretty good with details like these but I guess even he couldn't imagine the scrutiny these things would be getting so many years after the movies were made.

Exactly Pete. Why didn't FFC have Vito's birthday on Monday. That would solve the 30,000 men enlisted chronological problem as well as Michael's enlistment.

By the way, why did Pop have to pull strings to get Michael a deferment? During the early part of the War, college students were exempt.

US instituted a draft lottery in September 1940. A student deferment was available, but I'm guessing that Michael didn't apply for one. Another guess: Vito (through Tom) automatically got deferments for everyone he valued, including button men. The novel says Paulie Gatto had a deferment (mental issues, "shock treatments") courtesy of Vito.

Cicci murders Cuneo(?) in the revolving door. Now, what if Cuneo was not the last one to enter the revolving door? He might have been trailed by a bodyguard, an acquaintance, or a family member which would have made Cuneo's murder significantly more challenging or precluded it completely.

Maybe Cuneo was slippin'

In III, Michael states that Zasa owns what used to be the Corleone family. However, we never hear the name of Zasa's family. I guess we should assume that it is called the Zasa family. But I just thought that was a curious thing to leave to guessing.

To pull this off, especially in the movie version, it seems like there has to be some cooperation from inside the other families, so perhaps Cuneo was led to slaughter?

While watching the flashback scene this weekend, I noticed something else. I've posted before that Michael sits on the right side of the table while everyone else is on the left side except Sonny who sits at the head. Thus, FFC illustrates Michael's estrangement (to an extent) from his family. However, I noticed how Sonny dismisses some of the family. He tells Connie to, essentially, shut up; he orders Fredo to get him a drink. He insinuates that Tom is a Jap-lover. Of course, he physically assaults Michael and demeans him.

So, coming at the end of the movie, it's a cogent summation of what we just viewed during the previous 6-7 hours during I and II. Sonny lives by the sword and dies by it; Tom's loyalty to Vito is almost slavish and earns Michael's enmity; Fredo is doomed; Connie is of no account; Michael will always pursue his own objectives.

Yes. To whack the heads of the families and get away with it, Michael would have needed near-impossible timing, since even a delay of a a few hours between one rival Don's murder and another might have tipped the survivors off. Michael had to have had cooperation from inside the families.

“whacking the heads of the families” simultaneously, was so secret [until needed to know] even Tom was not told, neither Clemenza nor Tessio....

“cooperation from inside the families” would have been quite an operation – one little whiff and catastrophe

Among others,

1. who would have been the go-between
2. whom to approach and sound out
3. whom to trust not to go squealing to their boss
4. what happened to these people who cooperated Rewarded or got whacked themselves!

I'm watching the GF right now.

Why does Tom carry his briefcase onto the studio lot? What would he have in the briefcase that he would need for his first meeting that day at that time?

Also, when Johnny tells Vito Woltz'a name he says only Woltz twice ... not Jack Woltz, at least the 2nd time.

Then, after Vito's shooting, Michael offers some advice to the assembled family members and Sonny admonishes Michael to stay out of the conversation. Less than a minute later Sonny tells Michael to give Luca a call then seeks to involve Michael by telling him to take a couple of men and go check on Luca. Makes no sense.

I'd imagine he would have Johnny's contract in there.



He would know his full name as Woltz seemed to be a big producer then plus like Woltz said Johnny was involved with what Woltz thought was "his girl" and star (he was at least banging her)



Thing was Michael knew Luca, if you remember in the opening scene he tells Kay all about Luca. Granted they were not close enough for him to know the number as he picked up the phone like he knew the number by heart though so you do have a point there..

When I have a briefcase, whatever else is in there there's usually an orange, too.* Quick energy, refreshing, smells good. Given the film, Tom probably carries a whole bag of oranges.

*Sometimes a tangerine,

In a deleted scene, Tom tells Woltz "You have a star who just graduated from tangerines to oranges."

In another "did you notice"...
After Roth delivers his soliloquy to Michael in his Havana hotel room, Johnny Ola gives Michael a pitying look, as if to say, "Did you think you could get the better of Hyman Roth?"

In another Forum I posted that Vito could certainly afford to pave the mall's driveways, but instead opted for gravel.

In the scene following Carlo's murder, Michael and several others walk across the mall and one can clearly and loudly hear their shoes crunching on the gravel as they walk. I always thought that was, at the least, hilarious. I'll bet that post-production added in the crunching emphasis. But why?