Oh yes and the word out there is that an earlier draft of teh script explained teh scene that Frankie had had a mistress and two illegitimate children under his brothers protection. Had Frankie talked his brother would likely have killed them.
Actually, I remember quite distinctly that Michael, in his brief conversation with Tom at the funeral, said that Tessio was the smart one, and that his treacherous collaboration with Barzini is a “smart move”. Tom says he always thought it would have been Clemenza, to which Michael says “Tessio was always smarter.” Or something like that. Anyway, what I took from this was that Michael could count on Clemenza because he lacked the guile to be disloyal.
OK, after Michael takes careof business (whacks Fredo, Hyman Roth, other assorted traitors and enemies), he’s basically goyt it made! He has a powerful US Senator form Nevada totally underhis thumb (this got him several casion licenses in Las Vegas). Finally, he has his beautiful (but very creepy-looking lakeside estate on Lake Tahoe). So why would you want to be a mob boss? It is nerve racking…and he has the loyalTom Hagen to shield him from all the gory details.
If I were Michael, I’d concentrate upon living my life enjoyably…instead of worrying about another congressional investigation…or hit men shooting up my bedroom…etc.
Do Mafia bosses EVER really retire? Or is the lifestyle so my fun that you can’t give it up?? 
Darn, I hate when mere facts prove me wrong. So Frankie’s brother just happened, all on his own, to show up on time? Had the Corleones already advised him of the impending testimony?
It’s like riding the tiger. Once you get on, it’s difficult to ride but it’s even harder to safely get off.
Michael Corleone controlled a major business which would naturally be the target of other men’s envy. If he relaxed, other more energetic mobsters would use the opportunity to attack and take over his business. The only way Michael can maintain his present status is by constantly fighting against all of those who would take it from him.
The only way a mobster can retire is to turn over his business to someone else who will carry on the fighting and agree to protect the retiree. Vito was able to retire because he had Michael. But Michael had no one to take his place.
Okay, mea culpa on the who was smarter thing. I’ll get down to St. Stephens and do some Hail Marys. Then to the Ba-Da-Bing for some real praying.
As to what was going on with Michael in GF2. He was losing it, going down hill. He was doing all the stuff his father wouldn’t have done. Hence the other story line of young Vito and why he went into The Life. Vito did things for the benefit of his family. Michael was now doing things for selfish reasons, and to the detrimant of his family. Vito worked towards having a vast network of interrelationships where people owed people favors and kept things as peaceful as possible. Michael became a loner.
As to retiring, several bosses actually did. The one I’m most familiar with is Joseph Bonnano, who retired to Arizona. His (biological) family (as I touched on before) still did various things there of a less-than-savory nature there in which he no doubt had interests. But as far as the other Families were concerned, he was out. The Bonnano (crime) Family still exists as one of the Five Families in NYC.
See, I’ve heard someplace that Joey Bananas (Bonanno) is the inspiration for Vito Corleone.
Now, if Bonanno is approximately Vito C., who was Maranzano in GFII?
You see all the time various claims as to who was the real life model for Vito Corleone.
None of them were, they all were. If you look at the histories of the major NY bosses (and even the more likely bosses from Chicago, etc.) from the 1930s to early 1940s, the latter parts of their careers were less than noteworthy (if they lived so long). A lot of them were clearly the major losers in the wars of that era, some were exiled from the US for long periods of time, etc. Some went to jail, but usually not for an long time. (Quite a few of those got paroled during WWII to help against the Fascists. But their time in the sun was brief.)
I just don’t see a single major figure who had a generally successful career in that era that ended up living out his life in full in the US.
The Prohibition era was just very, very nasty. In addition, the bosses in Sicily really had a major influence on things in the US during that time. A lot of US bosses got bumped off when they irked the guys in Sicily. There was a constant replenishing of new senior people from Sicily and not really so much of long term US guys reaching the top ranks. Among the Italians, the Capone type figures were rare (and note that by 1932 he was in prison).
The Feds shadowed Lansky for decades after his apparent retirement, and they never found any of his supposed millions, either.
One FBI investigator speculated (persuasively, I thought) that almost all of Lansky’s personal wealth was invested in Cuban casinos and hotels, and that he lost everything when Castro took over. If that’s true, then Lansky wasn’t putting on an act, and he wasn’t a rich old miser. He was exactly what he seemed to be: just another senior citizen in Florida, scraping by on a limited income.
Both Puzo and Coppola will openly admit they did little serious research before they started writing. Neither man was an expert on the Mafia. They were going for dramatic entertainment not historical authenticity.
His widow, Thelma “Teddy” Todd Lansky (who wasn’t a trophy wife) certainly never found the money. She died in 1997 comfortable [upper middle class] circumstances but not lavish by anybody’s definition. (Meyer himself died in 1983 of completely natural causes.)
…from the very beginning? I mean, he has the motive…he is basically treated as an idiot by all of the other sons, and all he is allowed to do is ride shotgun with Don Vito. Could he have been the one to conspire with the Don’s enemies? Fredo resents Sonny, and he is conspicuous in his praise for Michael (when Michael announces his joining the Marines). Anyway, perhaps Fredo saw an alliance with Hyman Roth as a way for him to wrest control of the family away from Michael-whom he resents for naot respecting his elder brother status.
This wouldexplain why Michael sends Fredo on his final fishing trip…Fredo is not as dumb as he appears…he could still be actively conspiring against Michael.
Oh, and that loud madras tuxedo he wears to Michael’s son’s party…and the drunken floozey that Fredo picked for a wife.
Fredo could have ended his days being a lackey for Moe Green…insted he gets a bullet in the skull and a watery grave in Lake Tahoe.
:eek: