# Now I know why Don Corleone said--- **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 15, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631 "2015-06-15T23:25:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/21 "2015-06-17T03:34:04Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > And I believe it was an improv line. Nope, it is set up with a previous scene of his wife reminding him to not forget the cannoli. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/22 "2015-06-17T03:48:43Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Nope, it is set up with a previous scene of his wife reminding him to not forget the cannoli. That doesn’t mean the line itself isn’t improvised. (And the execution scene could have been shot first, then the scene with his wife, and the cannoli line added to that.) ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/23 "2015-06-17T13:46:54Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Nope, it is set up with a previous scene of his wife reminding him to not forget the cannoli. Why would you possibly post this when, more than 2 hours before you posted, **engineer\_comp\_geek** provided a link to an article that quotes Coppola saying the line was improvised by the actor? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/24 "2015-06-17T14:09:33Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > That doesn’t mean the line itself isn’t improvised. (And the execution scene could have been shot first, then the scene with his wife, and the cannoli line added to that.) So if it was improvised, why did they just happen to have a box of cannoli ready for the scene? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/25 "2015-06-17T14:15:48Z")
Too late to edit: I’m not questioning those in this thread who say it was improvised. I’m questioning Coppola’s claim that it was improvised, since they just happened to have the correct prop at the shooting site. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/26 "2015-06-17T14:29:26Z")
Perhaps there’s a difference between the scene being improvised and the specific line that was used being improvised. Maybe they were going to make some reference about the cannoli, but the actor came up with such a great line they went with that. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/27 "2015-06-17T15:10:10Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Perhaps there’s a difference between the scene being improvised and the specific line that was used being improvised. > > Maybe they were going to make some reference about the cannoli, but the actor came up with such a great line they went with that. Maybe they just all like cannoli and there was plenty of it around the set. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/28 "2015-06-17T15:18:36Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Perhaps there’s a difference between the scene being improvised and the specific line that was used being improvised. > > Maybe they were going to make some reference about the cannoli, but the actor came up with such a great line they went with that. That’s what probably went down. My WAG: I’m sure they did at least a few takes, assuming the original line was only “Leave the gun”. Then in one take, the actor added the cannoli quip, Francis loved it, and had the prop guys get a pastry box for a final take. Then again, us Sicilians are never caught anywhere without cannolis. They probably had a box or five at every shoot. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/29 "2015-06-17T16:01:01Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Yep. > > From here: > [Story of the Scene: The Godfather (1972) | The Independent | The Independent](http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/story-of-the-scene-the-godfather-1972-870492.html) Of course, the idea was to send a message to the Tataglia mob-that Paulie was outed and dealt with. The car might have been a problem-though it was probably registered to somebody else. Paulie paid for his treachery, and leaving the (untraceable) gun was so the cops would realize it was an "internal matter’-so the investigation would go nowhere. No need to haul Paulie’s corpse to the undertaker and have it secretly buried. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/30 "2015-06-17T17:38:36Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > So if it was improvised, why did they just happen to have a box of cannoli ready for the scene? I take it you’re not an Italian. 🙂 An Italian without food around is in dire straits indeed, and your guests will be horribly offended. It might not be a cannoli, but it will be _something_. ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/31 "2015-06-17T17:50:12Z")
Nothing to add except to mention (brag) that I’m in Sicily, and have been for the past five weeks. (Oh, and this: Cannoli is the plural; Cannolo is the singular. Please don’t order cannolis with your cappucinos!) ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/32 "2015-06-17T18:17:48Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > I was always confused, due to my lack of proper dietary habits. > > I didn’t know the difference between a cannoli and a cannelloni > > Which led to trying to figure out what to get for a pasta, vs. a dessert… Sounds like something from an episode of Cagney & Lacey, where they spend half of the episode making cannoli by hand (and arguing about it - one wanted to use chocolate chips as it was easier, but the other said it’s not really cannoli without chocolate shavings) for their lieutenant’s birthday… “We made your favorite dessert!” “Cheesecake?” “No - cannoli!” “Who told you that?” “We overheard you telling someone about it” “Oh - I was talking about _canneloni_” Besides - didn’t somebody die from cannoli in _The Godfather Part 3_? Wait a minute…how would I know what happened in Part 3 unless…_unless I actually watched it_?" ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/33 "2015-06-17T18:38:08Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I take it you’re not an Italian. 🙂 > > An Italian without food around is in dire straits indeed, and your guests will be horribly offended. It might not be a cannoli, but it will be _something_. I’m Italian alright, and the longest, bitterest feud I can remember was between my grandmother and her brother - he had stopped by her house to drop something off, and in his rush to get to work, left before she had a chance to feed him. It lasted until both of them were in the ground. But I’ve also been to many workplaces full of Italians, and I never remember seeing a small bakery box at any of them. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/34 "2015-06-17T21:07:09Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Nope, it is set up with a previous scene of his wife reminding him to not forget the cannoli. In that previous scene, you see Clemenza saying goodbye to his wife, as she blows him a kiss. Then it cuts to Clemenza getting into the car, and off-screen you hear his wife say “Don’t forget the cannoli!” But you don’t actually see the actress speak the line. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/T1-y9-m-CU0/hqdefault.jpg ""Leave the gun, take the cannoli."") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1-y9-m-CU0) The editing seems consistent with what Coppola has said–after Castellano ad-libbed the “Leave the gun–take the cannoli” line in the subsequent scene of Paulie’s assassination, Coppola went back and added the audio of the wife’s reminder to the earlier scene. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/35 "2015-06-17T21:47:42Z")
In the extended _Godfather Saga_, between leaving home and the causeway scene, there’s a lot of business that Clemenza, Pauli, and the other mook take care of. At one point we are “treated” to an good length shot of Clemenza eating lunch while the other two wait in the car outside. Anyway, I think (not sure), that this included Clemenza buying the cannoli. Which, if I got it right, would suggest that Mrs. Clemenza’s line was intended to be in the film all along. (The _Godfather Saga_ has lots of interesting scenes left out from the first two films. Also, events are shown in order. But it isn’t aired anymore. It also has some cuts due to making it network TV friendly. A “restored” version with everything would be wonderful.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/36 "2015-06-17T22:45:03Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > So if it was improvised, why did they just happen to have a box of cannoli ready for the scene? He could have just taken the cannoli without saying anything about it. According to [one site,](http://movies.allwomenstalk.com/famous-lines-in-moves-that-were-improvised-on-the-spot/5/) the original line was just “Leave the gun.” Castellano added “Take the cannoli.” ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/37 "2015-06-17T23:02:38Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Mike’s Pastry? That’s the standard tourist trap bakery in the North End. They were fantastic at one time, but as happens often, success led to a decline in quality, or at least in consistency. That may have been where I went (don’t remember anymore), but hour long wait and it tasted like eating flavored sand. I was very unimpressed with cannolis. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/38 "2015-06-17T23:07:50Z")
I may have had awful ones, but they taste like sand to me. I waited in line for over an hour from some place in Boston (it might that’s supposed to be famous for cannolis and the ones I got were inedible (to me). Maybe I should try making them. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/39 "2015-06-18T00:10:38Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631/40 "2015-06-18T00:38:47Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I was very unimpressed with cannolis. The cannoli at Mike’s aren’t my favorite, but they’re still pretty good. You just got a bad one somehow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-i-know-why-don-corleone-said/722631.md?page=3)