I am rereading the Godfather and I was wondering what would have happened if Wotlz had still refused to sign Johnny Fontane after the horses head. If he had been someone who was willing to risk everything on principal. I know the character was written that way but it is an interesting what if.
The point I was thinking off if Woltz had a good reason not to give in. Or if Woltz had his own godfather?
I’m guessing a horse wakes up next to Woltz’s head.
If he has his own godfather? It’s a wash. The families wouldn’t be willing to go to war over something so petty. Fontane would just be shopped elsewhere. But they would remember, and maybe in the future Wotlz might have some labor problems. Unless his godfather trumps Fontane’s.
If he just said “Fuck you” on general principles? See above labor problems.
Tom was sent out to California to not only talk to Woltz but also to scout out the situation. If Woltz had some kind of protection that was too big for the Corleones, Tom would have reported it to the Don and they would have let it go.
As it turned out, Woltz didn’t have any protection. The only reason he defied the Corleones was begun he didn’t understand what the consequences would be. Cutting off the horse’s head showed Woltz that the Corleones were willing to be violent and putting it in his bed showed how easily they could reach him. Woltz now realized that he was not dealing with the type of people he normally did business with and backed down.
But if Woltz had been nuts and still defied the Corleones, they would have just escalated. We saw what happened to Senator Geary when he defied the Corleones. It’s not like Woltz had any means to turn the tables and attack the Corleones.
Woltz told Hagan he was a personal friend of J. Edgar Hoover and implied that that would be enough protect him from any action by the Corleones. The horse’s head in his bed was a counter-argument.
I’m not sure exactly when this occurred. Hagen went to Hollywood just after Connie’s wedding. Connie’s wedding happened near enough to VJ day that Michael had been mustered out from the Marines and was back home from the Pacific theatre, YET still could get away with wearing his dress greens to a formal affair. My point is that I’m fairly certain that at that point in time, Hoover and his FBI weren’t all that concerned about organized crime syndicates; he was more concerned about gaining control over the remnants of the O.S.S. I don’t think he had even started in chasing out Communists yet. Prohibition was long over and until the Apalachin conference in 1957, I don’t think he even cared about any Cosa Nostra.
LOL!
First good long LOL I’ve had in a long time.
Wonderful post!
Push came to shove they’d have done what Barzini did in regards to Vito rejecting Solotzo. They’d have killed Wotlz in a manner that was obvious and ‘encouraged’ the studio to replace him with someone more accommodating to their wishes. Given what a scumbag Wotlz was I’d bet his killing would have made more people in the industry happy than mad…
The wedding took place in 1945.
LA was considered an “open” town by the mobs. Anyone who wanted to could work there as long as their particular business didn’t interfere with someone already established. The Chicago Outfit had the most sway but others had interests.
Woltz had prior problems with gangsters via unions and such. But small scale and he thought he could handle it like always. The horse head showed otherwise.
Note, in addition to threats of labor trouble, violence, etc., Vito was especially interested in the “infamnia” (Woltz’s prediliection for little girls) Tom reported back on.
The major studios in that era had a small number of “fixers” that took care of problems. But nothing that could go head-to-head with a mob family intent on total victory.
Woltz either had to cast Johnny or he was doomed and he knew it.
Here’s more about Woltz and the Corleones from the Godfather Wiki.
He should have been subtle. Had the studio “fixers” break Fontaine’s leg just bad enough that he won’t be available for the film, but not permanently out of the business. Do it in a way that looks like an accident, or a fight with some jealous husband. Gotta have plausible deniability. “I’d use him (like you want) but he can’t film. Sorry.” Then when the film comes out, people will forget, and the Corleones will lose interest. Maybe.
Or, out the kid in the picture, make tons of money, look like a film genius, THEN break his legs.
Except that “Woltz” (AKA Jack Warner) OWNED the studio.:smack:
I thought Woltz was supposed to be Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia.
I’d pay to watch Ray Donovan take on the Corleones.
Woltz didn’t have real balls (which is what Vito asked Tom who replied “You mean is he a Sicilian? No”). Woltz didn’t have the guts to risk everything on an affair of honor (Fontane screwing a starlet who was great in bed). His friendship with big wigs were photo ops, not real power. He couldn’t even prevent Fontane from getting the Oscar, and it was Nino who prevented the public mating of Fontane and the female winner.
Just as an aside, in real life, the Mob didn’t use its clout to get the role he wanted in “From Here to Eternity.” Eli Wallach won the role fair and square, but dropped out of his own free will when Tennessee Williams called him about starring in his newest play.
Sinatra just caught a lucky break.
Fontane was family, and the Don PROMISED he’d take care of it.
There was no backing down.
Mob rules are like the Pirate Code - ie they’re more like guidelines than actual rules.
As we saw later in the movie, after Sonny was killed the Don backed down rather than risk the rest of his family.
But that was because he knew that later on his sucessor, Michael, would take care of it.
Exactly. The Don didn’t back down. He promised HE would take no action. It was his and Michael’s plan to wipe out the Five Families.
And yes…IRL…it’s not even guidelines. It’s about as meaningful as Klingon “honor”…a bunch of mouth service.
But in general the movies and book kept to the rules. I think. Maybe not.
The Don certainly tried.
“Won’t they take that as a sign of weakness?”
“It is a sign of weakness…”
Michael and the Don may have thought about someday seeking revenge. But they were acknowledging that they had lost the current war and were seeking terms. That seems like backing down to me.
The alternative would have been to acknowledge they had been defeated but go down shooting. They would have taken out a few more of their enemies but the Corleones would have ended up being annihilated. But that’s the way that was called being Sicilian earlier in the movie. You fight regardless of the cost and never surrender.
Ok…I see your point.
But Sonny (crosses self) was business.
Fontane was a family promise.
I think at the end of the day though you’re more right than I am. If push came to shove, the Don would have to rationalize the Fontane promise as business also and cut his losses. But a lot of people who crossed him would ultimately pay.