Serious or Neutral Scene that struck you as Funny/Humorous

In the GF films, Coppola interspersed scenes and dialogue that were intentionally witty or funny as a means of inserting comic relief and illustrating the sense of humour of some of the characters. The scene where Vito imitates a teary Johnny Fontane and orders him to "act like a man" in GF1, and the Signor Roberto scene in GF2 are two examples.

But are there any scenes or dialogues that are just neutral (or even serious) -- something that probably wasn't intended to be funny -- but it struck you as funny (or humorous, or it made you smile)? It could be the way someone said his/her lines, or a facial expression, or prop that looked fake, etc.

It can be from any of the 3 movies. You can even cite GF3 scenes if you must (although some may argue that all of GF3 qualifies as unintentionally funny ). Does anyone have any scenes that come to mind?

Some of them........

GF2 - Michael to connie " Why did you come to me . You should have gone to a travel agent"

GF3 - michael to connie "they should fear you"

GF3 - michael to Zasa, some thing like "you came to tell me this!" after zasa talks about Meucci who invented telephone before Graham Bell

Here's one of mine. I thought it was so funny from the first time I saw it (not laugh-out-loud funny, but smile funny).

In GF2, Roth is in his Havana hotel room being examined by a doctor when Michael comes to visit. Roth turns to his wife and says, "Honey, why don't you go down to the casino?"

Well, the words are barely out of his mouth when Mrs. Roth jumps off the couch, gives him a peck on the cheek, and declares, "Well, if you're sure you're feeling better." And the guy never even said a word about feeling any better . Mrs. Roth hurriedly shakes hands with Michael and she's off to "play the bingo game."

Now I know Hyman is the #1 priority for Mrs. Roth; you can see how concerned she is later that night when she accompanies him to the hospital. On this particular afternoon, she was probably just looking forward to some leisure time on her own after taking care of him almost constantly. But you could sure infer from that scene that gambling is likely her favourite way to unwind .

Hmm, maybe that's why Roth was so anxious for Michael's $2 million. He needed it to pay off his wife's bingo debts...

The entire scene where Sr. Roberto has (finally) realized who Vito Corleone is, and tries to apologize, accommodate his wishes vis a vis Sra. Columbo--and get the hell out of his office--is pretty funny.

OK.... these were meant to be funny:

• Michael answering Johnny Fontaine that he was going into the kitchen to listen to some Tony Bennett records.
• Michael answering Kay (who just said, "The sicker you get the wiser you get, huh"?) "When I'm dead I'm gonna be really smart".
• The whole flashback scene in which Clemenza and Vito steal the carpet.

This one was easy to miss (and I did miss it the first few times) because it occurs during a time of tension when Michael, Sollozzo, and McCluskey are being driven to Louis' Restaurant.

While they're in the car, McCluskey tells Michael, "Sorry about your face..." blah, blah... "I must be getting too old for my job..." blah, blah... Then he puts his hand on Michael's shoulder and says, "Aw, he's a good kid." Michael looks down at McCluskey's hand patting his shoulder as if the guy has leprosy. You can almost hear Michael thinking, "Get your stinking paw off my good coat."

Good one, Michael.

This is a sad scene but when Fredo fumbles with his gun when Vito gets shot. And the way he says "papa".

After reading that one thread on these boards a while ago where people took pictures from the movie and put funny captions on them, I laugh at a number of scenes just recalling those captions. Truly funny stuff.

In Havana when all of the heads of major corporations and criminal empires meet to basically divide Cuba and settle gambling issues in America. Hyman Roth makes sure that the waiter shows the birthday cake to each of these powerful men and they respectfully fawn over it, like they really care. The same with the gold telephone.

The "Leave the gun, take the cannoli" bit.

When Clemenza makes a fool out of Michael who is at the phone with Kay, unwilling to tell her he loves her.

The whole Vitelli's scene when he realizes Michael and his men are talking about his daughter Apollonia.

When freshly engaged Michael and Apollonia are having a stroll, followed by a procession of women chaperoning them and by a couple of men, both with a lupara put on display.

Others will come to mind.

Yeah - the scene with Clemenza at the phone is one of my favs.
But there are much more instances of really subtle humor in the book...

Carlo's beating, especially when Sonny bites his hand. I laugh every time.

A very intense scene is the one in GF2 where machine gun bullets fly through Michael and Kay's bedroom. Michael crawls to Kay and drags her down to the floor where it's safe. The noise seems never-ending, the room is filled with gunsmoke, and every piece of furniture is bullet-riddled. Then, as quiet descends, Michael says...

"Kay, are you all right?"

Poor Kay is so terrified she can hardly speak.

The scene is so gripping that I hardly pay attention to the actual words Michael says. But if I do stop to think about it, asking her that is pretty funny . Thankfully, though, that line is delivered so believably that it seems natural. (Michael is breathing hard from exertion. He says Kay's name to make sure she's alive, then pauses as if he doesn't know what to say next. He just utters the first question that comes to his mind: "You all right?")

It's only when I stop to focus on the question itself that I can see its comical potential. ("Oh sure, honey, I'm all right. I was almost turned into swiss cheese in my own bedroom by your mafia enemies; but I know that's just part of your business and I shouldn't take it personally. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll call the maid to clean the carpet, as I believe I lost all voluntary control of my bowels and bladder during that episode." )

Where is that at Mista?

Here it is Mignon: Creative Trilogy Captions - Part 1

I remember going through it before I registered here as a member. MM Tom Hagen is right -- these are hilarious.

Although the thread is titled Creative Trilogy Captions - Part 1, I didn't find a "Part 2." Maybe it's time to re-visit this idea and create one?

Those captions are classics.


I always liked Clemenza's ironic line to Paulie "Watch you we dont exterminate you."

Also Clemenza's cooking lessson to Michael is one of the best.

If you want to retrieve our old funny creative threads, go read this one.
Big brother: The Godfather.

Another scene that is serious yet has darkly humorous overtones is one of the outtake scenes when Al Neri goes into the casino to 'move out' Klingman. He walks up to him and slaps his glasses off his head, if I remember it correctly and then chases him across the casino floor, in full view of everyone, slapping him and generally humiliating him completely. Then they go into a room where the showgirls are practising and Neri sits down and tells the girls to continue. He is the new king.

I remember that Klingman scene too. I wonder who played Klingman. I looked it up on imdb.com but his character is not listed because the scene wasn't included in the actual film.

Now here's another one that I previously forgot about: In GF2, when we first see Senator Pat Geary, he is making his speech on the podium to thank Michael and Kay for their endowment cheque. He begins by saying, "... this is a very very happy day for me and my wife..." then I expected him to say his wife's name, but instead he just calls her "uh, Mrs. Geary." Doesn't the poor woman have a name? What was the "uh" about? Did he forget her first name so he had to simply substitute "Mrs. Geary"? That struck me as humorous.

In the next sentence he says, "We see Nevada far too seldom," which sounded funny to me because he's the state's senator. I realize he has to spend a lot of time in Washington (or does he have to live in Washington? I don't know these fine points of U.S. politics), but it still sounded droll for him to "seldomly see" the state he's supposed to be involved in governing.

Neither of those are as funny as Geary pronouncing Anthony's middle name as "Vy-to" or his deliberate mispronunciations of "Corleone," but those were meant to be funny. My two examples just turned out that way by accident .

In the scene where Carlo beats Connie, I always laugh at the exchange where one says "Va fangul" ...and the other says "Va fangul you." I thought it had a kind of Nya nya nya nya quality to it, and was unintentionally funny.

I agree Mignon...
Fredo's bumbling fumbling is funny but the whole scene is dark & sad obviously!

I always laughed at Fredo drunkenly spacing out in Kay's face.

Signore Roberto not being able to open the door (a joke on the actor by FFC) and nervously looking back at Don Vito.

This scene struck me as just too funny!

When Tom arrives in Hollwood to talk with "Woltz" in letting Johnny Fontane star in his war film.

Woltz---Now listen to me,you smooth-talking son-of-bitch!
Let me lay it on the line for you and your boss, whoever he is. Johnny Fontane will never get that movie! I don't care how many-daigo guinea WOP greaseball gumbahs come out of the woodwork!

Tom- I'm German -Irish...Well let me tell you something my Kraut Mick friend, I'm gonna make so much trouble for you, you won't know what hit you!

Tom----Mr. Woltz, I'm a lawyer, I have not threatened you.

Woltz---I know almost every big lawyer in New York, who the hell are you? (I- just -love- it!- WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?) ROTFL

I got one:
"Hey, Pauli, give me more wine!" from GFI
and ALLLL my lines on GFII ("I got no big head for, huh, big deals" "What is that?" "Cicci a porta")

yes, that is an amusing scene, but IMO even more amusing it's when Woltz realizes who the hell Tom is and tries and smoothes things over.... He wasn't very successful in smoothing things, though, was he?

I always loved the very few seconds when young Sonny in Sicily started to fistfight with one of his relatives..

No he sure wasn't . But that who the hell are you gets me every-time

For some reason, Michael's announcement that he has to go to the bathroom during his meeting with Sollozzo and McCluskey always gives me a grin. Yes, I know why he says it, but the suddenness of this everyone-does-it kind of thing in the middle of a life and death situation seems funny to me just the same.

This is my first post. Glad to meet some fellow fanatics!

Michael shutting the door in kay's face at the end of GF2

I laughed when I heard someone coughing at the meeting with all of the Bosses of the other Families in The Godfather Part III. It sounded almost as if the person coughing was being sarcastic in a way.

I forgot about that one. What I like about it is the way he chose to say it ("I have to go to the bathroom"), like a little kid would express it, and right out of the blue too . Then, as an afterthought, he remembered Clemenza's instructions to ask permission first; so he added, "Is that all right?"

I wondered why Michael didn't use words that were more "grown up," shall we say, such as "I need to visit the men's room" or "May I use the washroom for a minute?" But poor Michael was so nervous he was tongue-tied .

By the way, nice to meet you, Dona. I hope you will take the opportunity to vote in a couple of polls: Which ending was more tragic: GFII or GFIII? and also Godfather II: Better with or without Vito\'s Back Story? I am hoping another person will agree with my opinion, as I seem to be in the minority on both those questions . (But don't worry; it's a secret ballot. No one will know how you vote unless you choose to inform us by posting a comment in the thread.) Anyway, many happy future posts to you .

Yes, or he could have phrased it much more elegantly, as Clemenza did.

Thanks for the welcome!

Ah, yes. Who could forget Clemenza's immortal "I gotta take a leak"? It's straight to the point and leaves no room for misunderstanding .

There are so many references to, ahem, relieving oneself in the Godfather movies that they could be the subject of their own thread .

I'm glad you feel welcome, Dona. Everyone here made me feel very welcome when I first joined, so it's nice that I'm able to pass it on.