What the hell is this...?

No, not the question Sonny asked about Luca's fish-filled vest, but...

I just noticed Don Vito holding this item in the scene where Michael becomes Don. I never noticed it before, and was wondering what it was? A transistor radio maybe? Interesting, because such radios were first commercially available November of 1954, which would fit the timeline. And who else would have one of those "new-fangled gadgets"?

That's not a radio! The Don is playing Mario Cart on his Nintendo Gameboy!


Don Cardi

I think it's his Blackberry. Seriously, why would he have a transistor radio that he was WATCHING?? Wouldn't he have it to his EAR, rather than be LOOKING at it??

Actually, this is a little known fact but it is actually something Tom Hagen made for him while sitting in the Office having a drink. Not sure how to tell the Don what had happened he thought it better to leave it on his desk and walk away, unfortunately Vito interrupted him before it was done. I did some research and found what it said:

+

+ D



- L +

ha ha, how long did it take you to come up with that

No way thats a transistor radio. Back in the mid 50's those things were about as big as half a shoe box.

Brando never wanted to remember his lines, so it has to be a mini autocue.

Nah - transistor radios were tiny handhelds, even back then... that was the idea.

Its an extremely old version of the iPod. No doubt in my mind. That was before they came out with the headphones version.

Ooooo, what kind of music do you think Brando or Don Vito Corleone would listen to???

Oooops.... a senior moment. Dunno why, but I was thinking of the standard portable radios (i.e. not transistors) of the time.

In the immortal words of Emily Latella, "Never mind".

+

+ D



- L + [/QB][/QUOTE]

What does all that mean?! I'm kinda slow on the uptake guys.....

Its DMC's clever way of saying Sonny was gunned down on the causeway.

A picture of the sun + a picture of a knee = Sonny

A gun + the letter D = gunned

A down arrow = down

(Santa) Claus minus the "L" = caus

A scale weighing = way

It loses something in the translation.

Nice job, DMC

The only thing I could think of ... a box of stick matches. But for what reason? The Don didn't smoke.

Vito had just fed the fish in this scene. Could this possibly be the box of food?

Whatever the object is...Brando is probably reading his lines off of it.

Just in case the question is a serious one, it's a box of fish food.

How do you know?

I thought Luca Brasi was fish food. That thing that Vito is holding looks nothing like Luca.

Sorry, Geoff, the scene was set in 1945. The transistor was first demonstrated on December 23, 1947. And as you pointed out, the first transistor radios weren't sold until late 1954.
The item in question is Hartz Mountain Goldfish Food. Scroll down:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Old-Hartz-Mount...tle_W0QQitemZ290033708538QQcmdZV iewItem

never???

I even hate to disagree with you, but I must...

Firstly, that item he's holding looks nothing like the fish food container in the ebay item.

Secondly, Vito picked the item off his desk, AFTER he fed the fish.

Thirdly, that scene didn't occur in 1945 (which is when GF1 started)... it's most likely about 10 years later, shortly before Vito died (1955) when Michael became Don -- most likely 1954-1955 (if my Timeline is worth anything), just when the transistor radio came out.

I still believe it's a transistor radio.

That was from the same scene as Tom being told he was "out". The year was 1954 or 1955.

EDIT: Ooops, Geoff beat me to it.

ya i have noticed that too, but i just figured fish food was the most obvious awnser.
edit {the container of fishfood looks similar, although a different color.}

If it is a transistor radio or goldfish food, it's another great example of attention to historical detail by FFC.

I disagree, it's Vito playing THE GODFATHER video game on his P2P.

I always thought it was the fishfood too. Maybe he's just reading the box to make sure he didn't overfeed the fish. Wakes up tomorrow with the fish floating in the tank, freaks out a-la Woltz :-P

I read boxes too at times just because.

Like so many things said and done in the GF, this one is up for grabs. I believe it is fish food. In the scene, Vito is older, sicker, and Mike is running things. Like in the novel, as Mama Corleone says, "he plays the fool". He is almost absentmindedly concerned with the fish. We never actually see him feeding the fish, only doing something with his hand over the top of the aquarium. He does turn around and pick up what I think is the fish food box from the desk because that's probably where he left it the last time he fed the fish. When he does pick up the box he appears to be expresiionless and reading the box's label just like anyone would who is older. He doesn't feed the fish from the box, but that is probably because that was edited out. If you notice, when the camera does swing back to Vito, he has moved to another part of the room and is pouring water from one container to another. So, obviously, some editing did take place.

I don't think he's holding a radio. Indeed, what would he be listening to and why would he be staring at it like he does? You can't see any dials as you would expect to if it were a radio.

However, if you look real close at the fish food box, you can read the label: Brasi Bits.

Ah, you're right, Geoff--I looked too closely at those wooden venetians instead of the aged Vito, and duped myself into thinking it was the wedding scene. DUH-H-H!

But what would he be doing with a transistor radio in 1955? Listening to Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers singing, "Why Do Fools Join The Mob"?