I just learned that Frank Sinatra, George C. Scott and Laurence Oliver were all look at to be Don Corleone......and Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford and Ryan O'Neal as Michael...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh Can you imagine the Carnage this film could have been
And here is the real hum Dinger Burt Reynolds as SONNY.........WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT Burt Flippin Reynolds ahahahahahaha That would have been a massacre...Can you imagine him saying, You touch my sister again, I'll Kill ya....Man we are so fortunate the film came out likee it did....
Anybody know anything other people that were looked at.....


Joe Batters

My god that is WRONG

There were some horrible choices out there. Burt Reynolds would have ruined the movie, as would have Redford as Michael. FFC was a visionary casting it as he did.

Thank God FFC was determined enough to impose his will on the producers after a lot of effort. Imagine that they didn't even want Brando and almost made him do an audition! If GF was made with the cast in JB's post, this forum wouldn't even exist.

I guess FFC wanted the a person with "the map of Sicily on his face" to play michael and that definitly wansn't readford aha


Joe Batters

JB that is literally true. The producers were hyping Redford, and were telling FFC he could be a "Northern" Italian.

Burt Reynolds: "Nice college boy hu? Didn't wanna get mixed up in the family businness hu? And now you wanna gun down a policeman, for what, cause he slapped you in the face a little bit? Hu? C'mee, you're takin this much too personal."

Yuk.

Wow I just can't get it out of my head how that would have completly ruined the movie...the Godfather would have flopped so hard and would have been forgotten in movie history and of course there wouldn't be 2 and 3....How fortunant we are the FFC was a wizard and Puzo a genius ..



Joe Batters

Imagine him saying that, THEN doing that dumb laugh of his!

There's a version of the Trilogy on VHS tape called the "25th Anniversary Collection." Each film begins with some commentary. GF begins with a comment by Puzo, who said, "I heard that Danny Thomas wanted to buy Paramount so he could play Don Corleone. I was disturbed by this [probably the understatement of the decade, IMO!]. So I got Brando's address from my agent and wrote him about playing Don Corleone. I didn't think he'd be interested. But I was surprised when he wrote back and said he was interested, but he'd have to wait until they announced a director."
And you thought Burt Reynolds and Robert Redford were close calls?

Hats off to FFC for persevering with Brando and Pacino. Even though his own job was under threat by choosing these actors, and a replacement director was breathing down his neck during the filming of 1.

If Danny Thomas would have accomplished this, would they have then called the movie :

"Make Room For Vito?" or "Make Room For The Goddaddy?"



Danny Thomas & Robert Redford, what a scary thought!

Don Cardi

Could you imagine if Jack Nicholson played the role of Michael, rather than Sonny. Let's revisit the final scene from the first film:

Kay: Is it true Michael?

Michael: Don't ask me about my business Kay.

Kay: I want the truth!

Michael: YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

I'm sorry but I disagree.Bert R. would have been great.You may be forgetting his role in "Sharkey's Machine".This role certainly made him familiar with the cops and robbers genre.Also his expertise in auto racing,"Smokey and the Bandit",could have been worked into the script.Imagine Bert and Fat Clemente racing around NYC in a GTO!

Ol Blue eyes as the Don would have worked, he had already earned the monicker "Chairman of the Broad" and was on a first name basis with many real life gangsters.For additional interest he also could have played the role of Johnny Fountain.

Ryan O'Neal was only considered be because he was a hot actor at the time,Patricia O'Neal would have been a better choice. Of course Robert Redford would have been all wrong since he's a woman.

If Danny Thomas would have accomplished this, would they have then called the movie :

"Make Room For Vito?" or "Make Room For The Goddaddy?"



Danny Thomas & Robert Redford, what a scary thought!

Don Cardi [/QB][/QUOTE]


Danny Thomas? Good Lord, he would have cast Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore as Michael and Kay.

And wasnt there some character called Uncle Tounouse or something like that? He would have been Tessio.

How about Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies playing Mrs Godfather and Lucille Ball as Connie. Jackie Gleason as Clemenza

What a disaster it would have been to have seen Burt Reynolds in this film, it would have turned out to be a big joke.

Instead of "The Godfather," it would have been titled, "Uncle Tenoose."
But then, if there had been an "Uncle Tenoose III," we'd have had Marlo Thomas instead of Sofia Coppola.

Marlo Thomas with Phil Donahue playing the consigliere.

Pauly Shore-Michael
Brendan Frazier-Sonny


Joe Batters

Let's not forget Pacino, Caan, Duvall and De Niro weren't as fame that time and they were risks to take, but brilliant choices anyway.

Possible thread hijacking coming here.....

How about Rusty Hamer as Sonny (slight resemblance with the curly hair), Angela Cartwright as Mary, Jean Hagen as Kay (slight resemblance also, dontcha' think?), and Sid Melton as Tom Hagen.

Of course the perfect show to parody the GF would have Been "My Three Sons"

I can see Fred MacMurray as Vito Corleone. He played a pretty good murderer in "Double Indemnity."

What about Il Duce John Wayne as Vito??

"I'm aaw gonna aaaw make him an offer he awww can't refuse, the hell I am!"

IL DUCE???? wasn't he called The Duke?
You know what duce means in Italian?

So Sonny would be Tim Considine, and Fredo would be Rob?

William Frawley as Tessio

Ooops typo, meant to write "duca". Though maybe the cap fits??

John Wayne reciting some of the better lines:

"So, Pilgrim, is this how ya turn out? Some Hollywood finocchio who cries like a woman? Well, I'll tell ya what you can do, you can act like a man."


"Luca, I want ya to see what's goin on with this Sollozzo fella.. so yer gonna tell him I riled ya up a little, and that you wanna work for him."

"I just wanna be sure Michael's luck holds out. If he gets hornswaggled, or someone throws him a neck tie party in his jail cell, then I'm gonna come looking for you fellas in here, but otherwise I'll give ya my word, I'm putting this six shooter on the back shelf and I'm leaving it there."

""I'm drinkin more of this red-eye lately"
Mike - Its good for you pop.