Turnbull, I hope I'm not mistaken, but I believe that Vallone was considered for the part of Vito in I. I think we can safely say that the better actor got the job. Nothing against Vallone, just that Brando was marvelous.
Sopranoleone, Harlan Lebo, in his definitive, "The Godfather Legacy," makes no mention of Raf Vallone being considered as Vito. He does say that "hundreds" of people wanted to be considered, including Rudy Vallee(!), David Janssen and Vince Edwards. Supposedly the Mob preferred Ernest Borgnine. In his introduction to the VHS 25th anniversary edition of the Trilogy, Puzo said he heard that Danny Thomas(!) was planning to buy Paramount so he could play Vito. That prospect, according to Puzo, stimulated him to write Brando about playing Vito. In the end, two actors--John Marley and Richard Conte--were the finalists in Paramount's estimation. But Coppola and Ruddy wanted Brando, and they got him.
