Turnbull--I read you mention it and I haven't read the book in years (where I assume you got it from), so could you or anyone else tell me the details of his breakdown after the Don's shooting?

In the film, we see him sniveling on the curb after his father was shot--hardly the stuff of gangsterdom. But the novel provides lots more detail. After the shooting, "Freddie went into physical shock...he was weeping openly...one detective knelt next to Freddie to question him but he was too deeply in shock to answer..." When Michael shows up at the Mall, he asks about Fredo, and Clemenza replies, "The doctor gave him a shot. He's sleeping." Later, when Sonny is making plans to attack Sollozzo, Michael says, "if we make plans, Freddie should be here." Sonny replies, "Freddie is no use to us. The doctor says he's in shock so bad he has to have complete rest." Sounds like a nervous breakdown to me. What about you?

Sonny also describes him as looking "like he got plugged worse than the old man" and Michael is said to have remembered him as being the toughest (physically) of the boys when they were kids. So, obviously, it affected him greatly.

thanks guys! very interesting...i like that michael tried to include him in the planning. I always thought that it was odd that he was never included in the meetings (out of respect) even though he would be of no use.