Originally posted by MistaMista Tom Hagen:
I had always kind of wondered why more of the Johnny Fontaine story line wasnt filmed. A major part of the book was about him, and although hes not the only one to get a sidestory cut out of the movie, I thought his was interesting enough that they maybe shouldve included it.
And a question; Does anyone know why Johnny was not at all included in PtII? With the Corleones living in Nevada, and Johnny contracted to perform for them, I definetly was waiting for his appearance the first time I saw the film.
I believe that Puzo used the Johnny Fontaine character brilliantly at the very beginning of the novel--a great example of the diversity of the Don's power and influence. Johnny also set the stage for Woltz and the horse's head. After that, I think Johnny (and Nino) merely served as a way for Puzo to show off his knowledge of Hollywood procedures and lore.
Puzo (like Ian Fleming, the James Bond author) couldn't resist finding ways to include in his novels some of the specialized knowledge he'd acquired in his life. The Johnny/Nino/showbiz stuff was boring enough. But the Lucy/Jules/operation stuff was there for only one purpose: for Puzo to show off what he'd learned (probably from a female relative) about the gynecological condition that enabled him to descibe the operation in detail. Bad as that was, it was nowhere near as bad as all that Hollywood crap that spoiled "The Last Don."
I'm glad there wasn't more of Johnny in the films.