What old time had Michael Corleone potential?

What old school mafiosi could have reached the same heights as Michael Corleone’s success? I say Gambino or Costello. Michael was a billionaire in the movie or at least close to it and he moved on to legitimize almost all of his businesses. I think he achieved what many of the old timers dreamed of achieving themselves. Either that or they dreamed of seeing their kids take their fortune and turn it into an even bigger empire(much like Michael did with his family’s fortune).

How much was 'fat" Tony worth when he died ? I bet as much as anyone

The end of 2 seems to imply that Michael burned down an empire with his paranoia. Then in 3 he's a benevolent rich guy trying to buy his way into heaven. So, I suppose it depends on which storyline you choose. This is why so many people hated 3. It doesn't even seem like it's Michael Corleone. I believe Michael was loosely based on both Bonanno and Genovese.

Joe Profaci. He was a multi millionaire in just legitimate business alone.

I never got the impression that he tried to burn down an empire, if your a fan of the movies then you must read the books....they explain a lot. After movie 2 he insulated himself even more, sort of like Barney from the Genovese

Joe Todaro is a blue collar Michael Corleone.

I never heard of him but I will do my research. Thanks.

I don’t think he burned down an empire. I think he burned bridges between him and people that he loved which is why he looks so broken at the end. But he realizes that this is the price he is paying to become even more rich and powerful than he already is. That’s my take. The whole movie it’s almost like he’s chasing the ghost of his father. He really just wants to be as respected as Vito once was.

I am not quite sure but it’s safe to assume a lot. When mafiosi die, a lot of those businesses and rackets don’t stay with their estate though. I believe the family has to live off the cash that they were left with as well as legitimate businesses that the mob family lets them keep. Idk what the case was for Salerno but I’m sure his family was completely fine after he passed. Smart business mind. Meyer lansky for example, died with very little money according to his family. Contrary to what many believe about Lansky, I don’t think he was ever close to being a billionaire at any point.

I tried. The book was a huge disappointment to me. Coppola himself said he had to toss out about half the book to put the screenplay together. Now are you saying the sequel books written by people other than Puzo are better than The Godfather? If so I might give them a look.

I was not a big fan of the book either.

I saw some articles on Tudaro. He appears to be pretty all in on his pizza place these days. I don’t get the impression that he’s running some kind of criminal enterprise but I would not know.

I think another candidate would be Castellano. With all of the construction companies that him and the top Genovese bosses owned, I think that their families must be sitting on a fortune.

The sequel books are very good

Would Franzese be in the running too? He made it out of the life and seems to be doing well for him and his family.

There are 2 former Colombo members who we cannot name on here who went legit and are now both worth hundreds of millions. I think they would have to be talked about in this conversation too.

One of the books tells the full story of Luca brasi....great book. It deserves a movie from Luca brasi point of view

Do multi-milliionairs that leave the life still have to send an envelope?

I doubt it. Years ago I would say without hesitation that they do send tribute. But I don’t think the American mafia can touch some of them today.

Vito ?? He was much more violent and had that Neapolitan temper.

You hear that stereotype about every southern Italian. I’m not sure either how Vito was similar to michael.

Not really an old time guy, but Vinny Ocean Palermo might have had that kind of potential. His son worked at Goldman Sachs so he could have created a very powerful empire in the legitimate and illegitimate worlds.

not vinny..he wanted to kill too much

Not stating this as fact just quoting the site that I was led to when searching it. For what it's worth.



https://godfather.fandom.com/wiki/Michael_Corleone

Furthermore, regarding the Bonanno basis, Bonanno also at least planned to kill all of his rivals.

I personally doubt it, but who the fuck knows in the words of Bobby Bacala. I would love to know the true story behind Junior Gotti getting stabbed outside a CVS.

I doubt it too. Like I said, in the past there’s very little doubt. But today I think they just leave them alone.

The Bonannos were one of the weakest families too. Bonanno was willing to pay $2 million for a dealership in Arizona so he was still making great money even at that time. What would that have done for Bonanno if he pulled that off? Wouldn’t he have just been killed eventually?

There's a similarity between what Bonanno attempted to do and what Michael Corleone did at the end of GF1.

Regarding rich guys kicking up, as I understand it, all made guys kick up a percentage of everything they earn, legit or not.

Bonanno was very greedy. And he went about it all the wrong way. Colombo immediately turned around and alerted everyone. If he was smart enough to pull it off then he easily would have been at the top of the crime world. And he would have been a spitting image of what Michael became.

Perhaps Puzo fleshed out Michael's character with an alternative universe where Joe Bonanno had succeeded in his plans.

It is absolutely possible that it could have been an inspiration. It is interesting to think about what would have happened had Bonanno been successful.

So Tarantino didnt invent the alternative history concept after all.

Joe Bananas Unchained.

Maybe that will be his next movie lmao.

Working title of The Godfather 2.

According to Robert Lacey, author of "Little Man - Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life" (best mob bio ever, IMO), Lansky was never worth more than $5-6 million at his peak. He died nearly broke after blowing his last $50k on an unsuccessful operation to cure a chronic neurological condition in his ne'er do well son Buddy.

Now that they have cgi maybe they can do a proper gf3

I always felt that the legend of Meyer was a myth. Of course he made good money but I don’t think he was ever making kingpin level money. Nothing that would make a top businessman’s head spin. He still had powerful contacts but I don’t think he had money like some of his peers.

So far, I think Moe Dalitz, maybe Todaro, the two Colombo guys, Joe Bonanno(if his plan to assassinate his rivals was successful), and Gambino are the best candidates we have come up with. Catena is someone we could consider but I am not too knowledgeable on him.

Could Lombardozzi ever cross over to the legit side and make a huge name for himself? He was a smart businessman with many legitimate businesses that he could grow.

Tommy Gambino is in this category too. But he just wasn’t a killer like Michael Corleone was. It was estimated that at one point in the 1990s he was worth $75 million. This would make him one of the richest mobsters in the country.

All depends on which story your believe. Lacey claims he died with little money to his name. Other stories (and his daughter) claim Lansky transferred his wealth to his brother and attorneys. Either way, definitely held considerable power and respect for a long time.

Were Lansky, Luciano and those guys running a ponzi scheme all along? Broke as hell and just jacking up their own value?

I believe his wealth was overstated but I could be proven wrong.

I think Luciano had a lot of money as the boss. He lived in the most exclusive apartment in New York City. That rent doesn’t pay itself.