I know the subject of Godfather's cars has been discussed before and Turnbull has more then adequately gave the definitive information on just about every important car used in the films. Where is this going? Well I am on a Cadillac message board, and one of the topics is "real" limos for "real" people. Naturally being an enthusiast of both Cadillacs and "The Godfather", I was motivated to make a post concerning Mike's choice of cars. I basically posted that Mike shunned having Cadillacs as his limo of choice, opting for a Packard and a Imperial Ghia. Someone responded that he did have a Cadillac when he first came back from Italy. I responded that he basically didn't choose the Cadillac as much as he "inherited" from the family and when he took total control, he didnt choose Cadillacs.

2 Questions:

-Was I correct in my assumption about the Cadillac he "inherited"?

-Who did choose what cars that Vito and Mike bought and were chauffeured around in. It seems to me that Vito, wasn't involved, because when he planned to the trip to the hospital, he said "Get the big car". Mike on the other hand, wanted to "get out of the family business in five years", and quite possibly he wanted to stay away from the stereotypical mob guy, riding around in big black Cadillacs, ala Don Barzini.

*For Cadillac fans, here is the thread:

Cadillac LaSalle Club Message Board

Welcome back, Johnny! I always love it when you make erudite comments about cars!

As you know better than I, the "big car" is a '39 Cad, and the one that trails Michael when he courts Kay in New Hampshire after he returned from Sicily is a '47. The '39 had to be Vito's choice, and the '47 may have been Vito's choice. It was chauffeur-driven, and, presumably, the chauffeur was probably one of Vito's trusted men, since he probably figured Michael needed to be closely guarded at that time. Later, we see Michael driving his own car, a '54 Packard Clipper. So, it very well could be that Michael was asserting his independence from Vito, or simply avoiding the usual Cadillac/mobster cliche.

I assume that production designer Dean Tavoularis selected the cars. He (or whoever else selected them) did a superb job. Anyone in films can get Cadillacs from agencies that specialize for Hollywood, and can put mobsters in them. But it took real thought (and searching) to find that Packard. There were other triumphs, too: the '43 Alfa Romeo 6C2500 that Appolonia gets blown up in; the '54 Imperial limo that delivers Michael to Moe Green's hotel; the '57 Mercury Montclair that drives Michael around in Cuba (complete with the tinny European horn so beloved of Hispanic drivers at the time); and--triumph of triumphs--the '58 Imperial Ghia limo that takes him back to his estate. Fewer than a dozen were built-where the hell did Tavoularis find one in running condition? The background cars were wonderful, too, and every one of them was not only authentic for the time, but authentic for the purpose (like the '58 Plymouth Plaza taxi that brought Fredo to Michael's Havana hotel, and the '58 Ford Custom 300 that Michael drove in Miami--exactly what Mr. Avis would have rented to you at the time).

Speaking of cars (sort of), is the little kid's pedal car that crosses the driveway at Clemenza's house authentic to the time period?

Thank you and its nice to come back and visit the board. I have been busy running errands for Hyman, down here in Florida.



Not sure about the "big car", but if its the same as the one that was in the Vito assassination attempt scene, it was a 1940 Cadillac Series "60" Special.



With all due respect its a 1949 Cadillac Fleetwood "75"




But was it? Could it have been one of these scenarios?

-He went down to the Local Cadillac showroom and bought the car himself.

-He sent one of his men, down to the Cadillac showroom to buy the car.

-He told one of his men, to go out and buy a "big car".

I seem to lean toward the last option, due to the fact, that he said, "get the big car" and not "get the Cadillac". Of course he might have had more then one Cadillac, and wanted to take the "big" one, since he was taking all the sons. As an added note, I remember a line in the film "The Valachi Papers", when one of the soldiers told Joe Valachi "to get the Packard"



Correct me if I am wrong, but the only time we see Michael driving any car, is the '43 Alfa Romeo 6C2500 in Italy. I think the only time we see the Packard Executive Sedan, is the one scene after Mike comes back from Las Vegas and he is in the back seat with his son, in a Marine uniform and his wife, and he promises to take her out on the weekend. Now that I think of it, Other then Sonny, I don't think we see any of the principal characters driving a car twice. and we know what happened when Sonny went for a ride to visit his sister. Of course, we did see young Vito driving a truck in GFII.



Boy do I love that Imperial Ghia, and thanks to Turnbull for setting me straight concerning Chryslers, Chrysler Imperials, Imperials and Imperial Ghias.

Did I ever mention the film I was in, actually my car, a 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood was in, with Robin Williams and Jerry Stiller that was filmed in New York?

Did he let you drive his '58 Chrysler New Yorker?



Not sure about the "big car", but if its the same as the one that was in the Vito assassination attempt scene, it was a 1940 Cadillac Series "60" Special.[/quote]

Oops...my mistake.



With all due respect its a 1949 Cadillac Fleetwood "75"[/quote]

With equal respect, I believe it's a '47. The '49 was a "fishtail" Cad, and had a smaller, flatter grille.




But was it? Could it have been one of these scenarios?

-He went down to the Local Cadillac showroom and bought the car himself.

-He sent one of his men, down to the Cadillac showroom to buy the car.

-He told one of his men, to go out and buy a "big car".

I seem to lean toward the last option, due to the fact, that he said, "get the big car" and not "get the Cadillac". Of course he might have had more then one Cadillac, and wanted to take the "big" one, since he was taking all the sons. As an added note, I remember a line in the film "The Valachi Papers", when one of the soldiers told Joe Valachi "to get the Packard"[/quote]

You're probably right, Johnny. On the other hand, maybe the local Cad dealer was someone in Vito's debt, and the car was a payoff for a previous service (like trashing the local Packard dealer's lot).




Correct me if I am wrong, but the only time we see Michael driving any car, is the '43 Alfa Romeo 6C2500 in Italy. I think the only time we see the Packard Executive Sedan, is the one scene after Mike comes back from Las Vegas and he is in the back seat with his son, in a Marine uniform and his wife, and he promises to take her out on the weekend. Now that I think of it, Other then Sonny, I don't think we see any of the principal characters driving a car twice. and we know what happened when Sonny went for a ride to visit his sister. Of course, we did see young Vito driving a truck in GFII.[/quote]

You're right, he was in the back seat. But he shed the Marine threads after Connie's wedding. (unless he was serving in the Marines' weekend warrior corps while acting as Don--that'd scare any enemy.) BTW: In a deleted scene, he was driving what looked like a '46 Plymouth when he pulled up to the gate of the Mall after learning that Vito was shot.




Boy do I love that Imperial Ghia, and thanks to Turnbull for setting me straight concerning Chryslers, Chrysler Imperials, Imperials and Imperial Ghias.

Did I ever mention the film I was in, actually my car, a 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood was in, with Robin Williams and Jerry Stiller that was filmed in New York? [/quote]

No...tell us more, please!

[/quote]No...tell us more, please! [/quote]

Well since you insist. It was one of Robin Williams least known films, and maybe one of his best, called "Seize the Day", based on the novel by Saul Bellow. It was made primarily for PBS, but is available on DVD. Its basically on the lines of "Death of Salesman" that takes place in the 50's with Robin Williams as a failed unemployed actor.

Being a car enthusiasts, I had a subscription to Hemmings Motor News, and saw an ad for a "casting call" for 50's cars, for a movie that was to be shot in New York City. At the time, 1986, I had a 1954 Cadillac white Fleetwood, and was selected to be used in the movie. At the time, I lived in the Philadelphia area, so I was able to do it. I was to be on location, 106th and Broadway at around 8 in the morning. Quite a thrill cruising up the NJ turnpike in a 30 yo Cadillac! I was, or I shall I say, my car was used in one of the first scenes, with me driving. I was told to drive slowly up the street, as Robin Williams was crossing. Easy enough I thought. When I heard "action" up I went, as Robin started crossing the street. When he walked in front of me, I put on the brakes, and heard the director yell "Cut!". He then proceeded to ask why I stopped, I told him that I was going to hit Robin. He said no matter keep going! I guess he wanted to capture real New York driving! I did it in the second take, and almost hit Robin. It was a lot of fun, and I was paid $25, almost enough to pay for gas and the tolls, plus all the bagels I could eat. Robin was very gracious, and signed autographs and kidded with all of us. When the film was done months later, I was invited to a screening in New York, and lo and behold who was sitting in the audience, but Joseph Wiseman! Name don't ring a bell? How about Dr. No?

Care to hear about my being in a film with John Wayne?

Great story, johnny. What about John Wayne?

BTW - I drove home from college with my roommate in his 1954 Caddy. No insurance or plates (had a falsified temporary windshield sticker). We stopped off in Cleveland to see some friends and were pulled over by the police. LUCKILY they didn't notice that the sticker was made out for a 1957 Caddy.

Big, luxurious car.

In 1964 while in the Navy, John Wayne was making the movie "In Harms Way", which was a story about the Navy in Pearl Harbor after Dec 7th 1941. In order to keep things accurate, they used the ship I was on, since it was a WWII ship. It can be seen in the scene where Kirk Douglas gets on the troop transport with the nurses, and we rode behind in the background. I'm one of the guy on the fantail.

I love that movie and remember the scene (Kirk Douglas meets the nurse he eventually rapes). I'll look for you the next time I watch it. Only one question - what the hell is a fantail?

OK.... let's see where johnny ola is:

Great stuff, johnny!

Great stories, Johnny!

I had one brush with the movie guys who were looking for specialty cars:

I bought a new 2000 BMW M5--ultra-high-performance 4-door sedan, one of only 1,000 built. I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about companies that pay to use exotic cars in films. I contacted one of them online that was on the lookout for exactly that kind of car. Their reply: they'd happily dispatch a flatbed truck to pick up my Bimmer and use it for a week. No, they didn't need me to drive it to the shooting site, or to drive it in the film. Oh, and they'd be happy to pay me a whole $100 for the use of my M5 for the week.

I told them to take the $100 and rent a Neon.

Thats the scene! Where did you get it? The ship is the USS O'Bannon (DD-450). At the time I believe it was the second oldest ship, next to the Constitution, that was still on active duty. It was the most highly decorated destroyer in WWII, and named after Presley O'Bannon.

Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, O'Bannon entered the Marine Corps 18 January 1801. As a First Lieutenant, he commanded a detachment of seven Marines in General William Eaton’s little force in the War with Tripoli. During the combined operations with the U.S. Navy, he led the successful attack in the Battle of Derna 27 April 1805, giving the Marines' Hymn its immortal “to the shores of Tripoli”.

I was on the fantail, (the rear of the ship on the main deck), which is not visible in that picture.

Going back to Cadillacs for a minute, werent all the cars at Vito's funeral chauffer driven Caddies?

Smart move Turnbull.



The picture shown, is of Willie Mays in a 58 Cadillac Eldorado convertible, that belonged to a club member. To make a long story short, he was promised the world, money, tickets etc. and got very little, plus he was greatly inconvenienced.

I believe you are correct. I think I once read that a couple of the flower cars were "modified" Cadillac passenger cars, as "professional" cars, as they are called are not easy to find, especially of that vintage. Ironically enough, I think the hearse used was a Packard.



The last flower car is a modified 1956 Fleetwood. In other words the back part was cut to make it look like a flower car.

Sidelight:
Before the Fifties, most American luxury car manufacturers did a lively business in custom-made hearses, ambulances, flower cars, etc. And/or, they made their chassis available to custom coachwork companies like LeBaron to be made into specialty cars for wealthy individuals. But by the mid-Fifties, Cadillac had so dominated the luxury car business that they were the only suppliers of those custom-made vehicles. Chrysler maintained a connection with Carrozeria Ghia of Turin Italy for "dream cars"--one-offs shown at automobile expos. But Ghia did produce a few of those Crown Imperials for individuals.

Another sidelight: Truman was the last President to use a Packard. Ike was a Cad-man all the way. JFK preferred Lincoln, as did LBJ.

Interesting that Obama is a big fan of Lincoln, the president, and is in fact using his Bible to get sworn in, but he has to ride around in a Cadillac, and not a Lincoln.

We won't leave you on the cutting room floor. Here's a shot that's as close as I could get of the back of the ship:

Yep there I am, by the 5 inch gun, right above the hatch leading down to my rack. (Bed to you landlubbers)

Or a closeup:

Home Sweet Home, at least for a year and a half.

Second one from the right, after the open hatch in the gun mount.

Captain Queeg: "Oh, one moment, messenger. State your name and grade:"

"Ola, sir, Seaman First, signalman striker."

"Very well, you can go....Anyone notice something unusual about Seaman First Class Ola? I believe a flapping shirt tail is the standard uniform for a busboy--but not a sailor in the United States Navy!"

In johnny ola's defense, the reason his shirt was untucked was because he was running to warn the captain about steaming over his own tow line.

Ah The Caine Mutiny, a really great film that has passed the test of time. Sadly, Van Johnson, recently passed away at the age of 92.

But the captain was proving, with geometric logic, that a key did exist...

Is it just me, or does anyone else hear steel balls rattling around now?

Actually Capt Queeg, would have made a good don, with his manner of running things.

There are four ways
of doing things on board my ship [family]:

The right way,
The wrong way,
The Navy way and
My way.

Do it my way and we'll get along.

Plus he had the right attitude about his position.

I'm a book man. I believe everything
in it was put in for a purpose.

On this ship,[in this family]
we do things by the book.

Deviate from the book
and you'll get an argument from me.

I don't lose arguments on my ship.[in my family]
That's why it's nice to be captain.[don]

...and he kids us not...