After the Godfather was shot, Michael goes to the hospital and finds the men guarding his father were sent home. We later find out that the police chief, who was being paid off by another family (i think) sent them away. Why wasn't sonny notified by any of these guys that they weren't guarding the godfather anymore?

They weren't just sent away, they were arrested and locked up.

Don Cardi

But the nurse says that the police made them leave (not arrested) because they were interfering with hospital routine. Although we don't know the timelines, it is logical to assume that at least one of them would have gotten away. Also, what made the hospital staff disappear and why was there just one nurse or even one nurse on duty if a hit was intended?

McClusky could've made the nurse hear anything he wanted her to hear. Let's suppose he made the men leave the hospital and then arrested them outside the building, where the nurse would not be a witness.

Let's assume one of them didn't get away to call Sonny.

It's 1945. Let's assume it's normal for one nurse to be on duty.

Otherwise, we better get Puzo back from the dead because he's got some serious 'splainin to do.

Apple

In the novel I'm pretty sure it says that McCluskey locked all of the "guinea hoods" up.

But then Michael says

"What happened to the detectives who were supposed to be guarding my father. Who pulled them off that detail?"

Which implies that it was policeman who were supposed to be guarding Don Corleone.

And McCluskey confirms this by answering

"You fucking hood, who the hell are you to tell me my business? I pulled them off.

But then, Michael, thinking to himself, wonders if Sollozzo - after driving by the hospital and seeing him and Enzo outside - hadn't called McCluskey and asked him

"How come the Corleones' men are still around the hospital when I oaid you to lock them up?"

So which was it? Who was supposed to be guarding Vito Corleone? Family members or policemen?

Both. The Family would've counted on their men to guard Vito but they (probably) weren't licensed to carry firearms and would've been an easy arrest for McCluskey to effect.

As captain of the precinct McCluskey could've easily pulled the detectives guarding Vito's room for other assignments. (The City will routinely assign policemen to this type of security detail in an attempted killing of any "major" figure).

What bothers me is why the detective on the Corleone's payroll (Sonny's "man" in McCluskey's precinct) didn't call Sonny to let him know Vito's room was left unguarded.

But it makes me wonder if this wasn't possibly another example of sloppy writing by Puzo.

Having McCluskey either arrest Vito's family member-guards or pulling the police detectives off the guard detail would have been enough to advance the plot by showing that McCluskey was on Sollozzo's payroll.

But the way it's written, it's like Michael and McCluskey are talking about two different things.

The question is how long were they gone before Michael arrived at the hospital? Perhaps it all happened very quickly and Sonny's man had not found out about it just yet.

McClusky may have pulled the cops and had the private bodyguards arrested.


Don Cardi

Because then we wouldn't have been able to see Michael doing it. Or to see him heroically moving his father to another room and then holding off the hired assasins, thus saving Vito's life from this second attempt.

Because this was to be Michael's moment, his 'coming of age'...and if there had been any guards near his father he wouldn't have had it. And none of what happened afterwards would have followed.

Apple

I think SC's and Puzo's questions are right on. We know for sure that there was a detective (Phillips?) on the family's payroll (he tried to intervene for Mike) and there was certainly enough time for him to have notified Sonny. But Apple has a point also. When writing fiction, one can't make too much sense.

i totally agree with that..
because in the beggining micheal wasn't planning to take his father's place (in fact he refused and hated what his father did)..
So Puzo needed a strike to let micheal change his mind
and that's where he comes to the hospital and found himself responsible of his father's safety
and you all know what follows..

Puzo

Das right, Loo-sey!
And if someone had gotten to Sonny, and he'd acted quickly, Michael wouldn't have had his opportunity to rescue his old man and to say, most significantly, "I'm with you now, Pop." And we wouldn't have had the GF Trilogy.

I'm surprised they didn't come back for more...