A few days ago, I had some business at a courthouse in downtown Brooklyn. Since these things can take time, I brought my paperback copy of The Godfather to keep me occupied. (I've been re-reading it for the first time since around 1970 or 1971.)

After court, I was heading down a long flight of stairs at the local subway, when I saw a man at the bottom of the stairs rearranging items in his shoulder bag with one hand, while in his other hand was - you guessed it - a paperback copy of The Godfather.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I said to him "I like your choice of reading material!" while holding up my book for him to see. He broke into a wide grin and said how he was also enjoying re-reading the book for the first time in years, though he had only read about 50 pages. Just as we started to really get into a nice discussion, my train pulled in and I had to make a dash for it.

Well, it would have been a nice conversation!

Maybe next time...

Signor V.

I guess you didn't have a chance to invite him to join up here.

JG pays a dollar a member for anyone we can recruit.

Don't talk to strangers in the subway.

plaw tried that on Frank Vincent a while back.

Speaking if which, he's gonna be doing some book signings in NJ soon.....I was figuring on trying to maybe revive our relationship.

I saw some coverage of the book in the NY Daily News around a week or so ago.

Has anybody read it? Any comments? (Should we carry this over to another Board?)

Signor V.

Signor Vitelli,

That is great. To bad you didn't get to talk longer to this GF fan.

A couple weeks back me and my husband was looking at this house we were interested in buying. I was in the family room just staring at the 4 walls. My real estate agent says to me "Mignon are you ok? Why are you staring that way at the walls?" I told her I was just trying to picture in my head where I would put some of my GF pictures. She said You have GF pictures I love the GF it is my favorite movie. I wanted to discuss the movie with her but we didn't have the time. Maybe some other time.

It's interesting (and a bit strange) re-reading the novel after all these years.

When I first read it, the movie had not come out. Actually, they had not even cast it or started production on it in any way at all. So, I was like a blank slate. I had no preconceived notions about it whatsoever.

Now, after having seen the films many times, it is hard (if not downright impossible) to read the book without visualizing the actors, locations, etc. that were in the movies.

It also makes me acutely aware how much was omitted from the film - and how some characters were quite different in the film (think Mama Corleone, for one). Truthfully, I really didn't miss a lot of the Johnny Fontane/Lucy/Nino/Dr. Whatsisname stuff, but knowing more of the "backstories" of some of the more familiar characters (Al Neri, particularly) made me wish that just a little more of it could have found its way into the film. Yeah, I know, the film would have ended up running four hours - but think how happy we would have been when all that footage would eventually end up "restored" for TV or DVD.

Signor V.

...try to disguise yourself as an Italian...

Hey, I've got plenty of moustaches...oh, wait - plaw has a moustache.

Never mind.

Signor V.

I carry my book with me where ever I go. I usually get a response from somebody who notices the cover. I like when people notice the book and comment on how they liked it. It's like I feel a connection with these people. It's kind of like that feeling of whenever you post a topic or a reply and get a reply back..ya know what I mean? It's that connection that I enjoy

I just stared reading the Godfather for the first time a few days ago. I read that sex scene between Sonny and Lucy and almost threw the book at my mole-faced teacher (I was reading at school). But I stayed strong and continued (intimate sex scenes are tough on my young mind...just kidding, I've got about a perverted mind as they come, thanks to my 'friends'). I hope that one day 30 years from now I'll be able to look back and relive these memories, re-read the book, meet people doing the same...*sobs*