ACT I: 1927
In August 1927, Vito and Carmella celebrated their 15th Wedding Anniversary. Their children: Santino, Frederico, Miguelo, and Constanzia were seated with their family. Vito’s Uncle Oreste Abbandando and Aunt Francesca Abbandando were with their son Genco, his wife Carla, and their two daughters. Oreste wheeled a cake over to Vito while a tarantella played. Vito gave a speech in front of his friends and family. Vito, and Genco played Bocce with their friends Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio. Vito told them to meet him at GPOC the Next day. Hyman Rothstein and his brother Sam were seated with Moe Greene and Johnny Ola. They discussed Prohibition and Hyman said he could get them a meeting with Vito. Carmine Coppola played a Flute solo for his Godfather Vito. The tune reminded Vito of his father, Antonio Andolini, back in Sicily in 1901. Antonio told his sons, Vitone and Paolo, that he had to go to court for Don Francesco Ciccio to testify for his nephew Mosca Donatone. He feared that if he did not he would be murdered by the Don’s son, Strollo. Vito remembered his father’s funeral when his brother Paolo was killed. He remembered his mother, Maria, being murdered and his immigration to America. He remembered being adopted by Oreste and going to work for him at Abbandando grocery. When the song ended Vito embraced his Godson, and walked him back to his father, Augustino Coppola. Later that night, after most of the party had left, Vito talked to Santino, while Clemenza, Tessio, and Rothstein played cards. While they were cleaning up, Thomas Hagen came up to Vito, and told him Joe Maresia was pressuring him into paying him monthly protection he could not afford.

The next day, Vito met with his friends at GPOC. Vito talked of killing Ciccio, Mosca, and Strollo in Sicily. He talked of Vittorio Tommasino becoming Mike’s Godfather, and Elias Altobello becoming Connie’s Godfather. Clemenza told him that while he was away in Sicily Sal Maranzello had recruited Ottilio Cuneo, the nephew of the slain Giuseppe Fanucci, and they had been collecting protection in Vito’s neighborhood. Vito formed the Corleone Family and sent Tessio and Clemenza out to recruit. Rothstein told Vito of his meeting with Greene. He told of the Smuggling Ring and asked Vito if he would like to participate. Vito agreed and sent Rothstein to Chicago to set up the ring with John Riotro. Genco informed the GPOC workers of the new Family, while Tessio recruited neighborhood men. Clemenza walked over to the school to walk his son, Richard, and his Godson, Santino, over to Abbandando Grosseria for Cannolies. While at the Grosseria, Clemenza talked to Genco’s brother, Ernesto, and young Nazorine Paniterra. Oreste walked out from the back room with Ottilio Cuneo. Ottilio and Peter glared at each other as Ottilio left. Oreste told the men that after working at AG for 8 years, Cuneo was quitting his job to work for Sal Maranzello. He had come back to tell Oreste that for his help he would be exempt from paying protection. Later that night as Vito was having dinner with his family, Clemenza called and told him of Cuneo’s meeting with Oreste.

The next day when Vito went to GPOC, his workers and new friends all kissed his hand, and called him Don Corleone. Carmella’s brother, Bruno DeSapio, and Augustino Coppola were members of the new Family and escorted Vito to his office. Vito hung a picture of his family in Sicily on the wall behind his desk. He told Tessio and Clemenza how his friend Tommasino was now the Don and that most of Sicily was under his control. The remaining members of Ciccio’s Family had left for America with Joe Maresia. Vito presented Clemenza with a picture of his brother Domenick, and told how he had met his cousin Stefan Andolini for the first time. Later that week, Rothstein returned from Chicago and showed up at GPOC with Ola and Greene. He told Vito that Riotro was retiring but that they had set up the operation with Ralph Capone. Rothstein told Vito that they were supposed to meet ships at the docks and then load the alcohol and molasses into GPOC delivery trucks and drive them to Buffalo, NY, where they would be smuggled into Canada and through Detroit to Chicago. Vito put Rothstein in charge of the operation and told him he would handle meetings with Capone and others if there were problems. Rothstein, his brother Sam, Johnny Ola, Moe Greene, and others took part in the smuggling operation. Sal Tessio kept an eye on them and reported back to Vito.

In June 1928, Filomena Paniterra, wife of Nazorine, awoke to find a huge man, Luca Brasi, knocking on her front door. He told her he needed her help, and he would pay her. She agreed and Luca rushed her to a Ford. When they arrived at Brasi’s Apartment in Long Island, he hurried Filomena into the bedroom. On the bed was an Irish woman ready to give birth. Luca told Filomena she was his girlfriend, Claire, and that he needed her to deliver the baby. She did and Luca forced her at knifepoint to throw the baby into the basement furnace. Only after Luca cut her arm did she reluctantly toss the baby into the fire and run from the house. Luca went upstairs and stabbed Claire to death. The next day Carmine Coronda who worked for Vito and lived next door to Luca told Vito that Filomena had ran to his home last night. She told him of her horrible deed, and when Coronda told Vito, Vito told him to get Clemenza to kill Luca. Clemenza told Vito that Luca was in jail, but that he was a powerful man and if Vito persuaded him he could be a great use to the family. Vito went to the jailhouse to talk to Luca, but found out that Luca had just slashed his throat with a piece of glass, and he was receiving medical attention. After that, Vito talked to Luca and told him he would help him out of his troubles. Luca told Vito he wanted to die, and that nothing could stop him. Vito persuaded Luca to work for him by telling him that either he could kill for Vito, or Vito would see to it that rather than die he’d spend the rest of his life in jail. Luca agreed and Vito posted his bail. He told Luca that if he thought a cut throat was a quick way to die, that if he ever betrayed Vito he would suffer for weeks while slowly dying. Vito was the only man that Luca ever feared.

A week later Vito met with Police Chief Sterling McCluskey at Scarpato’s restaurant. Vito proposed to pay the entire force for their services and the first service would be to pardon Luca for the murder. The chief agreed but said he would not partake in any other illegal activities such as Gambling, Prostitution, Smuggling, Alcohol, Murder, or armed Robbery. While at the restaurant, Vito talked to Augustino Coppola’s cousin, Al Fontane. Fontane told Vito that his son, Johnny would be receiving Confirmation the next Easter. The boy’s Godfather, Rafilo Valenti had been murdered the year before over a disagreement with an Irishman, Seamus McGhee. Fontane’s Godchildren, Nino and Romane Valenti, lived with him and he couldn’t afford to pay protection to Maresia. Vito told him he would help, but that Johnny deserved a Godfather, and asked if he could be Godfather for Johnny’s Confirmation. Fontane happily agreed. On Easter 1929, Vito and his family, including the Abbandandos were present at Johnny’s Confirmation. Vito became the Godfather, and gave Johnny a Twenty-Dollar Gold piece.

For nearly two years, the smuggling ring went without a hitch. Then in May 1929, Santino came home late one night with Tom Hagen Junior. Santino told his father, that Ernesto had found Tom sleeping behind AG and had sent him home with Santino. Tom told Vito that his father had disappeared the week before. He told Vito that his father had been meeting with a man he referred to as Signor Giuseppe. His father had told him that he didn’t have enough money to pay Signor Giuseppe. He had disappeared the next day; Tom came home from school and hadn’t seen his father in a week. Carmella fed the boys as Vito called Clemenza and sent him over to the Hagen house. He called back later and said that the house was deserted. Vito feared that the father had been murdered, but he told Tom he could stay with his family until they found his father. Soon after, Vito met with Maresia in Central Park. Maresia said he hadn’t heard from Hagen and that he thought that he had skipped town to avoid paying him.

A few days later, Bruno ran into Vito’s office at GPOC with a newspaper. Vito read the paper and found out that the body of Tom Hagen Senior had been found in a basement in Brooklyn. The police didn’t have any suspects. Vito knew Maresia must have been involved and set up a meeting disguised as discussing Prohibition. The meeting took place in July 1929 at the Utica Zoo, in Utica, NY. Sal Maranzello, Ottilio Cuneo, Joe Maresia, Vito Corleone, Sal Tessio, Hyman Rothstein, Moe Greene, Ralph Capone, John Riotro, Philip Tattaglia, Dutch Saietta, Ceasar Malare, Gaetano Isabella, Hector Mangano, Richard Pelley, Louis Bocchicchio, Davide Fierra, David McKigney, and Seamus McGhee were at this meeting. Tattaglia was a Maresian Capo; Saietta was a Jewish Friend of Greene’s who drove the trucks to Buffalo, where they were picked up by Hector Mangano. Mangano sent them to Malare in Detroit. Pelley was a Jewish man who was involved with Johnny Ola. McKigney and McGhee represented the Irish Mob. Isabella was the Don of Long Island who informed Rothstein when the smuggling ships came in. Fierra was an independent Don who had been pressured lately by Maresia. Bocchicchio was alone in America but was close with his brother Guido in Sicily, who sent the alcohol to America on the same ships that Vittorio Tommasino sent Olive Oil to Vito. Riotro was there to head the meeting before retiring to Sicily. Rothstein informed the others that a man named Gianni Rizzi from Carson City, Nevada, was sponsoring a man from President Hoover’s Party as Governor of Nevada who was going to legalize Prostitution, Gambling, and Alcohol in Nevada. He needed monetary backing from New York to sponsor the Governor. Maranzello, Corleone, and Isabella agreed to back the Governor, but Maresia refused. He left the meeting with Tattaglia, Capone, and Malare. The Irish Mob declined to get involved since they wouldn’t benefit in New York from actions in Nevada. They left the meeting. Maranzello proposed that they should eliminate Maresia to insure the rest of them that they would benefit from Nevada’s Legalization and later Legalization in New York. Vito suggested they should wait to kill Maresia. Fierra wanted Maresia killed right away to get him off his back.