‘The Godfather’ Made Frank Sinatra so Mad, He Almost Fought the Author
Today, most members of the filmmaking community recognize The Godfather as one of the greatest films of all time. Still, one of the entertainment industry’s biggest stars, Frank Sinatra, did not initially share that opinion. Following The Godfather novel’s massive popularity, Sinatra developed a grudge against the story due to one character: Johnny Fontane.
The distaste that the star had for the novel’s alleged commentary on his career became so severe that Sinatra and The Godfather author and screenwriter even had a public confrontation at a restaurant, taking place while development on the feature film adaptation was beginning. It is a contentious character whose history and inspiration are still debated and disputed by film scholars to this day, given the character’s uncanny similarities to Frank Sinatra (as well as to Sinatra “Rat Pack” co-member Dean Martin).
So, who exactly is Johnny Fontane? Well, he may seem like a relatively minor character in the epic tale of the Corleone crime family, but in actuality, Johnny provides the namesake for the entire franchise. That’s because Johnny Fontane (played by Al Martino in the film) is the literal godson of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) himself, who is the head of the feared Corleone crime family. We first meet the character very early in the film, when Fontane visits his godfather on the day of his daughter’s wedding to see if he can make him an offer he can’t refuse.
While Constanzia “Connie” Corleone-Rizzi (Talia Shire) is celebrating her wedding day, she is delighted to see that an old friend has shown up to the celebration. Johnny is not just a childhood friend to the Corleone children but is also a famous singer, soon becoming the life of the party at one that isn’t even his own. The adoring crowds convince Johnny to sing a song for him and, perhaps unable to resist a chance to play for a large group of fans, obliges them. The brief time in the spotlight is nice, but it isn’t the reason that Fontane came to the wedding.
