How The Godfather Was Made to Pay Off a Gambling Debt

Hundreds of gangster movies have been made in Hollywood. Yet, The Godfather remains the sharpest, caustic take on the Cosa Nostra world and the extensive assortment of hoodlums, hangers-on, and businessmen that populate it. The behind-the-scenes facts about the production process of the gangster classic are as interesting as the movie itself.

Paramount saw the potential in the story before Mario Puzo’s novel had even matured from manuscript to paperback, but the journey to completion would take many interesting turns. From the Colombo crime family interfering with production to Francis Ford Coppola being fought by some of his crew members during filming, there was no shortage of chaos.

Ultimately, the hurly-burly paid off. Though everyone feuded viciously throughout the manufacturing process, all the participants threw off nothing but sparks in this enthralling tale of an army man’s maturation into mobster-in-chief. The movie became both financially and critically successful, winning three out of the 10 Oscars it was nominated for and making close to $300 million at the box office. The lives of almost everyone involved in the project changed for the better. Most actors became household names while the director and producers made big bucks.

But things would have looked very different if author Mario Puzo had refused to sell his story. Apparently, he only agreed to the transaction with Paramount because he had a heavy gambling debt.

Puzo’s Agent Never Wanted Him to Do the Deal

The books The Godfather Legacy: The Untold Story of the Making of the Classic Godfather Trilogy by Harlan Lebo and The Annotated Godfather by Jenny M Jones shed more light on the pre-production mayhem that plagued The Godfather.

Paramount Pictures initially found out about Mario Puzo’s novel in 1967 when a literary scout for the studio reached out to Vice President of Production Peter Bart about the author’s unfinished 150-page manuscript bluntly titled Mafia. At the time, adaptations were some of the most popular types of productions, so it was important to cast the net in the sea early. Paramount desperately needed a hit too, so a perfect marriage loomed. Bart immediately liked the idea, convinced that this was “more than a Mafia story.”

Eager to snatch the idea before anyone else did, Bart offered Puzo $12,500 for adaptation rights, promising $80,000 if the finished work received a production budget. Well, Puzo’s agent, Candida Donadio, looked at the contract proposal and figured he would only get pennies out of it, so he advised the author to turn down the offer. Who could blame him? He wasn’t doing this as a hobby. But even though Puzo would have loved to refuse the offer, he couldn’t.

Paramount’s Robert Evans recounts that early in 1968, he met Puzo and offered him the deal. The author then confided in him that he needed $10,000 urgently because his gambling debts had accumulated too much. Evans agreed to give him the money.

How coincidental for the author of The Godfather to also be addicted to gambling, a vice that the mafia loves investing in. It was something that brought him even closer to his fictional characters, but something his family hated. Puzo’s son, Antony, remembers the insatiable gambling days not-so-fondly. He told AirMail:

“He liked to do things first-class, even though we only had fifth-class money.”

Thankfully, the fifth-class situation didn’t stay that way forever.

Life Changed for Puzo, But His Children Felt He Was Shortchanged

The Hollywood offer was only the beginning of better days for Mario Puzo. When The Godfather was finally published, it remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for a whopping 67 weeks, selling over nine million copies in two years. Before that, the publishing company G. P. Putnam’s Sons had given him $375,000 for the book. Additionally, he was hired as a co-writer for the film adaptation and its sequels. Life could never have been better.

However, his children felt he was shortchanged. In 2012, Puzo’s estate filed a motion to terminate the contract with Paramount. This was a countersuit, tabled after Paramount had sued the estate in an effort to stop the publication of a prequel of the book titled The Family Corleone, claiming it was done without the studio’s permission. Family lawyer Bert Fields expressed his displeasure at the fact that the studio made “$1 billion, approximately,” off the mafia tale, yet it paid Puzo pennies.

In response to the saga, Paramount released a statement, saying:

“Paramount has tremendous respect and admiration for Mario Puzo and his legacy. We are only seeking to adhere to the terms of the deal that were agreed upon by Mr. Puzo himself.”

Ultimately, the war between the two families was resolved via an out-of-court settlement. Paramount was allowed to make more Godfather movies (if they wished), and the estate was allowed to publish the novel. Hopefully, The Family Corleone will ultimately be made into a film. After all, the idea of a prequel sounds good, especially in an era where there is a shortage of great gangster movies.