During the 1960s, Mario Puzo made his living primarily as an editor of and writer for men’s adventure magazines.
Under the pen name “Mario Cleri,” he wrote dozens of wild war stories and adventure yarns for men’s pulp mags.
Puzo also wrote several novels in his spare time during those years.
But he didn’t become famous as a writer until his fifth novel — The Godfather — was published in 1969.
Early in the book, actor and singer Johnny Fontane tells Mafia “Godfather” Don Vito Corleone that a movie studio executive had refused to give him a role he wanted in an upcoming movie.
Don Corleone tells Johnny he’ll convince the studio executive to change his mind. When Johnny wonders how, Corleone gives a simple explanation.
“He’s a businessman,” the Don said blandly. “I'll make him an offer he can't refuse.”
Corleone has his lawyer visit the studio exec and make a seemingly polite request to have Johnny reconsidered for the movie role. The studio exec refuses. Soon after that, he finds the bloody, severed head of his prized stud racehorse in his bed — and quickly decides to give Johnny the role.
Later, after Vito’s son Michael takes over the family business, Michael predicts that another mobster who had declined the family’s offer to buy his casino will change his mind.
Michael says simply: “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Soon, that mobster is dead and Michael’s family owns the casino.
As you probably know, these same events are played out in the movie version of The Godfather, which was scripted by Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola and released in the USA on March 15, 1972.
Marlon Brando’s line as Don Corleone is slightly different than in the book. Brando says: “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Al Pacino, as Michael, says the same words Michael uses in Puzo’s novel.
Soon after The Godfather hit movie theaters, “an offer he can’t refuse” became a national catchphrase that is still widely known and used today.
However, while it was originally used in the novel and film with chilling effect, it is now often used humorously.
One of my favorite funny uses was in HBO’s Mafia family TV series The Sopranos. In Episode 4, the character Uncle Junior (played by Dominic Chianese) tells this politically incorrect joke:
“You hear about the Chinese Godfather? He made them an offer they couldn’t understand.”
If any members of a Chinese Tong are reading this blog, please don’t send me any offers.
I suddenly realize it’s a terrible joke and promise never repeat it again.
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