Trust -- you've never seen The Godfather like this.
The UK Mail Online reveals never-been-seen candid pictures of the epic Mob tale, plus running commentary from author
Mario Puzo.
Puzo was flat broke when he decided to sit down and pen The Godfather as a means to support his family. He had already written two books, although the second did not live up to the publisher’s expectations.
He told the UK paper, “I knew I’d never be able to write another book if the next one wasn’t a success. The psychological and economic pressure would be too much. I had never doubted I could write a best-selling commercial novel whenever I chose to do so. My writing friends, my family, my children and my creditors all assured me now was the time to put up or shut up.”
Puzo hoped his story would land a glossy magazine spread at best, but to Puzo's surprise, his then publisher offered him $410,000 for the paperback rights. When he had the first 100 pages of The Godfather done, the William Morris Agency approved a contract with Paramount for the book for a $12,500 option payment, with ‘escalators’ if they exercised the option.
What a bargain.
Puzo says he was advised not to accept the offer but said, “I needed the cash and the $12,500 looked like Fort Knox. Let me say now that the fault was mine. But I never held it against Paramount that they got The Godfather so cheap.”
The Godfather became the number-one bestseller in the USA; it appeared on the New York Times list for 69 weeks. It was also a number-one bestseller in England, France, Germany and many other countries. It’s been translated into 17 or 20 languages -- Puzo stopped keeping track.
We all know how the rest of this story ends: The Godfather not only became one of the most popular trilogies to date but one of the most profitable.
http://www.hollywood.com/news/Secret_Shots_of_The_Godfather/5362368
