Johnny Fontane
Encyclopedia
John "Johnny" Fontane is a fictional character in Mario Puzo
's novel The Godfather
and the series of films based upon it. In Francis Ford Coppola
's film adaptation
of the novel, he was portrayed by Al Martino
, the role having been turned down by Vic Damone
.
and occasional movie star
in the vein of Frank Sinatra
. He is also the godson of Don Vito Corleone, the head of a major Mafia
crime family. There are four occasions on which the Corleone family intervenes to help his career. The first, years before the main time frame of the original novel and film, is when Vito Corleone uses violent persuasion (an "offer he can't refuse") to buy out a contract that Fontane is locked into with a big band leader; after the bandleader turns down Vito Corleone's offer to buy out the contract, the Mafia chieftain orders his personal assassin Luca Brasi
to put a gun to the man's forehead and says that, in five seconds, either the man's signature or his brains will be on the contract.
The second, the infamous "horse-head" scene, is an act of intimidation, carried out at the Godfather's behest, to ensure Fontane receives a part in a war film
. The film's producer, Jack Woltz
, despises Fontane for "ruining" a woman he was sexually interested in, and thus blacklist
s him from the production. After Corleone family consigliere
Tom Hagen
fails to persuade Woltz to give Fontane the part, Brasi beheads Woltz's prize racehorse, Khartoum, and puts the animal's head in Woltz's bed as a warning. Terrified, Woltz relents and casts Fontane. Months later, Vito uses his Hollywood connections to ensure that Fontane wins the Academy Award for Best Actor
. Finally, the Corleones lend Fontane money to start his own film studio.
Fontane is a minor character in the movie adaptation. In the original novel, however, the character is far more central, with large portions of the book dedicated to his adventures and misadventures in Los Angeles
and Las Vegas
, his precarious relationship with childhood friend and former partner Nino Valenti, and his struggles with losing the singing voice that made him famous. In the novel, Fontane develops (and eventually is cured of) lesions on his vocal cords.
Fontane was widely seen to have been based on Frank Sinatra
. While Puzo never made this claim, he also never denied it.
by Mark Winegardner
. In the 2004 novel, he campaigns for the presidential election of his friend, James Kavanaugh "Jimmy" Shea, who is based on former President John F. Kennedy
.
In Winegardner's sequel The Godfather's Revenge
, Fontane becomes romantically involved with Francesca Corleone, daughter of Sonny
. They are married at the end of the novel. In this novel, the real Sinatra is mentioned twice, even within a discussion between Fontane and Francesca.
Mario Puzo
Mario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...
's novel The Godfather
The Godfather (novel)
The Godfather is a crime novel written by Italian American author Mario Puzo, originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia...
and the series of films based upon it. In Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
's film adaptation
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
of the novel, he was portrayed by Al Martino
Al Martino
Al Martino was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid 1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop crooners", and also became well known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The...
, the role having been turned down by Vic Damone
Vic Damone
Vic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...
.
Novel and film
In the novel and film, Fontane is a famous croonerCrooner
Crooner is an American epithet given to male singers of pop standards, mostly from the Great American Songbook, either backed by a full orchestra, a big band or by a piano. Originally it was an ironic term denoting an emphatically sentimental, often emotional singing style made possible by the use...
and occasional movie star
Movie star
A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...
in the vein of Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
. He is also the godson of Don Vito Corleone, the head of a major Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
crime family. There are four occasions on which the Corleone family intervenes to help his career. The first, years before the main time frame of the original novel and film, is when Vito Corleone uses violent persuasion (an "offer he can't refuse") to buy out a contract that Fontane is locked into with a big band leader; after the bandleader turns down Vito Corleone's offer to buy out the contract, the Mafia chieftain orders his personal assassin Luca Brasi
Luca Brasi
Luca Brasi is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, as well as its 1972 film adaptation .-In the novel and film:In The Godfather, Luca Brasi is one of Don Vito Corleone's personal enforcers...
to put a gun to the man's forehead and says that, in five seconds, either the man's signature or his brains will be on the contract.
The second, the infamous "horse-head" scene, is an act of intimidation, carried out at the Godfather's behest, to ensure Fontane receives a part in a war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
. The film's producer, Jack Woltz
Jack Woltz
Jack Woltz is a fictional character from the Mario Puzo novel The Godfather and the 1972 film adaptation. In the film, he is portrayed by John Marley.-In the film:...
, despises Fontane for "ruining" a woman he was sexually interested in, and thus blacklist
Blacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
s him from the production. After Corleone family consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
Tom Hagen
Tom Hagen
Thomas "Tom" Feargal Hagen is a fictional character in the Godfather books and films. He was portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films. He is the informally adopted son of Don Vito Corleone and serves as the family lawyer and consigliere . Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, he often serves as a voice of...
fails to persuade Woltz to give Fontane the part, Brasi beheads Woltz's prize racehorse, Khartoum, and puts the animal's head in Woltz's bed as a warning. Terrified, Woltz relents and casts Fontane. Months later, Vito uses his Hollywood connections to ensure that Fontane wins the Academy Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
. Finally, the Corleones lend Fontane money to start his own film studio.
Fontane is a minor character in the movie adaptation. In the original novel, however, the character is far more central, with large portions of the book dedicated to his adventures and misadventures in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, his precarious relationship with childhood friend and former partner Nino Valenti, and his struggles with losing the singing voice that made him famous. In the novel, Fontane develops (and eventually is cured of) lesions on his vocal cords.
Fontane was widely seen to have been based on Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
. While Puzo never made this claim, he also never denied it.
Novel sequels
The character is expanded upon in the novel The Godfather ReturnsThe Godfather Returns
The Godfather Returns is a novel written by author Mark Winegardner, published in 2004. It is the sequel to Mario Puzo's The Godfather, which was originally published in 1969, and The Sicilian...
by Mark Winegardner
Mark Winegardner
Mark Winegardner is an American writer born and raised in Bryan, Ohio. His novels include The Godfather Returns, Crooked River Burning, and The Veracruz Blues. He published a collection of short stories, That's True of Everybody, in 2002. His newest novel, The Godfather's Revenge, was published...
. In the 2004 novel, he campaigns for the presidential election of his friend, James Kavanaugh "Jimmy" Shea, who is based on former President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
In Winegardner's sequel The Godfather's Revenge
The Godfather's Revenge
The Godfather's Revenge, a 2006 novel written by author Mark Winegardner, is the sequel to The Godfather, The Sicilian, and The Godfather Returns. The story takes place from 1963–1964, and picks up the story from where The Godfather Returns left off...
, Fontane becomes romantically involved with Francesca Corleone, daughter of Sonny
Sonny Corleone
Santino "Sonny" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and its 1972 film adaptation. He also appears as an infant, as a young boy, and an adult in The Godfather Part II....
. They are married at the end of the novel. In this novel, the real Sinatra is mentioned twice, even within a discussion between Fontane and Francesca.