‘The Godfather’ Annoyed the Italian Mafia — But Gained a Lot From It Too

The Godfather producer Al Ruddy was able to convince mob boss Russell Bufalino that Francis Ford Coppola's classic film about a fictitious, fabulously wealthy and merciless Italian-American crime family wasn't actually about "corrupt Italians" but rather, "a corrupt society."

"Without Russell, that movie would never have been made," William "Big Billy" D'Elia, a former boss in the Bufalino crime family and a protégé of Russell, told investigative journalist Matt Birkbeck.

D'Elia is the subject of Birkbeck's forthcoming book, The Life We Chose: William ‘Big Billy’ D’Elia and The Last Secrets of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Family, in which Birkbeck describes in minute detail via conversations with D'Elia just how involved the mob really was with The Godfather's success, as well as almost leading to the movie's downfall.

The latter is more common knowledge than the former, and was even the focus of Paramount +'s biographical drama series The Offer, which was executive produced by Ruddy. Still, Birkbeck recounts how "the Family" went to great lengths to try to screw up The Godfather's chances from ever making it on-screen, because they felt it would denigrate Italian-Americans.

Bufalino's greenlight, however, caused the mafia men behind the Italian American Civil Rights League (headed up at the time by the Colombo crime family) to cease threatening The Godfather's cast and crew, stop raiding its set, and act out in other violent ways.

Bufalino also helped actor Marlon Brando craft the legendary character that would become Don Vito Corleone, but according to D'Elia (as written by Birkbeck), he didn't really like Brando. Nevertheless, he had several meetings with him.

“Russell showed him the ropes, how to speak, certain mannerisms, his quiet way, which Brando used in the film. Whenever Brando had a question, he’d call Russell. I didn’t believe it the first time I heard his voice on the phone. I thought it was a joke. But it was him. Russell got the feeling that Brando thought he was above him, and you never do that to Russell. So in the end he thought he was a punk," D'Elia told Birkbeck.

Brando also apparently got drunk and mooned the cast of The Godfather, forgetting that many of Bufalino's crime family members were in the cast. He was so terrified of getting (more) on Bufalino's bad side that he quickly pulled up his pants and made a point to ensure that Bufalino knew he meant no disrespect.