“The Godfather” By Mario Puzo 162
never asked you a favor, right? Do me a favor tonight and come with me. You’re the
only guy who’ll really feel sorry for me if I don’t win.”
For one moment Nino looked startled. Then he said, “Sure, old buddy, I can make it.” He
paused for a moment and said, “if you don’t win, forget it. Just get as drunk as you can
get and I’ll take care of you. Hell, I won’t even drink myself tonight. How about that for
being a buddy?”
“Man,” Johnny Fontane said, “that’s some buddy.”
The Academy Award night came and Nino kept his promise. He came to Johnny’s
house dead sober and they left for the presentation theater together. Nino wondered
why Johnny hadn’t invited any of his girls or his ex-wives to the Award dinner. Especially
Ginny. Didn’t he think Ginny would root for him? Nino wished he could have just one
drink, it looked like a long bad night.
Nino Valenti found the whole Academy Award affair a bore until the winner of the best
male actor was announced. When he heard the words “Johnny Fontane,” he found
himself jumping into the air and applauding. Johnny reached out a hand for him to shake
and Nino shook it. He knew his buddy needed human contact with someone he trusted
and Nino felt an enormous sadness that Johnny didn’t have anyone better than himself
to touch in his moment of glory.
What followed was an absolute nightmare. Jack Woltz’s picture had swept all the major
awards and so the studio’s party was swamped with newspaper people and all the
on-the-make hustlers; male and female. Nino kept his promise to remain sober, and he
tried to watch over Johnny. But the women of the party kept pulling Johnny Fontane into
bedrooms for a little chat and Johnny kept getting drunker and drunker.
Meanwhile the woman who had won the award for the best actress was suffering the
same fate but loving it more and handling it better. Nino turned her down, the only man
at the party to do so.
Finally somebody had a great idea. The public mating of the two winners, everybody
else at the party to be spectators in the stands. The actress was stripped down and the
other women started to undress Johnny Fontane. It was then that Nino, the only sober
person there, grabbed the half-clothed Johnny and slung him over his shoulder and
fought his way out of the house and to their car. As he drove Johnny home, Nino
thought that if that was success, he didn’t want it.