The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
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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. 

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