In The Godfather, Don Corleone loved and indulged his godson Johnny Fontane, played by actor and singer Al Martino. Johnny represented love, loyalty, and the rising hopes of a new generation. His best years seemed yet to come. So when Al Martino died (October, 2009) at age 82, it didn't seem right to me. It stung. How could Johnny ever die?
I actually didn't grow up listening to Al Martino or Frank Sinatra (who was supposedly the real-life model for Johnny's character), nor any of the other crooners, but I do appreciate their deep connection with New York.
This connection was brought home to me when I listened to a fantastic episode of "This American Life" about this young guy who sang Sinatra songs on the stoop of his apartment building in Greenwich Village. Even though Mayor Guliani was cracking down on noise violations at the time, the singing drew a large crowd of New Yorkers for several Friday nights in a row. Time stood still, as strangers became transfixed and momentarily united by this channeling of Sinatra. One of the tenants put couches out on the street for people to sit on, another tap danced, and an elderly Asian man from another floor in the building came over and hugged the singer, even though they'd never talked before.
My favorite part was when the cops, who were supposed to be shutting the singer down (he had speakers and a microphone), circled the block, parked their cruiser, and then shouted out on the bullhorn, "Do 'Summer Wind'!"
I wish we could also ask Al Martino to sing one more. As the Don's wife begged in that marvelous wedding scene, "Johnny, Johnny... Sing a song."
Related Posts:
For an epilogue of sorts, about how my attitude toward Sinatra later changed, see my post on the music in The Freshman.
All posts on The Godfather and The Freshman (starring Brando, in a redux of Don Corleone)
Posts
Eloquent eulogy. Nicely done.
ReplyDelete