Trip to Normandy Evokes a Time of Action for Illinois World War II Veteran"

From the June 2, 2024, Chicago Tribune by William A. Ryan.

Since there is a lot of news about the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I will be writing about some of it here in this blog as well, of course, in my World War II blog.

In a nursing home about three hours northwest of Chicago near the Wisconsin border on the edge of Durand, Illinois, a town nicknamed "Village of Volunteers," three WW II veterans are talking about the upcoming 80th anniversary of D-Day.

One of them will be traveling to Normandy for the occasion, though he is increasingly frail at the age of 98.  Frank Kohnke is a bit anxious about the trip.

He straightens his 101st Airborne cap and holds up a sepia-toned photograph of him back then.

At the beginning of June, the Army kicks off 10 days in Normandy to commemorate perhaps the most iconic military maneuver in modern history:  the day America and her allies stormed the beaches of France to gain a foothold in German-occupied Europe.

Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to attend, but the guests of honor will be the nearly 130 World War II veterans like Kohnke who are making the the trip on two medically-supported Honor Flights.

--GreGen

April 2023 Official Month of I&M Canal in Illinois

To commemorate the 175th anniversary of the openingof the Illinois & Michigan Canal and the enormius impact it had on the region, state and nation, Governor JB Pritzker declared April 2023 the official month of the I&M Canal.

The next several posts will be about it and things you can do along it today.

--CootCanal

Some Interesting 'Casablanca' Trivia: That Fez and Last Line

From the same book as the quotes.

**  A FEZ OF THE HEART

Sydney Greenstreet wanted to wear traditional Moroccan garb but the producers wouldn't hear of it.  They wanted him to wear the white suit he was becoming known for (in other films).

Greenstreet settled for wearing a fez and doing the traditional salaam gsture (touching his heart, lips and brow).

**************************************

**   A DIFFERENT LAST LINE

The film almost ended with Rick Blane saying to Captain Renault, "Louis, I might have known you'd mix your patriotism with a little larceny."

Producer Hal Wallis came up with a better last line -- about a beautiful friendship-- after shooting was completed.  He had to bring Humphrey Bogart back to the studio a month later to dub the new line.

--Cooter

80th Anniversary of Cassablanca-- Part 2: 'Play It, Sam'

Some more quotable quotes from the movie.

**  "Play it, Sam.  Play 'As Time Goes By'."  --Ilsa Lund

**  "Kiss me.  Kiss me as if it were the last time."  --Ilsa Lund

**   "Here's looking at you, kid."  --Rick Blane

**  We might as well be frank.  It would take a miracle to get you out of Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles."  --Signor Ferrari

"Play 'As Time Goes By'."  --Cooter

Sons of the American Revolution Honors American Battlefield Trust

From the Summer 2022 Hallowed Ground magazine.

At its spring meeting,the National Society Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), in unanimous acclamation, named the American Battlefield Trust the 2022 recipient of its Distinguished Patriotic Leadership Award, and recognizing both the Trust's land preservation and educational initiatives.

Of course, the American Battlefield Trust originally was the Civil War Battlefield Trust and only targetting preservation of Civil War battlefields, but has recently expanded its preservation efforts to the American Revolution and the War of 1812 battlefields.

The NSSAR has been a strong supporter of the Trust's work since its earliest forays into the protection of Revolutionary War battle sites.  Its advocacy meaningly advanced Trust preservation efforts at Princeton and together the two organizations have worked to protect 2,500 additional acres to mark the Revolutionary War's 250th anniversary, the semiquincentennial.

--Cooter

'The Godfather' Turns 50, Where Are They Now-- Part 7: Talia Shire, Diane Keaton and John Cazale

TALIA SHIRE

After playing the abused wife in "The Godfather", the actress was the ever-supportive Adrian in "Rocky."

Shire, now 75, reprised the role on "Rocky's" four sequels and appeared on others, including "I Hear Huckabees" (2004) and "Palo Alto" (2013).

DUANE KEATON

Now 76, Keaton played wife Kay in all three movies and established herself as one of Hollywood's premier actresses in films such as "Annie Hall" (1977), "Baby Boom" (1987) and "The First Wives Club" (1996).  Her latest charmers?  "Poms" (2019) and "Love, Weddings & Other Disasters" (2020).

JOHN CAZALE 

The Boston native, memorable as Fredo in two "Godfather" films, went on to other memorable performances in "The Conversation" (1974) and "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975).  He died of cancer atbv42 after completing his role for "The Deer Hunter" (1978).  He was in a relationship with his "Deer Hunter" co-star Meryl Streep at the time.

A Great Movie.  --CootFather

'The Godfather' Turns 50, Where Are They Now?-- Part 6: Robert Duvall and James Caan

ROBER DUVALL

Since his film debut as Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962), Duvall -- who played the Corleone's legal consultant Tom Hagen -- has racked up seven Oscar nominations, including "The Judge" in 2015.  (He won in 1984 for "Tender Mercies.")

The actor, now 91, is also a skilled tango dancer.

JAMES CAAN

He auditioned for the role of Michael Corleone before Coppola chose him for brash older brother Sonny.  Now 81, Caan has stayed busy during the later decades with more than 90 film and TV credits -- most notably in the 2003 holiday classic "Elf."

--Cooter

'The Godfather' Turns 50-- Part 5: Where Are They Now? Al Pacino and Marlon Brando

AL PACINO

**  The New York City-born actor who starred in all three "Godfather" movies, has memorably portrayed intense characters from both sides if the law in films such as "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975), "Scarface" (1983), "Heat" (1995) and "The Irishman" (2019).

Still in demand at age 81, he most recently co-starred in "House of Gucci."

MARLON BRANDO

**  The mercurial star-- who made an explosive debut in the 1950s in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "On the Waterfront" -- refuse to appear in "The Godfather:  Part 2."

But he agreed to pull off a tongue-in-cheek version of a Godfather-lik mob boss in the 1990 comedy "The Freshman."

He died in 2004 at age 80.

--Cooter

'The Godfather' Turns 50-- Part 4: About That Horse's Head

THAT BLOODY HORSE HEAD

Discovered in the bed of the ruthless movie producer, it wasn't a prop:  it was a real horse's head from a dogfood plant in New Jersey.  That scream the producer let out was as good as Pacino's in "Godfather 3."

THE GODFATHER IN POP CULTURE

"Return of the Jedi" (1983)  It's no coincidence that Princess Leia kills Jabba the Hutt by strangling him with her chain.  Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan was inspired by Luca Brasi, whose eyes and tongue bulge out as he is garroted by an assassin.

"You've Got Mail" (1998)   Doing his best Vito impression, Tom Hanks insists that life's problems can be solved by one of the Godfather's credos, telling Meg Ryan to "go to the mattresses," to fight for her business to stay open.

"The Sopranos" (1999)   The TV series made several references to the original mob family, like when Tony Soprano gets shot after chugging orange juice near his car.

"Despicable Me"  (2010)   Even this G-rated kiddie movie includes a nod"  Villain Gru finds a doll's head in his bed and screams bloody murder.

--CootFather

'The Godfather' Turns 50-- Part 3: $100,000 and Set Hijinks

**  $100,000

That's what it cost to do Sonny's tollbooth death scene (all those bullets) and blood packers, you know.

**  Hijinx On Set

Caan and Duvall, initially intimidated by the legendary Brando, broke the ice on set by dropping their pants and mooning him.  "He made me!" Caan says of Duvall.

Brando upstaged them by dropping his own trousers while the crew was  setting up the wedding scene photo.

**  A Blond Michael?

The studio floated Robert Redford and Ryan O'Neal for the role of the youngest Corleone brother.

Martin Sheen also auditioned.

--CootMoon

'The Godfather' Turns 50-- Part 2: It Was a Family Affair and That Darn Cat, What? No Brando?

**  IT WAS A FAMILY AFFAIR

Director Francis Ford Coppola didn't just cast his sister, Talia Shire, in the movie.  Their father, Carmine Coppola composed the music for the soundtrack.  

And, the baby boy that was in the baptism scene was the director's daughter who grew up to appear in the sequels (in other roles) and has become a renowned writer and director herself.

Her brothers, Roman and Gian-Carlo, also had small background roles.

*********************************

**  THAT CAT

It was a stray that Coppola told Brando to improvise with.

**  NO MARLON BRANDO?

Paramount actually preferred to have Burt Lancaster, Laurence Olivier  or Anthony Quinn to play crime boss Don Vito Corleone.

--CootCat

'The Godfather' Turns 50-- Part 1

From the February 27, 2022, Parade Magazine by Mara Reunstein.

Some of the questions that arose during the filming of this movie classic released fifty years ago were:

The cast is all wrong.

The tone is too somber.

It needs to be shorter.

Does it have to be set in the 1940s?

Those were just some of the questions Paramount Pictures executives had about the adaptation of Mario Puzo's gangster movie about a powerful Italian American family as it lumbered to its March 1972 release.

Director Francis Ford Coppola, who had co-written the big war biopic "Patton" after Elia Kazan and Arthur Penn turned it down.

Today Coppola's "The Godfather" is considered a true cinematic masterpiece and a pop culture touchstone.

It grossed $136 million in all, surpassed at the time only by "Gone With the Wind" and "The Sound of Music.  Adjusted for inflation, that's $711 million, making it the 26th highest-grossing film of all time.

Well, add another $6 to that when I had my own private showing at the Fox Lake Theatre.  (I was the only one in the theater back in March.  This was my first theater seen movie since February 28, 2020 for some reason.)

--CootBrando

Eight Things About the Titanic That You Might Not Know

From the April 15, 2022 Buzz "These 8 Titanic secrets surfaced 110 years after the wreck."

The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, 110 years ago.  It wasn't until 36 years ago that the wreck was discovered.

**  The 700+ third class passengers had to share just two bathtubs.

**  One of the ship's musicians wasn't officially declared dead until 2000.  As a matter of fact, the French Army declared him a deserter when he failed up to serve during World War I.

**  The ship's lookouts relied on their eyesight alone as the ship's second officer was replaced at the last minute and forgot to hand over the key to unlock the locker where the binoculars were stored.  In 2010, that key was auctioned for $130,000.

**  One of the richest men in the world, if not the richest, died in the wreck.  John Jacob Astor's worth was $3.5 billion in today's dollars.  His body was one of the ones recovered and had $60,000 on his pocket.

**  One of the ship's cooks survived at least two hours in the frigid North Atlantic waters thanks to copious amounts of whiskey he had drunk.

**  Most people died of hypothermia within 15 minutes.

**  The 1997 movie cost more to produce than what it cost to build the Titanic.

**  Despite what eyewitnesses said, it wasn't until the wreck was found that it was officially confirmed that the ship had split in two pieces.

**  The wreck could vanish by 2030.  Scientists believe bacteria will eat it away by then.

And, Who Says Drinking Is Bad for You?  --Cooter

50 Things About 'The Godfather'-- Part 8: Joel Grey?

47.  Caan, Duvall and Pachino were all nominated in the supporting actor category, but the winner was Joel Grey for "Cabaret."

48.  All deep and abiding respect for Joel Grey, but the fact that Pacino didn't win for playing Michael Corleone is mind-boggling.

49.  Two years later, the Academy had the opportunity to get it right when Pacino was nominated for best actor for "The Godfather Part II" - but the Oscar went to Art Carney for "Harry and Tonto."

50.  "The Godfather" is the most memorable, most influential, most beloved, most discussed, most imitated, most entertaining American movie ever made (with the possible exception of "The Godfather II."

--Cooter

50 Things About "The Godfather"-- Part 7: Killing Sonny

42.  Some 400 squibs were affixed to Caan to produce one of the bloodiest scenes since "Bonnie & Clyde,"  Possibly a case of overkill.

43.  The killing of Sonny at the Long Beach Causeway took three days to film and cost about $650,000 in today's dollars.

44.  Brando famously refused to learn his lines, so cue cards were taped on lamps, desks, bushes and even other  actors.

45. "The Godfather" is still the 25th highest grossing film of all time, with an adjusted-for-inflation gross of $722 million.

46.  At the 45th Academy Awards, the film won best picture, best actor for Brando and best adapted screenplay for Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo.

--CootWhat'sMyLine?

Fifty Things About "The Godfather"-- Part 6: Who Sleeps with the Fishes?

37.  "Do you know who I am?  I'm Moe Greene!  I made my bones when you were going out with cheerleaders!"

38.  "Fredo, you're my older brother and I love you.  But don't ever take sides with anyone  against the family again.  Ever."

39.  "That's a Sicilian message.  It means that Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."

40.  Pacino and Keaton got hammered after the big wedding scene because they were both convinced the movie was going to be terrible and potentially career-damaging.

41.  James Caan recently tweeted a black and white photo of himself covered with "blood" after filming the scene in which Sonny was killed.  (Two girls are seen looking through the window of the toll booth.  They appear to be either confused or horrified.)  Wrote Caan:  "Jimmy, that's a wrap!  Yeah, yeah I know.  End of Tweet."

--CootShot

Fifty Things About "The Godfather"-- Part 5: 'I'm Gonna Make Him An....'

30.  A  generation later,  "The Sopranos" would pay tribute to "The Godfather" by having  the strip club named "Bada Bing."

31.  "Modern Family" paid tribute to "The Godfather" in an episode titled "Fulgencio," which features a baptism ceremony intercut with scenes of revenge.  (Nobody is actually killed, because "Modern Family" was a sitcom and that would have been insane.

32.  Don Corleone's cat was a stray found on the Paramount lot.

33.  Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman all reportedly turned down the role of Michael.

********************************

REMEMBER THESE QUOTES.

34.  "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."

35.  "I believe in America.  America has made my fortune.  And I raised my daughter in the American fashion."

36.  "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."

--CootFather

Fifty Things About 'The Godfather'-- Part 4: Don't Want No Oscar, No Way, No How

24.  Brando skipped the Academy Awards and sent Sacheen Littlefeather in his stead to explain why he was declining the Oscar to protest Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans.

25.  Pachino was also a no-show at the Oscars because he felt he should have been in the best actor and not supporting actor category given that he had more screen time than Brando.

26.  Robert De Niro and Marlin Brando win Oscars for playing the same character at different points in his life.  (Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix won Oscars for playing the Joker -- but two very different versions of the character in two standalone movies.

27.  That was a real horse's head.

28.  James Caan's Sonny favored the nonsensical phrase "bada bing."

29.  Caan had overheard the real-life mobster Carmine Persico using the phrase.

--RoadBing

50 Things About 'The Godfather'-- Part 3: Same Gal, Three Movies (and Related)

15.  Marlon Brando was 47 years old when he played Don Corleone -- the same age as Bradly Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio and Joaquin Phoenix are today.  (He sure looked a lot older than that to me.)

16.  Before Brando was cast, the top choices tp play Don Corleone included Ernest Borgnine and Laurence Olivier.

17.  Joe Spinell, who played the hitman Will Cici, went on to portray the loan shark Gazzo in "Rocky."

18.  When Clemenza recites the ingredients for his spaghetti sauce ("You start off with a little bit of oil, then you fry some garlic, then you throw in some tomatoes...", that's in the Coppola family recipe.

19.  Nearly every critic in America praised the family, but Stanley Kauffman of the New Republic slammed Brando's performance, said Al Pacino "rattles around in a part too demanding for him" and opined James Caan was merely "OK as his older brother."

20.  Sofia Coppola was in all three "Godfather" films.

21.  In the original, she was Michael Francis Rizzi, the infant son of Connie and Carlo who is getting baptized.

22.  In "Godfather II," Sofia can be seen very briefly as an immigrant girl on the ship taking Vito Corleone to Ellis Island.

23. In "Godfather III," she was Mary Corleone, daughter of Michael and Kay.

--Cootleone

50 Things About 'The Godfather'-- Part 2: 'Leave the Gun, Take the ...'

8.  The studio wanted "The Godfather" to be set in modern times (the 70s back then) and perhaps Kansas City to save in the budget, but Coppola insisted on keeping it in New York from 1945 to 1955.  Aren't we glad he did.

9.  Actor Richard Castellano, playing Clemenza, improvised one of the most memorable lines in the film:  "Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

10.  Francis For Coppola's good friend, George Lucas was in charge of the montage of newspaper headlines and crime scene photos depicting the bloody war between the five families.

11.  Lucas' contributions was his way of saying thanks to his friend Francis, who helped raise funds for his "American Graffiti."

12.  Coppola's father Carmine is the piano player in the aforementioned montage.

13.  The combined salaries of Al Pacino, James Caan and Diane Keaton was $105,000.  They were each paid $35,000.

14.  Robert Duval was paid $36,000 for his two months of work.  He must have had a better agent.

--Cooter