He Didn’t Need to Read No Stinking Book

Mario Puzo (1920-1999) was the writer whose 1969 novel, The Godfather, was adapted for the 1972 film of the same name. The author co-wrote the screenplay for the movie with director Francis Ford Coppola. The two men also wrote the screenplay for both Godfather sequels. They won Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay for the first two films.

Puzo claimed he really didn’t know what he was doing as he’d never written screenplays before, so he “figured I better learn” and bought a book on screenwriting after winning his Academy Awards. According to the writer, the first chapter of the screenwriting book said, “Study ‘Godfather I’. It’s the model of a screenplay”.

The Godfather won numerous awards, including three Oscars, five Golden Globes, and one Grammy. The Godfather Part II won six Academy Awards and was the first sequel to win the award for Best Picture. Both are generally considered to be among the greatest films ever made.

Puzo’s novel was on the NYT’s best-seller list for 67 weeks and sold more than nine million copies in two years.