Son of The Godfather Creator Sues Over Royalties

The son of The Godfather creator Mario Puzo sued Paramount Pictures on Wednesday, claiming the studio failed to pay royalties from a 2006 video game based on the book and movie characters.

Anthony Puzo of New York claims in a court filing that he represents his father's estate and is seeking more than $1 million in damages for breach of contract.

The suit seeks damages for a game created by Electronic Arts, which was not named in the lawsuit that prominently features elements of the film.

A Paramount spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Mario Puzo died in 1999. Seven years earlier he entered into an agreement with Paramount to receive a "significant share" of the revenues from any audio or visual products that included elements of The Godfather films, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The agreement was made, the suit claims, because Puzo was a "young, relatively unknown author, struggling to support his family" when Paramount approached him about licensing the The Godfather and bought the rights for "an extremely low price."

Tweet

Three Associates of the Gambino Crime Family Charged with Murder

MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and MARK J. MERSHON, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced that three associates of the Gambino Organized Crime Family, EDMUND BOYLE, LETTERIO DECARLO, and THOMAS DONO, have been charged for the April 28, 1998 murder of FRANK HYDELL. DONO was arrested earlier this morning and is expected to be presented later today in Manhattan federal court.

BOYLE and DECARLO are in custody on other charges and will be brought to Manhattan in connection with the criminal charges in this case. According to an Indictment unsealed earlier today in Manhattan federal Court:

BOYLE, DECARLO, and DONO were all associates of the Gambino Organized Crime Family and as such committed various crimes, including murder, assault, robbery, burglary, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice. One of the goals of the Gambino Organized Crime Family was to protect its members and associates from detection and prosecution by law enforcement, by intimidating and seeking reprisal against other individuals who provided testimony or other information to law enforcement.

BOYLE, DECARLO, and DONO murdered HYDELL on April 28, 1998, in order to maintain and increase their standing as associates of the Gambino Organized Crime Family. Specifically, BOYLE, DECARLO, and DONO sought to prevent HYDELL from providing information to law enforcement about ongoing criminal activities of the defendants and other Gambino Organized Crime Family members and associates, including the January 1997 beating and murder of FRANK PARASOLE.

BOYLE, 43, DECARLO, 47, and DONO, 34, each are charged with one count of murder in aid of racketeering and one count of murder to prevent the communication of information to law enforcement. If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, and each defendant faces a maximum potential penalty of death.

The case was assigned to United States District Judge COLLEEN McMAHON. Mr. GARCIA praised the efforts of the FBI. Mr. GARCIA said that the investigation is continuing. Assistant United States Attorneys ELIE HONIG and KATHERINE R. GOLDSTEIN are in charge of the prosecution.

Tweet

Historic Photos of Chicago Crime: The Capone Era

Moviemakers shooting "Public Enemies" here, starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, dug deep into the files of the Chicago History Museum to research the film. And for good reason: Those files contain a treasure trove of photos from the 1920s and '30s gangland era of Chicago.

Some of those pictures -- many snapped by photographers of the old Chicago Daily News -- now have been compiled by museum curator John Russick in a book, Historic Photos of Chicago Crime: The Capone Era (Turner Publishing, $39.95).

Russick's goal was to capture not just the criminals, but the times. So among the 200 photos in the book are shots of biplane barnstormers, jazz cats, suffragists and flappers in fur coats.

At its center, though, are photos of Al Capone and his ilk, including crime scenes depicting bloody soldiers snuffed in the vice-driven street wars. One, however, shows Capone relaxing at a White Sox game in the front row of old Comiskey Park.

Russick said Capone was a different kind of crime boss when it came to publicity.

While Capone's mentor, John Torrio, shied from the public eye, Capone welcomed attention and posed for photos. His fearlessness was founded partly on a safety ensured by corrupt police, but also in the support he had from a thirsty portion of the general public who resented Prohibition, said Russick.

"Alcohol was such a fundamental part of the culture of America and of the immigrant communities,'' said Russick. "For Germans, going to a beer hall with your family and friends was a way of bringing solidarity to the community. [Prohibition] wasn't just an attack on alcohol but an attack on culture."

Capone, who inherited Torrio's mob in 1925, was eventually imprisoned on tax evasion charges in 1931.

It was an angle the feds had to take "largely because federal agents weren't certain a [Chicago] jury would convict him on bootlegging,'' said Russick. "Prosecution of the man would be pro-Prohibition."

Museum spokeswoman Lauren Dolan said a handful of museum experts worked with the film's researchers on "everything from the style of dress of the time to what the streets and street lights looked like -- including the storefronts.''

"They used many of our photographs that feature key people involved to make sure the actors looked like the real-life characters," she said.

Thanks to Andrew Herrman

Tweet