Hollywood Godfather

November 15, 2018

"All it took was a word from a mob-connected guy and things got done," writes Russo, a singer, restaurateur, and actor best known for his supporting role as Carlo in The Godfather. He begins this straightforward memoir, coauthored by Picciarelli (writing, Seton Hill Univ.; criminal justice, California Univ. of Pennsylvania; Jimmy the Wags), in postwar New York's Little Italy, where the Mafia "permeated every fabric of life." Russo was eager to escape a neglectful family and traumatic years-long quarantine after contracting polio at age seven, and his street hustling led to a courier job under Frank Costello, legendary New York mob boss and inspiration for Marlon Brando's iconic Don Corleone. Russo's mob association led not only to his performance in The Godfather but also to close encounters with various celebrities. His stories range from credible (John Kennedy was a serial philanderer) to unverifiable (affairs with Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minnelli, and other Hollywood stars) to conspiratorial (his own role in the Mafia-engineered Kennedy assassination). Russo's writing style--a mix of braggadocio and unvarnished bluntness--reads like narration from Goodfellas, which is fitting given the common subject matter. VERDICT Fans of mob movies and unlikely success stories will find Russo's account compelling.--Chad Comello, Morton Grove P.L., IL

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2019
Recounting a life that reads like a narrative for a mob-movie script, a mobster, actor, and Las Vegas presence delivers numerous eye-opening revelations about national and world events.Among the many revelations: The mob likely arranged the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon was mobbed up, and the Vatican has been involved in mob money laundering. Writing with Picciarelli (co-author: Street Warrior, 2017, etc.), Russo weaves all of this among stories about his life, a life that featured an almost Dickensian boyhood: He spent some years in isolation due to polio; someone got killed, too--and not by the disease. Later, Russo became a permanent school truant and, as a teenager, was regularly sleeping with Marilyn Monroe. Eventually, he began to hang out with A-list celebrities, including Brando, Sinatra, and Elvis. He married early and regretted it, then went on to countless relationships with other women before marrying again--more happily, he assures us. But what appears to be his greatest experience was his role as Carlo Rizzi in The Godfather. He devotes some chapters to the film and refers to it continually. That role even saved his life, it seems, when Pablo Escobar, who was having him beaten to death for an infraction, confessed that the film was his favorite and canceled the contract. The author also recounts his numerous roles for the mob. He began as a delivery boy (a role that, in ways, he continued throughout his adult years) before moving on to become an agent in money laundering and a fixture in the Vegas nightlife. Later, distancing himself somewhat from the mob, he played more roles in films and TV and did some writing and producing. He writes that he hopes his life will inspire younger people.Russo is an engaging raconteur, no doubt about it, but skeptics may raise eyebrows--carefully so.

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December 1, 2018
If Russo's name rings a bell, but you can't figure out why, here's a hint: Carlo Rizzi. Yes, that Carlo Rizzi, the despicable fella who conspired to have Sonny Corleone murdered in The Godfather. Russo played Rizzi in the movie, but he wasn't a professional actor. As he tells us in this intriguing autobiography, he was a real-life mobster and was hired to play Carlo because he was instrumental in brokering a fragile relationship between the filmmakers, who wanted to portray the world of organized crime accurately, and the actual organized criminals, who were concerned about what effect The Godfather might have on their business. Russo tells a fascinating story about how a kid from New York's Little Italy grew up to be a genuine mobster (and actor, singer, and restaurateur). Skeptical readers may wonder if the author is embellishing his life here and there, but it's a hell of a story either way, and Russo comes across as a hell of an interesting guy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)