40th Anniversary of The Godfather

Recreate the Lionel train display in the hardware store window when Tom Hagen is met by Virgil Sollozzo.

A Genco Olive Oil tank car would be neat.

Ron

I haven't seen it yet.  Is it any good?

Jon 

Is there really a scene like that?!!  The only "train" I remember from that movie is the one on Connie's wedding gown.  

- Mike

Yes, there is! it's just before Christmas, Hagen was buying gifts in a store and he stops and looks at the train display, just before being taken away. It's only on screen for about 30 seconds--

I'm not even sure it was on for that long!

Ron

How about a Clemenza's Cannoli (sp?) boxcar?

We were just on our way to an anniversary party, but someone blew the whistle on us - again!

Where's Mike Castelli? He was there during filming.

It's shot outside of Polk's.  There is a train small set running on a loop of track in the window.  On the DVD version you can zoom in and see model railroading books on a wall rack near the door.   Some of the books are Linn Westcott's HO guides to "fill in the blank".  All were published well after the time the movie is set in.   The only other train related aspect to the film would be the scenes with the EL tracks when they are taking Paulie for his last ride and the sounds of subway trains in the background of the scene where Michaels shoots Sollazzo and McKlusky at the restaurant.

An "Offer you can't refuse" cement hopper.

Sleeps with the fishes aquarium car?

A building for Horse Head Talent Agency...

An "Al Pacino Wuz Robbed!" boxcar. Godfather 1 still shines as Al's finest acting hour.

Pete

Ya know, LIONEL could re label the vampire plasma tank car for either marinara sauce when Clemenza gets cooking or all the blood shed in the film.

Recreate the Lionel train display in the hardware store window when Tom Hagen is met by Virgil Sollozzo.

I'm pretty sure the display in Polks window when Hagen was met by Solazzo was a Lionel D189 Dealer Display Layout.

I'd love a Genco Olive Oil boxcar or tank car!

Peter

Careful boys. Journalists are losing their jobs left and right over this Jeremy Lin stuff. Let's be 'sensitive' to those of us with vowlels at the end of our names.

There is also a scene of a train on a large drapery hanging on a wall at the meeting of the 5 families.  Just above Barzinni's head.  This is where Marlon Brando makes the famous quote " On the souls of my grandchildren, it will not be me that breaks the peace that we have made today"

Paul Edgar

I'm pretty sure the display in Polks window when Hagen was met by Solazzo was a Lionel D189 Dealer Display Layout.

Nope.  If it's patterned on one of the dealer displays it's not in Roger Carps book and the track layout and accessories don't match up with the D189.  This part of the movie is supposed to be Dec 1945.  The war is just over and I'm not sure how much of the trains are back in production.   The train running in the window does not match the makeup of the only set offered in 1945 either.  Some of the cars are from the late 50's.

How about a movie theater on your layout, playing the movie. I have the set of the three movies. Two are great except part three. Coppola's daughter can't act a lick and it drives me crazy. Don

Lionel already has the mold and dies. Put out a Godfather's bobbing heads horse car.

An offer you can't refuse

Here's a Godfather trivia question.

Besides the scene with Lionel trains in the hardware store window, another great Christmas time scene shows Al Pacino and Diane Keaton Christmas shopping at one of 5th Avenue's grand old department stores. 

Which one was it ?

Ken

Best & Co.  Buildings gone, as in torn down.  The Olympic Tower replaced it.

It's a bit obscure in this picture, but did someone ask about the Genco Olive Oil Company?

Or to us Nazi guys with 2 Ns after their names.

I built a Genco Imports Co. out of an Ameri-Towne kit.  One of my favorite things on my layout.

There is also a scene of a train on a large drapery hanging on a wall at the meeting of the 5 families.  Just above Barzinni's head.  This is where Marlon Brando makes the famous quote " On the souls of my grandchildren, it will not be me that breaks the peace that we have made today"

Although the film indicated that the meeting of the 5 families took place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, it was actually filmed in the New York Central Building, a couple of blocks south on Park Ave. That's the 52 story building that actually sits in the middle of Park Ave, directly behind the Met Life Building (formerly the Pan Am Building) and was the backdrop for Grand Central Terminal up until 1960, when the Pan Am Building was built. That scene was shot in the Board Room of the New York Central Railroad, actually Penn Central at the time. The painting on the Board Room wall depicts #999 and the 20th Century Limited.

btw...in case you missed it, "Tessio" turned 91 last week.  (Yes, that means he's "still alive!")  

- Mike

How about a GENCO Olive Oil Tank Car? Or a bullet riddled black sedan on a flat car being taken away after they shot Sonny on the causeway 

Way overrated, IMHO.

This picture is from the Forum from a few years ago.....Does anyone know who made it?   I probably would get one.

Peter

On AMC right now they are running all 3 Godfather's with lots of extra scenes and in chronological order.  Start again at 8PM.

The scene with the Display layout was great.

Skip....any chance of a pic of a D189?

Anyone else have any idea where I can get a Genco Olive Oil HiCube like in the pic above?

That store front scene was created by none other than the late great Boyd Mason of the Hazlet Train Stop, Hazlet, N.J.  He also created the train scene in Arthur, and the Adams family. He got introduced to Hollywood by Frank Sinatra who would visit the shop when he played the Garden State Arts Center. He built a set of subway cars for Sinatra from a set of Madison cars. He also built both layouts in Busch Gardens. Very intelligent Lionel Service Station operator.     148th

D-189 is in Roger Carp's Classic Lionel Display Layouts you can build.  There is an outer  oval loop  with a pair of O-27  powered switches that create a passing track along the long side of the oval.   There is an additional stretch of bumper track along the long side of the layout for a gang car or trolley.  Operating accessories include the floodlight tower, the switch tower, sawmill, culvert loader, gateman, and rotating beacon.   Layout in the movie is not a D-189 or any of the other dealer display layout in the book.

You guys are forgetting about the steam train the entire family travels on in Sicily. It looks like a 2-8-0 type 740. The numbers on front of the loco were 740 300. When they leave Corleone, Vito waves Michael's little hand out of the window and says, "Michael say goodbye".

There is also the train ride that Michael and his bodyguard takes to go to Miami. Michael has dinner in his private compartment.

I'm not sure they're from the 50's.  I think some are from the 60's.  I recognized that some of the cars are the same ones I have in my 1966 scout set.

Fred

Those statements are Chock Full of Nuts.  Boyd Mason had the most incredible pre-postwar collection I've ever seen! Don't ya think the man would have had the correct era cars for the movie?   148th