Hollywood Godfather: My Life in the Movies and the Mob

"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.