Make Me an Offer I Can't Refuse, "Gangster" Rules for Your Wo... by Susanne Riehle

Fontane asks for Vito's help to secure a film role that will boost his fading career. In one of the film's best-known scenes Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is visited by his godson, the famous singer Johnny Fontane (Al Martino) - a characterization that is widely believed to be based on Frank Sinatra, although many people associated with Sinatra and the film have denied this.

Of the expressions that have entered the language from a line in a film, this is one of the best known. Puzo appears to have been making an reference to an existing phrase so that the Godfather character could ironically pretend that his 'offer' was benevolent. The character is suggesting making a large and tempting offer of cash - it is meant to be taken as generosity rather than as a threat. For example, Jason Robards' character in the 1934 film Burn Em Up Barnes uses 'I'll make her an offer she can't refuse'. The expression 'make an offer he can't refuse' does occur in literature and film prior to 1972, but not with the meaning that it has now taken on because of its use in The Godfather. Slightly throughout and isn't always easy to hear through all that cotton wool. The 'offer he can't refuse' line is used in all three films of the Godfather trilogy but varies In fact, it is one of the best-known lines in any film and ranks second only to 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn' as the most celebrated quotation from an American film.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Make him an offer he can't refuse'?įrom The Godfather book (1969) and film (1972), both written by Mario Puzo. 'offer' being 'do as I say or I'll kill you'. Euphemisms What's the meaning of the phrase 'Make him an offer he can't refuse'?.

Make Me an Offer I Can't Refuse, &quot;Gangster&quot; Rules for Your Wo... by Susanne Riehle

Make Me an Offer I Can't Refuse, "Gangster" Rules for Your Wo... by Susanne Riehle