Benny Jay: The Godfather

I get "The Godfather" from the video store. Been planning to watch it for weeks. Hear so many guys talk about it. They quote the lines and relive the scenes -- obviously, it's influenced their lives. I play along -- like it's influenced my life too. But the fact is I only saw it once, when it came out 37 years ago. I don't remember much about what happens.

I get it the night my wife's out with some friends. She's not crazy about watching movies she's seen before -- even if she's only seen them once many years ago. Me? I can watch the great ones over and over over....

So it's just me and my younger daughter and after awhile, as much as she likes it, she goes to bed because she has to get up really early. I should go to bed too, but I can't stop watching. As the movie goes on, the scenes, the characters, the dialogue -- they all come back. Sonny Corleone beating the crap out of his brother in law, Vito Corleone playing with his grandson in the tomato garden, Michael Corleone, cold-blooded and calculating, renouncing his belief in Satan at his godson's baptism, while his henchmen gun down gangsters all over town.

I think of Bubba -- this skinny, little black kid I knew in high school. One day in the locker room after gym, I overheard him tell his buddies about how he'd been ballin' this girl -- Didn't even bother undressing, had her up against the door, and was banging her so hard the door slammed against the wall, while she was calling out his name: "Oh, Bubba, Bubba, Bubba...."

I was 16 at the time. I wasn't even kissing girls -- much less banging them against the wall -- even though I was dreaming about girls day and night. When I heard Bubba tell that story, I was beyond jealous. I was thinking: why can't that stuff happen to me?

And now all these years later I'm watching "The Godfather" and I realize -- Bubba made it up. He never banged no babe! He stole that story from the scene where Sonny -- fully clothed -- is banging this girl and the door's slamming against the wall, and she's calling out his name: "Sonny, Sonny, Sonny."

And to think I fell for it. To think I was actually jealous of Bubba. The little twerp -- probably wasn't getting any more than me.

The movie ends and the credits roll and I sit in the dark and stare at the screen. I think about Cichowicz -- better known as Chicken Tit, and later just The Tit -- this chubby, baby-faced boy who sat in front of me in German class. Funny as hell, really good with imitations. He worked as an usher at the Valencia Theater on Sherman Street in downtown Evanston. He saw the movies so many times, he knew the lines by heart. He'd entertain me in study hall -- when we were supposed to be studying German -- doing bits from "The Godfather," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "Dirty Harry," "Shaft"....

I remember standing in the alley behind the Valencia. The Tit opened the door. He was wearing his usher's uniform -- this red sports coat that was about one size too small. Made him look like a Chipmunk. He had a flashlight and he led me down the aisle to my seat. There was hardly anyone in the theater cause it was a matinee. I don't know why I bothered sneaking in. It couldn't have cost more than $1.50 to see a movie. I guess it was just the thing to do. Anyway, that's when I saw "The Godfather."

After high school, The Tit went his way and I went mine. Last I saw of him was at Jonny's funeral. Damn, Jonny. One of my best friends in high school. It's been seven years since he died. Cancer.

I go to the computer and read Roger Ebert's original review of "The Godfather," from January 1, 1972. It's the same old thing, once I get on the Internet, I can't get off. I start going from this thing to that. I wind up reading stories about John Cazale, the actor who played Fredo. I love Fredo -- he's my favorite Corleone. The runt of the family. He could never match up to Michael or Sonny. I can relate. So, I bet, can Bubba -- and The Tit.

Cazale was in "The Deer Hunter" and "Dog Day Afternoon." He died young -- cancer. Just like Jonny. After his funeral, all of his actor friends and peers -- Pacino, DeNiro, Gene Hackman, Meryl Streep -- said he was the best.

Damn, it's quiet in the house. Every one's asleep. No one's up. Except for me -- and the ghosts....