The Godfather Saga

According to the entry in Les Brown's Encyclopedia of Television, the Nielsen ratings for the special were supposedly not as high as expected, possibly because both films had already aired (albeit separately) on NBC in previous years.

The following scenes are listed chronologically.

• The scene when Woltz sees the dead horse in his bed.
• The scene when Luca Brasi is killed.
• The scene when Sonny beats up Carlo in the street.
• The scene when Michael kisses Apollonia after their wedding.
• The scene when Sonny is killed.
• The scene when Moe Greene is killed.
• The scene when Willi Cicci kills Don Cuneo.
• The scene when Neri kills Don Barzini.
• The scene when Clemenza kills Carlo.

The following scenes are listed chronologically.

• The scene when baby Fredo is treated for pneumonia.
• The scene when Vito kills Fanucci.
• The scene when Vito kills Don Ciccio.
• The scene when the Rosato brothers try to kill Pentangeli.
• The scene when Geary pulls the covers off the murdered prostitute.
• The scene when the Cuban policeman kills Bussetta.

The following scenes are listed chronologically.

• After Vito agrees to help Amerigo Bonasera avenge the beating of his daughter, Vito whistles to Sonny and asks if he was paying attention. Sonny confirms that he was. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga and 1990 Epic/HBO Epic only)
• There is extra dialogue of Nazorine explaining Enzo being captured by the American Army as Sonny walks back to the wedding after he destroys the camera. (Exclusive to the 1977 Saga only)
• Michael looks back at Kay after she contemplates the story of Michael's father and Luca Brasi. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• Michael turns his head to look over to Johnny Fontane after he has finished singing. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• After Vito tells Hagen to go to California, Hagen tells him that the hospital called and the dying Genco Abbandando, Vito's previous consigliere, will not last the night. Vito tells Sonny to bring all his sons (including Michael and Johnny) to pay their respects to Genco and for Fredo to drive the big car. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After Connie's wedding reception, Vito, his sons, and Johnny Fontane go to the hospital to visit Genco, where Vito calls Michael's military decorations "Christmas ribbons" and tells him that he has plans for him after he leaves the military and finishes school. Genco asks that Vito stay with him and scare away death to which Vito says that he has no such power. After a short conversation, Genco becomes weak, and Vito motions for his sons to leave the room, himself staying behind while Genco dies. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• Before Hagen and Jack Woltz start talking, Woltz holds a birthday party for a young actress named Janie, and presents her with a pony as a gift. Present at the gathering are the girl's mother and several others involved with her current film. After Woltz kicks Tom out after dinner, he walks to the exit, looks up, and sees Janie, crying at the top of the staircase, being retrieved by her mother; the implication is that Woltz raped her. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• Tom Hagen can be seen walking away from the stairs after witnessing Janie crying and being retrieved by her mother. (Exclusive to the Trilogy only)
• There is additional footage of Tom, Sonny and Vito discussing the Woltz situation before the horse head scene. Vito asks if Woltz is "so tough", to which Tom responds, "You mean is he a Sicilian? Forget about it." Vito then asks if the story between Woltz and Janie is true, and calls Woltz's pedophilia an "infamia". Vito tells Tom to summon Luca Brasi to "see if we can find a way to reason with this Mr. Jack Woltz." (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga and 1990 Epic/HBO Epic only)
• Michael and Kay are in a New York hotel bed, getting a wake-up call at 3 p.m. They are supposed to go to the Corleone residence, but Michael does not want to go yet. He calls the mansion, and Kay pretends to be the long-distance operator, calling collect for "Mr. Michael Corleone". Tom "accepts" the charges, and Michael tells Hagen that they're "stuck in New Hampshire", where Kay's family lives. After Tom hangs up, they giggle about their trick on Tom, and roll onto the floor between the beds they have pushed together. This scene occurs before Fredo gets the car for Vito.
• There is some short extra footage of Luca Brasi walking through the hotel hallways before meeting with the Tattaglias. He sees a neon sign turn off, which signals him it is OK to enter the bar. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After the Don is shot, Sonny gets a phone call from a detective informing him about his father's condition. Sonny then tries to call Tom, but his wife Theresa says he is not home. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After Michael calls Sonny about Vito's shooting, there is additional footage near the phone booth of Michael telling Kay to go back the hotel. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• After Sonny gets the call from Virgil Sollozzo informing him that Tom Hagen has been abducted, he goes to tell his mother that Vito has been shot. He then calls Sal Tessio and tells him to bring fifty of his men over. He tries to call Luca Brasi, but he does not answer, as Tattaglia has killed him. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• There is some short extra footage of Michael in the car arriving at the mall and being cleared to enter by the guards. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After Michael meets Peter Clemenza, he asks Hagen's wife Theresa how he is. The two of them go in to see Sonny (who's with Tessio). After discussing how Paulie Gatto, not Clemenza, was the traitor, Hagen enters the room. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After Tom Hagen kisses his wife there is an establishing shot of the Corleone compound at night. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• Before Clemenza leaves the house with Paulie, he and Rocco Lampone talk about Clemenza's car with the wooden bumpers. Clemenza gives Rocco the gun he is to use to "make his bones" by killing Gatto. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After they leave Clemenza's driveway, they make a stop "to call Sonny". Clemenza eats a meal and buys cannoli while Lampone and Gatto wait in the car. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After the killing of Gatto there is an establishing shot of the Corleone Compound and Michael pacing the garden before the scene of him sat on the bench. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• After Tom Hagen tells Vito that Michael killed Sollozo and the members of the family leave the Don alone, Vito can be seen reflecting on the news he has just received. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• In Sicily, after Michael tells Don Tommasino that they are going to Corleone, Michael and his bodyguards see a procession of Communists marching through the hills. When asked, Fabrizio tells they are going to Portella della Ginestra. (1977 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• When Michael is hiding in Sicily, there is a scene in which his bodyguard Fabrizio asks him about New York, and whether it is true that he is the son of a Mafia boss. Fabrizio then asks Michael if he could be his bodyguard in America. This scene happens just before they meet Apollonia.
• There is some short extra footage of Michael and bodyguards walking through Corleone, before he says "Where have all the men gone?" (1977 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• Before they are on the road as the G.I.s pass by, Michael visits his father's birthplace and he asks a woman if there are any family/friends of the Andolini family around. She says they have all left and gone overseas. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After Connie hangs up the phone following a fight with her husband Carlo Rizzi, she walks into the bathroom where Carlo is showering. She confronts him about the "whore"; he ignores the comment and tells her to make him dinner. The subsequent footage is slightly tailored to fit the standard scene, and a couple of extra lines are added where they were not before. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After Hagen makes the call to Bonasera following Sonny's murder, Bonasera dresses and contemplates what task Vito is going to ask him to do. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga and 1990 Epic/HBO Epic only)
• After Apollonia is killed in the explosion, there is a short scene of Michael, in shock and in bed, muttering to Tommasino and Apollonia's mother: "Apollonia..?" / Tommasino: "Dead." / Michael: "Fabrizio..? Get me Fabrizio..."
• Following the meeting of the 5 Families Vito and Michael discuss the family's next move and whether or not Michael will break the peace while in the family garden. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1981 Epic and 1990 Epic/HBO Epic only)
• Before Hagen asks Michael why he is being replaced as consigliere, there is some short extra footage. There is also some short extra footage after Michael says "You're out, Tom." These two short scenes talk about Al Neri. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After Hagen leaves the room, Vito takes Michael out to the garden through the French doors in the study. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• The original ending of the film showed Kay praying at an altar while the credits were shown. The scene, though faithful to the original novel, was used only as a final of 1977 Saga, 2012 Saga and 1990 Epic.

The following scenes are listed chronologically.

• After Vito's brother Paolo is shot, two of Don Ciccio's thugs arrive at the Andolini home looking for Vito. His mother calls a Vito a "Little Baccala, not worth worrying about".
• An extended version of the scene when child Vito sings in his chair. (Exclusive to the 1977 Saga only)
• An alternate take of the scene where Vito walks down the aisle in the theatre. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• When Vito and Genco go backstage at the theater, there is additional footage before and after the scene where Don Fanucci grabs a young girl. Fanucci tells the theater owner that he should have more Sicilian songs and begins to sing. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga and 1990 Epic/HBO Epic only)
• There is a scene before Vito gets fired from Abbandando's Grosseria: While Vito is delivering groceries, he sees three punks over on 9th Street assaulting Fanucci, and they cut his throat "from ear to ear...to scare him". Genco and Vito discuss how much power Fanucci actually has.
• An extended version of the scene when Vito walks back to his apartment after being fired. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• There is an establishing shot of Vito's apartment before Vito's wife asks if his boss is treating him alright (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• There is added footage at the beginning of the scene where young Vito and Clemenza are drinking coffee, talking about the carpet Vito is to steal. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After the new carpet is installed, Vito, Clemenza, and Tessio meet up with a gunsmith, Augustino Coppola, and his young son, Carmine Coppola. This is where Clemenza sells his guns.
• We then see young Clemenza hawking stolen dresses door-to-door for $5 a piece. He makes one married woman an offer (two for one), and presumably has sex with her. Clemenza tells Vito to bring the rest of the dresses to Dadine's Store, where Dadine will turn it over to the wholesaler. While they are driving, Fanucci hops aboard Vito's truck. (This scene is trimmed in 2012 Saga)
• There is added footage at the end of Fanucci's talk with Vito in the truck. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• There is added footage at the beginning of the scene where Vito, Clemenza and Tessio are eating spaghetti at Vito's house discussing how to pay Fanucci. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• There is added footage at the beginning of Vito's meeting with Signora Colombo. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only) (This scene is trimmed in 2012 Saga)
• There is added footage during Vito's talk with Signor Roberto on the street. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• There is added footage before we see Signor Roberto at Vito's office. He is seen entering through the garage area where he carefully asks for "Don Vito Corleone". (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After Signor Roberto lowers Signora Colombo's rent, Vito sees Clemenza, who has found "a kid good with cars", to fix the truck. His name is Hyman Suchowsky, but Clemenza calls him "Johnny Lips". Vito suggests that Suchowsky change his name; Suchowsky then begins calling himself Hyman Roth.
• In a trip back to Sicily, there is additional footage of Vito's family exiting the train and walking with a small band. (1977 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• While in Sicily, Vito finds and kills two of Don Ciccio's retainers (Mosca and Strollo) before he goes with Tommasino to kill Don Ciccio.
• There is a short scene of Vito and his family being driven to Tommasino's vineyard (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• There is additional footage of Vito and his family at the train station leaving Sicily. (1977 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• There is additional footage of the train leaving Sicily. (1977 Saga and 1990 Epic/HBO Epic only)
• There is footage of Michael walking on a pier in Lake Tahoe playing with a dog. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)
• There are extra scenes of people dancing at the communion party and of the conductor, along with Tom Hagen and his family having their picture taken. Following this there is a scene of Fredo and his wife Deanna in the parking lot. Deanna is already drunk and Fredo does not want Michael to see her that way. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• There is added footage leading up to Frank Pentangeli drinking from the garden hose in which he asks a waiter for a glass of wine or a beer. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• At the communion party, Sonny's daughter, Francesca, comes to see Michael for his blessing to marry Gardner Shaw, of whom Michael approves.
• After Francesca and Gardner leave, he asks Francesca's brother, Santino Jr., how he is doing in football. (1977 Saga and 1981 Epic only)
• There is a scene (after Michael's meeting Francesca and Gardner Shaw) in which Al Neri is talking to Michael (with Hagen and Lampone) and they are looking at pictures of Fabrizio. They explain that he was brought over illegally from Sicily by Don Barzini.
• There is added footage of singing on the grandstand, Rocco berating his men in the parking lot and people jumping off the pier into the water . We also see Anthony walking up to the button men, and stopping as Kay calls after him. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• There is added footage of Kay talking to Pentangeli following the scene when Pentangelli knocks over the wine glass. (1977 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• After the family sits down to eat, we see Pentangeli sitting and drinking wine with Anthony. He gives Anthony a $100 bill. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• There is footage of Al Neri visiting Meyer Klingman, the owner of the gambling license for Michael's new hotel, at the casino, and asking him to leave. Klingman resists, so Neri chases him through the casino into a closed auditorium, which is rehearsing for a cabaret, until Neri threatens him with a heavy chair, at which point Klingman finally capitulates and leaves the hotel. Neri then sits down in the seats and signals for the performers to go on with their rehearsal. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga, 1990 Epic/HBO Epic and Trilogy only)
• Following the scene in which Klingman capitulates, we see Fabrizio ("Fred Vincent"), leaving his pizzeria in Buffalo, New York, and starting his car, at which point a previously planted car bomb explodes. He stumbles out of the car, then dies. This was Michael's vengeance upon Fabrizio for killing Apollonia.
• An alternate version of the scene when Michael goes to visit Anthony in his room. The assassination attempt on Michael has not happened yet and Anthony tells Michael about his present, Michael is surprised by this, and tells Anthony he'll see it when he goes to bed. Michael is also seen exiting Anthony's room. This version of the scene is actually the original version, as it doesn't have the dubbed over dialogue from the theatrical release. (1977 Saga, 2012 Saga and 1990 Epic/HBO Epic only)
• The scene in Anthony's bedroom follows the theatrical pacing and dialogue, however Michael is shown to leave the room. (Exclusive to the Trilogy only)
• Kay's taxi waits for her as she quickly goes to visit her children. (1977 Saga and 2012 Saga only)

• The original introductory scene showed Michael in a meeting with Archbishop Gilday about buying International Immobiliare reminiscent of the introductory scene from The Godfather of Bonasera and Vito. The scene was moved to later in the film, with the final cut's introduction showing the Corleone house in Lake Tahoe in ruins. (Only appears as a DVD extra)