Clapperboards characterized as originals attributed to The Godfather have been topics in two prior Original Prop Blog articles, and tonight’s episode of 60 Minutes provided footage which proves informative in those past Market Watch features. The 60 Minutes episode broadcast today includes an interview with star of The Godfather, Al Pacino.
In June 2008, a clapperboard was sold by Julien’s Auctions for about $5,600 (with buyer’s premium) in which questions were raised about its provenance (see Julien’s “The Godfather” Clapperboard).
The two biggest concerns were the “I” in the title (i.e. “The Godfather I”) and the date on the tape on the board (2/1/70). The second draft of the script was not published until 3/1/71. In reviewing the latest release of The Godfather Legacy by Harlan Lebo, the 2/1/70 date was not consistent with the dates cited in the book, and the bibliography of cites the shooting script as dated March 29,1971, more than a year after the date on the clapperboard sold at auction.
Below is a close-up of The Godfather clapperboard:
The second article in June 2009 concerned a second clapperboard attributed to The Godfather which was listed on eBay (see eBay Original “The Godfather” Movie Prop Clapperboard: “What you see is what you get”).
The prior research into production-related dates pertained to this clapperboard offered at auction on eBay as well. Again, The Godfather Legacy established a production start date of March 29, 1971.
The eBay clapperboard listed a date of March 3, 1971 – 26 days prior to the official start of production. More, the style of the clapperboard matched contemporary reproductions of classic style boards, though the reproductions appeared to be undersized.
Below is a comparison of the “Godfather” clapperboard listed on eBay and the same style replica board offered for sale on Amazon.com:
60 Minutes: “Pacino”
Below are some low tech (photos of my TV screen) images of genuine clapperboards in use during the production of The Godfather from tonight’s episode of 60 Minutes. These are from Al Pacino casting and screen test sessions (pre-production) – all in 1971 – click images for higher resolution:
Jason DeBord