Imagine Don Vito Corleone sitting in a group therapy session and being asked to talk honestly about his feelings.
That ridiculous idea became one of the memorable early sketches from Saturday Night Live.
“Godfather Therapy” originally aired on January 10, 1976, during Season 1 of SNL, with Elliott Gould hosting and Anne Murray as the musical guest.
John Belushi played Vito Corleone, Elliott Gould played the therapist, and Laraine Newman played Sherry, one of the other members of the therapy group.
THE GODFATHER HAS A FEW PROBLEMS
The sketch begins like an ordinary therapy session.
The therapist explains that the group is continuing a previous discussion about Vito’s feelings toward the Tattaglia family.
That setup immediately creates the joke.
Instead of talking about ordinary emotional problems, Vito is discussing organized crime, family conflicts, territory, money, and revenge.
Belushi plays the character with the same intimidating seriousness associated with Marlon Brando’s Don Corleone.
The difference is that this time, the powerful Mafia boss is sitting in a therapy circle being encouraged to express his emotions.
That contrast drives almost the entire...
