An offer LI couldn't refuse: 'The Godfather's connections here

When "The Godfather" first appeared 50 years ago, co-creators Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola were two ambitious men with deep ties to Long Island, determined to transform a B-level Hollywood gangster movie about New York wise guys into an epic tale about capitalism, corruption and the Italian-American immigrant experience. Newsday's Thomas Maier has the story. Credit: Randee Daddona; Newsday/ Thomas Ferrara; Paramount; Hofstra University; Photos credit: Paramount, Steve Schapiro; Hofstra University, Library of Congress, Neville Harvey, Newsday archive