Clemenza - The Godfather Part II

The Godfather Part II

Clemenza does not appear in the present timeline of the film due to a disagreement between Castellano and Paramount Studios; it is explained that he died some time ago and was replaced by his soldier, Frank Pentangeli, as Don of the Corleone Family's New York operations.

Clemenza, however, appears in several flashbacks focusing on Vito Corleone's early days, played by Bruno Kirby. He first meets Vito when asking him to hide some guns for him from the police. Vito does so, and Clemenza repays the favor by stealing an expensive carpet (assisted by a surprised Vito) and giving it to the Corleones for their apartment. Around the same time, Vito and Clemenza befriend a young Tessio. One of their lines of business is selling stolen dresses door-to-door; a deleted scene depicts Clemenza charming his way into the apartment of a young housewife and emerging a little later having presumably had sex with her; it is not specified in the film whether Clemenza is himself married at the time.

Later on, the trio's partnership is discovered by the local blackhander, Don Fanucci, who attempts to extort them. Clemenza initially demands that they pay Fanucci to avoid any problems with him, but Vito talks him and Tessio into paying him less money. Shortly thereafter, Vito himself kills Fanucci and takes over the neighborhood--the beginnings of the future Corleone family. Later on, Clemenza and Tessio accompany Vito and his family to his hometown of Corleone, Sicily, where they aid Vito and his friend, Tommasino, in murdering the local mafia chieftain, Don Ciccio, who had killed Vito's entire family when he was just a boy. Tommasino is shot and crippled in the ensuing gun battle, but nonetheless succeeds Ciccio as mafia boss in Corleone. Clemenza and Tessio then return to New York with the Corleones.