Vitals

John Cazale as Fredo Corleone, insecure mob family sibling

Havana, Cuba, December 1958

Film: The Godfather Part II
Release Date: December 12, 1974
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Costume Designer: Theadora Van Runkle

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

John Cazale was born 90 years ago today on August 12, 1935 in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Though his career was heartbreakingly brief, John Cazale—born 90 years ago today on August 12, 1935 in Suffolk County, Massachusetts—remains considered as one of the finest actors of his generation. Incredibly, all five feature films he appeared in during the 1970s were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Among these unforgettable roles, his most enduring may be Fredo Corleone—the insecure, overmatched middle brother of the Corleone crime family. Cazale first played Fredo in The Godfather (1972), but it was The Godfather Part II (1974) that gave him the tragic spotlight as Fredo, desperate for power and recognition, betrays his younger and more successful brother Michael (Al Pacino), setting off a slow-burning familial powder keg that mirrors the revolutionary unrest simmering around them in the streets of Havana.

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What’d He Wear?

Unable to let his words or intellect speak for him, Fredo Corleone often lets his wardrobe do the talking—loudly. He’s typically the flashiest dresser in the room, clinging to the hope that bold colors and flamboyant patterns might command the respect that continues to elude him, though his threads always contrast against the subdued sophistication modeled by his younger brother Michael.

This tendency dates back to his days under Moe Greene in Las Vegas, where he met his business-suited brother while clad in a yellow blazer, neckerchief, and tinted aviators—less a power player than a walking caution sign. Theadora Van Runkle’s Oscar-nominated costume design in The Godfather Part II shows that Fredo still hasn’t learned his lesson nearly a decade later, turning up to his nephew’s first communion in a brash plaid silk dinner jacket and arriving in Havana in a bright pink sports coat that screams “tourist” as loudly as the cash-stuffed valise gripped between his gold-ringed fingers.

Likely cut from cotton or a breathable cotton-linen blend, Fredo’s light pink single-breasted sport jacket fastens with three white pearl-finished buttons that match the two on each cuff. The jacket is detailed with narrow notch lapels edged in sporty swelled stitching, a welted breast pocket, flapped patch hip pockets, and a single vent.

Underneath, Fredo wears a pink cotton shirt patterned with a subtle burgundy-and-blue mini graph-check, finished with a button-down collar, button cuffs, and a breast pocket. He knots his solid black smooth-woven silk tie in a half-Windsor and secures it to his shirt at mid-chest with a small silver-toned tie clip.

The look is grounded with black flat-front trousers, worn with a black leather belt that closes through a gold-toned squared single-prong buckle.

None of the angles show Fredo’s feet, nor have I seen photos below his knees from the production, so his shoes remain a mystery. Black leather lace-ups or loafers would appropriately compliment the outfit, though I wouldn’t put it past Fredo to attempt spectator shoes or even pink kicks that call out his upper half. Let’s give Freddie the benefit of the doubt and assume he slipped his feet into subdued black shoes.

Ornamental rings flash from both of Fredo’s hands: a filigreed gold ring with a small ruby stone on his right pinky and a larger gold ring with a black-filled square face on his left ring finger. His little-seen wristwatch appears to be all yellow-gold, from the case to the bracelet.

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What to Imbibe

Fredo: How do you say “banana daiquiri”?
Michael: Banana daiquiri.
Fredo: That’s it?
Michael: (with a chuckle that quickly fades) That’s it.

The differences between the surviving Corleone brothers extend beyond temperament, intelligence, and wardrobe—even to their drink orders. While Michael opts for non-alcoholic club soda to stay cool and alert during a business conversation, Fredo leans into the tropical surroundings by ordering a banana daiquiri—though not before confirming that both Spanish-derived words are the same in Spanish as they are in English. (Fredo… I’m starting to think everyone’s right and you’re not smart?)

Around the turn of the 20th century in eastern Cuba, American mining engineer Jennings Cox popularized a simple yet refreshing mix of local rum, lime juice, and sugar—a combination that eventually took its name from a nearby village: Daiquiri.

While already favored by noted imbibers like Ernest Hemingway, the daiquiri’s popularity truly soared during World War II, when FDR’s “Good Neighbor policy” promoted Latin American imports like rum, just as wartime rationing made whiskey and vodka harder to obtain. Only three years after the war’s end, David A. Embury cemented its status by including it among the six basic cocktails in his definitive 1948 bar volume The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.

As with most cocktail classics, the daiquiri invited endless experimentation—with results ranging from regrettable to revelatory. One of the sturdier offshoots was the banana daiquiri, first crafted in 1953 by Captain George Soule in St. Thomas. This tropical twist adds a splash of triple sec and a ripe banana to the original’s bright foundation of rum, lime, and sugar—all crowned with a maraschino cherry. Many banana daiquiris are served blended, but you can preserve the spirit of the original daiquiri recipe by following Alfred Tong’s direction in The Gentleman’s Guide to Cocktails:

Mash the banana in a mixing glass and add crushed ice. Mix with the [2 oz.] rum, [1 tablespoon] triple sec, [2 oz.] lime juice, and [1 teaspoon caster (superfine)] sugar. Shake vigorously. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass.

Of couse, Fredo would probably send back anything that doesn’t look like soft-serve ice cream.

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How to Get the Look

It takes a bold man to layer a pink sport jacket with a pink checked shirt and tie while drinking a banana daiquiri. Fredo Corleone was not that bold man. You can be that bold man.

• Light-pink cotton single-breasted 3-button sport jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, flapped patch hip pockets, 2-button cuffs, and single vent
• Pink and colorful graph-check cotton shirt with button-down collar, breast pocket, and button cuffs
• Black silk faille tie
• Silver-toned tie clip
• Black flat-front trousers with belt loops and side pockets
• Black leather belt with gold-toned squared single-prong buckle
• Black leather shoes
• Gold pinky ring with ruby stone
• Gold ring with large black-filled square surface
• Yellow-gold wristwatch on gold bracelet

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Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the series, including the masterpiece sequel The Godfather Part II.