(Paramount Pictures/Getty Images) This article is more than 3 years old. I read Mario Puzo’s megahit, “The Godfather,” in the early 1970s, along with most of the world’s population.

In the five decades since it was published, Mario Puzo’s novel has been totally eclipsed by the movie. You can say the reasons are obvious, but that’s not entirely fair.

As "The Godfather" marks its 50th anniversary, here's the story behind why Frank Sinatra voiced displeasure with Mario Puzo's book and planned film.

Mario Puzo’s first novel, The Dark Arena, was published by Random House in 1955, exactly 10 years after World War II ended.

Mario Puzo would have been proud. The legendary best-selling author who wrote The Godfather was known for being blunt.

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 ...

Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather was an instant best-seller and would go on to be adapted by director Francis Ford Coppola into a trilogy of acclaimed movies ...

The estate of Mario Puzo, who wrote the novel that was adapted into the classic Francis Ford Coppola film, The Godfather, has fired back at Paramount Pictures ‘ attempts to stop a new licensed ...

Puzo was dining with “Godfather” producer Al Ruddy as Sinatra greeted John Wayne in the room. ”They both looked absolutely great, better than on the screen, 20 years younger,” Puzo wrote.

Mario Puzo's THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone will debut on Blu-ray and Digital December 8, 2020 from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Mario Puzo should have refused the offer of $12,500 for 'The Godfather' film rights. But he signed the deal.