Seeing Bogdanovich in the car next to them, Friedkin could not resist the urge for some competitive banter. He stuck his head out of the limo's sunroof and called out a line from a review of The French Connection.
"The most exciting American film in twenty-five years! Eight Oscar nominations and five Oscars!"
Bogdanovich responded in kind. "The Last Picture Show, a film that will revolutionize film history. Eight nominations, and my movie's better than yours."
But Coppola got the last word. He stood up through the sunroof and roared, "The Godfather, a hundred and fifty million dollars!"
For the moment, Coppola had proven that even in those early days, he understood the real language of Hollywood.
-M. Schumacher
