In “The Offer,” Episode 5, Al Ruddy did something, the repercussions of which he knew wouldn’t be in his favor. Joe Colombo had ambushed him and called him on stage to show Gulf and Western’s support for the Italian American Civil Rights League. Every production house, every studio, as a matter of fact, had links to the mafia, but this was the first time that it was out in the open. It was bad press for Paramount, and it came at a very crucial juncture. Barry Lapidus was advising Charlie Bluhdorn to sell Paramount, as they were riding high on the success of their last venture, Love Story, and he assessed that they had the power to negotiate the best possible deal. But as soon as Ruddy’s connection to the mafia came out in the open, it struck a detrimental blow to the image of the production house. Everything that Ruddy, Bettye, Bob Evans, Francis Coppola, and everybody else had fought for was at stake. As soon as Ruddy stepped on that stage, he knew that his ship was going to sink, but the question was whether he would forsake his sinking ship, desert it like a rat, or fight the odds and make an effort to bring it back to the shores.
See More: ‘The Offer’ Episode 5: Recap And Ending, Explained – Was Charlie Bluhdorn Going To Sell Paramount?
The Repercussions Of A Storm
Every media house wanted to use the news to their profit. Al Ruddy, the representative of Paramount Pictures, was sharing the stage with Joseph Colombo, and was apparently being helped by one of the biggest American conglomerates, Gulf and Western. Bob Evans knew that Ruddy had signed his death warrant. He knew that he had to be there in New York and meet Charlie in person to do some damage control. Ali MacGraw, his partner, wanted him to go to Texas with her, as she was shooting for her film there. But Bob Evans knew that he didn’t have the bandwidth to go anywhere. It disappoints Ali, but Evans couldn’t help it.
Charlie, on the other hand, was in no mood to listen to any excuses or explanations. He was quite done with everything. The Godfather had already been his biggest predicament to date, and he was not ready to deal with another issue that would hamper the image of the company. He was fuming with rage and didn’t know how to survive this debacle. Al Ruddy thought that, like always, he could manage the situation if he met Charlie in person and made him understand how he was coerced to be on the stage. But what he didn’t know was that this time he wouldn’t be able to keep his head above water. Charlie fires Al Ruddy and also head of public relations. He asks Barry Lapidus to set up a meeting with a potential buyer, as he knew that waiting any longer would hurt his chances of bargaining a good deal.
Al Ruddy was done fighting and struggling every passing day to make the Godfather. Charlie had insulted him, and Ruddy had decided to walk away. Bettye tries to convince him, but he has made up his mind. Bettye knew that without Ruddy, she would be out of a job too. But she hadn’t gotten this far to give it all up. Bettye had always given too much control to the men in her life, and this one time, she wanted to change how she usually did things. She decides to take matters into her own hands.
Things were getting heated up between Joseph Colombo and Joe Gallo. The mafia families, especially Carlo Gambino, were of the opinion that they should now have a conversation with Gallo, as clearly Colombo had been inept in handling the situation. In “The Offer,” episode 6, we witness Joe Gallo meet Colombo for the very first time since he had been released from prison when he came to visit Carlo. Gallo had once belonged to the Colombo family, and now he had waged war against them.
Charlie went to meet a buyer, and he knew that he would have to really negotiate his way through if he wanted a fair price. The buyer, to Charlie’s dismay, was ready to offer only 50 percent of the price he had originally quoted. Charlie had called for an emergency board meeting when Bob Evans reached the scene. He barged into the meeting and seized the opportunity to change the course of the narrative.
‘The Offer’ Episode 6: Ending Explained – Was Al Ruddy hired back by Bluhdorn?
In “The Offer,” Episode 6, Bob Evans talks about the Great Escape. An escape that allows a common man to feel good about his life. He tells Charlie that, contrary to the beliefs held by the people of the board, Paramount was not just running a business; it was mending the soul of a broken nation and giving hope to people even when nothing seems right. It was not only about gaining profits but about providing a two-hour respite to every individual who was battling through life. Films gave them a reason to smile, to get entertained, and for a couple of hours they forgot about the harsh realities of the world.
Charlie, though a businessman, was highly inspired by the cinematic world. He knew the magic of cinema and the power it yielded. He knew that something which was able to get a smile on somebody’s face and make them feel good about themselves was a force to reckon with. Bettye goes and meets Joseph Colombo and tells him that Ruddy has been fired. Colombo makes the shooting stop, and a frantic Francis Coppola calls Charlie to bring Ruddy back on board.
Charlie brings Ruddy back on board and tells him that he will give one last chance to him, but in reality, he knows that he is giving Paramount another opportunity to clean its tainted reputation and regain its lost glory. With Ruddy back on the sets, the shooting commences, and the magic unfolds. Ruddy met Frank Sinatra through Joe Colombo, and the fabled singer thanked him for altering the script of The Godfather and for acknowledging their demands. Joseph Colombo decides to wage war on Gallo. He had given him opportunities to reconcile but clearly he didn’t want that, and Colombo was not left with much of an option.
