‘The Offer’: Who is Albert S. Ruddy and how did he become part of ‘The Godfather'?
Paramount+’s new limited series ‘The Offer’ gives the behind-the-scenes glimpse of the tumultuous making of Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal classic 'The Godfather,' widely considered one of the greatest American films of all time. The series features an ensemble cast and is told from the perspective of producer Al Ruddy (played by Miles Teller). Created and written by Michael Tolkin, the 10-episode miniseries is produced by Paramount Television Studios.
In the Paramount+ series ‘The Offer’, producer Al Ruddy takes the main role as he lobbies to get ‘The Godfather’ made at any cost. Ruddy’s determination to push the project through despite blowback from studio heads, leading entertainers, and the heads of organized crime, is legendary. Now, with 'The Offer,' we dive into this key backstory of how 'The Godfather' was made. Who is Al Ruddy and how did he become part of the iconic franchise? Scroll down to find out.
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Who is Al Ruddy and how did he join 'The Godfather' ?
Ruddy was studying to become a chemical engineer when he had a chance to meet with studio mogul Jack Warner who offered him a job at Warner Bros as an executive. He then worked at the Rand Corporation where he was unhappy. He entered the entertainment industry, where he became a television writer at Universal Studios. He came up with the idea for the comedy ‘Hogan’s Heroes’, which ran on CBS for six seasons. However, he left the series for his dream to be a Hollywood producer. He met up with Robert Evans, the head of Paramount Pictures, and asked him for a deal to produce movies. The deal was made and Ruddy was given the task to produce the studio's adaptation of Mario Puzo's best selling novel 'The Godfather'.
In ‘The Offer’ we are introduced to Ruddy (Miles Teller) as an unhappy programmer for the Rand Corporation. He describes himself as ‘just a guy who programs computers’. Unsatisfied with his job, he launches his Hollywood career with the creation of ‘Hogan’s Heroes'. But television has no appeal for Ruddy and he aspires to join Hollywood. He walks his way onto the Paramount studios. He has a quick meeting with Robert Evans (Matthew Goode), where the latter applauds him for walking out of 'Hogan's Heroes'. After warning Ruddy to not disappoint him, Evans strikes a production deal with him. Ruddy is assigned to produce ‘The Godfather’ and the rest of the story is about how he manages to bring it to the big screens.
Episodes 1,2 and 3 are available to stream in Paramount plus.