Free Republic

Morgana King, a boldly original jazz singer with a four-octave voice and dramatic stage presence who was perhaps better known for portraying Marlon Brando’s wife in the first two Godfather movies, died March 22 in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 87. Her death, which had not previously been reported, was confirmed by the Riverside County coroner’s office. A representative from the office said the cause was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Once, it was thought of as the gangster movie to end all gangster movies. Before he played Don Corleone, Marlon Brando had been all but written off after several flops. But of course that's exactly what "The Godfather," which opened in New Jersey 40 years ago this Saturday, was not. Instead, it was the gangster movie that began all gangster movies, at least as we know them now: not just its own sequels, "The Godfather: Part II" and "The Godfather: Part III," but also "Goodfellas," "Donnie Brasco," "Analyze This," "Scarface," "The Freshman," "Prizzi's Honor" and "Married to the Mob," not...