Fans of the legendary film The Godfather are only just realising an iconic line was improvised.

The Hollywood classic starred Al Pacino and Marlon Brando, with a sequel ordered while the first was being made. Viewers have dubbed the film one of the best in history – and were delighted by a behind-the-scenes detail relating to one of the film's best remembered scenes.

Viewers discussing the scene on Reddit were wondering if there was any extra context behind the line, before one user pointed out it was actually improvised.

There are plenty of moments within The Godfather that saw the cast and crew improvise, with stray cats and smashed cameras all part of the recording process that defines The Godfather as one of the best films of all time.

A line from one unplanned scene proved so popular it was used as the title for a making-of book about the movie.

"Leave the gun, take the cannoli" was suggested as "more than a simple joke" by fans who were discussing the improvised line.

The scene featured Clemenza, portrayed by Richard S. Castellano, ordering a hitman to leave behind the weapon and take the pastry.

A fan took to the r/Godfather subreddit and wrote: "When Clemenza takes Paulie on a long ride and says this line after he is shot, we think of this as a dark humorous moment, presumably because Clemenza is fat and loves his food.

"However he may have also left with the cannoli, as it provides a trace of evidence to the police as to where these guys had visited that day. Had it been left in the car, police could then question the shop owners and locals who visited that day and if they had seen who came in that car etc."

The original line was merely "leave the gun". But according to a 2016 report, Castellano brought in a suggestion given to him by Ardell Sheridan, who plays his wife in the movie.

An earlier scene saw her asking Castellano about bringing cannolis back for the family – and it is this suggestion which is brought back in the gruesome scene.

One fan wrote: "I never thought of it as a joke, simply that his wife told him to 'don’t forget the cannoli.' And as it’s been said, it was improvised."

Another added: "This is a really cute interpretation but it is an improvised line from the actor of Clemenza and apparently it was too funny to cut."

And a third wrote: "According to Francis Ford Coppola, Richard Castellano, who played Clemenza, improvised that line. It was simply fortuitous that the sound-man picked it up. Coppola then decided to leave it in."

What a great piece of film trivia!