Free Pirates to Pyramids: Las Vegas Taxi Tales by JJ Carlson, George Bunescu, Sylvia Carlson Page B
garage. So off I went to my car but I saw no filming. I drove around every floor in the garage and found no film crew, which was sad. So I did not get to see "pretty woman" in person, which may have been a good thing. I could have embarrassed myself.
++++
Watching CSI being filmed at the Orleans Hotel once, I learned that I don't want to be in the movies. They had laid down tracks to allow the camera a smooth roll across carpet and the actors were walking and talking, just like real life. But "real life" took 3 to 4 takes with significant delays in between just to get a few words on tape. I exited after ten minutes, bored silly.
++++
There were no boring parts in the movie "Casino," especially for the locals who lived here during the real action. Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro play the true story of two mob guys, Anthony "the ant" Spillotro and Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal. When the movie says "they killed the goose that laid the golden eggs," they could have said "geese." Yes, the mob built the big casino hotels on the Strip after the war (WWII) because who else would.
The movie itself is a re-creation of the documentary done by a local investigative reporter, George Knapp. George is also famous for revealing Area 51's Groom Lake secret U.S. Air Force Base. Casino’s story was totally accurate, except for hotel names. It was not the Algiers Hotel. It was the Stardust Hotel.
The real Rosenthal started the first sports book because he was awesome at setting the odds on sports. He was so famous for his odds making skills that other sports books in the city would send a spy down to confirm their own odds..
This continued for decades after Rosenthal was black-booked from Vegas. If you are black- booked you cannot enter a casino in this state. Just before his death in 2009 he was living in Florida and despising the Nevada Gaming Commission. He really missed Vegas.
Spillotro was suspected of murder and other crimes and mayhem which drew unnecessary attention to the otherwise secret mob activities. This behavior attracted the FBI who bugged conversations and collected evidence for trials. The mob action got publicized even more and Vegas’ reputation for fun and fairness was being threatened. I am told that the Nevada Gaming Control Board took severe action and visited every hotel/casino, far fewer then, and terminated employment of every Italian at every location down to the kids that park cars.
It was a purge, yes, but according to them it had to be done.
So, if you wink and ask me if the mob is really gone from Vegas, I have to remind you what Mario Puzo wrote in the book "The Godfather". In one scene Marlin Brando is so upset that Michael was dragged into the violent side of the business because he had planned to take the family legitimate..
Today they can own a casino without any violence. They can just buy and sell stock anytime.
Fans of the movie Casino can see the place where Rosenthal's car was blown up on Sahara Ave one mile east of the Strip at what is now the Tony Roma's Rib joint. Spillotro’s body was eventually found buried in an Indiana corn field.
Today, Spillotro's former attorney is the mayor of Las Vegas. Coincidentally, he, Oscar Goodman, is pushing for a Mob Museum to be built here. He says,
"Where else should a mob museum go?”
PORNOS ARE MOVIES, TOO
Speaking of movies, I had a porno movie maker in my car one time. He was surprisingly young, pleasant. He was covered with tattoos which was odd because this was before "tats" were so popular. His car had broken down at the California border and he needed a 40 mile ride to get into town. I was surprised how much I liked him even though I wasn't thrilled with his career choice. He told me how it happened.
He got into the business by mistake after UCLA film school graduation gave him high hopes for a job in Hollywood. His hopes were dashed eventually by the amount of competition in that
++++
Watching CSI being filmed at the Orleans Hotel once, I learned that I don't want to be in the movies. They had laid down tracks to allow the camera a smooth roll across carpet and the actors were walking and talking, just like real life. But "real life" took 3 to 4 takes with significant delays in between just to get a few words on tape. I exited after ten minutes, bored silly.
++++
There were no boring parts in the movie "Casino," especially for the locals who lived here during the real action. Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro play the true story of two mob guys, Anthony "the ant" Spillotro and Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal. When the movie says "they killed the goose that laid the golden eggs," they could have said "geese." Yes, the mob built the big casino hotels on the Strip after the war (WWII) because who else would.
The movie itself is a re-creation of the documentary done by a local investigative reporter, George Knapp. George is also famous for revealing Area 51's Groom Lake secret U.S. Air Force Base. Casino’s story was totally accurate, except for hotel names. It was not the Algiers Hotel. It was the Stardust Hotel.
The real Rosenthal started the first sports book because he was awesome at setting the odds on sports. He was so famous for his odds making skills that other sports books in the city would send a spy down to confirm their own odds..
This continued for decades after Rosenthal was black-booked from Vegas. If you are black- booked you cannot enter a casino in this state. Just before his death in 2009 he was living in Florida and despising the Nevada Gaming Commission. He really missed Vegas.
Spillotro was suspected of murder and other crimes and mayhem which drew unnecessary attention to the otherwise secret mob activities. This behavior attracted the FBI who bugged conversations and collected evidence for trials. The mob action got publicized even more and Vegas’ reputation for fun and fairness was being threatened. I am told that the Nevada Gaming Control Board took severe action and visited every hotel/casino, far fewer then, and terminated employment of every Italian at every location down to the kids that park cars.
It was a purge, yes, but according to them it had to be done.
So, if you wink and ask me if the mob is really gone from Vegas, I have to remind you what Mario Puzo wrote in the book "The Godfather". In one scene Marlin Brando is so upset that Michael was dragged into the violent side of the business because he had planned to take the family legitimate..
Today they can own a casino without any violence. They can just buy and sell stock anytime.
Fans of the movie Casino can see the place where Rosenthal's car was blown up on Sahara Ave one mile east of the Strip at what is now the Tony Roma's Rib joint. Spillotro’s body was eventually found buried in an Indiana corn field.
Today, Spillotro's former attorney is the mayor of Las Vegas. Coincidentally, he, Oscar Goodman, is pushing for a Mob Museum to be built here. He says,
"Where else should a mob museum go?”
PORNOS ARE MOVIES, TOO
Speaking of movies, I had a porno movie maker in my car one time. He was surprisingly young, pleasant. He was covered with tattoos which was odd because this was before "tats" were so popular. His car had broken down at the California border and he needed a 40 mile ride to get into town. I was surprised how much I liked him even though I wasn't thrilled with his career choice. He told me how it happened.
He got into the business by mistake after UCLA film school graduation gave him high hopes for a job in Hollywood. His hopes were dashed eventually by the amount of competition in that
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