About That Las Vegas Town-- Part 3: The Coming of the Las Vegas Strip

The characteristically American mix of grit, graft and speculation turned a dusty desert road into the entertainment capital of the world, a 4.2-mile stretch that would eventually become known as the Las Vegas Strip.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Strip attracted shady characters right from the start.  In 1939, a cop named Guy McAfee arrived in Vegas after fleeing Los Angeles under accusations of corruption.  He quickly put down roots, buying and developing the Pair O' Dice Club and several others.  Inspired by his Los Angeles' Sunset Strip, he also bestowed the name upon Vegas' main drag.

Soon after, in 1941, California businessman Thomas Hull founded the area's first luxury resort, El Rancho Vegas, with blossoming gardens and a capacious swimming pool.  

The new adult playground caught the attention of the New York mob, who saw opportunities in both legal gambling and in less-legal money skimming.  In 1945, the infamous gangster Bugsy Siegel bullied his way into the development of the luxury Flamingo resort, creating a template for the super-casinos to come.  Until then, Vegas casinos typically sported Wild West themes, but Siegel ushered in an era of unbridled opulence.

--Cooter

Deaths in July 2022-- Part 8: Abe, Sirico, Sorvino, Trimble, Dow, Nichols and Russell

SHINZO ABE, 67

**  Japan's longest-serving prime mnister, he was also perhaps the most polarizing complex politician in recent Japanese history.  Died July8.

TONY SIRICO, 79

**  He played mobster Paulie Walnuts in "The Sopranos" and brought his tough-guy swagger to films including "Goodfellas."  Died July 8.

PAUL SORVINO, 83

**  An imposing actor who specialized in playing crooks and cops like Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas" and NYPD Sgt. Phil Cerreta on "Law and Order."  Died July 25.

DAVID TRIMBLE, 77

A former Northern Ireland first minister who won the Nobel Peace Prize for playing a key role in helping end Northern Ireland's decades of violence.  Died July 25.

TONY DOW, 77

**  As Wally Cleaver on the sitcom "Leave It to Beaver," he helped create the popular and lasting image of the American teenager of the 1950s and '60s.  Died July 27.

I still like to watch those reruns.  And, then there was good old Eddie Haskell.

NICHELLE NICHOLS, 89

**  She broke barriers for black women in Hollywood as communiations officer Lt. Uhura on the original "Star Trek" TV series.  Diedd July 30.

Huge "Star Trek" fan.  I remember when I was a freshman at NIU and my roommate had a little 13-inch black and white TV and every day after dinner, about ten guys would crowd in the room to watch reruns of the show.

BILL RUSSELL, 88

**  NBA great who anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years-- the last two as the first black head coach in any major U.S. sport -- and marched for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr.  Died July 31.

So, the movie "Goodfellas" lost three people within three months last summer.  And, then there was that other Sonny guy in "The Godfather" who died.  Not a good year to be a movie actor who played a mobster.

'The Godfather' Turns 50, Where Are They Now?-- Part 6: Robert Duvall and James Caan

ROBER DUVALL

Since his film debut as Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962), Duvall -- who played the Corleone's legal consultant Tom Hagen -- has racked up seven Oscar nominations, including "The Judge" in 2015.  (He won in 1984 for "Tender Mercies.")

The actor, now 91, is also a skilled tango dancer.

JAMES CAAN

He auditioned for the role of Michael Corleone before Coppola chose him for brash older brother Sonny.  Now 81, Caan has stayed busy during the later decades with more than 90 film and TV credits -- most notably in the 2003 holiday classic "Elf."

--Cooter

'The Godfather' Turns 50-- Part 5: Where Are They Now? Al Pacino and Marlon Brando

AL PACINO

**  The New York City-born actor who starred in all three "Godfather" movies, has memorably portrayed intense characters from both sides if the law in films such as "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975), "Scarface" (1983), "Heat" (1995) and "The Irishman" (2019).

Still in demand at age 81, he most recently co-starred in "House of Gucci."

MARLON BRANDO

**  The mercurial star-- who made an explosive debut in the 1950s in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "On the Waterfront" -- refuse to appear in "The Godfather:  Part 2."

But he agreed to pull off a tongue-in-cheek version of a Godfather-lik mob boss in the 1990 comedy "The Freshman."

He died in 2004 at age 80.

--Cooter

'The Godfather' Turns 50-- Part 4: About That Horse's Head

THAT BLOODY HORSE HEAD

Discovered in the bed of the ruthless movie producer, it wasn't a prop:  it was a real horse's head from a dogfood plant in New Jersey.  That scream the producer let out was as good as Pacino's in "Godfather 3."

THE GODFATHER IN POP CULTURE

"Return of the Jedi" (1983)  It's no coincidence that Princess Leia kills Jabba the Hutt by strangling him with her chain.  Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan was inspired by Luca Brasi, whose eyes and tongue bulge out as he is garroted by an assassin.

"You've Got Mail" (1998)   Doing his best Vito impression, Tom Hanks insists that life's problems can be solved by one of the Godfather's credos, telling Meg Ryan to "go to the mattresses," to fight for her business to stay open.

"The Sopranos" (1999)   The TV series made several references to the original mob family, like when Tony Soprano gets shot after chugging orange juice near his car.

"Despicable Me"  (2010)   Even this G-rated kiddie movie includes a nod"  Villain Gru finds a doll's head in his bed and screams bloody murder.

--CootFather

'The Godfather' Turns 50-- Part 3: $100,000 and Set Hijinks

**  $100,000

That's what it cost to do Sonny's tollbooth death scene (all those bullets) and blood packers, you know.

**  Hijinx On Set

Caan and Duvall, initially intimidated by the legendary Brando, broke the ice on set by dropping their pants and mooning him.  "He made me!" Caan says of Duvall.

Brando upstaged them by dropping his own trousers while the crew was  setting up the wedding scene photo.

**  A Blond Michael?

The studio floated Robert Redford and Ryan O'Neal for the role of the youngest Corleone brother.

Martin Sheen also auditioned.

--CootMoon

'The Godfather' Turns 50-- Part 2: It Was a Family Affair and That Darn Cat, What? No Brando?

**  IT WAS A FAMILY AFFAIR

Director Francis Ford Coppola didn't just cast his sister, Talia Shire, in the movie.  Their father, Carmine Coppola composed the music for the soundtrack.  

And, the baby boy that was in the baptism scene was the director's daughter who grew up to appear in the sequels (in other roles) and has become a renowned writer and director herself.

Her brothers, Roman and Gian-Carlo, also had small background roles.

*********************************

**  THAT CAT

It was a stray that Coppola told Brando to improvise with.

**  NO MARLON BRANDO?

Paramount actually preferred to have Burt Lancaster, Laurence Olivier  or Anthony Quinn to play crime boss Don Vito Corleone.

--CootCat

50 Things About "The Godfather"-- Part 7: Killing Sonny

42.  Some 400 squibs were affixed to Caan to produce one of the bloodiest scenes since "Bonnie & Clyde,"  Possibly a case of overkill.

43.  The killing of Sonny at the Long Beach Causeway took three days to film and cost about $650,000 in today's dollars.

44.  Brando famously refused to learn his lines, so cue cards were taped on lamps, desks, bushes and even other  actors.

45. "The Godfather" is still the 25th highest grossing film of all time, with an adjusted-for-inflation gross of $722 million.

46.  At the 45th Academy Awards, the film won best picture, best actor for Brando and best adapted screenplay for Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo.

--CootWhat'sMyLine?

Fifty Things About "The Godfather"-- Part 6: Who Sleeps with the Fishes?

37.  "Do you know who I am?  I'm Moe Greene!  I made my bones when you were going out with cheerleaders!"

38.  "Fredo, you're my older brother and I love you.  But don't ever take sides with anyone  against the family again.  Ever."

39.  "That's a Sicilian message.  It means that Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."

40.  Pacino and Keaton got hammered after the big wedding scene because they were both convinced the movie was going to be terrible and potentially career-damaging.

41.  James Caan recently tweeted a black and white photo of himself covered with "blood" after filming the scene in which Sonny was killed.  (Two girls are seen looking through the window of the toll booth.  They appear to be either confused or horrified.)  Wrote Caan:  "Jimmy, that's a wrap!  Yeah, yeah I know.  End of Tweet."

--CootShot

Fifty Things About 'The Godfather'-- Part 4: Don't Want No Oscar, No Way, No How

24.  Brando skipped the Academy Awards and sent Sacheen Littlefeather in his stead to explain why he was declining the Oscar to protest Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans.

25.  Pachino was also a no-show at the Oscars because he felt he should have been in the best actor and not supporting actor category given that he had more screen time than Brando.

26.  Robert De Niro and Marlin Brando win Oscars for playing the same character at different points in his life.  (Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix won Oscars for playing the Joker -- but two very different versions of the character in two standalone movies.

27.  That was a real horse's head.

28.  James Caan's Sonny favored the nonsensical phrase "bada bing."

29.  Caan had overheard the real-life mobster Carmine Persico using the phrase.

--RoadBing

Top Ten Nefarious American Mobsters

From the Sept.1, 2011, Listverse.  As always, go to site and get photos and much more information.

10.  Louis "Lepke" Buchalter Boss of "Murder, Inc." Died March 4, 1944.

9.  Bonnie Elizabeth Parker  "Bonnie and ?" Died May 23, 1934

8.  John Herbert Dillinger  Died May 22, 1931

7.  Clyde Chestnut Barrow.  There were about 25 bullets in each corpse.  Overkill if you ask me.  Died May 23, 1934.

6.  John Joseph Gotti, Jr. 


5.  Lester Joseph "Baby Face Nelson" Gillis.  Died Nov. 27, 1934, in Barrington, Illinois.

4.  Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll-- Shot 15 times Feb. 8, 1932

3.  Richard Leonard "The Iceman" Kurlinski  Died in prison March 5, 2006

2.  Alphonse Gabriel Capone--  Died 1947.

1.  George Clarence "Bugs" Moran  Popularized the infamous "Drive-By Shootings:  Died in prison 1956.

Baby Face Nelson has a plaque at the Barrington Park District at the North Side Park.  He died at a house in Wilmette after being shot 17 times.  Buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in River grove, Illinois.  Plot 1, Lot 18, Block 8, Section C in case you want to visit.

Shoot 'Em Ups.  --Cooter

Mobsters Come to Fox Lake-- Part 2

Mobsters in Fox Lake, Illinois? Who'd have figured?

Of course, back then, it was Prohibition and America wanted to drink, especially folks out at the resorts and hotels in the Chain of Lakes area. At one time, I've heard that Fox Lake had the highest number of bars and taverns per capita in the US. In 1933, Prohibition was repealed. The following year, there were 34 liquor licenses in Fox Lake. By 1945, the number was up to 57 and maintained at 55 during the 1980s.

This was a prime area for bootleggers and mobsters.

The May 31, 1933, shooting at the Manning Hotel has been called the Fox Lake Massacre and have never been solved. It is possible that they were in retaliation for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre or part of a turf war.

George "Bugs" Moran supplied booze to Lake County. Three members of the Druggan gang from Chicago were killed and two others were wounded. One of the wounded was Ann Ponic. Her home on North Lake Avenue was frequented by Druggan and his crew. She was upstairs in the powder room when the firing began and was struck in the pelvis.

This was the end of gang activity in Lake County.

The newsletter had the date at 1933. The Fox Lake site had it in 1930. I don't know which one is right.

Anyway, you can not go by this building without someone saying there are still machine gun bullet marks on the interior walls of the structure.

Alright, Wise Guy, See.... --Cooter

Mobsters Come to Fox Lake, Illinois-- Part 1

There was an article in the September-December News Letter "Hometown Heritage" of the Fox Lake-Grant Township Historical Society, about the old Manning Hotel. At one time, it was one of many hotels and resorts on the Chain of Lakes catering to folks from Chicago who would take trains out to the community to swim, boat, have a good time, gamble, and drink.

Drinking drew the attention of Chicago mobsters, who vied to sell the booze and control the gambling. Al Capone was known to spend time at the Mineola Hotel which still stands on the west shore of Fox Lake. I read that his hat is still on display there.

A picture accompanied the article, which said the Manning Hotel still stands today, although now a private residence next to the K. K. Hamsher Funeral Home. Today, it is owned by Bob and Judy Jensen, who bought the place from Hazel Schoenberger 25 years ago. She bought it from Jim Manning, for whom the hotel was named.

A shootout occurred at the Manning Hotel May 31, 1930 in which three died and two were wounded.

Bang, Bang, You're Dead. --Cooter