Bettie: Vegas-themed Movies

[Bettie]

Just wondering what everyone's favorite Vegas-themed movie is. Mine would have to be the classic "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation"! I just can't get over the scene where Clark is in the downtown casino playing "Guess A Number" and "Casino War" - which is now a real game! I guess "Paper Rock Scissors" will be showing up at the Bellagio next!

Not entirely Vegas-themed, but pretty darn hysterical is 'Rat Race." Any scene with the high rollers making bets is great (my favorite is the maids on the curtains), and I love John Cleese as the owner of the Venetian - heck, I just love John Cleese!

Obviously, my tastes run toward comedy, but I'd love to hear what other movies out there people like. "Casino"? "3,000 Miles to Graceland"? Thanks!

Bettie

[SOTSOG]

Movie opens up with old guy helping out a down-on-his-luck young kid.

Kid: "I lost all my money playing blackjack"
Old Man: "Do you count cards?"
Kid: "What? Why, no, of course not!"
Old Man: "Seems to me if one were to play blackjack then counting cards would be the thing to do."

[learning to count]

Oceans Eleven the original and the 2001 version. Of course National Lampoon's Las Vegas Vacation! And last but not least Honeymoon in Las Vegas.

[Parker]

My all-time favorite Vegas movie would indeed be "Casino." I'm a huge fan of DeNiro, and it is by far the best role that Sharon Stone has ever had. Of course, it's not for everyone. The "f-word" is used 362 times, which averages out to about once every 30 seconds for the duration of the movie.

Still, it was filmed entirely in the Las Vegas area, and it is mostly a true story. The DeNiro character is actually Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, and the "Tangiers" casino is actually the Stardust. Most of the actual casino scenes were filmed in the Riviera, although a couple were done at the Plaza. The exterior scenes were done at the Landmark shortly before it was imploded. Rosenthal's lawyer, Oscar Goodman, plays himself in the movie, and of course is now the mayor of Las Vegas. Here is a link to an interview with Frank Rosenthal:

http://www.casinoguru.com/features/s...senthal_01.htm

Frank has his own website, which may also be of interest:

http://www.frankrosenthal.com/web/index.shtml

Another favorite of mine is "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," which is very true to the book of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson. Perhaps you have wondered what it would be like to walk into Circus-Circus with a headful of LSD. Or maybe not. At any rate, thanks to this movie you can find out without risking any of your own brain cells.

The book originally appeared as a series of articles in "Rolling Stone" magazine. Thompson is still listed on the masthead of "Rolling Stone," under "National Affairs Desk," despite the fact that he has not written anything for the magazine in many years.

Thompson swears that every word of the book is true. His "Samoan attorney" was actually chicano activist Oscar Zeta Acosta. Thompson changed his ethnic origin in the book to protect him, and Acosta responded by suing him for defamation for doing so. The movie is also useful to me from a personal standpoint, since there are large portions of the 60's that I have no recollection of at all.

Here is a link to a site with more info on Hunter S. Thompson:

http://www.gonzo.org/books/fl/index.html

[Adam N. Subtractum]

I also loved Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, although I have yet to watch it while not under the influence of something or other...lol. Casino, of course, is another classic. Another one I really love is Leaving Las Vegas. It's not for everyone, but I could appreciate Nicolas Cage's character (I thought it was an awesome performance, very accurate).

ANS

[Parker]

Another one I really love is Leaving Las Vegas. It's not for everyone, but I could appreciate Nicolas Cage's character (I thought it was an awesome performance, very accurate).

Apparently, we have similar tastes in movies.

I almost mentioned "Leaving Las Vegas." Cage is another of my favorite actors, and the movie's portrayal of the seamy side of Las Vegas is dead on.

However, it is one of the most depressing movies I have ever seen in my life! :-)

[scobee 1]

> Another favorite of mine is "Fear and
> Loathing in Las Vegas," which is very
> true to the book of the same name by Hunter
> S. Thompson. Perhaps you have wondered what
> it would be like to walk into Circus-Circus
> with a headful of LSD. Or maybe not. At any
> rate, thanks to this movie you can find out
> without risking any of your own brain cells.

> The book originally appeared as a series of
> articles in "Rolling Stone"
> magazine. Thompson is still listed on the
> masthead of "Rolling Stone," under
> "National Affairs Desk," despite
> the fact that he has not written anything
> for the magazine in many years.

> Thompson swears that every word of the book
> is true. His "Samoan attorney" was
> actually chicano activist Oscar Zeta Acosta.
> Thompson changed his ethnic origin in the
> book to protect him, and Acosta responded by
> suing him for defamation for doing so. The
> movie is also useful to me from a personal
> standpoint, since there are large portions
> of the 60's that I have no recollection of
> at all.

Hunter Thompson also once ran for sheriff of Aspen, Colorado in the seventies and nearly won with his 'Aspen Freak Power Uprising '. Imagine what this tony resort would be like now if he had. His writing was the 'darker side' of Tom Wolfe's 'new journalism' that revitalized the genre for decades to come. Thanks for the reminder of the glorius anarchy that was the birthright of the every love-child, hippie-freak, peacnik, weirdo rebel who grew up in that era. Thank God some people bothered to write it down. From what I remember....:-) .... it was a time of individuality and experimentation that will never be seen again.

a couple of my favorite quotes:

"When the going gets weird, the Weird turn
pro. "

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or
insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."

and of course he coined the phrase, "Fear and Loathing."

[Parker]

> Hunter Thompson also once ran for sheriff of
> Aspen, Colorado in the seventies and nearly
> won with his 'Aspen Freak Power Uprising '.
> Imagine what this tony resort would be like
> now if he had. His writing was the 'darker
> side' of Tom Wolfe's 'new journalism' that
> revitalized the genre for decades to come.
> Thanks for the reminder of the glorius
> anarchy that was the birthright of the every
> love-child, hippie-freak, peacnik, weirdo
> rebel who grew up in that era. Thank God
> some people bothered to write it down. From
> what I remember....:-) .... it was a time of
> individuality and experimentation that will
> never be seen again.

> a couple of my favorite quotes:

> "When the going gets weird, the Weird
> turn
> pro. "

> "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol,
> violence, or
> insanity to anyone, but they've always
> worked for me."

> and of course he coined the phrase,
> "Fear and Loathing."

Indeed. And for those who Don't Get It, who still think the movie (and book) is just about a couple of guys getting stoned and trashing hotel rooms, consider the following quote:

"San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of. Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run . . . but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of the world. Whatever it meant . . .

"History is hard to know, because of all the hired bullshit, but even without being sure of "history" it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody really understands at the time - and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened.

"My central memory of that time seems to hang on one or five or maybe forty nights - or very early mornings - when I left the Fillmore half-crazy and, instead of going home, aimed the big 650 Lightning across the Bay Bridge at a hundred miles an hour wearing L. L. Bean shorts and a Butte sheepherder's jacket . . . booming through the Treasure Island tunnel at the lights of Oakland and Berkeley and Richmond, not quite sure which turn-off to take when I got to the other end (always stalling at the toll-gate, too twisted to find neutral while I fumbled for change) . . . but being absolutely certain that no matter which way I went I would come to a place where people were just as high and wild as I was: No doubt at all about that . . .

"There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning . . .

"And that I think was the handle - that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting - on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave . . .

"So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark - that place where the wave fiinally broke and rolled back."

There you have it, my friends. People have written volumes trying to explain the 60's, yet Thompson perfectly defines the very essence of it all in just a few paragraphs. If you still don't get it, all I can say is, "You had to 'ave been there."

[Joe Miner]

Until this minute I have never heard of Hunter Thompson. What great words. I will visit my local libray or Amazon.com to check him out. Where did you get those quotes? In other words what Hunter Thompson's books would you recommend?

[Parker]

> Until this minute I have never heard of
> Hunter Thompson. What great words. I will
> visit my local libray or Amazon.com to check
> him out. Where did you get those quotes? In
> other words what Hunter Thompson's books
> would you recommend?

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (the source of the quote referenced above) is far and away his best work. None of his other writing comes close.

Hell's Angels was written before Fear and Loathing . . . Thompson spent nearly a year riding with the Hell's Angels - wearing a brown leather jacket, and riding a Kawasaki! And lived. It is interesting reading, to say the least.

The Great Shark Hunt is a compilation of all Thompson's writing up to the date of it's publication, including an exerpt from Fear and Loathing . . . It has some good material, some not-so-good material, and a lot of stuff that is just plain filler.

And as I mentioned in my post above, the movie, "Fear and Loahing in Las Vegas" starring Johnny Depp, is very true to the book.

Do a Google search on "Hunter S. Thompson" and you will find a wealth of info.

[dogman]

Having been there at that time as a Navy Lt. and living in S.F. was truly a coming of age for me.
Thompson puts in perspective.
dogman

[Joe Miner]

> "When the going gets weird, the Weird
> turn
> pro. "
You have to love a guy like this!

> "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol,
> violence, or
> insanity to anyone, but they've always
> worked for me."

> and of course he coined the phrase,
> "Fear and Loathing."

[Fibonacci]

I didn't see the movie because I don't watch movies, but I did read the book(Casino). In the book Chicago was purported to have taken out one of their own when they beat Spilotro and his brother to death. Supposedly because he had become too high profile. In Bill Roemer's book he claims that the Bonnano family from New York did the deed. Roemer is the legendary FBI agent who probably listened to more mob conversations and talked to more mob informants than anyone in history. He claims that Paulie Primosa, "Clean" Imacculata, and "Ape" Annunciata were the culprits. This occurred during the time the Bonnanos were battling Chicago for control of Las Vegas. The Bonnanos were also the ones that attempted to blow up Rosenthal.

My question concerns another event that Roemer describes in his book. When the Bonnanos decided to try to muscle in on Vegas, Joe Bonnano went to Meyer Lansky before he died and got him to persuade Moe Dalitz to switch sides. He had been with Chicago for a number of years. Part of the deal involved Dalitz receiving a bevy of bodyguards for obvious reasons. "Joe Batters" Accardo ordered the hit on Dalitz no matter what the circumstance. Joe Ferriola(AKA: Joe Negall) was the underboss, I believe, at the time and was given the assignment. Dalitz had 4 bodyguards with him all day and 2 while he slept. They tailed him over a period of time to determine what would be there best opportunity. Dalitz had taken a keen interest in the construction of the Mirage at the time and would go there almost daily and observe from out in front while looking at building plans that he carried with him. Ferriola and the 3 with him decided to take Dalitz in front of the Mirage because that was when he was most vulnerable. The 3 with Ferriola were assigned to take out the bodyguards while Ferriola shot Dalitz. Roemer claimed in the book that all Dalitz's bodyguards and all 3 with Ferriola died during the shootout. Dalitz and Ferriola were the only survivors although Dalitz was wounded badly. Ferriola was not hit by any bullets. Dalitz eventually recovered, but before he was discharged from Sunrise Gussie Alex paid off a hospital worker to poison Dalitz. So, according to Roemer that's how Dalitz left this world.

Does anyone have any knowledge of this shootout in front of the Mirage? I didn't do an exhaustive internet search for any corroborative information on this incident, but what searching I did came up with nothing. It would seem that something this major would have plenty of information on it. Roemer did day in the introduction that he fabricated some incidents out of necessity for obvious reasons. Namely that he wasn't present during most of the incidents. There would be no reason to make the Dalitz hit up though. It is a question that nags at me when ever it pops into my head.

I live in Vegas part time. One of my problems with the city is that it won't let go of it's mob past. Occasionally you'll hear someone who's lived here for years say how much better everything was when the mob ran things. Dalitz is still held in high regard. Frank Fertitta(Station Casinos) and the Lowdens(ex-Santa Fe) were mob connected and maybe still are. Benny Binion is another example of pure thuggery. Lastly, if you believe John L. Smith's book about Steve Wynn(Running Scared), he had a mob friend or two himself. The current mayor, for crying out loud, is a former mob attorney, the lowest of the low in the legal profession, just below non-mob defense attorneys.