SAME STORY BUT MORE IN DEPTH

Most of us get our entertainment from films and television these days. That’s kind of sad because books hold more information and provide a much more in depth story than can be told in 2 hours or in a watered down version on TV. Those willing to take the chance though can enjoy more from books that are used as the basis for many of these films/shows. CASINO is one such example.

Based on the life of Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, a consultant and manager under the radar of numerous clubs in Las Vegas for the mob, it tells his story. Under mob boss Anthony Spilotro’s watching eye Rosenthal made millions for the mob. Unfortunately it was also his boss that caused an upheaval within that same organization as well as nearly leading to Rosenthal’s demise.

The book covers it all, from how he got involved to how he ran things. It talks about gambling, the main feature that began the revival of a small town called Las Vegas. He talks about his romance and marriage to a showgirl that led to so many issues that costs him dearly. None of it is off the table.

The book provides the story from Rosenthal’s perspective. Subsequent books have told a different tale. Here he is close to Spilotro at one time, others say they rarely spoke or knew one another. Needless to say Rosenthal was a high money maker for the mob and they valued his abilities or he wouldn’t have been in the position he was. His ego and high profile style led him to be removed from his position, not by the mob but by law enforcement.

Written by Nicholas Pileggi, a hard working journalist who covered the crime scene before writing WISEGUY (on which the film GOODFELLAS was based) as well as this book, it is an easy read, descriptive when needed and offering that behind the scenes story of greed and crime. After finishing you’ll want to go back and watch the movie again as well as GOODFELLAS.

Here is a book that the movie with the same title was based on. Of course the book goes into more detail about the life of Lefty Rosenthal. Starting from his childhood through his time in Vegas. Overall this is a good book with the parts of Vegas bring back memories of the old casinos that are no longer there. It was also amazing how at one time he was running the book for four casinos. This book has a lot of details and history that was interesting to read. I also remember reading about the framer who found the bodies in his field years later and they turned out to be that of Tony Spilotro, and that of his brother many, many years after he went missing from Vegas. Overall it was a good story about old Vegas.