What we’d like to see in the mob museum
Mayor Oscar Goodman hopes to bring bodies -- the living kind -- into his mob museum, set to open in early 2011 in the old downtown courthouse and U.S. post office building. (Its official name is the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, but no one will call it that.)
Yet the only artifact he has announced is the brick wall from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the famous 1929 showdown between the crews of Al Capone and George "Bugs" Moran.
That's great, but it happened in Chicago. There are so many Vegas-centric things we'd like to see instead. What follows is our wish list. (Attention any real-life Sopranos out there: This is a joke. We mean no disrespect. Seriously.)
BUGSY'S FEDORA
We suspect a hat like this may have been presented to Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel by his associates in 1947, in recognition of the fine job the Flamingo Hotel overseer did coming in under construction budget.
LIGHT-UP MAP OF WHERE THE BODIES ARE BURIED
Historically, enemies of the Mafia in Las Vegas had a curious habit of disappearing without a trace. This exhibit would solve most of those mysteries. Of course, after you view it, you'll have to disappear yourself.
SPILOTRO'S HIT LIST
This was one list no one wanted to top. Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro -- the Chicago mob's enforcer in Las Vegas -- had a notorious reputation for exacting revenge on all double-crossers. (He was the inspiration for Joe Pesci's character in the 1995 movie "Casino.") In 1986, Spilotro and his younger brother were beaten to death and buried in an Indiana cornfield.
LEFTY'S UNUSED TONY ROMA'S COUPONS
In 1982, bookmaker and Spilotro associate Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal had a blast at his favorite rib joint. Carrying a bag of takeout for his kids, Rosenthal walked to his '81 Cadillac Eldorado in the parking lot at 620 E. Sahara Ave., got in and turned the ignition. Miraculously, he escaped the bomb explosion with minor injuries, thanks to a steel plate under the driver's seat (standard on that model). Rosenthal didn't die until last year, of a heart attack at age 79 in Florida. It's safe to assume that Tony Roma's stopped being his favorite restaurant long before that.
JIMMY HOFFA
Come on, Mayor Goodman, we know you know where he is!
Contact reporter Corey Levitan at clevitan@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0456.
INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS
A separate admission would be charged for these -- depending on what's in your wallet
Stardust coin-counting scale, circa 1978: Step on and discover how much less you weigh than you thought you did.
Whack-a-kneecap: Test your skill at old-school negotiating as you treat lifelike mannequins like deadbeats who owe you money.
Dig your own grave: Grab a shovel and try to beat your friends' best times in this hilarious competition, held every night behind the museum after it closes and no one is watching.
