Wyatt Redd is a freelance writer from Nashville, Tennessee. As Rosenthal struggled with the door to get out, the car filled with sheets of flame, and a strong jolt might have thrown him against the steering wheel, hurting his ribs, but he couldnt remember any of that. Geri McGee grew up in Sherman Oaks, California, the daughter of a chronically ill mother and a tinkerer father who worked in gas stations. Geri McGee and Frank Lefty Rosenthal had a tempestuous relationship that led to constant fighting and the two nearly killing each other. Also by Rosenthals side was his new bride, Geri McGee (played by Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna in the film, above), a former topless showgirl hed met not long after moving to town and married in 1969. The two met while McGee was still working as a Tropicana showgirl, but she stole Franks heart at a casino, after he watched her hustle a blackjack player with such powerful elan that a room full of men were diving to the floor to pick up chips for her. Spilotro had a long rap sheet filled with violent crimes. I forgot who the local female reporter is who said it, but she covered the Las Vegas scene in Lefty's era and said she wasn't scared at all of Spilotro, but Rosenthal truly spooked her. Lefty Rosenthal survived, but McGee and Spilotro did not. There was a problem getting your location. Along with uncertainty over who killed Benjamin Bugsy Siegel in 1947 and the 1975 disappearance of labor leader Jimmy Hoffa, the Rosenthal car bombing remains one of the top unsolved organized crime mysteries in the country. About a month after the car bombing, on Nov. 6, 1982 and . He tried repeatedly to get the gaming license that would enable him to freely and legally return to work inside a casino, but was never approved. In an interview about the movie, Rosenthal stated that his character portrayed by Robert De Niro was quite but not fully similar to him, namely "7 on a scale of 1 to 10", and when asked about Stones portrayal of his wife, he stated, I really wouldn't want to get into that area. Yes, Lefty was the ultimate multi-tasker. And now this violent killer was in Las Vegas to help the Chicago Outfit keep an eye on their gambling interests, which meant hed be right by Rosenthals side. [5] In order to once again escape police attention, Rosenthal moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1968. It all adds up to lying and spewing dangerous Democracy busting propaganda. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. During the entire meeting I observed 7/8 Interested Parties keeping me under surveillance. A moment later, at Kutashs invitation, she stands up, towering over the choreographer. Jenkins noted that Kansas City during its Mob wars in the 1970s was known as a town where car bombings took place. 10. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. As her sister Barbara told it, McGee had a number of suitors all looking to take her hand in marriage but many of them lived in New York or California, and she didnt like the idea of leaving Vegas. She went in the house, came out with a loaded .38, and threatened to kill her husband. That was the equivalent today of maybe $400,000 or more. Geri Rosenthal ended up with a cracked rib, two black eyes and bruises all over her body, she told her daughter in the letter. Being forced to have a child and for that child to be a girla girl in competition with her daughter Robinmade Geri very upset., Barbara McGee told Esquire. looking for autographs for Frank Rosenthal and Anthony Spilotro. "My beat was the federal courthouse," said Rundell. Email blog@themobmuseum.org. She died three days later at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. He died on October 13, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA. Rosenthal was an associate of mobster Tony Spilotro (the inspiration for Casino enforcer Nicky Santoro, played by Joe Pesci), who was eventually beaten to death and found buried with his brother in an Indiana cornfield. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Although no one was ever charged for this murder attempt, Milwaukee mob boss Frank Balistrieri was possibly responsible. Try again later. This also goes for anyone else who reads this & has a tale to tell of old LV. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. While the Stardust was thriving, Frank Rosenthal was having trouble with the authorities. Add to your scrapbook. Frank Rosenthals involvement as an informant went back a long time, according to what Pileggi said over the telephone recently from his Manhattan apartment. @glennkirschner2 . He told me Lefty wanted to talk to me to get my Okay to open a sports book in LA. SUPER RARE picture of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal with his daughter Stephanie at a swim meet in 1982 .with thanks to Jason Graziano Bugsy Siegel Chicago Outfit Mafia Gangster Swim Meet Wise Guys Life Of Crime Al Capone Goodfellas Mobster More information . Failed to report flower. Meanwhile, authorities indicted Spilotro and a dozen other mobsters whod been making serious money off of these casinos. Lefty filed for divorce three days later. And only a few weeks later, just after their divorce was finalized, Geraldine McGee collapsed in the lobby of the Beverly Sunset Motel in California. As it turns out, Geri Rosenthal was involved in a love affair at some point during this period with Anthony Spilotro, the Chicago mobs street enforcer in Las Vegas. Look, Geri, he said to her, the best thing is for me to tell it the way it is. The incident has never been solved, though some in law enforcement suspect Spilotro was responsible. The Mob MuseumFrank Rosenthal and Geri McGee Rosenthal had two children, Steven and Stephanie, together, but their marriage was anything but happy. Statuesque. The character Sam Ace Rothstein from the 1995 film. Another Rosenthal innovation was hiring more female blackjack dealers, which in one year helped double the Stardust's income. She also kept her Mercedes coupe. Frank Rosenthal was born in Chicago, Illinois, in a Jewish family and grew up in the city's West Side. More information But Rosenthal emerged unscathed and took his two children to California and then to Florida, where he worked as a nightclub manager and ran an online betting site before dying in 2008 at the age of 79. Rosenthal, who was once called "the greatest living expert on sports gambling" by Sports Illustrated, is credited with bringing increased exposure to sports betting to Las Vegas in the 1970s. Frank Cullotta, a Chicagoan who reconnected with childhood pal Spilotro in Las Vegas in the 1970s, becoming his Mob lieutenant in town, said in a recent telephone interview that the Kansas City Mafia suspected Rosenthal of being a government informant and therefore wanted to take him down. Rosenthal married Geri McGee on May 4, 1969. It's priced. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. The film takes some creative license with the facts and timeline, but is broadly accurate to Rosenthal's story and his relationship with Anthony Spilotro, on which the character Nicky Santoro (played by Joe Pesci) is based. In the movie, Joe Pesci plays the Anthony Spilotro character. Former father . There is a problem with your email/password. At the time, Frank Rosenthal was the overseer of four casinos in Las Vegas for Midwestern mob bosses, most notably the now-demolished Stardust, managing the skim, or the theft, of untaxed gambling revenue. She was 46 years old. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? In September 1980, his wife, Geri Rosenthal (the inspiration for Ginger McKenna in Casino, played by Sharon Stone) called police to their home and falsely reported a burglary was in progress, the Review-Journal reported. In the 1995 film Casino, director Martin Scorsese and star Robert De Niro gave us the fictional story of Sam Ace Rothstein, a mob-affiliated casino operator who always knows just how to manipulate odds and maximize profits on behalf of the murderous gangsters he works with. By the time he was a young adult, he was heavily involved in the mob-controlled illegal gambling scene in Chicago. World News, Social Issues, Politics, Entertainment and Sports, There doesnt seem to be much video available showing the real-life woman portrayed by Sharon Stone in the 1995 hit movie Casino.. So in 1974, Frank Rosenthal began working for the Stardust. Sure enough, the bookie dropped off the money to Lem the next morning. We had a drink and a talk about who we were and who we knew. After the skim was exposed, Nevada gaming authorities placed Rosenthal in the Black Book, banning him for life from Nevada casinos. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. You can view his story by clicking here. The football boss sold the unit to David Goggins, an author, long-distance runner and former Navy SEAL. Today, authorities still do not know who planted the bomb that blew up Rosenthals car on October 4, 1982. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Geri was in love with money, Frank Rosenthal recalled of his late wife. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. And everyone who met her liked her in five minutes. Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jane Ann Morrison later confirmed through her law enforcement sources what some mobsters sensed, that Rosenthal had been a Top Echelon federal informant. Drag images here or select from your computer for Frank Lawrence Lefty Rosenthal memorial. She also happened to marry one of Vegas most notorious and controversial figures: Frank Lefty Rosenthal, the casino king who built an empire and then lost it all. McGee already had a daughter, Robin L. Marmor, from a previous marriage with ex-husband Lenny Marmor. Working for the Chicago Outfit in the mid-1950s, Rosenthal had a talent for setting the perfect odds for sports betting. [6][incomplete short citation], A big promoter of sports gambling, Rosenthal secretly ran the Stardust, Fremont, Marina, and Hacienda casinos when they were controlled by the Chicago Outfit. If he hadnt started the whole female dealer thing, we might not have go-go dealers today, a practice which also has as many admirers as critics. The Casino movie true story reveals that Sam and Ginger Rothstein's real-life counterparts, Frank and Geraldine Rosenthal, had a daughter named Stephanie and a son name Steven. Of course, Rosenthal also wasnt above taking steps to make sure that he got the results he wanted, and by the early 1960s, he found himself in trouble for fixing games. Meanwhile, Frank Rosenthals whole world was falling apart as authorities continued to interrogate him about his connections with Spilotro and his involvement in all manner of illegal activities that had taken place inside his casinos. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images, Casino executive Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, left, sits next to his wife Geri Rosenthal in their Las Vegas home in this photograph from the 1970s. "The only part that's fun about gambling is when you win. However, all good things must come to an end especially when the mob and millions upon millions of dollars are involved. Rosenthals stylish house at 972 Vegas Valley Drive, at the Las Vegas Country Club, was put up for sale Oct. 29 and went under contract with a buyer Tuesday, its listing on Zillow shows. So each mob boss got $200,000 back for their $5,000 investment. After all, the mob had already tried to kill her ex-husband. Being that Widmark was 80 years old at the time, the role eventually went to Robert De Niro. Though she and Rosenthal had two children together, this infidelity and her drug abuse contributed to their marriage failing in 1980. But he had a weird free access to mob bosses, whereas Italians would have to deal with buffers, like Capos. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). It was during this time, while hustling and dancing, that Geri McGee caught the eye of one of Vegas most prominent figures: Frank Rosenthal. Rosenthals description of what happened that October night is detailed in the book and depicted in the movie, which Pileggi co-wrote with director Martin Scorsese. Rosenthal survived the explosion, but the message was clear: Someone wanted him dead. I then gave my standard answer that I couldnt give my permission for them to commit a felony but if they decided to open a book in LA I need to know everyone involved and be kept up to date on all the details. Balistrieri, who was known as the "Mad Bomber" to law enforcement, was heard (via wiretap) blaming Rosenthal for the legal problems the mob-controlled casinos were suffering. He was 79. This is gonna piss some of you off to hear, but a lot more of you are woke than you think. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Things only got worse in October 1982. ). each to be partners with him in betting. Failed to delete memorial. I just hope it wasnt with one of two guys.. Morrison even discovered that Geri Rosenthal also talked to the FBI. Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, gambler and gangster, died on October 13th, aged 79 . She and her sister, Barbara, often took on odd jobs as kids to help make ends meet; all of their clothing was handed down by neighbors. He spoke at length with Pileggi for the book and even briefly appeared in the movie as a Mafia hitman, a role he had taken on in real life. Her legs were bruised. He got custody of the two children they had together. The discussion can be viewed here. Is there any wonder that they loved him? The film Casino (1995), directed by Martin Scorsese with a screenplay co-written by Nicholas Pileggi from his biography Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, is largely based on Rosenthal's time in Las Vegas. Rosenthal once ran the Stardust, Hacienda, Marina and Fremont casinos for the Chicago Mafia, also known as the Outfit. He did this without the benefit of a Nevada gaming license. When we were in the elevator with the stretcher going to the garage, we were escorted all the way to the hearse by a big body guard. As recounted by The Mob Museum, he ran the Stardust for mob bosses who skimmed revenue and had helped its owner, Allen Glick of Argent Corp., secure Teamsters union loans. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. The southwest Las Vegas Valley home, which used to belong to the Mtley Cre lead singer, is available for $2.7 million. So we used a rubber mallet and he became a lefty.. Frank Lefty Rosenthal is one of the more famous of Sin Citys mobsters thanks to the 1995 film, Casino, based upon Rosenthals career in Vegas. This was an evil man. He died from a heart . Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. He was. Cullotta now hosts a YouTube program titled Coffee With Cullotta. But if Rothstein and his violent Las Vegas adventures seem too outrageous to be true, take note that this character was based on Frank Lefty Rosenthal, a real-life gambler and gangster every bit the smooth criminal that Sam Rothstein was. Goodman and Rosenthal lost, however, in the Nevada Supreme Court in 1991, and Rosenthal's ban was reinstated. Rosenthal, a Chicago Mob associate, ran the now-demolished Stardust hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip for Midwestern crime families that received untaxed gambling revenue skimmed from there and other resorts. And thus began their tempestuous romance. I was in the last year or two of my career with the Sherriff's Dept as a Deputy. Lem won the bet, but the bookie refused to pay him. The plot was inspired by the life of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal who managed the Fremont, Hacienda, and Stardust casinos in Las Vegas for the Chicago mob back in the 1970s and 1980s. . But not only had his marriage failed Rosenthal had also now made an enemy of his old friend, Tony Spilotro and Spilotro wasnt afraid of getting his hands dirty. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Rosenthal was big into clothes and is rumored to have owned 200 pairs of pants. Shes standing there like royalty. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter. After discussing discos popularity, Frank Rosenthal and Kutash wander over in an obviously staged bit to interview Geri Rosenthal, where she is seated at a table with Las Vegas entertainers Siegfried and Roy. That incident actually took place, and Rosenthal survived because of a manufacturing irregularity in his 1981 Cadillac Eldorado. He was previously married to Geraldine ("Geri") McGee. Thats when he got a call from Spilotro saying he was with McGee, and that she wanted to talk about their issues. Rosenthal was added to the infamous casino black book in 1988, barring him from casinos for life. He moved away from Las Vegas not long after the bombing, first to California, then to Florida, where he offered sports-betting advice on his own website before dying in 2008 of an apparent heart attack at age 79. Once you are a Top Echelon informant, you are a target, Pileggi said, adding that mobsters from somewhere in the Midwest Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Kansas City probably were responsible for trying to kill Rosenthal with the car bomb. Lefty Rosenthal survived the car bomb attack, but he left Las Vegas soon afterward. (L.E. Yes, I think you could say that, she replies. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. GREAT NEWS! Simpson. Rosenthal was later formally banned from Las Vegas casinos in 1987, when he was placed in "the Black Book", making him persona non grataunable to work in, or even enter, any Nevada casino because of his alleged ties to organized crime. 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