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Clockwise from top left: Jan Sachs, widow of Allan Sachs; Millicent Rosen Siegel, oldest daughter of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel; Meyer Lansky II, grandson of Meyer Lansky; and Cynthia Duncan, stepgranddaughter of Lansky.
Published Monday, May 24, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Updated Monday, May 24, 2010 | 10:01 a.m.
Sun Coverage
Families fight misconception
All have stressed that they seek to personalize the stories of their famed family members. Their aim is to provide a full-context depiction of their lives beyond the more sensational film, TV or book accounts that typically lack the more human side of reputed organized-crime figures. Each has turned over personal belongings such as documents, furniture, family films, photographs and artifacts for use in the attraction.What to expect when it opens
The Mob Experience is described as “experiential entertainment,” with hologram apparitions of famous mafia figures appearing and speaking to visitors. The “experiential” feeling will be like walking onto a movie set, where visitors are pulled into the subjects’ interactive narrative. Visitors will walk through a series of dazzling interactive displays in which guests are either “made” or “whacked.” The tour ends with an exhibit titled, “Final Fate.”Sun Archives
- ‘Experiential entertainment’ to be a hallmark of Las Vegas Mob Experience (4-25-2010)
- Report: Las Vegas Mob Experience, rival of Mob Museum, to open at Tropicana this year (4-24-2010)
- Downtown Mob Museum set up to be self-supporting (4-21-2010)
- Downtown museum to tell story of mob in Las Vegas, elsewhere (3-25-2010)
- Las Vegas mob museum continues to move forward (11-18-2008)
- Not yet built, mob museum may get rival (9-11-2009)
- Goodman marks Mob Museum progress (8-4-2009)
- Mob museum contractor at odds with city (8-8-2009)
- Oh, the irony: The former mob lawyer gets FBI support for mob museum (8-17-2008)
The group can be likened to a “Dream Team,” if what you encounter during your slumber are the central figures in the history of organized crime in America.
The latest family members announced as partners in the Las Vegas Mob Experience, set to open this year at the Tropicana, share kinship with some of the more colorful characters in our nation’s mob experience.
The hired guns:
• Millicent Rosen Siegel, the oldest daughter of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, who in 1946 opened the Flamingo as a frontman for syndicate interests in New York and is often credited as one of the men who first envisioned today’s resort development on the Strip.
• Meyer Lansky II, grandson of Meyer Lansky, a longtime Siegel aide and an investor in the Flamingo who was often considered the financial brains behind the National Syndicate for his wizardry with numbers.
• Cynthia Duncan, stepgranddaughter of Lansky by the marriage of Lansky to her grandmother Thelma “Teddy” Sheer Schwartz Lansky.
• Jan Sachs, widow of Allan Sachs, who along with Herb Tobman took over the Stardust in 1979 after Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and Allen Glick were shooed from the resort by Nevada gaming authorities.
This well-connected quartet joins three other Mob Experience partners with a strong organized-crime lineage. Also on board and previously announced as paid consultants for the project are Antoinette Giancana, daughter of longtime mob chief Sam “Momo” Giancana; and two members of Tony “the Ant” Spilotro’s family: his widow, Nancy; and son, Vincent. Lansky, the Spilotros and Giancana are expected to make regular personal appearances at the Experience. Rosen and Sachs will be on hand once a week or so. Duncan will rarely be present at the attraction. Duncan lives in Miami Beach, Fla. The others are Las Vegans.
All have stressed that they seek to personalize the stories of their famed family members. Their aim is to provide a full-context depiction of their lives beyond the more sensational film, TV or book accounts that typically lack the more human side of reputed organized-crime figures. Each has turned over personal belongings such as documents, furniture, family films, photographs and artifacts for use in the attraction. (The Las Vegas Sun is involved in the project by assisting in research of the subjects displayed and recording video interviews with family-member partners in the project.)
With specific plans to be unveiled at a news conference June 8, the Las Vegas Mob Experience is a brazen effort initiated more than 18 months ago by Jay Bloom, whose real estate investment company, Eagle Group Holdings, owns Murder Inc., the company financing the Mob Experience. Plans are for the 20,000-square-foot attraction to be in the Tropicana pavilion area, near the back of the resort.
No specific timetable has been given, other than plans are for the Mob Experience to open this year. No specific admission fee has been set, although the price points should be in line with “CSI: The Experience” at MGM Grand, which charges $30 for adults and $23 for children ages 12 and under. And no full cost of the project has been reported, although Bloom has said it is “less than $42 million.”
That is in reference to the reported cost of the publicly funded Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (aka the mob museum), under development in the old post office and federal courthouse on Stewart Avenue in downtown Las Vegas. Conveniently, the building was the site of the 1950 Kefauver hearings (Senate hearings on organized crime).
As an entertainment vehicle, the Mob Experience will compete for visitors with the mob museum, although officials from both projects have stressed that they are alike only in that they deal with similar subject matter.
“We have the families telling the stories,” Bloom says. “These are the people who were actually there.”
Bloom has described the Mob Experience as “experiential entertainment,” with hologram apparitions of famous mafia figures appearing and speaking to visitors as they pace through the attraction. The “experiential” feeling will be like walking onto a movie set, where visitors are pulled into the subjects’ interactive narrative. Visitors will walk through a series of dazzling interactive displays in which guests are either “made” or “whacked.” The tour ends with an exhibit titled, “Final Fate.”
As Bloom has explained, this is not a gun-under-glass museum. Those who have been enlisted to develop the exhibits are reps from Plain Joe Studios of Corona, Calif., who specialize in interactive displays; and artists from Visioneering Studios of Irvine, Calif., which has developed Downtown Disney and Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim, Calif.
It all sounds sensational, and should be, but the family members resist that description when describing their involvement. But the attraction is to be far more entertaining than walking through a library-style tutorial.
Meyer Lansky
“It’s not just a museum,” the 52-year-old Lansky says during a day of phone interviews with all four of the most recently announced Mob Experience family members. “Since my grandfather and Benji have been gone, the story hasn’t been told. There has been a lot said in movies, but we have the real story, the personal stories, their quirks, what was said.”
Lansky’s stepgranddaughter, Duncan, launched a website in 2002 to chronicle the life of her grandmother, known as Teddy, and Meyer Lansky. The two were married for 35 years and were wed before Duncan, 59, was born. Duncan has entertained several offers for pieces of her collection — even producers of the TV show “Baywatch” approached her for access to her collection for a movie project.
But Duncan refused to distribute her family artifacts in piecemeal form. Bloom actually found Duncan’s contact information on her website, meyerlansky.com, met with Duncan in 2008, and eventually bought the entire lot.
“Jay came along and liked what I had to say, and I have a lot of historical material,” she said. “I saved everything, lots of papers, photographs, things that Teddy gave me over the years — china, artifacts, all sorts of things. But what I want to capture is a love story, and Jay has seen many photos of (Meyer and Teddy Lansky) together. No one has seen that side of them.”
Jan Sachs said she spoke with her friend, Millicent Rosen Siegel, about the project after hearing a few details about the attraction through the mob-family grapevine.
“We knew each other through our fathers’ friendship, which really laid the foundation for Las Vegas,” Sachs, 55, said. “After seeing the project and the vision for it, I thought we should be involved … We’re sort of a package deal. It’s funny how the paths cross.”
True. As Sachs noted, her husband was a close friend of then-attorney Oscar Goodman, who spoke at Al Sachs’ funeral, but is now fronting the competing mob museum.
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel.
Rosen says her famous father will be shown in rare home movies along with personal artifacts. She says the movie “Bugsy” was “lousy,” a papered-over portrayal in which she refused to participate.
“A lot of it was just made up,” Rosen, 78, said. “They wanted me to be working with them, but they thought I wasn’t worth anything and wouldn’t pay me. They thought it would be a privilege for me to be working with them, to meet Warren Beatty. I didn’t want anything to do with it.”
Those involved in the project say they are conscious that the splashy attraction might be misconstrued as a celebration of illegal activity. Bloom has answered by comparing the approach to the release of such films as “Casino” and “GoodFellas,” using the history of organized crime in entertainment media.
“We’re not saying, ‘We did this and we’re damn proud of it,’ ” Sachs said. “It’s part of history. We just want to lay it out there properly, keep it from being distorted and set the record straight.”
As Rosen said, “We have to have it be entertaining. This is Las Vegas.”
My biggest question is what exactly can these relatives contribute since they were either in diapers or not even born during such a controversal era. If my last name was Capone, what stories I could dream up about Grandpa Al.
i'm looking for italian recipes and i get great adventures of jewish cooking. remember the scene from "the godfather" where clemenza shows micheal corleone how to make sauce? i was so hungry after the show i went out and got a tasty italian combo w/ hot peppers and gardinera.
Meyer Lansky's STEPGRANDDAUGHTER??!!? Are you kidding... total dream team! How'd they get her... And I thought Allan Sachs was the legitimate one... what are you saying about Herb Tobman... This is a farce, but I didn't see much criticism in you article...what's up with that?
The Mens latrine features clown-heads of our favorite Gangsters of bygone days; even one of their Lawyer. I predict the line for the lawyer urinal will be a long one.
How about one on the Mexican mafia, way more Mexicans now then Italians.
See part of Millicent Rosen Siegel interview conducted by Clark County Television (CCTV) Channel 4 here: http://www.youtube.com/user/ClarkCountyN...
These people really think we care about their lowlife, scumbag relatives? Most places people would be ashamed to have such evil people in their families. Go crawl back under the rocks. The last thing society needs is you bunch of wanna bees glorifying criminal behavior to young people who will find it acceptable to be criminals.
Well like it or not, it is apart of our history here. The best thing we can do is accept it. Personally, I don't see the difference between "crime figures" and politicians, except that politicians got there first, and set the rules so that their activities can be legal.
Me personally, I'm interested in what these people have to say. Both as a hobby of history, as well as trying to learn their mistakes and successes. Forget "Get Rich Quick!" books with lies and schemes. I want to know how Meyer Lansky was able to convert throw-away fronts for money laundering into businesses so successful that their raw profits challenged the ill gains brought in by the illicit business dealings. Things like that.
Like I say, we need to accept our past and not try to deny nor censor it. After all, if it weren't for any of these mob figures that these museums are showcasing, none of us would be here.
Anything for a buck.
Saying this is part of the history of Las Vegas doesn't say much because it just demonstrates a certain fascination with an area of the city's history. It's not an academic exercise. By that rationale you can build a museum on gangs from Southern California or the Aryan resistance movement.
I personally think this is appalling because thousands of real lives were destroyed by these mobsters. What is doubly appalling is that millions of city dollars went to building this kitschy museum smack in the middle of the worst recession this country has faced in generations.
Goodman is a farce just like this museum.
Say what you like about how "disgusting" and "appalling" this is; people are fascinated with the whole Mob story. "The Sopranos" and "The Godfather" were popular for a reason.
Oh...and equating organized crime figures such as Siegel and Lansky with the Nazis and the Holocaust is beyond ridiculous. You realize one group was running a business (illicit though it might have been), while the other tried to wipe out a whole ethnic group and take over the world.
These men might not have been saints, but they sure as hell weren't Hitler.
If you don't like the idea of this exhibit, then don't attend. I'm sure there will be plenty of folks who will.
"Pay me, or I'll blow up you and your family with a car bomb" is not really a business model worth celebrating, bkcc. Turn off the teevee for crying out loud.
@BKCC All your points are well taken, however, what about the idea that your tax payer dollars ($2 million) were spent on this? I have no doubt that people will turn out for this (people in general like rubbish) and it'll probably make money, but at the height of a recession while people are losing homes and jobs and education is being slashed the city is spending it's money on this? I'm sure they could've found private money for this.
@ axiom: This isn't the mayor's project, which is being paid for with taxpayer money. This article is about the privately funded exhibit that's going up in the Tropicana.
@ okra: You're entitled to your opinion. I'm not saying these historical figures are heroes, just that the people behind this project are entitled to cash in just like Hollywood has.
@BKCC My bad. I'll wait for the next article on the city's museum. But the question remains, although not in the context of this particular article.
Sounds like a cool exhibit. Who is not fascinated by the mob. There wouldn't be so many movies and TV shows dedicated to the subject if people weren't interested.
Axiom:
Your comparison between the Mafia and L.A. Street Gangs is totally unfounded. Street Gangs did not build up Los Angeles in any way shape or form. Conversely Mob money did however help build Las Vegas. Siegel's vision for Las Vegas (or at least what additional ideas came out of his taking over of the Flamingo project) was a new vision for Las Vegas in terms of higher-priced luxuries and amenities that would in turn also reap higher profits. None of which from 1949 forward could ever have been accomplished without Mob influence. Whereas Banking and Lending Institutions themselves would never even consider loans for legitimate businesses that were considered "unmoral" by people, Mob influenced and advised loans arriving from either individuals or Teamster Retirement Pension Funds helped build this town up. Without them, none of us would really have any jobs here.
Now to address your quote, "...thousands of real lives were destroyed by these mobsters.", that could be said about any government or most corporations now days. But like I said, because of them we all now live in Las Vegas. You live here too? Have a good job and a good life? Well you're profiting off of those "destroyed lives" too. Are you going to pack up and leave town now that you realize that? Or will you continue to stay here and continue to reap the benefits. Otherwise what about the many people who conducted legitimate transactions with organized crime figures and obtained loans and then payed them back? No, we don't get to really see the positive influences made now do we?
I don't think that a museum or exhibit describing the organized crime is appalling in the least. If we don't remember history, we're doomed to repeat it after all. Besides if we're going to rate *appalling* on negative influences in lives, there is far worse than the Mob. Like say the borderline genocide of Native American Tribes. Or our government funding paramilitary activities around the world where people are raped and murdered. Yeah, let's build monuments to those people, but shun Mafiosos.
Nothing more American than Hypocrisy, huh Axiom...
DMC's moral equivalence attempt: FAIL
You're not making any sense at all, dude. You're like, "mobsters are like politicians and it's like comparing it to genocide, except when it's not. So there."
okra:
If anyone has failed at anything here, it's your attempt to make a coherent comment...
Face the facts: The Mob is a big part of our city's heritage. People love all things related to the Mob, and here we have a couple of chances to make money off of that. So what's the big deal?
I use to work with a female Security Officer at the Bellagio, that claimed she was related to Sam Giancana (She used the Giancana last name); she strutted around as if she was another Victoria Gotti. However, when confronted with questions from someone who knows of the family she side stepped them like someone walking through a pasture full of cow patties. These people are just making money on the reputation of their relatives and the second and third hand stories that have added more and more to them. As for Antoinette Giancana, the family wasn't too happy when she wrote the book" Mafia Princess" and I guess the money from the books ran out as did her money from daddy. Therefore, they really must be upset she is involved with all this stuff and digging up all the past all over again.
A lot of you people are missing the whole idea. You will be pleasantly surprised at how entertaining this attraction will be.It will have people making reservations in advance.you cant imagine how much planning is going into this project.Its gonna be a show stopper.Stay
tuned
The reason this MOB museum, etc., is news is because it concerns entertainment - two venues that are trying to capitalize on the perceived interest of the general public in MOB history. Well, I don't think this is a great idea.
This story says the "MOB experience" may cost $42 MILLION DOLLARS. Are you kidding me? For what? The Las Vegas "MOB story" has already been depicted very well in many movies, such as "CASINO."
Indeed, Las Vegas is all about ENTERTAINMENT; but digging up the past for a museum (or whatever), is just throwing good money away. As a lawyer, Mayor Oscar Goodman is about the only meaningful connection to anything remotely interesting about what the MOB did here.
SO WHAT'S THE DRAW? Most people who might remember the MOB are either fairly old, could care less, or are dead. And I don't think people will pay to see any HISTORY of Las Vegas - which we have habit of destroying, or re-naming (e.g., as a "family town," "sin city," etc.). All that is left is a "junk yard" full of old signs.
On a POSITIVE NOTE - I think the best thing to do to attract more visitors, is to give them the ENTERTAINMENT they want - at a PRICE that won't break their wallet.
At least 16 major showrooms here charge from $100 to $250 per ticket for their shows. That is outrageous! I believe MGM was the first one go to over $100, about 8-10 years ago. And now, it is common to charge over $100 for a major show. ARE THEY IT WORTH IT - or are we just gouging tourists? Ask the visitors who come here for the entertainment, but can't afford to go to more than one show - if that.
True, there are many lessor shows available for $50 to $90 - plus fees and taxes, which add up. But VOLUME is how you build profits; not PRICE. - - And that goes to reputation and value too.
Added showroom attendance will increase profits, and customer satisfaction - which sells tickets.
If Las Vegas really wants to tout entertainment as a hallmark feature, they should LOWER the COST of their tickets back down at or below $100.
Yes, to do this will require some shows to offer their performances a a reduced rate, and the unions may complain about this. But with cheaper ticket prices, we WILL get more people to attend shows. And the benefit to the entertainers will be to showcase themselves by playing IN LAS VEGAS - where entertainment is king, one exciting city.
NOW THAT IS A BIG DRAW.
AN ADDED COMMENT ABOUT SHOWROOM ENTERTAINERS:
In the mid 1990's, I suggested that Caesars Palace create a "stable" of young and upcoming singers that they could draw on. Such singers are playing all over California.
If they put unknown singers in their lounges, and the singer did well, soon they might have a major performer who could move into the main showroom - and thus, produce new talent for Las Vegas, the national scene, movies, and recording labels - all under casino contracts.
Now THAT, would be a good way to spend "$42 million."
I think John has it backwards, Siegel was more an aide to Lansky then the other way around. Lansky was right up there with Luciano.
"Dream Team?" "Hired guns?" Well, at least everyone is sticking to the deal and not glorifying any of this.
Jan is hot! Give me a jingle please.....
The truth of the matter is that it was the original visionaries who built Las Vegas . Straight guys like Thomas Hull with Rancho Vegas, the first resort on the Los Angeles Highway 91 (Remember to stop at the sign of the wind mill) Guys like Tony Stralla Cornero who built first the Meadows in the thirties out on what is now Boulder Highway, then finally the Stardust (completed and opened by Moe Dalitz) And yes all of the original straight folks who were issued licenses for the original downtown joints. The Mob came in and refined the gambling business, and understood the hospitality business associated with the casino. Read The First 100! Good reading..
when I first read the title of the article I foolishly thought they were going to include tales from murder victims families showing how the mob negatively and violently affected las vegas. how naive I am
violence and murder are all good depending on the color of the perpetrators skin. "oh its our history so many are intrigued" on the other hand " deport those violent illegals"
I have to admit a certain fascination with the early mob families and for those who watch too many movies they were not all Italians. The Jewish Mob was equally as complex and involved.
However that's not my point I am the product of two sides of Las Vegas having 5 generations of family in Las Vegas. On my father's side were my grandparents whom I loved and were very good people, brought out west like many to serve in the organized crime side of thing. They were of no consequence but represented some of the many easterners who worked for and with organized crime as simply employees. Sure the knew a lot of what was going on and as related to me from my grandfather many of these low ranking people took their cut, had their finger in the till as much as the notorious crime celebrities as that was just how business was done.
They came west to avoid the government, IRS, and old enemies to launder money and later to make lots of it. And like any army my grandparents were mere soldiers following the generals here. They got out and went into other businesses but never lost their eastern ways and big cities styles.
On the other hand were my mother's family, western pioneers, and the people who built the other Las Vegas. The one built on construction, ranching, mining, and farming. Hardy hardworking and fiercely honest they lived in the alternate reality of Las Vegas many of us know. The media loves to go on and on about the casinos but any real locals know the other Las Vegas exists completely outside of that. I know many people who never go into the Strip or downtown areas, have never gambled, worked in, for or, sub contracted business that had anything to do with the casinos.
They have a story too often lost on the more recent move-ins of the last 30 years and all but forgotten by the city but still alive in the rest of the state. That of the western oasis that was Las Vegas before and along side the casinos but now mostly pushed out.
I remember it was not so long ago when as a kid I could go into Von Tobel for groceries with my grandma and everyone in the place knew each other. When people used to where boots and cowboy hats and it was not a style you were trying to copy. Pockets of these hard working people and surprising to many very religious side of Las Vegas still exist but often ignored by the glitzy and often trashy side of Las Vegas.
Many of them built empires too, less celebrated because it's not about sex and celebrities and getting drunk, and skimming the profits or greasing palms.
They built mines, paved roads, built car dealerships, airports, schools, factories and other businesses many driven out by the cities blinded obsession with the gambling industry and leaving our one trick pony of a town in near ruins from a lack of business diversity.
I don't mind the celebration and fascination with the dark side of the city but perhaps it's time to focus on the other sides and work for 30 years and building a city not based in casinos and rampant developer growth. The city, it's media, and people need to work together to swing the pendulum another direction and diversify the city to bring balance and fortune back. Stop trying to make LV an extension of California or the East with both coasts problems. Stop looking for the next magic bullet mega resort to save the day and instead focus on building a great place to live with world-class schools, business, technologies, and jobs.
Perhaps we need another kind of Las Vegas Experience... One filled with jobs and a focus on making Las Vegas the great place to live and work that it occasionally strives for but often misses the mark, to often I think. I have to admit a certain fascination with the early mob families and for those who watch too many movies they were not all Italians. The Jewish Mob was equally as complex and involved.
Many of them built empires too, less celebrated because it's not about sex and celebrities and getting drunk, and skimming the profits or greasing palms.
They built mines, paved roads, built car dealerships, airports, schools, factories and other businesses many driven out by the cities blinded obsession with the gambling industry and leaving our one trick pony of a town in near ruins from a lack of business diversity.
I don't mind the celebration and fascination with the dark side of the city but perhaps it's time to focus on the other sides and work for 30 years and building a city not based in casinos and rampant developer growth. The city, it's media, and people need to work together to swing the pendulum another direction and diversify the city to bring balance and fortune back. Stop trying to make LV an extension of California or the East with both coasts problems. Stop looking for the next magic bullet mega resort to save the day and instead focus on building a great place to live with world-class schools, business, technologies, and jobs.
Perhaps we need another kind of Las Vegas Experience... One filled with jobs and a focus on making Las Vegas the great place to live and work that it occasionally strives for but often misses the mark, to often I think.
if the museum opens, i hope they have a decent restaurant; maybe they can get clemenzas' recipe for the sauce, or better yet, micheal scorceses' mothers recipe.( dont forget the cannoli)
might as well just watch the godfather saga. meyer lansky = hyman roth, bugsy siegel = moe green.
I could tell you some good stories but then I would have to kill you.
Axiom ~ You got your wish. Did you see todays article on the Downtown project?
It's ridiculous to compare Siegel and Lansky to Hitler. Any reasonable person would agree that an effort to sensationalize the work of Adolph Hitler is reprehensible and disgusting. If these folks are successful, they'll present an honest & humble glimpse into the lives of their relatives - lives that are probably quite sensational in their own right.
If the public continues their fascination with mob history, and "The Godfather", "Casino" and "The Sopranos" clearly illustrate that the appetite is there, let it be satiated in a place and by people who actually bring some relevance to the discussion.
CCB
Having been all over the early Strip as a kid in the fifties, one thing is for sure, they made it one heck of a glamorous and luxurious place.