November 30, 2015 Monday
Two weeks ago, I did an interview in the Seattle, Washington
area. It was supposed to be for 20 minutes, but the host found my historical
findings and career so interesting that he kept me on for 40 minutes.
Last evening, I did an hour-interview with Morgan White
Jr.'s clear-channel broadcast from Boston that covers the eastern two-thirds of
the country. We discussed the career of comedian Joe E. Lewis and how he
single-handedly saved New York City's Copacabana from bankruptcy and
transformed it into America's most famous nightclub, Ben Siegel's glamorous
life in Hollywood as the most sought-after dinner guest by Hollywood's film
elite, and the Chicago gang's huge, long-term extortion of the movie companies
under the leadership of Frank Nitti. Morgan and I also talked about two Las
Vegans who were good friends to both of us. They were my Castaways Hotel/Casino
sports book director Sonny Reizner and my career-long mentor, accountant Leo
Lewis. Morgan was close to both men but his friendships with them was two
decades after the two were so central in my life and career.
Morgan White Jr. is a delightful and inquisitive man who bills
himself as the master of trivia for his improv performances at his radio shows,
club appearances, convention meetings, and private events. He can speak
knowledgeably on almost any subject, but his success really derives from his
being a consummate entertainer who keeps his audiences fascinated with
interesting concepts as well as facts. Whenever I call to see how he is doing,
it always turns into a long conversation, because of our shared interests in
American history, especially the Las Vegas casino industry and entertainment in
general. He can be reached for booking performances at TriviaMorganWhiteJr.com.
I was introduced to Morgan by another author, Bob Mills, who
was an attorney until he became a comedy writer for Bob Hope. Mills wrote a
book about his long career with Hope, The
Laugh Makers: A Behind-the-Scenes Tribute to Bob Hope's Incredible Gag Writers
under his legal name Robert L. Mills. During all the years of their
collaboration, Hope only woke Mills up in the middle of the night one time,
when the comedian asked his writer to name Hope's just-completed manuscript
about his golfing experiences. Mills shot back "Confessions of a hooker - my
lifelong love affair with golf." This bestseller made more money for the
USO than any of Hope's books. It is still available in pro golf shops long
after his passing. I always seek Bob Mills' advice about my book titles, and
now he is instructing me in how to tweet. Something I plan to begin doing in
the next few weeks. Bob Mills is not only a very thoughtful and creative
fellow, but as you would expect, he can be very humorous to talk to.
After last night's interview, this morning I did a 15-minute
interview on another Boston station. It is my fourth interview about 30 Illegal Years To The Strip with this hostess.
She has a health show, and she attends several health-product conventions in
Las Vegas each year, so she is very knowledgeable about what the city has to
offer. She is especially interested in the gambling experience and the problems
of gambling addiction.
