Book Review: Bugsy Siegel

BOOK REVIEW

Benjamin “Bugsy” Seigel was not a good Jewish boy. Siegel led the life of a “bootlegger, racketeer, gambler and murderer.” To paraphrase journalist James Traub, he “does not deserve our admiration; but like some other figures who have yoked their lives to deplorable causes, he nevertheless deserves our attention.” In his new book, Bugsy Siegel: The Dark Side of the American Dream, author Michael Beahan Shnayerson presents a splendid history about, arguably, the most famous Jewish gangster in history, who is indeed worth “our attention.” It is a story of early 20th-century Jewish immigrant life in America; of bootlegging and the “Roaring Twenties;” and of dreams in Hollywood and Las Vegas. Siegel is a fascinating product of all the above.

Shnayerson is an American journalist and contributing editor for Vanity Fair magazine. The author of eight books and more than 75 Vanity Fair stories, his book about Siegel is published under Yale University Press’ prestigious Jewish Lives series. As Shnayerson notes, those biographies “are all of admirable figures … Until now.”

Siegel was the son of Jewish immigrants from Galicia. Max and Jennie arrived in America in 1900 amidst a wave of 1 million Jewish immigrants. Like thousands of their compatriots, they settled in New York City’s impoverished lower east side. Benjamin was born there in 1906.

Shnayerson relates Siegel’s life in three overarching eras. During the first phase, Siegel became a petty crook by age 14. Hot-tempered and fearless, he was the “toughest kid on the street;” hence, the nickname “Bugsy.” As a teenager, Siegel also became a lifelong friend and accomplice of another highly successful Jewish gangster, Meyer Lansky.

Siegel hated the nickname “Bugsy.” Only the most foolish or incredibly brave called him “Bugsy” to his face. Siegel preferred “Ben.”

A “gangster capitalist,” Siegel chose an alternative career path to rise above poverty. He made a fortune as a young bootlegger during Prohibition, quickly achieving a dream that he shared with other Jewish immigrants — prosperity and material well-being. Siegel’s ultimate goal was the attainment of “class.” He declared: “That’s the only thing that counts in life … without class and style, a man’s a bum.” The end of Prohibition signaled the next phase of Siegel’s career. Lansky and Siegel became partners with Jewish, Italian, Irish and other gangsters to form a national crime organization: the Syndicate. To expand the Syndicate’s operations, Siegel was sent to California, where he became enamored of Hollywood. Calling himself a “sportsman,” Siegel spent much of his time at local racing tracks and entertaining Hollywood’s leading actors and actresses at his mansion. For a brief time, he even fancied a career as an actor — all while doing his best to control as many illegal enterprises in California as possible.

Although married for many years with two children — his wife and family were always well-provided for — Siegel was a womanizer. He eventually developed a long

and tumultuous relationship with Virginia Hill. For a few years, Siegel Mike Smith was a celebrity … until he was prosecuted Alene and Graham Landau in a well-publicized murder trial. Eventually Archivist Chair cleared of the crime (in which he likely participated), his glory days among the Hollywood set were over. Siegel’s final phase was an obsession. He envisioned building a new, Monte Carlo-style luxury casino among the small “sawdust-on-the-floor” gambling houses of sleepy 1940s Las Vegas. His Flamingo Casino eventually became the first such casino in modern Las Vegas. The 1981 movie, Bugsy, visually captures this era, as well as Siegel’s California days. Siegel did not live to see its final success. Cost overruns, chaotic project management and, worst of all, rumors that he was skimming money — a sin of high magnitude among his gangster financial supporters — led to his demise. Siegel was assassinated on June 20, 1947. The case remains unsolved, Michael Beahan Shnayerson but Shnayerson provides his best guess as to the culprit. Shnayerson has written an excellent biography, the best on Siegel to date. His research includes the extensive literature about Seigel, as well as new sources such as FBI files and his personal interviews with Siegel’s living family and acquaintances. Most important, Shnayerson thoughtfully explores the historical, cultural and Jewish context of the era that produced Benjamin Siegel. The result is a well-written, insightful narrative. It is a bona fide page-turner.

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

The Golden Globe nominations were announced last week, but the future of the Globes is unclear. The organization that runs the Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), has always been a dubious organization. HFPA members are the only voters for the Globes. Only a handful of its 100 or so members are “serious” journalists who write for respected media outlets. Most are not more than bloggers.

But the big studios have long played “footsie” with the HPFA because the Golden Globe nominations, and “fun” awards ceremony bring media publicity that helps at the box office.

The HPFA long weathered minor scandals, but the coup de grace came last March when the LA Times reported that the HFPA had no black members and hasn’t had one since 2002. The HPFA went into overdrive with a proposed “reform” plan, but critics and studios didn’t think it could be implemented (add diverse members, etc.) in time to make the 2022 Globe awards acceptable.

In May, major studios announced they wouldn’t work with the HPFA (provide special screenings of their films, etc.) until major reforms were in place and, in June, NBC announced that they wouldn’t broadcast the Globes ceremony. The HPFA said it will go ahead with the ceremony (Jan. 9, 2022), but it’s unclear whether any other major media outlet will air/stream it in America.

This all said, I found the new Globe film nominations to be useful as a reasonably good guide as to “what to watch” over the upcoming holiday week.

All five best film (comedy/ musical) nominees have a Jewish connection. Don’t Look Up is a satirical sci-fiction film. It opened in a few theaters on Dec. 10 and will begin streaming on Netflix on Dec. 25. Here’s the basic plot: Two low-level astronomers (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy our planet.

This film is really a thinly disguised attack on all those who deny climate change is happening. In Don’t, the sky is literally falling but all sorts of people, for various reasons, deny the science. Reviews are mixed, with many critics saying that the film makes some good points but is frequently disjointed and heavy-handed. The big ensemble cast has been widely praised.

Jonah Hill, 37, has a big part as the chief of staff to the president, who just

HARALD KRICHEL VIA WIKIMEDIA happens to be his mother (Meryl Streep). Appearing in much smaller roles are Timothee Chalamet, 25; Sarah Silverman, 51; Liev Schreiber, 54; and Ron Perlman, 71.

Adam McKay (Anchorman) directed and co-wrote the film. (His children were raised in the Jewish faith of his wife, Shira Piven, 60, sister of actor Jeremy Piven). McKay is an ardent Bernie Sanders supporter. The film’s co-writer, David Sirota, 43, was a senior adviser to the 2020 Sanders’ campaign.

The other four nominees are Cyrano, Licorice Pizza, Tick Tick Boom and West Side Story. I have previously discussed all but Cyrano, which doesn’t open widely until Jan. 22, 2022. It’s a musical based on the famous play Cyrano DeBergerac. Peter Dinklage plays the title role. Cyrano played off-Broadway (2018) and got good, if not great reviews. The score was composed by twin brothers, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, 46. They are members of The National, a wellknown arty rock group.

Tick Tick Boom, about Rent composer Jonathan Larson, is now streaming

ANGELA GEORGE VIA WIKIMEDIA on Netflix (Andrew Garfield, 38, is Globe-nominated for playing Larson); West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg, 74, (a Globe nominee) is in theaters; and Licorice Pizza, co-starring musician Alana Haim, 29, opens wide in theaters, including the Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township, on Dec. 25. Haim got a best actress (comedy) Globe nomination and Licorice got great reviews.

Over in the best drama film category, you’ll find three films with a Jewish connection: Coda, King Richard and Dune. I previously noted that Dune stars Timothee Chalamet. The musical score was written by Hans Zimmer, 64. He got a Globe nomination for best score. Dune was a huge box office hit and a sequel is now in the works. Its available on pay-for-view.

Likewise, I previously wrote that King Richard, about the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, featured Jon Berenthal, 45, as the sisters’ coach. I recently “dug-out” that the film’s screenwriter — Zac Baylin, 42, is the son of a Jewish father. I liked this HBO film more than I thought I would.

Somehow, Coda, which began streaming on Apple+ last August, wasn’t on my radar then. Coda centers on Emily Rossi, the only member of her family who isn’t deaf. The drama: Will Emily stay home and be the family’s essential communication helper or pursue collegiate musical studies? Marlee Matlin, 56, co-stars as Emily’s mother.