An Offer You Can't Refuse: the History of Organized Crime in the United States

In another BONUS EPISODE, Pettengill focuses on one of the most powerful and important mafioso in American history - Santo Trafficante, Jr. Much like Meyer Lansky, Trafficante was instrumental in the making of a criminal empire in Cuba. But this is not a story that Pettengill can tell on his own. This episode features a Trafficante insider, a liason, the incomparable Joann "Joiew" Gallo.

Pettengill's Havana miniseries begins in earnest with a look at the famed hotel-casinos of Havana and the mobsters who made the envy of the entertainment world. Specifically, Pettengill examines the Sans Souci, the Tropicana, and the Riviera but, like any good historian, he places them within the proper context of the postwar period. It is impossible to understand this world without noting the rise of the American middle class, the mid-twentieth century culture of conformity, or innovations within the airline industry. As Meyer Lansky, Santo Trafficante, and Martin Fox built their famous hotel-casinos, the "Havana in the 50s" culture began to take firm root.

Episode 25 embarks on a new miniseries, one focused on the Mafia's criminal empire in Cuba. While the miniseries will take up a variety of different topics, this episode is primarily focused on the groundwork Meyer Lansky laid to expand his operations into Havana. Nothing, however, would have been possible would have been possible without the help of the Cuban government. And, as Pettengill notes, the United States government had ensured there would be an American-friendly government in Cuba ever since consolidating their power in the region at the turn of the twentieth century. In sum, it is impossible to understand American history in the aggregate without understanding the development of the Havana mob.

In Episode 25, Pettengill moves on to examine the post-World War II era. Specifically, he notes how the world of organized crime began to resemble the postwar economic order. Similar to how corporate giants like Hershey or Anheuser-Busch, flush with cash from their wartime profits, crushed their competition through ruthless takeovers and consolidations, Chicago's Outfit absorbed the "neighborhood gang" when Lenny Patrick assassinated Benjamin Zuckerberg in 1944. Further to the East, Russell Bufalino streamlined everything from illegal gambling to "friendly" labor relations. Pettengill sees the postwar period as a critical turning point for the mob as crime was no longer connected to "place" in the same way it had been in the early and mid-twentieth century.

Frank Sinatra was one of the most successful recording artists of the twentieth century. He was also one of the controversial figures within American mass culture. From the earliest days of his ascent, rumors abounded with respect to his alleged connections to the criminal underworld. In Episode 24, Pettengill examines these connections that intersect American culture, even in a twenty-first century context. But WAS Sinatra connected? Did a Don, ANY DON, make Harry Cohn...or Tommy Dorsey an "offer they" couldn't refuse? The answers are complicated.

This BONUS EPISODE of An Offer You Can't Refuse is the last installment of the Las Vegas miniseries. In it, Pettengill tackles a central, albeit seedy, element of the Mafia's involvement in the city's economy - the sex industry. Pettengill begins the analysis with an overview of American burlesque and chronicles its development to Las Vegas in the early 1950s. He then moves on to discuss the sometimes blurry line between sex workers and Vegas hustlers. Of course, all of this is not without its proper historical context. Pettengill notes that the mid-twentieth century "culture of conformity," an adherence to notions of middle-class values and respectability, was a key feature in the allure Las Vegas' sex industry had for American consumers.

In another BONUS EPISODE, Pettengill delves into the topic of one of the most storied, and mob-connected casinos in Las Vegas - the Sands. Describing the Sands as the "Murders' Row" of casino lineups, Pettengill chronicles the evolution of the casino from the heady days of the Kefauver Crime hearings to the heyday of the "classic" Vegas era, the early 1960s. As Pettengill notes, the fact that the Sands was literally being built with one of the most famous Congressional investigations into organized crime in American history in the political background was a testament to the staying power the Mafia held in Las Vegas.

In this next BONUS EPISODE of An Offer You Can't Refuse, Pettengill investigates the intersection of civil rights and the history of Las Vegas. The Moulin Rouge was a casino that opened on the west side of the city in 1955. The west side was the heart of the Black community and, in addition to rivaling any casino on the Strip, the "Rouge" was a fully integrated establishment. Joe Louis, former heavyweight champion of the world and a massive star, was a part owner but, more importantly, he served as the official host of the casino, greeting guests with a robust "Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!" The case of the Moulin Rouge and Joe Louis represent a fascinating case study of the cross section of sport, civil rights, and organized crime in the mid twentieth century.

In this BONUS EPISODE, Pettengill examines another Vegas pioneer, Lester "Benny" Binion. Whereas the Flamingo was designed to stimulate the senses, the Horseshoe strictly emphasized gambling in its purest form. Pettengill notes that Binion established practices that are now commonly associated with the Las Vegas experience such as comping, fine yet affordable food, and bottomless drinks for hard gamblers. And, true to the series, Benny Binion had unmistakable ties to organized crime in Las Vegas and beyond. As Pettengill points out, Benny Binion is a vivid reminder that the Mafia was never an exclusively Italian organization. It consisted of different races, ethnicities, and national origins. It even included Texans!

The Las Vegas miniseries continues with this BONUS episode. This time, Pettengill sits down with writer Alan Geik, the author of "Uncle Charlie Killed Dutch Schultz: the Jewish Mob, a Family Affair." Pettengill and Geik discuss the intricacies of the Jewish underworld, its alliances (and from time-to-time rivalries) with the African American community, urban history, the connections between Hollywood and the mob, and most importantly, the building of modern Las Vegas. Copies of Geik's book may be purchased through this link: https://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Charlie-Killed-Dutch-Schultz/dp/057887735X?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&dplnkId=00d86b3c-6525-4532-94aa-80569ed0294a or https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/uncle-charlie-killed-dutch-schultz-alan-geik/1142546822