Mile Marker 76: The Flamingo Hotel & Casino

In today's episode we talk about a visit to the brain child and likely demise of the infamous mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, The Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas Nevada. 

Transcript

Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas Nevada

Key: Drifter, Male voice. Gypsie, Female voice

Uplifting rock/western tune plays for 15 seconds, music begins to taper down then:

(Drifter) Welcome to the Rebel At Large Adventure Podcast. I’m Drifter

(Gypsie) And I’m  Gypsie

(Drifter) Talking about Ghost towns,

(Gypsie) Graveyards,

(Drifter) Outlaws, Heroes

(Gypsie) And Ladies of the night.

Music tapers to an end

(Drifter) Howdy folks, Thanks for joining us for yet another adventure. Today we are heading out to the middle of the Nevada desert, to a place full of history, mystery, money and murder.

(Gypsie) We figured since we recently talked about our time at the original Las Vegas we should tell you about one of our trips to the Las Vegas everyone knows. Sin City Las Vegas Nevada. On our first trip together we went to Las Vegas and booked us a room at the Flamingo Hotel. Why the Flamingo you might ask? well, Benjamin Siegel was the man behind the Flamingo’s creation and as you might know by now we love some Mob history. 

(Drifter) Benjamin Siegel better known as Bugsy, though you’d never call him that to his face, was born in New York, New York on February 28, 1906. His father was Max and his mother was Jennie. His father was born in Austria and immigrated to the United States in 1900 at the age of 20. Jennie was also born in Austria and immigrated to the United States in 1900 at the age of 19. When Bugsy was born the couple already had their first child Esther in 1904. Bugsy was their first son and the one that gave the family the most trouble. 

(Gypsie) At a young age he dropped out of school and joined a gang on the lower East Side of Manhattan. They mainly did petty crime like stealing things from people, until he met Moe Sedway. He and Moe started to threaten pushcart owners to not give them back their merchandise until they paid them. Soon Bugsy made friends with Meyer Lansky and the two of them formed the Bugs and Meyer Mob. They were called on when a hit was placed on bootleggers in New York and New Jersey. They also hijacked several people bootlegging booze in their area. 

(Drifter) On January 27, 1929 Bugsy was married to his childhood sweetheart Esther Krakauer in Brooklyn, New York. But this marriage did not stop Bugsy from living a life of crime. On January 14, 1931 Bugsy and Esther welcomed their first daughter Millicent. Bugsy was only 24 at this time and Esther was 19. Two years later on July 30, 1933 Barbara was born. The couple only had two children. Even though Bugsy was known to be with other women, he and Esther stayed together until 1946. Once the marriage ended Esther took her two daughters to New York city. 

(Gypsie) During his marriage to Esther, Bugsy along with Lansky, Lucky Luciano, Frank Castello, Joe Adonis, Vito Genovese, Albert Anastasia, and Tommy Lucchese formed the National Crime Commission. These men had control over all organized crime in America for many years. By 1937 these men had created what the newspapers dubbed Murder Incorporated. 

(Drifter) How this worked is they would hire someone to do a hit on an enemy. That person would then hire a group of men to pull of the hit. Each person involved in the hit would have a different role and they did not know what the other person was in charge of doing. By putting all these steps in place it would allow the men on top to be protected from prosecution. By giving each person involved a different role it made it so if any of them were arrested they couldn’t tell the cops what the plan was because they only know what their role involved. It also made it very difficult for someone to rat on the crew, because they would have no idea what the end result would be from their actions. 

(Gypsie) Sometime in the late 1930’s Bugsy was sent to California to develop a relationship with mob boss Jack Drangna. Jack had a profitable gambling business already set up in town. He ran the West Coast rackets, which ran horse race results to thousands of bookies throughout the country. Bugsy didn't just want to partner up with Drangna; he wanted control of it. Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano told Drangna if he didn’t step down and hand control over to Bugsy then bad things would happen to him quickly. 

(Drifter) Some time in 1939 Bugsy was given an order to kill Harry “Big Greenie” Greenberg. Harry allegedly demanded 5,000 dollars from Murder Inc in order to keep his mouth shut about the crimes they had been involved with (Gypsie) (just over $108K today). (Drifter) On November 22, 1939 Harry was shot in the head 5 times in the driveway of his own home. It was believed that Bugsy was the man that pulled the trigger but when the key witness disappeared the courts didn’t have a case against him and he was acquitted of all charges. 

(Gypsie) Even though Bugsy was never charged for the crime, his reputation was tainted in Hollywood. He was sent to Las Vegas to find a location for a hotel and casino The Commission back east wanted to build. Sometimes Bugsy is credited as “the man who invented Las Vegas”, but this is not true. When Bugsy arrived, Las Vegas already had several casinos and hotels established like the El Rancho Vegas and the Last Frontier. Both of the hotels offered deluxe accommodations and high-end entertainment but they were in a more western style setting. Bugsy wanted a more high-end first class hotel and casino. 

(Drifter) In 1945 Bugsy purchased a large interest in the The El Cortez hotel for 600,000 dollars (Gypsie) (just over $10M today). (Drifter) Pictures of the hotel show that it was a simple adobe style hotel but it was upscale enough that several movie stars liked to stay there, including Clark Gable. Clark was staying at the El Cortez in 1942 when he was informed that his wife Carole Lombard was killed in an airplane crash just outside of Las Vegas near Goodsprings Nevada.

(Gypsie) Owning a part of a hotel was not enough for Bugsy, he wanted a place of his own, a place that he could control and a place that he had a say in the design. By 1945 the war was over and people were starting to travel again. Bugsy found a building already under construction that was owned by William Richard Wilkerson. William, who went by Billy, was the founder of The Hollywood Reporter and a real estate developer in Las Vegas. He already had several night clubs in town and was working on building a hotel on the Sunset Strip. His hotel was European Style with upscale rooms, a spa, health club, showroom, golf course, nightclub and a top end restaurant. Billy needed help with the hotel, it was costing him too much money with the rise in material prices after the war. 

(Drifter) This was a perfect opportunity for Bugsy. He had tried to purchase land on his own but city officials were aware of his criminal background and they would not allow him to build in their city. He started looking for areas outside of the city limits but when he found out Billy was in financial trouble he saw this as a great opportunity to get inside of the city, he could have his own place, and the city couldn’t stop him. He was going in with the hopes of being a silent investor so the city wouldn’t suspect anything, but that was far from the truth. 

(Gypsie) Bugsy convinced his partners in New York to invest 1 million dollars in the property (Drifter) (over $16.7M today). (Gypsie) In the meantime Bugsy had sold his interest in the El Cortez hotel for a profit of 166,000 dollars (Drifter) (nearly $2.8M). (Gypsie) He took that money and invested into the hotel as well. After Billy was persuaded into joining forces with them, Bugsy took over the building project and renamed the hotel. The name he gave it was the Flamingo. He settled on this name because his girlfriend at the time was Virginia Hill and it was her nickname. She earned this nickname due to her red hair and long thin legs. Some people say he gave her the nickname because when she would drink her pale face would turn pink.  Other stories say that Billy had already named the hotel the Flamingo and it was just a coincidence that Virginia’s nickname was Flamingo. 

(Drifter) The original budget for the hotel was 1.2 million dollars (Gypsie) (over $18.5 today). (Drifter) But once opening day arrived he had spent about 5 millions dollars (Gypsie) (Nearly $77.4M). Also the hotel wasn’t even completed at this time. Completion of the hotel rooms wouldn’t even be finished until 2 months later. (Gypsie) I searched and searched to find what the final amount spent on the hotel was but was unable to find anything.

(Drifter) On December 26, 1946 the Flamingo hotel was open for business. It is a common theory that the grand opening was a disaster for Mr. Siegel. (Gypsie) In the film Bugsy it shows an intense thunderstorm going on in Las Vegas that was so strong it knocked out the power. The casino had hardly any guests inside due to the storm. Once the power is out Bugsy tells everyone that the Flamingo is closed and then tells them all to leave. But this was not the case. According to the mob museum there was no thunderstorm that night. There was heavy rain in southern California but Las Vegas didn’t even receive half an inch of rain that day. 

(Drifter) Flights were delayed in Northern California to be safe so that may have kept some of the celebrities away that day but it didn’t matter Bugsy was having a major three day grand opening. The first two nights were for the locals and the last night was for the celebrities. And if the celebrities back then were anything like the celebrities we see today there is no way that they would show up for the first night to socialize with the common folk. 

(Gypsie) Opening night was jam packed and it was difficult to find a parking spot. According to travel writer Roland Hill, when they opened the doors (Drifter) “it was like the rush of olden days on the newly opened lands of the West.” (Gypsie) As guests pulled up to the casino they were greeted with large evergreens, palm trees, and semi-tropical shrubs. There were large spot lights shining in the night sky illuminating the path to the hotel. The shrubs out front were lit up with bright blue and red lights. It was reported that over the three day opening the hotel attracted 28,000 people. Bugsy’s attorney Louis Wiener Jr. talked about the opening of the Flamingo and said (Drifter) “You couldn’t get in with a shoehorn. Everybody was there.” 

(Drifter) On day three when the celebrities arrived the Flamingo had George Jessel serve as master of ceremonies also known as the person who presents performers. (Gypsie) I would love to go to a big fancy event and have someone yell out my name to everyone there announcing my presence. (Drifter) Some famous people that George announced on day three were, Eleanor Parker who at the time was just an up and coming star in Hollywood. Charles Coburn was there. At this time Charles had won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a retired millionaire in the film The More the Merrier in 1943. George Raft was there and he may have been attracted to the casino since he starred in the 1931 film Scarface and he was also from New York. (Gypsie) I wonder if he felt a connection to Bugsy since he was in the mob and he was from New York as well. 

(Gypsie) Vivian Blaine made an appearance that night as well. She starred in a few movies but her claim to fame was when she was top billed at New York's Copacabana nightclub for her singing performance. George Sanders was there, his fame started in Britain and by 1936 he was working in Hollywood. Lon McCallister made an appearance, he was best known for his boyish looks and also made appearances in several movies. And the last big name to make a showing was Sonny Tufts who at this time was just an up and coming star in Hollywood. Bugsy did also invite William Holden, Lucille Ball and Ava Gardner to the opening but they did not make an appearance. 

(Drifter) Siegel made sure that on all three of the nights he was present, he greeted the guests in his black tuxedo dawning a pink carnation. Virginia Hill was also there with him. Each night she had a different hair color, she went from platinum blond to jet black and then her natural red hair. They didn’t mention anything about her outfits but we’re am sure she was in something different each night. 

(Gypsie) He also made sure that each night he had a floor act. Stars like comedian Jimmy Durante who was known for his big nose. One of his famous jokes that he possibly said that night was, (Drifter) “Home cooking. Where many a men thinks his wife is.” (Gypsie) Bugsy hired the Xavier Cugat orchestra to perform. He had Singer Rose Marie make an appearance as well as Tommy Wonder who was known for his dancing skills as well as his performance in the 1938 film Gangster’s Boy.  

(Drifter) The casino itself was elegant with truck loads of flowers placed throughout. It was described by those in attendance as posh, ritzy, and elegant. Yes Las Vegas had hotels and Casinos before Bugsy arrived but Bugsy created a place that was like no other place in town. (Gypsie) One reporter wrote about the large bar saying it was (Drifter) “full of mirrors, green leather walls, a black ceiling and tomato red furniture.” (Gypsie) Jimmy Starr called it a (Drifter) “magnificent spa, an adult’s fairyland, with buildings and landscaping that were lush, plush and fantastic. It was the most fantastic gambling casino ever constructed.” (Gypsie) Bob Thomas talked about it as well saying the casino looked like a set that MGM wanted to build but couldn’t because of budget limitations. This statement may be why MGM eventually did build a casino in Las Vegas! 

(Drifter) Bugsy created a magnificent casino, a site that several had not seen before. But there was one downside to all of it. The hotel rooms were not completed. (Gypsie) This may not seem like a big deal but it was, people came here to spend money drinking and gambling, without a place to sleep they were forced to leave and find another hotel to stay at. This meant that people did not stay late playing at the tables they had to leave and go to either the El Rancho Vegas or the Hotel Last Frontier. And if any of you have been to Vegas you know that late night gambling is a big thing there, the town comes to life at night, but if you have to leave to sleep someplace else you are going to take the party with you. 

(Drifter) As time went on, fewer and fewer locals came to the casino. It wasn’t uncommon for that night's act to perform in front of a small audience. When a new act would come into town to perform the crowds of people would come back but they too would eventually dwindle.  Bugsy eventually made the call to shut the casino down until the hotel rooms were completed and ready for guests. On February 6 the doors were locked and they did not open back up until March 1, 1947. 

(Gypsie) Once the rooms were completed the 100 room Flamingo was reopened to invited overnight guests. It was hailed as the most luxurious hotel in America. The lobby had green carpet with a large Lucite chandelier. Each of the rooms were decorated in either green, yellow, lime, or pink window coverings and wallpaper. They also had handmade beds, Venetian glass ashtrays and green leather garbage cans. The Venetian glass ashtrays seem a little too much for me. That's shit that is easy to steal and you know people stole them! The total cost to furnish each room was about 3,500 (Drifter) (a little over $47K today). 

(Drifter) All of this was too little too late for Bugsy. He was in debt to several people including his partners in New York. He wrote two checks to Phoenix builder Del Webb for a total of 150,000 dollars and both of the checks bounced (Gypsie) (Just over $2M today).(Drifter)  Bugsy did what he could to try and bring the people to his hotel, he would host small conventions, they had a buffet night, afternoon bingo games and even offered the chance to win a car if you gambled there. But it was not enough, the people were not coming in like he had hoped they would. 

(Gypsie) Bugsy unfortunately was upside down to people you don’t want to owe money to. It is thought that his debt to his partners back east is what prompted his assassination. On June 20, 1947 while sitting on the couch reading the newspaper at Virginia’s Beverly Hills mansion he was shot to death. Bugsy was able to complete both the hotel and casino before he passed away but he was not alive long enough to see it finally be successful. On June 21, the day after Bugsy was murdered, David Berman, Moe Sedway and Gus Greenbaum walked into the Flamingo and claimed it as their own. 

(Drifter) The men changed the hotel’s policy to allow anyone to stay there and reduced the prices so it was more affordable. The following year they turned a 4 million dollar profit (Gypsie) (just over $50M today). (Drifter) They hired big names to perform which brought in more people. The hotel was known as the complete experience. They offered more than just gambling, it had air conditioned rooms, gardens, and a swimming pools. The hotel staff even began wearing tuxedos giving guests the impression they were staying at a high end resort rather than a casino. 

(Gypsie) In 1953 1 million dollars was spent on renovations and remodeling (Drifter) ($11.3M today). (Gypsie) They relocated the entrance of the hotel and removed the original sign. They installed a new entrance with an upswept roof and a large pink neon sign that read Champagne Tower with pink flamingos. 

(Drifter) In 1960 the hotel was sold for 10.5 million dollars (Gypsie) (just over $107M today). (Drifter) It was sold again in 1967 and then sold again in 1972 to Hilton Corporation. They renamed the hotel the Flamingo Hilton. In 1993 the last of the original Flamingo hotel was torn down and eventually replaced with the four hotel towers. The hotel underwent major renovations at a cost of 90 million dollars and was completed in 2018 (Gypsie) (just over $108M today). 

(Gypsie) Today if you go and visit the hotel you can see Chilean flamingos in a wildlife habitat. They also have ducks and other birds there as well as koi fish and turtles. Inside the habitat you will see a plaque dedicated to Bugys as well as a brief history of the hotel. The Flamingo was the third resort opened on what we know today as the strip and it is the oldest resort still in operation today. It's sad that Bugsy had such a large role in the hotel only to be killed before he could see it come to its full glory. Aside from the plaque at the hotel they also have Bugsy bars where you can get a Las Vegas style drink, and by that I mean us Utahn’s are not used to free pours so they are heavy on the booze. They also have the Bugsy and Meyer’s steakhouse. 

(Drifter) The hotel offers so much more than that, including cafe’s, a beach side grill, and margaritaville. We are not big fans of Las Vegas, we don’t like to gamble and we prefer to be the off beaten path but we sure did enjoy our stay there and it was a treat to get to stay at the place Bugsy had his hands in creating so many years ago. We hope the Flamingo continues to stay a staple on the Las Vegas strip and also continues to pay tribute to the famous mobster Benjamin Siegel. 

(Gypsie) This episode was meant to spend time regarding the Flamingo hotel more than Bugsy himself. We have visited his resting location in the Hollywood Forever cemetery but we are going to share his story with you later down the road, and who knows his may be a 2 or 3 parter episode. The man sure did live a life that most of us could never imagine living and we are excited to share more about him. 

(Drifter) You have a dad joke to share with us? 

What do birds do for fun at Bugsy’s casino? Play Fla-bingo 

Why did the young flamingos get in trouble? Their father finally put his foot down!

What do the flamingos at the habitat do on saturdays? Nothing, they are just Chilean out

(Drifter) We hope you enjoyed this episode and we are truly thankful for those of you that have stuck around with us. (Gypsie) And for those of you that are new, welcome and we hope you keep traveling along with us. If you are not doing so right now please take the time to like our podcast on whatever app you are listening to and if you could be so kind as to leave us a review we would truly appreciate it, it does help us get our name out there and it costs nothing for you to do that. For anyone with some extra change in your pockets to share we have a Patreon that we would be eternally grateful for if you could contribute to it. We will put links to our Patreon in the show notes as well as links to our website and our merch store where we have some awesome shirts and hoodies for you to purchase. (Drifter) We’ll talk to ya here in a couple of weeks, (Gypsie) Safe Travels, (Drifter) We’ll see ya down the road.

Begin 30 seconds of the same uplifting Rock/Western tune as the introduction.