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Frank Lawrence Rosenthal (June 12, 1929 – October 13, 2008), also known as 'Lefty' Rosenthal, was an American professional sports bettor, former Las Vegas casino executive, and organized crime associate. Sam 'Ace' Rothstein (Robert De Niro), the protagonist of Martin Scorsese's film Casino (1995), is based on Rosenthal.

Geraldine 'Geri' McGee (May 16, 1936 – November 9, 1982) was an American model and Las Vegas showgirl. Her involvement with criminal activity in Las Vegas, along with that of her husband Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, was chronicled in Martin Scorsese's film Casino (1995). The screenplay for Casino was written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, based on Pileggi's biography about McGee and Rosenthal titled Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. Sharon Stone portrayed McGee in the film, with the character's name changed to 'Ginger McKenna', and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.^[1]

Personal life and career[edit]

Geraldine McGee was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Leona 'Alice' (née Pollock)^[2] and Roy McGee. Her parents married in 1931 and later divorced.^[3] She had a sister, Barbara.

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• Nicholas Pileggi began working on the script for Casino, based on the Rosenthal family, with Martin Scorsese around 1990. Filming began in the fall of 1994, and the film was released a year later, in November 1995. Sharon Stone was cast to portray Geri McGee and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Lead Actress for her performance. The script made many.
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McGee grew up near Sherman Oaks, California, and graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1954. Her aunt Naomi Ingram inherited a large amount of money upon the death of her husband O.W. Ingram, whose family owned land in Georgia. Ingram offered to send McGee to Woodbury Business School, where she had sent McGee's sister Barbara. McGee told her aunt she did not want to attend Woodbury but would rather attend a different school, and her aunt refused to pay for any other school but Woodbury. McGee instead began working in office jobs during the day, and looked for contests and modeling jobs on the side.^[4]

In high school, McGee met a man named Lenny Marmor, and the two became inseparable. Marmor recognized McGee's talent, and he began entering her in swimsuit and dance contests, where she often took home prizes. After they graduated from high school, the couple had a daughter, Robin Marmor, born in 1958.

Soon, Marmor convinced McGee to move to Las Vegas for more opportunities. Marmor stayed in Los Angeles, and McGee and her daughter moved to Vegas. McGee's mother Alice, now separated from Roy McGee, moved to Las Vegas to take care of Robin while McGee was working.

Around 1960, McGee started working as a cocktail waitress and Tropicana chorus showgirl, and continued through the 1960s, making enough money to buy a house for herself and her family. She worked her way up the Las Vegas social ladder, meeting various businessmen. One of the men she met was Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal. Her sister Barbara moved in with her after separating from her husband; Barbara had two small children and needed a place to stay.^[5]

In 1969, McGee married Rosenthal and had two children with him: a son Steven, and later a daughter Stephanie. Rosenthal expected McGee to be a stay-at-home mom while he was out at the casinos working. She began to resent domestic life, and started going out at night and drinking. Rosenthal threatened to divorce McGee and take custody of the children, leaving her with little money.

The marriage went through a long series of break ups and reconciliations through the 1970s. McGee's mother Alice died in 1977. There were infidelities on both sides, with McGee secretly having an affair with Anthony Spilotro, a mob enforcer in Las Vegas, and a married friend of Rosenthal.^[6] Rosenthal and McGee got in physical altercations, and Rosenthal hired private detectives to track her activities. McGee often left Las Vegas, taking trips with the children to Los Angeles, or shopping with wives of other Las Vegas businessmen. Her divorce from Rosenthal was finalized on January 16, 1981, when McGee was living in Los Angeles. After the divorce, on October 4, 1982, Frank Rosenthal escaped serious injury when a bomb was detonated. The bomb was placed under Rosenthal's car outside the Tony Roma's Restaurant at 600 East Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas.^[7]

Death[edit]

McGee died on November 9, 1982, in Los Angeles, aged 46. She was found heavily drugged in the lobby of the Beverly Sunset Hotel on Sunset Boulevard on November 6, and died three days later. Her sister stated she believed McGee had been murdered by the mob who had tried to kill Frank Rosenthal just weeks earlier because perhaps she 'knew too much' about the Las Vegas underworld.

The Los Angeles coroner ruled McGee's cause of death was an accidental overdose. The coroner found a lethal combination of cocaine, valium, and whiskey in her system. She was interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, a Jewish cemetery.^[8]

Casino[edit]

Nicholas Pileggi began working on the script for Casino, based on the Rosenthal family, with Martin Scorsese around 1990. Filming began in the fall of 1994, and the film was released a year later, in November 1995. Sharon Stone was cast to portray Geri McGee and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Lead Actress for her performance.

The script made many changes to McGee's story. In the film, the Rosenthals only have one daughter, Amy, and in real life, McGee had three children. The script changed the couple's names from Geri McGee and Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal to Ginger McKenna (played by Sharon Stone) and Sam 'Ace' Rothstein (played by Robert De Niro), and Lenny Marmor to Lester Diamond (played by James Woods)

References[edit]

1. ^'Real Life Mafia Moll Gave Star Her Oscar Role'. Thefreelibrary. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
2. ^'Alice McGee death record'. Familysearch. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
3. ^'McGee Marriage Record'. Familysearch. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
4. ^'Las Vegas couple inspired movie'. Los Angeles Times. October 16, 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
5. ^'Frank's Life Story'. FrankLeftyRosenthal.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
6. ^'Lefty Rosenthal, Kingpin in Las Vegas, Dies at 79'. nytimes.com. October 18, 2008.
7. ^'Gangster Saga gets put on the big screen'. Sun Sentinel. December 29, 1994. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
8. ^'Frank Rosenthal obituary'. The New York Times. October 19, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2015.

Further reading[edit]

• Pileggi, Nicholas. Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. ISBN0-684-80832-3.

External links[edit]

• Geri McGee Rosenthal at Find a Grave

Frank Lawrence Rosenthal (June 12, 1929 – October 13, 2008), also known as 'Lefty' Rosenthal, was an American professional sports bettor, former Las Vegascasino executive, and organized crime associate. Sam 'Ace' Rothstein (Robert De Niro), the protagonist of Martin Scorsese's film Casino (1995), is based on Rosenthal.

Early years[edit]

Illinois[edit]

Frank Rosenthal was born in Chicago, Illinois, in a Jewish family and grew up in the city's West Side. As a youth, he learned sports betting in the bleachers of Wrigley Field and would often skip classes to attend Chicago sporting events.^[1] Rosenthal's father also owned racehorses, whereby he became familiar with betting odds and percentages at a young age.

By the mid-1950s, Rosenthal was working with the Chicago Outfit. Chosen for his expert odds-making ability, he ran the biggest illegal bookmaking office in the United States on behalf of the Mafia—specifically, the Outfit. Based in Cicero, Illinois, under the guise of a home improvement company, Rosenthal and the Outfit bought 'contracts' to fix sporting events.^[2] After being indicted as a conspirator on multiple sports bribery charges, Rosenthal moved the operation to North Bay Village in Miami, Florida, to avoid attention.^[3]

Miami[edit]

By 1961, Rosenthal had acquired a national reputation as a sports bettor, oddsmaker, and handicapper, and in Miami he was frequently seen in the company of prominent Outfit members Jackie Cerone and Fiore Buccieri.^{[4][incomplete short citation]} At this time Rosenthal was issued with a subpoena to appear before U.S. SenatorJohn McClellan's subcommittee on Gambling and Organized Crime, accused of match-fixing. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 37 times and was never charged. Due to this, Rosenthal was barred from racing establishments in Florida.

Despite his frequent arrests for illegal gambling and bookmaking, Rosenthal was convicted only once, after pleading no contest in 1963 to allegedly bribing a New York University player to shave points for a college basketball game in North Carolina. He was also a suspect in multiple business and car bombings in the greater Miami area during the 1960s. It was at this time the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opened an ongoing case file on Rosenthal which amassed 300 pages.^[5] In order to once again escape police attention, Rosenthal moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1968.^{[6][incomplete short citation]}

Las Vegas career[edit]

A big promoter of sports gambling, Rosenthal secretly ran the Stardust, Fremont, Marina, and Haciendacasinos when they were controlled by the Chicago Outfit.^[7] He also created the first sports book that operated from within a casino,^[7] making the Stardust one of the world's leading centers for sports gambling. Another Rosenthal innovation was hiring more female blackjack dealers, which in one year helped double the Stardust's income.^{[8][incomplete short citation]}

In 1976, the FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) discovered that Rosenthal was secretly running four large casinos without obtaining a state gaming license, holding a hearing to determine his legal ability to obtain a license. The hearing was headed by Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman (and future U.S. Senator) Harry Reid. Rosenthal was denied a license because of his arrest record, and his documented reputation as an organized crime associate,^{[9][incomplete short citation]} particularly because of his boyhood friendship with Chicago mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro.^{[10][incomplete short citation]}

Rosenthal married Geri McGee on May 4, 1969. McGee already had a daughter, Robin L. Marmor, from a previous marriage with ex-husband Lenny Marmor. Rosenthal and McGee later had two children together, Steven and Stephanie. There were infidelities on both sides, with McGee secretly having an affair with Spilotro.^[11] The marriage ended in divorce in 1981, with Rosenthal attributing the failure primarily to McGee's inability to escape her dependence on alcohol and drugs. After leaving Rosenthal and stealing a portion of their savings, McGee died at a motel in Los Angeles on November 9, 1982, at age 46, of an apparent drug overdose. Her death was ruled accidental, from a combination of Valium, cocaine, and alcohol.^{[1][page needed]}

Later years and death[edit]

On October 4, 1982, Rosenthal survived an assassination attempt in Las Vegas, in which a bomb attached to the gasoline tank was detonated when he started his car.^[7] While Rosenthal had dined at the Tony Roma's restaurant at 602 E. Sahara Avenue, a person or persons unknown placed the bomb in his car. Rosenthal likely survived because of a manufacturing device unique to his particular model car (a 1981 Cadillac Eldorado): a stout metal plate under the driver's seat, installed by General Motors on all El Dorado models to correct a balancing problem. This plate shielded Rosenthal's body from most of the explosion's force. Although no one was ever charged for this murder attempt, Milwaukee mob boss Frank Balistrieri was possibly responsible. Balistrieri, who was known as the 'Mad Bomber' to law enforcement, was heard (via wiretap) blaming Rosenthal for the legal problems the mob-controlled casinos were suffering. Similarly, just weeks before the bombing, Balistrieri told his sons he intended to get 'full satisfaction' for Rosenthal's perceived wrongdoing.^[12] Other likely suspects include Kansas City mob bosses, who were recorded on an FBI wiretap tape calling Rosenthal 'crazy'; Spilotro, either acting with others or on behalf of the Outfit; and outlaw bikers who were friends of Rosenthal's ex-wife, Geri McGee.

Rosenthal left Las Vegas about six months later, and moved to Laguna Niguel, California. He focused on raising his children, who were both accomplished youth swimmers. Rosenthal was later formally banned from Las Vegas casinos in 1987, when he was placed in 'the Black Book', making him persona non grata—unable to work in, or even enter, any Nevada casino because of his alleged ties to organized crime.^{[13][page needed]} However, in June 1990, Rosenthal won an unprecedented court ruling to have his name removed. Rosenthal was represented in the hearing by future Las Vegas MayorOscar Goodman. Goodman and Rosenthal lost, however, in the Nevada Supreme Court in 1991, and Rosenthal's ban was reinstated.

Rosenthal later moved from Laguna Niguel to Boca Raton, Florida, where he ran a sports bar called 'Croc's', and finally to Miami Beach, where he ran a sports betting website and worked as a consultant for several offshore sports betting companies.^[14]

Rosenthal died on October 13, 2008, at the age of 79, of an apparent heart attack.^[15] After his death, it was disclosed by Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jane Ann Morrison that Rosenthal had been a top echelon informant for the FBI, and his wife Geri was also an FBI informant.^[16][17]

In popular culture[edit]

The film Casino (1995), directed by Martin Scorsese with a screenplay co-written by Nicholas Pileggi from his biography Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, is largely based on Rosenthal's time in Las Vegas. The film takes some creative license with the facts and timeline, but is broadly accurate to Rosenthal's story and his relationship with Anthony Spilotro, on which the character Nicky Santoro (played by Joe Pesci) is based. Rosenthal is represented by the character Sam 'Ace' Rothstein (played by Robert De Niro). The character of Ginger McKenna Rothstein, his wife in the film (played by Sharon Stone), is based on Geri McGee, Rosenthal's wife in real life.

In an interview about the movie, Rosenthal stated that his character portrayed by Robert De Niro was quite but not fully similar to him, namely '7 on a scale of 1 to 10', and when asked about Stone’s portrayal of his wife, he stated, “I really wouldn't want to get into that area. It's an area that is distasteful and brings back bad memories. I wouldn't be willing to dispute what you just said, but I certainly wouldn't confirm it.”^[18]

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References[edit]

1. ^ ^abPileggi, Nicholas (1995). Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. pp. 24–25, 65, 69–70, 97–100, 175, 195–197, 348. ISBN0-684-80832-3.
2. ^Rosen, Charley (2001). The Wizard Of Odds: How Jack Molinas almost destroyed the game of basketball. pp. 162–233.
3. ^Rosen 2001, pp. 162–233.
4. ^Pileggi 2001, p. 65. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPileggi2001 (help)
5. ^'Frank Rosenthal FBI File'. FBI Vault. FBI. 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
6. ^Pileggi 2001, pp. 69–70. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPileggi2001 (help)
7. ^ ^abcMorrison, Jane Ann (October 18, 2008). 'Jane Anne Morrison: Spilotro was merely a killer; Lefty mastered the more frightening Glare'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
8. ^Pileggi 2001, p. 175. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPileggi2001 (help)
9. ^Pileggi 2001, pp. 97–100. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPileggi2001 (help)
10. ^Pileggi 2001, pp. 195–197. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPileggi2001 (help)
11. ^'Lefty Rosenthal, Kingpin in Las Vegas, Dies at 79'. nytimes.com. October 18, 2008.
12. ^Smith, John L. (2003). Of Rats and Men: Oscar Goodman's Life from Mob Mouthpiece to Mayor of Las Vegas. p. 147.
13. ^Pileggi 2001, p. 6348. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPileggi2001 (help)
14. ^Santiago, Roberto (February 11, 2008). 'Roberto Santiago: Player Interview: Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal'. FrankRosenthal.com. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
15. ^'Las Vegas Review-Journal'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
16. ^''Lefty' Rosenthal was an FBI snitch'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
17. ^'Las Vegas' first female FBI agent was master of disguise'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
18. ^'Interview with Frank Rosenthal, a Casino Legend in Vegas'. CasinoDiscussion.com. Retrieved March 8, 2018.

External links[edit]

• Frank Rosenthal on IMDb
• 'Nevada Gaming Commission's List of Excluded Persons now-defunct listing'. Archived from the original on April 23, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
• 'Frank Rosenthal'. Find a Grave. Retrieved June 14, 2013.

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