If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.Posted by Staff on Friday, January 6th, 2012 Organized crime has always been the subject of a love-hate relationship with the American public. It strikes a somewhat uncomfortable chord in us that wavers between fascination and repulsion. No doubt much of this fascination with gangsters can be attributed to actors such as Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, whose portrayal of mafia bosses are some of the best performances to come out Hollywood. However you look at, this relationship between organized crime and popular culture is a complex one. And it is exactly this convoluted obsession with some of America’s most violent criminals that has inspired the Mob Museum (officially the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement), which will be opening in Las Vegas next month. Opening the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, a city in which organized crime has always had a strong presence, was a no-brainer.
The city’s mayor, Oscar Goodman, once served as a defense lawyer for a number of Las Vegas’ most prominent mafia figures, such as Anthony “Tony the Ant” Spilotro and Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal. In fact, it was Goodman himself that came up with the idea for a mafia museum. However, the position of museum director has fallen upon Dennis Barrie. Although he is no mafia figure himself, he did end up on the other side of the law when he faced obscenity charges for showing work by Robert Mapplethorpe at the Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati in 1990. Over twenty years later he is still working with some very controversial material. The official name of the museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, suggests some neutrality in the approach taken toward the subject matter. A venture like this one easily runs the risk of glamorizing a touchy subject for the American public, especially residents of Las Vegas. Barrie’s goal at the museum is to present the public with both historical and fictional accounts of organized crime and let them decide how accurately it has been memorialized in our culture.
Nicolas Pileggi, screenwriter for the blockbuster mob pictures, Goodfellas (poster at top) and Casino, has been working with Barrie in creating the content for the museum. The former Associated Press crime reporter has this to say about the museum’s position on its subject matter: “Just because you are depicting something ugly, it doesn’t mean you are honoring it. I don’t know too many gangster movies where the gangster wins in the end. These are tales of morality and that is the key to them.” Visitors will unravel these tales of morality themselves as they encounter artifacts from both the historical and Hollywood sides of the Mafia story. Exhibits will feature props and clothing from films and TV series, such as the Sopranos, alongside physical objects that played a role in some of organized crime’s most dramatic events: most of them quite bloody. The bullet-ridden wall from the St. Valentines Day Massacre of seven Chicago mobsters and the barber chair in which mafia boss Albert Anastasia was assassinated are just two examples of mob artifacts that the museum has acquired.
use of this material requires consent of the Choctaw County Historical Society, or the original contributor, who retains copyright on their THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORMAT FOR PROFIT OR PUBLICATION BY ANY ORGANIZATION OR PERSON WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER. Marie Stafford Bridal Gown Exhibit –A unique display of twenty wedding gowns shown as worn by residents of Sea Isle City. Magnificently preserved and displayed, the gowns date back to 1880. Military and Emergency Services –Includes Military, Coast Guard, Police, Fire, Ambulance Corps, and Beach Patrol memorabilia Old-Time Kitchen and Laundry Exhibit –Appliances and Kitchenware, Wringer Washing Machine, Wooden Ice Box, 1930’s Bristol Universal Stove –St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Messiah Lutheran Church, United Methodist Church –An area where young people can try on military and emergency services uniforms, hats, etc., and take photos
–An early twentieth century barber chair with shaving and other implements –A two foot high school bell from Sea Isle Public School on 44th street circa 1898 –A working light last used in 1963 to control boat traffic passing under the 44th Street Bridge –An early twentieth century trolley bell (over 100 years old) from the Landis Avenue Trolley –An old time (crank type) Victrola Phonograph –An 1875 wooden cradle crib –A large whale bone from the Sea Isle City area shores –A Jet Pilot’s Flight Suit and Equipment –Polar Bear Plunge Memorabilia –Two four-foot tall flip chart displays showing many aspects of Sea Isle’s past and present –Various themed displays located in the entrance lobby and Community Room of the library –A collection of DVD’s related to Sea Isle City and its history –Quiet area to reflect and enjoy the natural surroundings. Pavers for our “Memory Lane Walkway” are available for purchase on this website