BACK ON THE RADIO AGAIN



November 30, 2015   Monday

Two weeks ago, I did an interview in the Seattle, Washington area. It was supposed to be for 20 minutes, but the host found my historical findings and career so interesting that he kept me on for 40 minutes.

Last evening, I did an hour-interview with Morgan White Jr.'s clear-channel broadcast from Boston that covers the eastern two-thirds of the country. We discussed the career of comedian Joe E. Lewis and how he single-handedly saved New York City's Copacabana from bankruptcy and transformed it into America's most famous nightclub, Ben Siegel's glamorous life in Hollywood as the most sought-after dinner guest by Hollywood's film elite, and the Chicago gang's huge, long-term extortion of the movie companies under the leadership of Frank Nitti. Morgan and I also talked about two Las Vegans who were good friends to both of us. They were my Castaways Hotel/Casino sports book director Sonny Reizner and my career-long mentor, accountant Leo Lewis. Morgan was close to both men but his friendships with them was two decades after the two were so central in my life and career.

Morgan White Jr. is a delightful and inquisitive man who bills himself as the master of trivia for his improv performances at his radio shows, club appearances, convention meetings, and private events. He can speak knowledgeably on almost any subject, but his success really derives from his being a consummate entertainer who keeps his audiences fascinated with interesting concepts as well as facts. Whenever I call to see how he is doing, it always turns into a long conversation, because of our shared interests in American history, especially the Las Vegas casino industry and entertainment in general. He can be reached for booking performances at TriviaMorganWhiteJr.com.

I was introduced to Morgan by another author, Bob Mills, who was an attorney until he became a comedy writer for Bob Hope. Mills wrote a book about his long career with Hope, The Laugh Makers: A Behind-the-Scenes Tribute to Bob Hope's Incredible Gag Writers under his legal name Robert L. Mills. During all the years of their collaboration, Hope only woke Mills up in the middle of the night one time, when the comedian asked his writer to name Hope's just-completed manuscript about his golfing experiences. Mills shot back "Confessions of a hooker - my lifelong love affair with golf." This bestseller made more money for the USO than any of Hope's books. It is still available in pro golf shops long after his passing. I always seek Bob Mills' advice about my book titles, and now he is instructing me in how to tweet. Something I plan to begin doing in the next few weeks. Bob Mills is not only a very thoughtful and creative fellow, but as you would expect, he can be very humorous to talk to.

After last night's interview, this morning I did a 15-minute interview on another Boston station. It is my fourth interview about 30 Illegal Years To The Strip with this hostess. She has a health show, and she attends several health-product conventions in Las Vegas each year, so she is very knowledgeable about what the city has to offer. She is especially interested in the gambling experience and the problems of gambling addiction.