Sunday, February 12, 2012

"The Infamous Chicago Gangsters"

David Stratis has put together a two-parter examining Uptown's gangsters of yesteryear. He says, "This segment about Uptown during the 1920’s and 1930’s focuses on the Green Mill Lounge, Mann’s Million Dollar Rainbo Ballroom (later known as the Rainbo Fronton, the French Casino, Michael Todd’s Theater Café, long before it became the Rainbo Roller Rink). Of course, the legendary Chicago gangsters of the Jazz Age are included in this exciting tour of our neighborhood history and lore."



8 comments:

  1. I doubt very much that UU is glorifying crime. It is part of Chicago history that did exist and still does today. There is a big difference between the mobsters of yesterday and the gangbangers of today.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No, there is not.

    My point is made. Even you portray yourself as some criminal.

    So, what is the difference "Wise Guy" LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  3. There is something to the "romance" of the prohibition era gangsters - not that I condone the promotion of heinous felons, mind you - but I guess I get it.

    Looking forward 80 years, I highly doubt that people will look back on the modern day runted thug assponies in a similar fashion, but will read in horror at how society could produce/promote and preserve such demonic little monsters.

    Having said that, I tend to agree with Wiseguy, in so much that there are differences between the mobsters of yesterday, and today's maligent idiocy: Capone's chaps, for example, knew enough not to fire indiscriminately into crowds.

    They also knew what the hell a belt was for.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah, the difference is the people victimized by the gangsters of yore are no longer around. I agree with media that there really is not any difference between the two, besides of course the racial/cultural diffences (white thugs vs. black thugs, suits and fedoras vs. pants hung low and white t-shirts - perhaps that's the real reason why some people have different opinions of the two groups). Plenty of innocents were killed by Capone's mobsters but they have been forgotten as Capone has been 'romanticized' by some. One group profited off of the prohibition of alcohol, the other the prohibition of drugs. Actually, Capone and his cronies might have been worse. Any one have any information on current street gangs charging Uptown business owners 'street tax' or protection money? The mobsters of yesterday definitely hurt a lot of mom and pop businesses that way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Don't get me wrong, I have no love for Capone, but I'm giving the modern day jackweasels the upper hand on being "worse" ... much worse ... based mainly on the number of toddlers buried recently.

    At least when Capone's folks shot an innocent woman, he paid her hospital bills.

    The prohibition gangsters had an idea of the value in good PR and knew enough not to sh*t in their own backyards.

    The wasted zygotes poppin' gats and tagging the commnunity simpy don't care.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yo,

    Exactly. Those where the days of gangster full of honor and respect.
    Onore & Rispetto. Capisce

    ReplyDelete
  7. Some more recent members of Uptown's criminal elite make the news again.

    http://www.facebook.com/notes/inside-booster-news-star/community-justice-center-secures-conviction-in-white-castle-shooting/342199552467951

    ReplyDelete