Publication Date: April 2, 2003 | Series: Illinois
The never-before-told story of the great Chicago crime family called The Outfit.
It is a common misperception that all the true-life organized crime stories have been written. Yet perhaps the most compelling gangster tale is one that has been, until now, too well-hidden. This is the story of the Outfit: the secretive organized crime cartel that began its reign in prohibition-era Chicago before becoming the real puppet master of Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Washington D.C.
The Outfit recounts the adventures and exploits of its bosses, Tony 'Joe Batters' Accardo (the real Godfather), Murray 'The Camel' or 'Curly' Humphreys (one of the greatest political fixers and union organizers this country has ever known), Paul 'The Waiter' Ricca, and Johnny Rosselli (the liaison between the shadowy world and the outside world). Their invisibility was their strength, and what kept their leader from ever spending a single night in jail. The Outfit bosses were the epitome of style and grace, moving effortlessly among national political figures and Hollywood studio heads-until their world started to crumble in the 1970s.
With extensive research including recently released FBI files, the Chicago Crime files of entertainer Steve Allen, first-ever access to the voluminous working papers of the Kefauver Committee, original interviews with the members of the Fourth Estate who pursued the Outfit for forty years, and exclusive access to the journals of Humphrey's widow, veteran journalist Gus Russo uncovers sixty years of corruption and influence, and examines the shadow history of the United States.
Investigative reporter Russo (Live by the Sword: The Secret War Against Castro and the Death of JFK) offers an impressive in-depth history of Chicago's elusive crime syndicate. Unlike their trigger-happy East Coast counterparts, Chicago's gangsters stressed businesslike discretion following the chaotic Capone era, and they had a wide-ranging impact on American culture, entertainment and politics that has never been fully documented. Russo has new sources, ranging from entertainer Steve Allen's "crime files" to the widow of the book's most memorable figure, the Outfit's financial manager, "Curly" Humphreys. Others, like Paul "The Waiter" Ricca, will be known to Mob aficionados, but even they will note Russo's novel thesis, that the lucrative scams carried out during the group's 40-year heyday involved members of the respected "upperworld." These ventures ranged from the well known, such as the gambling operations that fueled Chicago's civic corruption, to the surprising (Mob-linked dairies were the first to use "sell by" dates). The Outfit started off-track betting and Top 40 charts and, in its declining years, the Outfit's "fixer," Sidney Korshak, vetted the cast of The Godfather. According to Russo, their "respectable" partners who publicly abhorred the gangster element included Joe Kennedy, MCA president Jules Stein, Bing Crosby, Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, and innumerable public servants. Russo humanizes the shadowy gangsters without denying their violent proclivities. He also examines them in the context of traditional immigrant ambitions. Russo's illuminating history may disorient some readers; still, this is the book to beat in examining this midcentury criminal empire. B&w photos not seen by PW. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
In this impressive work, investigative journalist Russo (Live by the Sword: The Secret War Against Castro and the Death of JFK) combines hundreds of his own interviews and newly revealed government files with the latest in exposes (e.g., Sally Denton and Roger Morris's The Money and the Power, on Las Vegas) to present an in-depth history of the Chicago mob from the 1920s through the 1960s. Russo shows how, during that period, "The Outfit," as it called itself, helped elect several presidents, created Las Vegas, and bankrolled Hollywood. The book is studded with revelations, such as the true story of "The Untouchables," Bing Crosby's debt to the mob, and Al Capone's surprise conviction for tax evasion. The author has no sympathy for those in political power, decrying corruption in the Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations. In an afterword he reveals his strong opinions on the topic, stating that white-collar criminals ("the upperworld") have been ignored at the expense of those in the "underworld" because of prejudice against Italians and the poor in general. Whether or not the reader agrees, Russo has written the most detailed book on the subject to date. Recommended for general collections. Harry Charles, Attorney at Law, St. Louis Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
For over twenty years, Gus Russo has been an investigative reporter, author of six non-fiction books, and writer and/or producer of many national and international documentaries for major networks. His books have received Book of the Month Club and History Book Club Featured Selections, three have been optioned for films, and one, "The Outfit," was a Pulitzer nominee. His October 2008 book, "Brothers in Arms: The Kennedys, the Castros, and the Politics of Murder," was named Winner of the 2008 History Prize by the New York Book Festival. April 2011 will see the publication of his memoir, "Boomer Days."
Russo has worked an investigative reporter for PBS' Frontline series, as well as ABC News Special Reports with Peter Jennings (Dangerous World: The Kennedy Years, and JFK: Beyond Conspiracy), Dan Rather's CBS Reports, and Jack Anderson Specials; he has been a consultant for programs such as Sixty Minutes, Sixty Minutes II, and Eye To Eye with Connie Chung; as well as documentary productions based in England, France, Germany, Japan, and Mexico. Russo has appeared on countless radio and TV programs, including NPR's Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!, The History Channel (numerous shows), A&E's Biography (Jack Ruby), Hardball with Chris Matthews, MSNBC's Nachman, and Dan Rather's 1993 special Who Killed JFK? Russo has been a research consultant to numerous writers, including Seymour Hersh, Gerald Posner, Anthony Summers, and Laurence Leamer, and has written for The Baltimore Sun, The Nation, The Washington Post, Book Forum, American Heritage, The Huffington Post, and for two years was a regular contributor to the health-related website Healthlynx.com. Russo recently produced and co-wrote a documentary feature film, "Generation 9-11," for Germany's WDR and Academy Award-winning director Nigel Nobel.
In another life, Russo was a professional musician, composer, bandleader, and private instructor. In that incarnation, he played with, or in tandem with, many well-known acts including John Phillips, The New Mamas and Papas, Phoebe Snow, Michael Murphy, The Byrds, Livingston Taylor, Poco, Mary Travers (Peter, Paul and Mary), Commander Cody, and Firefall (w/ Rick Roberts). Russo the musician also wrote commercial jingles and low-budget film scores ("Basket Case," "Brain Damage," etc.)
He currently feeds his musical passions as leader of the Baltimore-based sextet, "String Theory," which features ditties by Django Reinhardt, Johnny Mercer, Dan Hicks, and Nat King Cole.
"The Outfit" is a well written, thoroughly comprehensive look at the post-Capone history of organized crime in the city of Chicago. Gus Russo does an excellent job of leaving no stone unturned as he chronicles the Outfit's activity from the jailing of Capone to its decline in the 90s. Along the way we meet the gangsters who made the Chicago mob rich and famous: Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo, Paul "the Waiter" Ricca, "Curly" Humphries, Johnny Roselli,Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik, and Sam "Mooney" Giancana. Russo discusses the role of each in making the Chicago Syndicate the power it was in the world of organized crime.
Russo's breezy style makes "The Outfit" an absolute joy to read, deftly mixing facts and ancedotes like a master chef. Read about the takeover of IATSE, the Hollywood union, and the infiltration of the mob into the world of the Hollywood studios; the Mob's entry and takeover of Las Vegas; the infiltration into the Teamsters and the scheming of the Outfit to fix the 1960 presidential election and what happened when they were doublecrossed. It was by no means a smooth ride - along the way Russo details the eforts of law enforcement to balance the books, so to speak, with the result that the Outfit always had to keep scheming, keep looking, for new rackets and businesses to infiltrate. Russo keeps the pages turning with a compelling style that makes the book's 550 pages seem like 100 when you hit the end.
Few books even attempt to cover the history of the Chicago Mob after Al Capone left the scene. Fewer still are this enjoyuable. A must for crime historians and those just interested in a good book.
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I've read a lot of books on organized crime, and while I don't pretend to be an expert, I have become a little skeptical when reading certain accounts. Mr. Russo outdoes himself in reinforcing my skepticism! To say the least. While I consider myself a good liberal Democrat, my view of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. is not exactly favorable. He made a lot of money through illegal and unethical dealings, there's no question about that, and I won't challenge Mr. Russo's contention that Joe was a hijacker etc. I've also read about how some people accuse Old Joe of giving a Miss Eunice Pringle $10,000 to accuse one of Joe's business rivals of rape.Mr. Russo states this transaction as fact! And who is Mr. Russo's source? Why it was young Miss Pringle herself. On page 53, Russo states that four years after the fact the young lady, on her deathbed after allegedly being poisoned at Kennedy's behest spilled the sordid details of her lie. The only problem is, Eunice Pringle didn't die UNTIL 1996!!!! Whoops. Speaking of dying, On page 115 Mr. Russo really piqued my curiousity when he wrote that the (absolutely corrupt)Chicago Mayor Ed Kelly "sponsored a state bill to legalize racing handbooks..." As a former state legislator myself, I assumed that Russo meant that Kelly had a mob-controled Chicago legislator introduce a bill, since only members of the legislature can sponsor bills. If that were my complaint, you could dismiss this review as an overreaction. But it gets better.According to Russo "two representatives strongly opposed to the bill were shot to death." I can find no record of these murders taking place! I would like to know Mr. Russo's source for this information! I have to doubt whether such a bill was even introduced in 1935 or 36.According to Mr. Russo Ill. Governor vetoed the bill, but I have to say that if the Outfit was willing to kill two to pass it, they could have killed a couple more to get the veto overridden. In my opinion, Mr. Russo overstates the role of New Jersey mobster, Abner "Longy" Zwillman's influence on Outfit business. I could be wrong and if so I apologize. But can Mr. Russo explain to me how Longy Zwillman attended a conclave in Palm Springs in 1965 (which according to Russo became to be known as the Palm Springs Apalachin - which I've never heard of before)when poor Longy was found hanging in the basement of his Jersey home the victim of suicide or homicide (this could be something that Mr. Russo could use his investigative skills to find out the truth)IN 1959!!!! There is so much more I could say about this book but their isn't enough time and space for me to do it. This book is an insult to everybody who paid good money to purchace it and wasted time reading it. The only saving grace is that I don't have to bother considering reading anything else by Mr. Russo!
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Most non-fiction books on organized crime tilt toward fiction either because writers enjoy claiming to be "in the know" about the mob or because they're subjects' activities are so murky that nobody will be able to prove or disprove what's written. Gus Russo's book will go down as one of the few scholarly works on the mob and it's well worth its length to read the whole thing.
Of particular interest is Russo's portrayal of the vast shade of gray that exists between the darkness of the mob and the alleged purity of legitimate business. Russo documents how hard it is to draw the line between where the mob ends and legit business begins. Furthermore, Russo examines the least flashy bust most powerful organized crime figures such as Murray Humphreys and Tony Accardo, two names largely unknown to the public, but of enormous American significance. This confirms what the FBI has always known -- that it's the guys who stay out of the newspapers who really run the show.
Finally, if anyone remains in America naive enough to believe that Camelot ever existed, The Outfit will dispel the Kennedy legend quickly and reveal the family for what they are: Well-polished children of a stone racketeer who had the savvy to invest his fortune in spin.
For mob watchers and American history buffs, The Outfit is a necessary, if disturbing read. It'll be hard for future mob writers to knock Russo's work off the shelf.
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First Sentence:
While imprisoned in Philadelphia in 1930, Big Al Capone under-went the kind of self-reflection that is an inescapable by-product of incarceration. Read the first pageKey Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
crime consortium, election fix, new booze, race wire, illegal bugs, booze business, stagehands union, gambling empire, offtrack betting, wire business, beer wars, labor racketeering, extortion case, milk business
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Curly Humphreys, Las Vegas, Joe Kennedy, Johnny Rosselli, Joe Accardo, Mooney Giancana, Bobby Kennedy, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Paul Ricca, Jack Kennedy, Jeanne Humphreys, Frank Sinatra, White House, Windy City, Meyer Lansky, George Browne, Willie Bioff, Western Union, Jake Guzik, Bill Roemer, United States, Frank Nitti, Jimmy Hoffa
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