Casino Movie True

About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators. The Casino movie is an unforgettable piece of art based on the true story of Frank Rosenthal aka 'Lefty' played by Robert De Niro, and his friend Tony Spilotro played by Joe Pesci. The movie Casino is happening in Las Vegas where we follow the story of two mobsters and best friends (Frank and Tony), who are creating their empire step by step.

Next month marks the 25th anniversary of the release of the movie 'Casino,' a lightly fictionalized version of real events involving Midwestern mob activity in Las Vegas in the 1970s and early '80s.

This week, we take a look back with a man who covered some of the key events depicted in the movie: former News 3 photographer Greg Rundell.

On October 4, 1982, Rundell was heading over to Sunrise Hospital where his wife worked to join her for dinner when a radio transmission caught his attention.

'On the scanner, there was a car fire that came out at Marie Calendar's,' Rundell said. 'And that's all the initial dispatch was. So I kind of hemmed and hawed about going over. Because a car fire was something we normally didn't cover. But I was so close I decided to go over.'

• Lefty was running four casinos at the same time, while the story of the movie only resembles around the Tangiers. The Teamsters, after heavy pursuit by the mob did in fact fund the casino. This part is quite accurate. The lion performers hired in the movie were based on Siegfried and Roy.
• Casino is a 1995 American epic crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, produced by Barbara De Fina and distributed by Universal Pictures.The film is based on the nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese.

Rundell had been covering the crime and courts beat for Channel 3, and as soon as he arrived on the scene, he knew it was something much bigger.

'And I went over and I immediately recognized Frank,' said Rundell.

That's Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, reinterpreted in 'Casino' as the character Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, played by Robert De Niro in a similar scene that both opens and closes the movie.

Rosenthal had gotten into his car after dinner at Tony Roma's next door, and when he turned the key, an explosion came from under the floorboards.

'So I got out and shot it. You know he was still literally -- there was steam coming off of him from the fire. His clothes were burnt off,' Rundell said.

Rundell was later given a commendation from his news director to Channel 3's general manager, and columnist Don DiGilio used his column in 'The Valley Times' to mock the other stations for trailing so far behind.

'I think we broke in live with it, and once we broke in the other stations started showing up,' Rundell said.

Rundell's other close mob encounter came in a routine part of his job.

'My beat was the federal courthouse,' said Rundell. 'So I was constantly there with Tony Spilotro and Oscar [Goodman] and the whole gang that would come in and out of there.'

Tony Spilotro served as inspiration for the 'Casino' character Nicky Santoro, played by actor Joe Pesci.

There was a fairly standard routine when high-profile court proceedings were underway.

'We used to sit at the bottom of the federal courthouse at the elevators waiting for the court to break,' said Rundell. 'And that was our opportunity to get the B-roll of them coming in or out of court.'

Although Rundell and the rest of the media were always surrounding the characters coming in and out of the courthouse, it was all business. Nothing personal.

'I think more or less we were a nuisance, but they knew we were doing our job and we were not on there radar as far as retaliating at us for taking pictures.'

In fact, on one occasion, something different happened after Rundell finished shooting video and put down his camera.

Spilotro noticed Rundell had stopped shooting and paused.

'He turned around and said, 'You want to have a sandwich?' And across the street from the courthouse was a little sub place.'

Basso's Italian Grinder House was very popular with the courthouse crowd.

Casino Movie True Or False

'So he took me over and bought me a subway,' Rundell said. 'And we didn't have much of a conversation. But he actually offered to take me to lunch. So that was something unique in the Spilotro days.'

Greg Rundell so enjoyed the crime and courthouse beat that in 1985 he joined the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, working both as a regular beat cop and a specialist in the Audio/Visual Department until retiring in 2014.

About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators. The Casino movie is an unforgettable piece of art based on the true story of Frank Rosenthal aka 'Lefty' played by Robert De Niro, and his friend Tony Spilotro played by Joe Pesci. The movie Casino is happening in Las Vegas where we follow the story of two mobsters and best friends (Frank and Tony), who are creating their empire step by step.

Next month marks the 25th anniversary of the release of the movie 'Casino,' a lightly fictionalized version of real events involving Midwestern mob activity in Las Vegas in the 1970s and early '80s.

This week, we take a look back with a man who covered some of the key events depicted in the movie: former News 3 photographer Greg Rundell.

On October 4, 1982, Rundell was heading over to Sunrise Hospital where his wife worked to join her for dinner when a radio transmission caught his attention.

'On the scanner, there was a car fire that came out at Marie Calendar's,' Rundell said. 'And that's all the initial dispatch was. So I kind of hemmed and hawed about going over. Because a car fire was something we normally didn't cover. But I was so close I decided to go over.'

• Lefty was running four casinos at the same time, while the story of the movie only resembles around the Tangiers. The Teamsters, after heavy pursuit by the mob did in fact fund the casino. This part is quite accurate. The lion performers hired in the movie were based on Siegfried and Roy.
• Casino is a 1995 American epic crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, produced by Barbara De Fina and distributed by Universal Pictures.The film is based on the nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese.

Rundell had been covering the crime and courts beat for Channel 3, and as soon as he arrived on the scene, he knew it was something much bigger.

'And I went over and I immediately recognized Frank,' said Rundell.

That's Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, reinterpreted in 'Casino' as the character Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, played by Robert De Niro in a similar scene that both opens and closes the movie.

Rosenthal had gotten into his car after dinner at Tony Roma's next door, and when he turned the key, an explosion came from under the floorboards.

'So I got out and shot it. You know he was still literally -- there was steam coming off of him from the fire. His clothes were burnt off,' Rundell said.

Rundell was later given a commendation from his news director to Channel 3's general manager, and columnist Don DiGilio used his column in 'The Valley Times' to mock the other stations for trailing so far behind.

'I think we broke in live with it, and once we broke in the other stations started showing up,' Rundell said.

Rundell's other close mob encounter came in a routine part of his job.

'My beat was the federal courthouse,' said Rundell. 'So I was constantly there with Tony Spilotro and Oscar [Goodman] and the whole gang that would come in and out of there.'

Tony Spilotro served as inspiration for the 'Casino' character Nicky Santoro, played by actor Joe Pesci.

There was a fairly standard routine when high-profile court proceedings were underway.

'We used to sit at the bottom of the federal courthouse at the elevators waiting for the court to break,' said Rundell. 'And that was our opportunity to get the B-roll of them coming in or out of court.'

Although Rundell and the rest of the media were always surrounding the characters coming in and out of the courthouse, it was all business. Nothing personal.

'I think more or less we were a nuisance, but they knew we were doing our job and we were not on there radar as far as retaliating at us for taking pictures.'

In fact, on one occasion, something different happened after Rundell finished shooting video and put down his camera.

Spilotro noticed Rundell had stopped shooting and paused.

'He turned around and said, 'You want to have a sandwich?' And across the street from the courthouse was a little sub place.'

Basso's Italian Grinder House was very popular with the courthouse crowd.

Casino Movie True Or False

'So he took me over and bought me a subway,' Rundell said. 'And we didn't have much of a conversation. But he actually offered to take me to lunch. So that was something unique in the Spilotro days.'

Greg Rundell so enjoyed the crime and courthouse beat that in 1985 he joined the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, working both as a regular beat cop and a specialist in the Audio/Visual Department until retiring in 2014.

Channel 3 still has plenty of Rundell's tapes stored in the Video Vault.

Gambling has been around since almost the dawn of time. It's evolved massively throughout history, especially in recent years. The rise of the internet has made gambling more accessible all over the world, with hundreds of betting sites, online casinos, and poker rooms available on the web nowadays.

It's only natural that gambling has a special place in the world of popular culture as well. We've seen so many books, movies, TV shows, and even advertisements that are somehow related to the topic. Many of them are not exactly realistic and depict a glorified vision of gambling.

Others are based on a true story and are far closer to the real world. Today, we decided to take a look at five excellent gambling movies that are based on a true story. If you like the genre, you will surely enjoy watching these classics.

Casino Movie Real Cast

Casino

Most people believe that Martin Scorsese's masterpiece Casino is only loosely inspired by the Las Vegas crime scene and doesn't have much truth in it. That's actually not the case, as the director used a bunch of facts and real stories in the movie.

The majority of the plot revolves around characters that were involved in the foundation of Sin City, the way we know it today. If you haven't watched Casino for some reason, you will be shocked by the origins of Las Vegas.

Owning Mahowny

The critically acclaimed Canadian movie Owning Mahowny can't compare to the popularity of the first entry on this list, but it's certainly worth watching. It features actors like Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Hurt, and Minnie Driver.

The movie is about the story of Dan Mahowny, a banker with a gambling addiction and access to many people's funds. Let's just say that's not the best possible combination.

21

As the more experienced in gambling will instantly recognize, 21 is a movie about Blackjack. One of the most popular casino games in the world can be beaten, if you learn how to count cards and know math well.

That's exactly what the story of an MIT professor and his six students proves. While there are some differences to the real-life events, 21 was inspired by a true story and the excellent cast makes it a fascinating experience.

High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story

Stu 'The Kid' Ungar is a legend in the poker world and many believe he was the most naturally gifted player to ever grace the game. The problem is, the Kid was addicted to drinking and drugs. His story was told by director A. W. Vidmer in 2003.

The film wasn't a major success, but it's certainly worth watching. It shows the best and the worst of the gambling world, through Ungar's short but wild life.

Molly's Game

One of the more recent gambling movies that make the list is Molly's Game. The production was released in 2017 and features stars like Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, and Michael Cera.

The story is based on the memoir of Molly Bloom II. She starts her life as an ambitious skier, but an injury puts an end to her career. Molly enters the circle of high stakes poker and ends up with the FBI and the Russian mob getting involved.