Mob Adjacent

We recently asked Facebook readers to list their favorite mobster movies. While the resulting list contained some expected classics, one dark horse rode in -- The Big Short. The acclaimed 2015 movie had nothing to do with mobsters on the surface. But consider the way bankers rigged a system to skim profits out of the housing market. Sounds like a new take on the old Casino story, and both ended with things blowing up! ​A couple of television series' were mentioned, too. But we kept it to movies.

​Are these the best mobster movies ever? Maybe not. But they're our favorites. You got a problem with that?

In case you're wondering, the top two titles were A Bronx Tale and Goodfellas, followed by The Godfather, then The Godfather Part Two, Casino, Donnie Brasco, and The Untouchable rounding out the top. If someone were putting together a boxed set, that would be a fine starter set!

Our sister, Lisa, was born today, during heyday of the Orlando's Hideaway period, an infant when dad's connected friends filtered in and out of our lives on a regular basis. We siblings grew up in the same house with the same parents at the same time. All similarity to our childhoods ends there.

This was the period when new furniture and appliances would suddenly appear, and people started disappearing. First, the owner of Orlando's Hideaway took a runner in Florida. Then dad's good friend, known to us as Goombah John, disappeared. Dad wasn't worried. He suspected it had "something to do with a broad." Goombah John stayed "disappeared" for about 10 years, turning up with a new name, which didn't seem odd to anyone.

We learned later that Someone had been carrying a fatal grudge against Goombah John and, yes, it had something to do with a broad. But mostly it had to do with gambling. So Goombah John "disappeared" himself. When the grudge-holder died, he came back to test the waters, with the new name -- just in case.

Goombah John was the Dean Martin in dad's Rat Pack. Their other boyhood pal, Goombah Sam, was their Joey Bishop. Goombah Sam worshipped dad. During the Korean War, dad and Goombah Sam ran gambling operations -- allegedly -- on U.S. military bases, while the U.S. military officers -- allegedly -- looked the other way. Each sent home thousands to their families. After the war, they bought matching, brand new Buicks with their profits. They figured they would get a better price on two! Sam bought a house with the rest of his money. Dad bought a bar on North Clybourn Avenue, mob adjacent. That's when things started getting really interesting.

We brothers have spent hours trying to make sense of our nonsensical upbringing. We can't. One day you're a kid learning to read; the next day you're reading the newspaper, and there's an article about the nice man who comes over for dinner. The newspaper says he's been indicted for running a suburban gambling and prostitution  ring. Normal is what happens every day.

​Stories about our family grew into all of this! We can't wait to see where it goes next!