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Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas

The Family Business | S1E2

Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas

Las Vegas Review-Journal | The Mob Museum

Documentary, History, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.81.2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2020

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"And I said, 'What's your name?' And he says, 'Tony Spilotro.'" As a kid, Frank Cullotta’s first job was stealing. His second job was shining shoes on Grand Avenue in Chicago. One day, another young shoeshine yelled at him from across the street, and the two kids stepped into the middle of the road to defend their turf, both ready for a fight. Instead, the encounter sparked a friendship that would span decades. For more on this episode, visit www.reviewjournal.com/mobbedup. To learn about The Mob Museum, visit www.themobmuseum.org.

Transcript

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0:00.0

A heads up before we get started. Mobbed up contains explicit content such as adult language and

0:06.4

depictions of violence including murder. Please be advised that this podcast might not be suitable

0:11.7

for all audiences. If you ever cross paths with Frank Kalata, the mob hitman we spent some time with in part one of this series.

0:35.2

A couple things become immediately clear.

0:38.2

This is someone who speaks his mind.

0:41.3

And this is a guy who loves cars. In a memoir published in 2014, Frank writes,

0:47.0

I love cars. I loved him growing up while I was a criminal, and I love him today. I got my first car in 1954. It was a 1950 old 98. My mother bought it for $500.

1:00.0

But back then I didn't have the money to keep the car properly maintained and drove it until the tires fell off.

1:06.0

Although you'd think there were times I didn't have a car. That's not true. I always had a car.

1:12.0

Whether it was mine legitimately or somebody else's that I stole.

1:16.4

Frank was 16 when his mom bought him that old 98.

1:20.0

But even before then, he was attracted to cars, and he liked to drive.

1:24.4

So I'd sneak out.

1:26.4

When she'd go to sleep, I'd sneak out.

1:28.6

And for a while there I was able to get her keys and drive her car around.

1:35.0

And then one day I said, I can't take her keys.

1:38.0

When is this day she's going to wake up and I'm going to be out and them keys are going to be gone.

1:42.0

They should look for a car.

1:43.2

They got to do it another way.

1:45.0

So one night, Frank waited for his mom to go to bed and snuck out to the car with an idea.

1:52.0

So I got underneath the dashboard and I looked at the

1:56.6

ignition and I had there's aluminum wrappers that they put the cigarettes in the bag with.

...

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