The first national gangster history convention was held outside Chicago on September 10, 11, and 12, 2004. I am proud to have participated in the planning and promotion of this unique event. The Golden Age of Gangsters was the brainchild of Harry Lawrence, a hulking tattoo artist who looks like an enforcer for Hell’s Angels. Harry is from Greater Cleveland and put a great deal of time and effort into bringing his vision to life. He has a long-time interest in organized crime history and operates Mob Wear Clothing.
Harry, his wife, and their crack crew arrived two days early and did an excellent job setting up the room, complete with appropriate displays, whiskey barrels, and vintage photographs. There were about fifty providers available, too many to mention in this short article. They came from as far away as Liverpool, England.
Guests came from the surrounding states and even from Canada. Many of the convention attendees were authors like Rose Keefe, who just released Guns and Roses, the story of Dion O’Banion, Patrick Downey, who wrote Gangster City, and Chicago crime historian John Binder, who wrote The Chicago. Outfit. Rick Mattix, author of Public Enemies: America’s Criminal Past and machine gun expert Thompson was there along with his wife Linda, a real gun. There were producers, crime experts, speakers, and a representative from the Chicago Police Memorial Association. A tour company was available to offer trips to the site of the Valentine’s Day Massacre and other historic Chicago crime sites. Gangster-era collectors displayed or sold memorabilia such as photos and documents, articles from Detective magazine, bricks from the former Lexington hotel where Al Capone was based, and even the notorious mob boss’s scarf. Sam Giancana’s daughter, Antoinette (played by Susan Lucci in Mafia Princess) was available to sell her pasta and sauce.
The AmericanMafia.com table was in front of the lovely Georgia Durante, ex-mob wife, stunt host, and author of The Company She Keeps, and the talented artist Michael Bell, who has a side activity painting organized crime figures and actors. of the mafia. Actors in attendance included John Fiore and Joe Gannascoli. John has had roles in Guiding Light, Law and Order, Meet the Parents, and Sopranos. Joe currently plays Vito Spatafore on Sopranos. And Clem Caserta (A Bronx Tale) was also present. Some of the actors and producers had televisions installed that played copies of films, trailers, documentaries, and biographical sketches. Sometimes it seemed like there was some competition for the audio space. The winner, ironically, was the Jimmy Whispers team with their infinitely looping copy of A Bronx Tale, the typical conjugations of the all-purpose curse that cross the room every minute or so.
The Soprano crew kept busy posing for photos with guests buying autographed photos from the show. My table wasn’t as busy as the Sopranos, but I had a few people who wanted to take pictures with me too. In fact, there was only one. Well actually the guy didn’t want to take a picture with me. He asked me to take a picture of him with Georgia During …
And of course, how can you put aside the wise man turned comedian and actor Big Frank D’Amico? Unless, of course, you didn’t have space. (Frank is bigger than JoJo the Whale). But he has a big heart and caused great laughs in our section of the room all weekend. Often at my expense. (He sat directly in front of me). Frank signed copies of his new book Stand-Up Guy and did his routine after the convention on Saturday night. Frank likes to poke fun at tough guys harassed by the mob, but I’m sure he was a serious gamer in his day. Frank had a freak accident outside the convention hotel. A guy hit his foot with his tire! Big Frank pulled the criminal out of his seat and ended up beating the damn guy almost to death. But again, Frank has a heart. When the beating ended, he was kind enough to help the guy get back into his wheelchair …
I had a lot of fun, met a few more readers and visitors to AmericanMafia.com, and made a lot of friends. Harry Lawrence is already looking for places for the next one. You will find out at www.superthief.com