Zapruder in Vegas

[Ron Bulman]

Looking for info on a story I read years ago about the Dal-Tex building I thought it had been mentioned in The Radical Right and the Murder of John F. Kennedy by Harrison Livingstone.  It is on eleven pages total, but nothing related to the story.  I did stumble across this though on page 112 where Dal-Tex is also mentioned.  It's intriguing to me in at least three respects.

"Lansky offered gambling junkets for the businessmen and wealthy of Dallas to Las Vegas and Jack Ruby sometimes chaperoned them.  Among the groups who were taken to Vegas were the textile firm owners and lawyers from the Dal-Tex building including Abraham Zapruder, Morris Jaffe and Morty Friedman."

This is sourced to "The Dallas Observer, January, 1992 (No better date available".  I wonder about their source but have not looked on line (yet) to see if back issues are available.  I've got the book and read this years ago but guess it went right over my head at the time and I'd forgotten it.  Has anyone else ever read anything about this?

Some of the connections seem to be there from other sources.  Ruby reportedly visited his hero Lewis Mc Willie in Havana and Santos Trafficante in prison there, the latter at the behest of Meyer Lansky shortly before Trafficante was freed.  Mc Willie worked at the Tropicana in Vegas which I believe Lansky had an interest in, after Castro took over the casinos in Cuba.  I think I've read more about Ruby going to Vegas over the years.  From Tipping Point by Larry Hancock we have Ruby in Vegas at the Tropicana November 18/19 1963.  Reported by two different sources, one to the Sheriff's Office and verified by them through checking hotel records.  Then, Johnny Roselli helped get the Tropicana built, stayed there when in town, ran concessions, owned the parking franchise, owned the gift shop, and booked acts at 10%, for about a million a year. 

Throwing Zapruder in all this there is the Jewish aspect of he Lansky and Rubenstein.  

[Joe Bauer]

1 hour ago, Ron Bulman said:

"Lansky offered gambling junkets for the businessmen and wealthy of Dallas to Las Vegas and Jack Ruby sometimes chaperoned them.  Among the groups who were taken to Vegas were the textile firm owners and lawyers from the Dal-Tex building including Abraham Zapruder, Morris Jaffe and Morty Friedman."

Well I'll be.

Ruby got around much more than the average person knew back then.

Remember, he was just "hanging around" one of the Love Field lounges one evening ( not sure if they had more than one back then ) when the famous Hollywood actress Rhonda Fleming just happened to walk in and star struck Jack bought her a drink and engaged her in some conversation.

One of the highlights of his life.

The woman had "class" which Jack so desperately appreciated and was drawn to.

Lewis McWillie had "class" as well in Ruby's book.

[Ron Bulman]

Googling Dallas Observer January 1992 then adding Jack Ruby resulted in nothing about the above.  But it did result in this fascinating bit about JR in Dallas in 1974, when I was graduating HS in 1974 20 miles away knowing Nothing about any of this.

A successful play then, in Dallas, about him Then, killing Oswald.  Stanley Marcus and Mayor Wise attended, a month long run.  A four minute review by Walter Conkrite.  Then Boom, Smashed, Squashed, Disappeared.  The MSM and their owners at work.  This is stunning to me, having lived in the area at the time.

The Life and Death of Dallas Theater Center's Jack Ruby, All-American Boy | Arts | Dallas | Dallas Observer | The Leading Independent News Source in Dallas, Texas

[Joe Bauer]

6 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

Googling Dallas Observer January 1992 then adding Jack Ruby resulted in nothing about the above.  But it did result in this fascinating bit about JR in Dallas in 1974, when I was graduating HS in 1974 20 miles away knowing Nothing about any of this.

A successful play then, in Dallas, about him Then, killing Oswald.  Stanley Marcus and Mayor Wise attended, a month long run.  A four minute review by Walter Conkrite.  Then Boom, Smashed, Squashed, Disappeared.  The MSM and their owners at work.  This is stunning to me, having lived in the area at the time.

The Life and Death of Dallas Theater Center's Jack Ruby, All-American Boy | Arts | Dallas | Dallas Observer | The Leading Independent News Source in Dallas, Texas

Oh Wow!

What I would have given to see that play!

Was "Jada" given some good scenes?

[Sean Coleman]

On 8/16/2022 at 12:34 PM, Joe Bauer said:

Oh Wow!

What I would have given to see that play!

Was "Jada" given some good scenes?

Joe, I think every scene Jada was in was a good one!

 

😍

Edited September 1, 2022 by Sean Coleman

[Joe Bauer]

15 minutes ago, Sean Coleman said:

Joe, I think every scene Jada was in was a good one!

😍

By any measure, "Jada" was truly a physically beautiful woman ... in face and body. 

As stunningly beautiful and sexy as any of the top Hollywood beauties in our history.

She should have been in A-list or at least B-list Hollywood films with her package.

What a waste that Jada got stuck in sleasy little strip joint places like Ruby's Carousel Club and some other place in sleasy New Orleans.

She would have been the top draw burlesque star if she had relocated to San Francisco ( Herb Cain would have loved her ) or New York or Chicago.

IMO Jada resembled Dolly Parton with an equally pretty face if not prettier.

Best looking stripper I have ever seen for sure.

 

 

[Sean Coleman]

How many you seen Joe……🤠

[Ken Davies]

Joe,

 You can take the 5th on this one!

[Joe Bauer]

30 minutes ago, Ken Davies said:

Joe,

 You can take the 5th on this one!

HA!!!

Thanks for the out Ken!

Personally I went to a couple when I was in my earliest 20's. Back in 1971 or 72?

In our small population area there were only two or so. The local authorities closed them down after just a year or two of operation.

San Francisco ( 120 miles to the North ) was loaded with strip joints back in the 50's and 60's but started shutting them down in the 70's as well. San Francisco had everything back in those days.

Famous San Francisco Chronicle high society gossip columnist Herb Cain called his city..."Bagdad By The Bay." Due to it's high number colorful cast of exotic characters and wide open nightlife.

One of these was Carol Doda. Doda was a respected nationally known San Francisco exotic dancer celebrity back in those days.

A SF icon advertised in the San Francisco Chronicle entertainment pages as much as the Opera, theater, sports, you name it.

However, Jada would have blown Doda off the entire scene imo.

I've seen many strippers on line versus in person.

Candy Barr was famous and easy to find on the internet.

Sorry for getting off the thread track here, but sometimes interesting historical side stories make our forum reads a little more uh ... fun?

And mine is connected to a well known Jack Ruby related figure by the name of Jada.

[Ron Bulman]

Looking for more info on the Lansky - Ruby connection online I came up with tidbits about what I'd mentioned above.  I did stumble across this old post on Lansky by author Carl Oglesby.  The Yankee and Cowboy War: Oglesby, Carl: 9780425034934: Amazon.com: Books  I found it fascinating and couldn't resist linking it.

I'd really like to read that book but it's way out of my price range.

[Dan Rice]

13 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

Looking for more info on the Lansky - Ruby connection online I came up with tidbits about what I'd mentioned above.  I did stumble across this old post on Lansky by author Carl Oglesby.  The Yankee and Cowboy War: Oglesby, Carl: 9780425034934: Amazon.com: Books  I found it fascinating and couldn't resist linking it.

I'd really like to read that book but it's way out of my price range.

Oglesby, Carl - The Yankee and Cowboy War.pdf (archive.org)

[Ron Bulman]

Thanks for the link Dan.  I thought I'd read it was online somewhere but failed to download it at the time if a link was provided, if not I never looked for it.  I downloaded it, have bookmarked it and read the first chapter.