THE GODFATHER LAKE TAHOE CRIME TOUR
THE GODFATHER LAKE TAHOE CRIME TOUR is a new, truly unique and immersive Lake Tahoe boat tour experience. Our tour blends the legacy of The Godfather films with Lake Tahoe’s own real-life mob history. We cruise by boat from the Tahoe Keys through Emerald Bay and past the iconic Fleur du Lac estate, which was used to film key scenes in The Godfather: Part II. During the trip, we explore the movie’s different shooting locations, real-life mob figures, Tahoe’s history of illegal gaming, bordellos, opium / heroin dens and the broader influence of organized crime in the region. The experience includes behind the scenes Godfather I and II movie factoids, stories of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, the Sicilian Mafia, and the evolution of gaming in the American West. Enjoy “Name That Scene” games with prizes, a fully hosted open bar, antipasti, and mini cannoli. The content takes a deep dive into the following topics while demonstrating the accuracy of The Godfather movies through movie scenes, characters, real people and events:
How The Godfather changed the film industry forever:
An overview of the motion picture business from 1912 to 1972 lays the groundwork for the filming of The Godfather Part I and Part II. During World War II, movie attendance soared to all-time highs as Americans sought escape from wartime anxiety. Nearly 90 million people went to theaters weekly. Studios owned thousands of theaters, worked directly with government agencies to craft messaging, and made patriotic films like Casablanca, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and Sergeant York. In 1948, the supreme court handed down its antitrust ruling which forced the studios to sell off their theaters. Studio profits plummeted as they lost control over distribution.
Simultaneously, the small screen invasion caught Hollywood completely off guard. Television ownership went from 190,000 in 1948 to over 12 million in 1951. Theater attendance dropped by 50%. The studios, now decimated, were all sold off to conglomerates transforming once large profitable studios into small divisions of these sprawling conglomerates purely profit oriented and less concerned with artistic value.
Additionally, there was the public outcry against The Godfather movie. The Italian American Anti-defamation League was formed to ban the book and the movie. Mafia enforcers threatened one of the producers at gunpoint. Paramount headquarters was evacuated two times due to bomb threats. Frank Sinatra publicly denounced the movie. Numerous politicians and religious leaders wrote letters to the producers begging them to not make the movie fearing it would reinforce negative stereotypes of Italian Americans as criminals, while the Mafia wanted to avoid public attention on its operations. Due to the controversial reputation of the book, no Hollywood Director would agree to make the movie. All of these things caused seemingly insurmountable production challenges.
Eventually, the film was made and it significantly changed the film industry forever.
The Godfather Movie:
- Revolutionized Storytelling in Cinema
- Elevated the Crime Genre
- Innovated Visual and Cinematic Techniques
- Redefined Hollywood Star power
- Made a Huge Impact on Hollywood’s Business Model
- Impacted / Changed MOB behavior
The Origins of the Sicilian Mafia and their move to the US:
Historically, Sicily has been one of the most invaded lands in the world. Positioned between Europe and Asia and just above Africa, if any world power wished to control the Mediterranean, it had to occupy Sicily. Starting around 800 BC, Sicily was invaded and ruled by the Greeks, the Normans, the Romans, the Spaniards, the Arabs, the Moors and dozens of other unnamed territories. Being plundered and raped on a regular basis was how Sicilian culture evolved. As one of the most ethnically diverse places on earth, Sicilians learned that they had to take care of themselves and create their own system of fairness and justice. This system was finally given a name in the mid-1800s.
Right around that time, it was discovered that citrus fruits cured scurvy in British sailors. Sicily, with its ideal climate for citrus, became the citrus fruit capital of the world. Sicily’s citrus exports grew exponentially and that financial success created a significant increase in crime. With the hijacking of wagons of lemon juice and competitors burning down orange groves, businesses hired gunmen to protect their property. They were named “La Cosa Nostra”, in English, the literal translation means “The thing of ours” or “Our thing”, referring to the fact that it was not the ruling power’s “thing”, but their own.
In the late 1800s, Sicilians began immigrating to New York, and along with them came their ‘Businesses.’ Although La Cosa Nostra began as a somewhat legitimate protection business in Sicily, other Sicilians found that no businesses in New York needed protection. So, they became La Mano Nera (The Black Hand) and their business model was extortion (a protection racket). Up until the turn of the century, ethnic gangs of Irish, Italians and Jews ruled the crime scene in America. They only fought with each other. It was at that time, La Cosa Nostra absorbed or killed off The Black Hand (remember when young Vito murdered Don Fanucci of The Black Hand in Part II?) and forced these ethnic gangs to stop their infighting and form criminal organizations that would be run like a business. Those who did not comply were killed by Jewish hit men. This conflict carried on for 30 years, ending with the Castellammarese war in 1931 and the creation of The Commission, led by Lucky Luciano and comprised of mafia leaders across the country who had to be consulted before any members of the mafia started a new enterprise or wanted to kill someone.
The Gaming Business in the American West:
In 1848, gold was discovered in Sutter’s Mill, California. The resulting Gold Rush created the largest human migration in history as 300,000 people converged on Northern California. The population in San Francisco increased from 800 people in 1848 to 37,000 by 1852. At its peak, there was one gambling venue for every 7 people. San Francisco turned into a cesspool and was given the nickname The Barbary Coast (after the notorious pirate headquarters on the African coast.) At this point, the city began enforcing anti-gambling laws and casinos moved into The Sierras – namely, Lake Tahoe. The Rainbow Tavern in 1869, followed by The Tahoe Tavern, The Tallac House (also known as the world-famous Lucky Baldwin’s Casino.)
In 1931, Nevada legalized gambling to help pull the state out of the Great Depression and Sam Giancana (Sicilian Mafia) opened one of the first licensed casinos in The United States, The Cal Neva in North Lake Tahoe. Then in 1944, Harvey’s Wagon Wheel opened in Stateline, Nevada (the South Shore of Lake Tahoe) and was followed by Harrah’s, Bally’s, and The Golden Nugget. Although there was a wide variety of criminal activity in the region, the Mafia focused on “skimming” casinos, cash quietly taken during the counting process before it was logged for the IRS.
Get ready for a fun time! If you love The Godfather and local history, you’ll love this tour.
FUN PRE-TOUR GOAL
To make the most of this tour, take the opportunity to watch The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II!
