Help. We Lost the Thunderbird by Steve Fischer Cliff Jones was an attorney in Las Vegas in the early 1940’s. Most peo- ple knew him by his nickname “Big Juice,” because it was a moniker he’d earned well. Big Juice was an early deal maker in Las Vegas. He put peo- ple together, casino owners with bankers, bankers with mobsters. He introduced people who wanted to do business, and got a piece of every transaction he was involved in. Marion Hicks was a Los Angeles real estate developer who enjoyed Las Vegas in the late 1930s. Marion was friendly with Kirk Kirkorian, who was starting a small air-charter service between Los Angeles and Las casino with 79 rooms and 8 two-bed- Cortez where it was, off the beaten Vegas, so Hicks was present on many room suites. A room at the El Cortez path. of the flights. started at $6. Sometime in 1944 or the begin- In fact, Hicks liked Las Vegas well Construction went well and came ning of 1945, Hicks was approached enough so that in 1941, he, Jones, in under budget. In the days before by Ben “Don’t Call Me Bugsy” architect John Grayson and entrepre- the war, this was fairly easy to do. Siegel who was representing his boss, neur J. K. “Kell” Houssels, pooled Boulder Dam was completed and Meyer Lansky. Siegel made Hicks a their money to build the El Cortez many construction workers who deal for the El Cortez. The agreed- Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. The worked on the dam decided to make upon price was $600,000. Siegel paid total construction cost was $245,000. Las Vegas their home, so there was a in cash. Hicks took the money and The El Cortez was a successful small good labor pool. In addition, Hicks, moved out of the El Cortez owners casino with a nice active horse book. the visible managing partner of the El suite. Since the original ownership Cortez, was an easy guy to work for. groups’ investment was about In the days before World War II, The complete construction of the $125,000, they made a tidy $475,000 most of the Las Vegas hotels and hotel took only nine months, start to profit in only four years. casinos were owned by locals. Out- finish. of-town ownership didn’t start until Ben now owned about half of the the end of the war. The Cortez sat on Instead of building on Fremont El Cortez Hotel and completely a half-city block, one block off Street, they asked: “Why not build owned the horse book. One of his Fremont Street, two blocks from the out-of-the-way, out in the country bodyguards, “Fat Irish” Green, ran red light district, and three blocks where it’s nice and peaceful and the book for him. The El Cortez was from the Union Pacific railroad sta- quiet? The hotel can have nightly bar- showing a nice, modest profit, but tion and Greyhound depot. becue and not be bothered by the three miles south of town on Accessibility-wise, it was a fairly drunks going from one casino to the Highway 91 there was a hotel under good location. There was a two-story next.” So Marion Hicks and Kell construction, the Flamingo, with a garden terrace building behind the Houssels decided to build the El sizable stake from Ben. With Ben and 42 CASINO CHIP AND TOKEN NEWS | Spring 2005 Meyer now venturing into the resort him, Chickie had already lost over it took all the resources that Big hotel business, they let it be known to $900,000. (In late 2000, Susan. Juice, Hicks and their partners could casino owners and mobsters around Berman was found shot to death in come up with. To open the doors, the country that the El Cortez was for her New York apartment. Lots of their out-of-pocket expense was near- sale. secrets were told in her Gangster’s ly $1,500,000, but they were able to Daughters books and her TV inter- cut some corners. Since Hicks was in In Minneapolis, Davie and Charles views). She had a big mouth! And the construction business in Los “Chickie” Berman were experiencing she was too well connected to have Angeles, he also became licensed in a lot of local heat. As gamblers and that big of a mouth!. Nevada. They built the Thunderbird club owners, they were being leaned with Hicks as general contractor and on heavily, and they wanted to try Anyway, back to 1945 Las Vegas, with his own construction crew. There somewhere with greener pastures and and brother Chickie. Crestfallen, were several minority partners in the warmer winters. So Davie Berman Davie and Chickie returned to Thunderbird in 1948. These included flew to New York to meet with Meyer Minneapolis. Davie Berman promised Tutor Scherer, gambler, casino owner Lansky with the intent of buying the his partners that the original million and soon to be poet laureate of El Cortez. Meyer gave his permission three would be repaid, but he needed Nevada. (In the mid-to-late 1950s, for Davie to return to Las Vegas and to borrow another million to meet his Fabulous Las Vegas magazine rou- negotiate with Siegel to purchase the purchase obligation. Davie was given tinely devoted a full page to Tutor’s hotel. As part of the deal, Lansky the second million and flew back to poetry or prose.) Guy McAfee also wanted a finder’s fee of $160,000, in Las Vegas. This time Chickie stayed had a small piece of the Thunderbird cash and up front. Davie Berman had back home in Minneapolis. The $1.3 action. expected this wrinkle and brought a million purchase was completed and suitcase full of cash with him. He the ownership of the El Cortez It must be pretty exciting when paid Lansky the $160,000, thanked changed hands again. you can be in your own casino on him for allowing him to buy the El opening night after all Cortez, and headed back to For years, Guy McAfee worked as the months of plan- Minneapolis. vice squad captain at the Los Angeles ning and work, Police Department. Apparently, knowing the There he met with his partners though this was only rumored, he mortgage will and, between them, raised $1.3 mil- made so much money from his police soon be paid off. lion in cash. The Minneapolis contin- job that he was able to buy acres of You're finally going gent was comprised of Davie; his land just south of Las Vegas. McAfee to be able to stand in your brother Chickie; Davie Berman’s best owned, among other things, the prop- own craps pit, behind friend, Israel Alderman, better known erty the Last Frontier Hotel was built one of the high as “Ice Pick Willie”; and Moey on and the “91 Club” casino that tables and watch Sedway. Once they arrived in Las stood on the land. At the time, Las all the players Vegas to consummate the deal, they Vegas Boulevard was known as throwing their checked into the El Cortez and were Highway 91. The 91 Club was mak- money at you as met by Ben Siegel’s representative, ing Guy McAfee a fair amount of quickly as you can Gus Greenbaum, who had come in money, so in 1946 McAfee was take it in. This was from Phoenix for the meeting. approached by Jones and Hicks who pretty heady stuff. It didn’t quite said, “We have a proposition for you. work out that way, According to Susan Berman’s We’d like to buy the land you got however, on open- book, Memories of a Gangster’s across from the El Rancho and we ing night, Daughter, while Davie was down- want to put in a casino and hotel.” A September 2, stairs in the owner’s office negotiat- deal was struck, title to the land 1948. The new ing with Marion Hicks, his brother passed to Jones and Hicks, and con- owners were Chickie took the satchel with the struction of the Thunderbird Hotel dressed to the nines. entire $1.3 million and went looking began. Their wives were there and the place for some action. Moey Sedway and was flowing with excitement. There his men found Chickie at a high- The Thunderbird was never much was a tradition in Las Vegas, back stakes craps game at the Las Vegas of a hotel. It opened with only 46 several decades ago, that when a new Club. By the time they could stop rooms and a nice, modest casino. But hotel opened, all the other casino CASINO CHIP AND TOKEN NEWS | Spring 2005 43 owners would show up and give the owned the El Rancho Vegas a few Thunderbird. Nothing fancy, just place lots of action on the craps tables. years later and was a pretty miserable something that would keep him out of character, said, “Sure, we’ll see you trouble, pay him a legitimate wage Two casino owners, Jake Katleman Thursday for dinner and pick up the and allow him to wear a clean shirt to of the El Rancho Vegas and Farmer money then.” After Jake and Farmer work each day. Paige, another Los Angeles gambler left, Big Juice and Marion just sat who moved to Las Vegas and opened looking at each other. They had just The deal was reached and the 160 the Pioneer Club, were present. They lost the Thunderbird.