Sunday, November 13, 2011

Guys and Molls!: Jimmy Blue Eyes and the Wizard of Odds - Mobster Nicknames

Hosted by Sasha Soren from Random Magic!
Guys and Molls
Event production by
Random Magic Tour 
Sasha Soren 
Schedule of events
Nov. 10-17, 2011




Greetings! I am Lucia the Gun! (that's my cool new gangster name, sweet huh?) Getting to be a gangster definitely has its up sides.  You get to drive around in fancy cars, go to fancy parties, everyone respects you, or at least fears you which is almost the same thing. It's almost like being a rock or movie star today! (Well except for the respect/fear part. If your famous and they don't respect you  these days, than they usually ridicule you, and that's not the same thing.) Then you also get those cool nicknames. "Lucky" Luciano, "Scarface", "Machine Gun" Kelly.  But what happens when your nickname isn't so cool or intimidating? I mean how can you instill fear, or, I'm sorry, a healthy dose of respect, if people are laughing when they hear you name? After all most of the time you weren't lucky enough to receive your own nickname. Either you got it from a fellow gangster or worse yet, a reporter!
So I am giving you five of the strangest nicknames I've found from the Golden Age of Gangsters.  (they are in no particular order)


Sam 'Golf Bag' Hunt
 -Sam 'Golf Bag' Hunt-
Ok, I don't know about you but I'm not particularly afraid of golf bags. Golf clubs, maybe, but definitely not golf bags. This guy however was definitely someone to fear.  He worked for Al Capone as an enforcer. It seems he got the name "golf bag" after being arrested while having one in his possession.  The real kicker? The golf bag he had on him had a loaded shotgun and a .45 pistol.  Not your average nine iron, and definitely a little bit more intimidating!


-Thomas 'Butterfingers' Moran-
Let me start off by saying that Thomas Moran was the top pickpocket of his day. In his lifetime, he picked over 50,000 pockets.  But why 'butterfingers'? That word brings to in mind two things, candy bars and clumsiness. Neither of which should apply to the king of pickpockets.  However here's a good example of those reporters twisting things around!  While it was others in his field who said he could "slide in and out of a pocket like pure butter", Moran stated he would never forgive "that smart-alecky reporter" who named him 'butterfingers'.

Joseph 'Ha Ha' Aiuppa




-Joseph 'Ha Ha' Aiuppa-
May I suggest NOT laughing at this guys nickname? He was head of the Mafia in Cicero, Illinois, and he was not easily amused.  He was however prone to murder.  Two bodies 'rumored' to be connected to him were found beaten and buried alive in a cornfield. Definitely not a laughing matter!






-"Umbrella" Mike Boyle-
Here's another one of those nicknames that doesn't necessarily instill fear.  While I am endlessly tormented by umbrellas, somehow they are always poking me in the eye, or getting caught in my hair, most people do not have these issues. 'Umbrella'  got his nickname from the umbrella he used to use to collect "deposits" from building contractors.  These "deposits" insured no problems with the contractors building endeavors.


Murray 'The Camel' Humphreys

-Murray 'The Camel' Humphreys-
When I think of camels I naturally think of Egypt and the Pyramids, not Gangsters and Prohibition. Humphreys was a mobster from Chicago during the prohibition era.  It's rumored his nickname came from his propensity for wearing camel hair coats, but it just as easily could have come from his other nickname, 'The Hump', which was taken from his last name. 


Hope you have enjoyed this list of more "unique" mobster names I have found.  Want a nickname of your own?  Click here to go to the Mafia Name Generator to get one!  I've told you mine, would love to know what yours is!
Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit the rest of the blogs in the link below!

Guys and Molls - Goodies



WIN this hilarious deck of flashcards, and you'll have fun learning

how to sling some lingo.

About: Get a line on this racket: flashcards feature famous one-liners

and slang from 1930s gangster classics. Dish out some gangster speak

and your pals and enemies will think you were made

for the silver screen. 
30 movie flashcards, boxed.
Click here to check them out.

AND


WIN this great multi-title DVD, which includes four of the best
gangster movies that were ever made. Host your own 1930s mobster movie
marathon!
There are four vintage films included on this DVD.


The Public Enemy(1931) - A taut, realistic time capsule of the
Prohibition Era, showcasing James Cagney's powerhouse breakthrough as
a streetwise tough guy who rises high in the bootleg racket.
The Roaring Twenties (1939) - Screen legends Humphrey Bogart
and Ida Lupino star in this soulful study of a gangster whose
hard-boiled persona finds itself at war with his compassionate side -
a side that will ultimately be his downfall.
Little Caesar (1930) - Loosely based on the life of real-life
Prohibition-era mobster, the infamous Al Capone. Edward G. Robinson
rocketed to stardom as a pugnacious hoodlum who murderously rises to
the top ranks of the underworld.
Smart Money (1931) - In their only screen teaming, Little
Caesar's Edward G. Robinson leads the way and The Public
Enemy's James Cagney rides shotgun in this brisk tale of barbers
who go from cutting hair to cutting in on the gambling racket.
(Source: Amazon product description)

HOW TO PLAY: There are four steps, but they're all fun and easy to do.

1. Leave a comment on this post, giving your take on this question:
What's your favorite gangster nickname? (It can be one I didn't mention)

Feel free to sign it with your own mobster nickname or syndicate, or
Twitter name.
2. Comment on ANY other second Guys and Molls post. (Browse event schedule
3. Comment on ANY other third Guys and Molls post.
4. Share a link to ANY Guys and Molls post on Twitter.

Note: Please remember to include email address in entry form so you
can be contacted if you win.
Additional info: International. DVD is region 1/NTSC but should play
on multi-region player.
Winner will be selected at random using random.org.
Ends December 15, 2011, midnight, EST.
xxx

4 comments:

  1. Oh should I be afraid of you now? A nice post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a great post! Those really are ridiculous, not fearsome, nicknames, though the gangsters called by them do sound scary. I love your gangster nickname, very scary and respectful, Lucy the Gun:)

    ReplyDelete