The Gangster Chronicles

The Gangster Chronicles

1981: Several soon-to-be stars appeared in this 1981 ABC miniseries that, according to producers, shows that “crime does not pay.” Reliable Hollywood stalwart Richard Sarafian directed and respected actor E.G. Marshall narrated the miniseries. Most of the primary characters were based on real-life mobsters, such as Charlie “Lucky” Luciano (Michael Nouri), Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (Joe Penny) and Arnold Rothstein (George DiCenzo). Al Capone, Frank Costello, Salvatore Maranzano, Guiseppe “Joe the Boss” Masseria, Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll and crime-fighter Thomas Dewey also are featured. An exception was Meyer Lansky, who was still alive at the time of filming; to avoid legal hassles the producers had Brian Benben as a fictional Lansky stand-in named “Michael Lasker.” Edited and released on video as Gangster Wars, the studio somehow reduced 13 hours of drama into a 120-minute movie. The series is more highly rated than the severely edited VHS movie.