Review of The Green Felt Jungle

Title:

The Green Felt Jungle

Author:

Ed Reid and Ovid Demaris

Publisher:

Buccaneer Books

Date:

1963

ISBN:

0-89966-783-x

Pages:

241

Price:

Out of Print

Reviewed by Nick Christenson, npc@lvrevealed.com

October 11, 2004

The early 1960s, when organized crime ruled the Las Vegas casino scene, is often romanticized by those who resent the sterile, impersonal, corporate conglomerate that is the Las Vegas casino industry of today. It is important to note that not everyone believed that Las Vegas is an oasis in the desert, and the 1960s were its golden years. In 1963 Ed Reed and Ovid Demaris published a scathing indictment of the Las Vegas of the 40s, 50s, and early 60s. Taking a cue from the title of Upton Sinclair's turn of the century classic, they titled their treatise, The Green Felt Jungle.

The extent to which organized crime was rampant in the United States in the middle of the 20th century is a matter for fair debate. Certainly, though, this was a time period in which the public took a great deal of interest in the matter. Spurred by the Kefauver hearings of 1950 and the efforts of such notables as Robert Kennedy, the US government declared war on organized crime. The Green Felt Jungle is a salvo in this war, an attempt to paint Las Vegas of that era as a lawless cesspool of corruption and violence.

From its opening pages Reid and Demaris make it clear that they are willing to take a strong editorial point of view on the issue of Las Vegas and crime. They have very little good to say about anyone with any contacts whatsoever to this city. They are more than happy to impugn Nevada politicians, businessmen, visitors, and even local clergy.

This is not to say that their indictments don't have any merit. There can be little doubt that at least the vast majority of the central characters in The Green Felt Jungle were violent criminals. I don't know of any circumstance in which the authors make a charge in this book that isn't at least credible, although that's entirely possible. Given how strident the tone is, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that at least some of these allegations are overstated. Still, I doubt anyone would refute that in many ways this was a rough place and time to try to do business.

The Green Felt Jungle isn't what I'd call a dramatic piece of writing. It reads like a combination between a scholarly historical treatise and a crime novel. It's very much in the style of the sort of expose writing that was common in the first half of this century before the TV news magazine largely killed this genre. The amount and depth of research is striking. Certainly this book serves as an important historical signpost in the history of this fascinating city.

I would expect that most people who are interested now in the Las Vegas of 40+ years ago would prefer an engaging story than a litany of criminal behavior. Mario Puzo this isn't. It's not that Reid and Demaris didn't do their homework or that their book is badly written, this isn't the case. The problem is that time has rendered the raison d'etre for this book completely moot, and with reflection contemporary Las Vegas enthusiasts tend to focus on different aspects of this era.

The Green Felt Jungle contains an enormous amount of research about many of the movers and shakers of Las Vegas society in the middle of the 20th century, almost universally painting them in a negative light. For those interested in a scholarly indictment of these people and times, Reid and Demaris have accumulated the definitive collection of this information. Those who are looking for a fun story about the golden age of Las Vegas will be better served elsewhere.

Capsule:

The Green Felt Jungle is a carefully researched indictment of the corruption rampant in Las Vegas during the middle part of the 20th century. Reid and Demaris have done a thorough job of assembling the facts on a strident but seminal part of Las Vegas history. Those interested in a meticulously constructed polemic on everything that was wrong with Las Vegas during these years will find what they're looking for here. Those looking for something else may be disappointed.