The Last Good Time: Skinny D'Amato, the Notorious 500 Club, & the Rise and Fall of Atlantic City
Van Meter delivers a wonderful narrative-a biography, really-of one of the most controversial cities in the U.S., the nightclub and gambling mecca of Atlantic City. Beginning with the city's founding in the 1850s as a resort for Philadelphians, Van Meter reconstructs the foundation of greed, corruption, crime and, most important, entertainment on which Atlantic City was built. All the characters are there, including Atlantic City's first openly corrupt politician, Nucky Johnson. But entrepreneur Paul "Skinny" D'Amato gets most of Van Meter's attention. A grade-school dropout, D'Amato worked his way up from operator of a smalltime, illegal gambling den (the first legal casino opened in 1978) to owner and operator of the 500 Club, the soon-to-be world-famous nightclub and haven for mobsters. Van Meter carefully details how the charming and clever D'Amato and his 500 Club were the reason for the success of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, as well how they assisted Frank Sinatra to bounce back into the public eye. Van Meter expands the narrative to cover D'Amato's friendship with Sinatra and mob boss Sam Giancana and their involvement with the Cal-Neva Resort, as well as their collusion in helping get John F. Kennedy into office. Van Meter also convincingly argues that despite D'Amato's acquaintance with the likes of Giancana and Lucky Luciano, D'Amato himself was neither a member of nor beholden to the mob. If there is one fault with the book, it is that Van Meter, who writes for Vanity Fair, Vogue and Esquire, often relies on punchy, detail-laden magazine style. But this is a minor quibble in an otherwise riveting glimpse into the throbbing heart of Atlantic City.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.