NEON EMPIRE, THE (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television drama film follows the grim adventures of a group of warring Jewish-American mobsters as they work to establish an "empire" of lavish entertainment in the Nevada desert. The story begins in 1940, as 19-year-old Vic drives his hot-tempered boss Junior Molov across the country from New York. They pick up a black musician, Tampa, and soon stop for gas and refreshments in the small "cowboy town" of Las Vegas, ironically meaning "the meadows." Junior enjoys an afternoon of gambling, illegal elsewhere in the country, at the Diamond Club, and Vic meets proprietor Frank Weston and local madam Miranda. Junior proclaims the desert town to be "the future," and they soon depart for Los Angeles to celebrate the fiftieth birthday of their longtime friend, Max. Junior tells Max and his business partner Nick about his discovery of the desert town, and his eye soon lands on sultry lounge singer Lucy. Max warns Vic against "getting involved" in Junior's scheme, urging him to attend college instead, though Vic notes that most schools now have a limited "quota" for Jewish students.
Vic resolves to expand West and returns to the Diamond Club, though Frank turns down his suggestion of incorporating racing bets into his business, stating that his guests are content with simple card games. Junior remains on the West Coast as Vic heads for home, and World War II brews overseas as smaller gang wars break out all over New York. Rival mob boss Vito escapes to Europe when pursued by the authorities, and Vic continues working "odd jobs" before eventually receiving his draft notice. Nick offers to get him out of it, though Max argues that he must do his patriotic duty, and Vic marries his pregnant girlfriend Bridget before shipping out. At Vic's farewell party, Nick hints that he has noticed Lucy's interest in other men and sends her packing out west, and she eventually ends up by Junior's side in Las Vegas. Junior continues fighting with Frank about buying the Diamond Club, and he and Lucy visit a nightclub on the black side of town, where Tampa is employed. Junior invites Tampa to play his music at one of his own future clubs, though Tampa points out that he will not be welcomed by a white audience, and when Lucy takes the stage to sing, she is heckled by the crowd. Junior angrily defends her and stirs up tension as he reminds the black patrons of their offensive treatment from the white business owners. Several men enter Frank's establishment, and when he reminds them that they are not "allowed" on his side of town, a mob breaks out, causing wide-spread destruction – for which Frank blames Junior.
Max writes to Vic overseas that Junior is becoming "a star" on the West Coast, though Junior is flustered when his estranged wife Mildred arrives in Las Vegas, furious at being ignored and neglected for so long. Undeterred, Junior tells Lucy all about his audacious dreams for the city, comparing himself to the Wizard of Oz. He soon makes plans for an upscale hotel and casino, the Olympia, though Frank and Miranda both steadfastly refuse to turn over their land. The war comes to an end and Vic returns home to Bridget and their young son Harry, though his marriage quickly sours when he finds himself unable to discuss the horrors that he has witnessed. Vic is then "recruited" by Max, who sends him out west to "cool that hothead," and learns that Vito has returned from Europe with plans to make a killing in the heroin business. Max explains that the Italian and Jewish mobs have a tenuous "arrangement," with Nick serving as "the bridge" between the two, and Vic soon leaves Bridget and Harry behind as he drives off to the desert. He picks up a hitchhiker, aspiring newspaperman Burt Stone, and he arrives in Vegas to find Junior in a tyrannical state, spending millions as he attempts to construct the Olympia.
Vic soon falls into an affair with Miranda, and Junior's excitement about his casino is marred when he receives word that Mildred has taken her own life. He heads east for the funeral, and Vic hires Burt as the Olympia's press agent, instructing him to stir up interest with advertisements and exciting stories. With Junior temporarily out of the way, Vic attempts to make peace with Frank, offering him a cut of the profits in exchange for his land, and Frank is disgusted to find that Tampa too has agreed to work with Junior. In New York, Max upbraids Junior for ignoring Mildred and dallying with Lucy, and Nick and Vic learn from their accountant that someone, likely Lucy, has been stealing from the Vegas funds. Bridget and Harry visit Vic, though he awkwardly explains that they cannot stay with him permanently until the casino is open, and Junior finds out about an important meeting in Havana and decides to "invite himself," ignoring Vic's warnings about the danger. In Cuba, respected mob boss Charlie "Lucky" Luciano greets his fellow gangsters and urges them to listen to Max as a leader, reminding them to act like "businessmen" and avoid violence wherever possible. Nick, Max and Lucky then confront Junior about the missing money, but he denies any wrongdoing, protesting that he would not "rob his friends."
Max later tells Junior that he has been granted another $2 million for the Olympia, but must explain the missing money, cut Vito in for a percentage and seek approval for all of his expenditures – and must also "get rid of the broad." Junior returns from Cuba and immediately accuses Vic of being Max's "bird dog," but he soon confides in Max about his frustrating new restrictions. He furiously confronts Lucy, who tearfully admits to stealing the money, but she swears that it is an emergency fund for the two of them, in case they are forced to escape Las Vegas and start over elsewhere. Sufficiently convinced of her loyalty, Junior assures her that they are a team "against the world," and he grows even more vociferous towards his workers as the construction continues. Burt quits in anger when Junior nearly murders him in a rage, stopped only by Vic, though he agrees to continue promoting the Olympia in his paper as a favor to his friend. When Vito comes back into town, Junior arrives at his hotel and blows up his automobiles to send a message, and Frank observes that Vic has been irreversibly corrupted by Junior's influence. Junior tells Vito that Frank is to blame for the explosions, while elsewhere Miranda wonders if she should marry Frank, though Vic assures her that he will soon be "100% legitimate" when the Olympia finds success.
Vito burns down the Diamond Club in retaliation, and Lucy urges Junior to leave town before the violence can escalate further. Junior, however, remains committed to his "Oz," and when the hotel is finally completed, Nick and Max arrive to inspect their investment. They praise his work on the place, but then inform Junior that he is being sent "on vacation," owing to his volatile and reckless behavior – and that Vic will run the Olympia in his place. Junior reels from the loss of his dream as Nick and Max attempt to smooth things over with Frank, offering him a cut of the Olympia's profits in exchange for part of his land, but Frank again refuses. On the day of the grand opening, Frank seeks further revenge by cutting the phone lines and blocking the roads from Los Angeles, leading to a pathetically small turnout at the Olympia. An enraged Junior believes Vito to be at fault and publicly demeans him as a "dope-pusher" and a traitor, and the two have a brutal fight. Junior soon departs for Malibu with Lucy, and Vic talks with Miranda, urging her to remind Frank that they have "mutual interests" best served by a truce.
The Olympia is a "gigantic flop" at first, and Vic is horrified when Vito dispatches his men to murder not only Junior, but Bridget and young Harry as well. Max and Nick read the shocking news in the papers, aware that Vic will want revenge, and when he arrives on the East Coast for the funerals, they explain that they will obtain "permission" from Lucky for him to do away with Vito once and for all. The Olympia experiences an ironic surge in popularity because of Junior's sensational death, and Vic is furious when Vito stops by for a visit. They agree to talk at a neutral location, though Vic appeals to Frank to bring his men along as backup. Vito then kills Miranda by running her car off the road, much to Frank's distress, and when Vito and Vic finally meet at a roadside diner, gunfire breaks out when Vito refuses to apologize for Bridget and Harry's deaths. Vic pursues Vito into the desert and, despite his protests that he did not order the murders of his family, coldly executes him with Frank's help. Back in Vegas, he reflects on his unpredictable friend Junior, feeling that his "ghost" still lingers in the town that he so desperately longed to build. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: Showtime
- DATE: 1990 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:56:45
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:31440
- GENRE: Drama, historical
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, historical; Mobs; Las Vegas, Nev.; Jews, American
- SERIES RUN: Showtime - TV, 1989
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Charles W. Fries … Executive Producer
- Richard Maynard … Producer
- Larry Peerce … Director
- Edward Anhalt … Writer
- Pete Hamill … Writer
- Lalo Schifrin … Music by
- Ray Sharkey … Cast, Junior Molov
- Linda Fiorentino … Cast, Lucy
- Dylan McDermott … Cast, Vic
- Julie Carmen … Cast, Miranda
- Harry Guardino … Cast, Nick
- Andreas Katsulas … Cast, Vito
- Richard Brooks … Cast, Tampa
- Michael Zelniker … Cast, Burt Stone
- Martin Landau … Cast, Max
- Gary Busey … Cast, Frank Weston
- Cecile Callan … Cast, Bridget
- Dale Dye … Cast, Chief Bates
- Tyra Ferrell … Cast, Samantha
- Natalia Nogulich … Cast, Mildred
- Felice Orlandi … Cast, Luciano
- Gary Groomes … Cast, Collins
- Amy Michelson … Cast, Candy
- Matt Roe … Cast, Metzger
- James Arone … Cast, 1st Hoodlum
- Ken Gibbel … Cast, Westerner Four
- Murray Kramer … Cast, Old Man
- Robert Mangiardi … Cast, Doorman
- Richard Wheeler … Cast, 1st Man
- Karon Kearney … Cast, Waitress
- Earl Finn … Cast, 2nd Hood
- Steve Kopy … Cast, Joey
- Ken Love … Cast, Shaw
- Tom Rankin … Cast, Major
- John Ingle … Cast, Doctor
- Renata Scott … Cast, Doctor's Wife
- Mary Chalon … Cast, Lawyer's Wife
- Ron Perkins … Cast, Real Estate Man
- Paul Collins … Cast, Fairchild
- Dale Elliott … Cast, Attendant
- Scotty Williams … Cast, Harry
- Barry Michlin … Cast, Tailor
- Ron Douglas … Cast, 3rd Hood
- Roger Rook … Cast, Pilot
- Don Starr … Cast, O'Brien
- Martin Garner … Cast, Lindy Bartender
- Stephanie Meneuz … Cast, Redhead
- Carlos Cantu … Cast, Cuban Waiter
- Robert Beecher … Cast, Newcomb
- George Galvan … Cast, Cuban Clerk