Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbie
"Atlantic City was run as a wide open town, with the local politicians ignoring existing blue laws. During prohibition liquor flowed freely and gambling regularly took place in the back rooms of nightclubs and restaurants.
Through the 1920's and up to about 1960, Atlantic City was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. In its prime, the nation's most popular entertainers regularly performed there. During the 1950s Frank Sinatra regularly appeared at Atlantic City clubs. Atlantic City became one of the most famous resorts in the world."
Everything I've read on Atlantic City during prohibition says it was pretty crazy and gambling was going on there. It had 500,000 people a year coming in to party just on the rail system alone. I don't think of a half million people visiting a town as "sleepy" in 2011. Much less the 1920's.
The story is going to have to follow what happened to Thompson:
"Enoch Lewis "Nucky" Johnson (January 20, 1883 ? December 9, 1968) was an Atlantic City, New Jersey political boss and racketeer. From the 1910s until his imprisonment in 1941, he was the undisputed ?boss? of the Republican political machine that controlled Atlantic City and the Atlantic County government. Using his political position to his advantage, his rule encompassed the Roaring Twenties when Atlantic City was at the height of its popularity as a temporary refuge from Prohibition, his organization also being involved in bootlegging, gambling and prostitution."
Sounds like it WAS kicking ass in the 1920's. 
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What I mean is that there wasn't the same type of drama/action material for the story line compared to The Sopranos. Sure, there was alcohol, prostitutes and gambling, but that was going on in every major city in the US at the time as well. Prohibition era Chicago and New York made Atlantic City look like Boise, Idaho.
Take the opening scene in the first episode of the new season for instance, where the KKK shoots up that black liquor warehouse with a gatling gun, that was just too far fetched and over the top for me. You notice most of the supporting characters aren't even in Atlantic City at all like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Arnold Rothstein? It's like they're struggling to make a story out of the lead character Nucky and Atlantic City, becuase there's not much there- that they know about at least. I guess it just bothers me when they stray from historical accuracy.
It's still a good show though. I like that guy Richard, the WW1 vet with the Phantom of the Opera mask. I wish they would give him a bigger part.