I'm not 100% on all of the people that Nixon references in this film and was wondering if anyone knew who they were.
I don't know Ratner, Arnold Smith, Wright Patman or Murry Chotner. I assume that Lansky is Meyer Lansky and I think Bebe would be Roboso. Was he refering to Allen Dulles or his brother? Am I forgetting anyone else?
Is there a good Nixon biography that goes into the themes of this film?
thanks
I watched this last night and had similar questions; a quick Wikipedia search gives some basic information (Wright Patman WAS a congressman, Murray Chotiner was the manager of Nixon's election campaign in 1950). I'm sure a more thorough general Google search could slowly piece this stuff together.
share"Bebe" is definitely Charles "Bebe" Rebozo, who was probably Nixon's closest friend and could be counted on to discreetly handle certain financial transactions that Nixon preferred not be made public, such as a large cash-donation from Howard Hughes, for one instance among many. From such actions did Rebozo earn his nickname "Bebe the Bagman," LOL. Nixon and Rebozo were introduced by their mutual friend US Sen. George Smathers (D.) of Florida.
From mid-1973 to 1976 Rebozo was on the receiving end of hundreds of subpoenas, investigations, audits, questions/interrogatories, etc. Probably no other American's life was so thoroughly scrutinized by the Watergate Special Prosecutors, the IRS, etc. And after all that, no authority or jurisdiction ever brought a single charge against him, for anything.
Murray Chotiner is played by Fyvush Finkel to comic effect in Stone's "Nixon", though little mention is made of his mob connections - you may want to listen to the author commentary (not Altman's) for more parallels drawn between his art and the real-life names.
shareMeyer Lansky... my grandmother knew him in the 70s in Miami... little old jewish gangster (accountant, actually)... it's kind of funny, big neanderthal italian guys with heavy goodfellas accents, while the soft-spoken mensche in the background does their taxes... what did Nixon have to do with him?
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