The pages of HBO’s award-winning epic novel of a series continue to turn, as Atlantic City and the early 1920s take center stage — along with some of the finest acting, writing and storytelling on TV today.
And the same goes with the young pair in New York — Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky.
Yeah, I’m much more interested in exploring who those guys were. I know who they became.
It’s interesting how the issue of pre-natal care for women comes up in the new season, especially with regard to the current presidential election and women’s rights being a major issue among some voters.
Right, that was really a coincidence. I mean, this was an issue we wanted to explore for Margaret. In terms of the parallels between what’s going on then and now, it just felt so topical even though we’re still having the same debate about birth control and abortion and some of these other things that we were back then. I was surprised during my research to find out that women weren’t even allowed to possess birth control — that was a crime. It’s mind boggling when you think about it, but I think the vast majority of people today have no idea that that’s the case.
There are a lot of similarities between the 1920s and today as illustrated on the show. Human life, for instance, doesn’t seem to mean much to anybody looking for revenge or money. Drugs, racism, religion and turf/land rights still lead to violence around the globe and greed and corruption rule the day.
Yeah, it’s incredible. We think, “God, have we not evolved at all?” It always blows my mind. You know, we have guys blowing up buildings and flying planes into buildings because their invisible person in the sky is better than your invisible person in the sky. It’s insane. I mean, it’s the 21st century; we can put a rocket on Mars and we’re still fighting about things that people fought about who thought that “it’s raining because God is angry at us.” I mean, that level of analysis of things is really frightening in some ways.
How much of Season Three was plotted out in the early stages of developing the series?
Well, I knew as we went along with the series that I would want to expand on the various characters and their situations, so it was really the question of having the time and a luxury to do that. There’s a lot of setup in Season One of meeting some of these people for the first time and then once we spent a little time [with a character like Chalky White, for example] we then had the ability to go home and see what his family life was like. And once we met those people, we said, “Well, OK, we want to do stories on his relationship with those people.” So, the longer you go on with the series, it begets the opportunity to tell more stories and deeper stories about the characters. [Certain stories] weren’t specifically planned out in Season One, but I knew at some point we’d get to see all of these types of things. … We sort of think of [the series] as an epic novel. Something like that.
Do you already have an idea what’s going to transpire in Season Four?
Yeah, pretty much — in very broad strokes. I’m pretty well set on where we’re going to go. We’ll continue to move into the future, of course, and things continue along the trajectory they’re on for Nucky, who is a gangster. Not to go into too much detail — let’s get Season Three off first — but yeah, I know where we’re headed.
It’s 1923 in Season Three. Any real-life events from that year that will play a part in the upcoming season? Obviously, people know that President Harding died in office that year, and stuff like that.
Yeah, there is some political stuff that happened [that year]. There were scandals in the White House [and] the President did die in late 1923. Even right out of the gate [in the debut episode of Season Three] with the New Year’s party and the whole King Tut theme. King Tut’s tomb was just discovered two months before that — I think it was November 1922 — so we did the whole Egyptian theme, which was a big craze back then. Margaret is very much on the cutting edge, you know, having a New Year’s party with an Egyptian theme. So, yeah, less with specific events that happened and more general cultural [things]. People started to stockpile alcohol when Prohibition was enacted and then by 1923 it was starting to run out, so you got more guys like Gyp Rosetti around who were competing and the level of violence increased, the level of competition increased, there was a lot of that stuff. I think those are the changes that you’ll see more so than necessarily historical events.
Gangsters and their customers started turning to harder drugs around this time, too.
Yeah, well, the heroin trade really started to boom and that’s what Lansky and Luciano were involved in in ’23. So we explore that as the season goes on as well.
There was a clip that appeared on YouTube late this summer that apparently captured a huge explosion on the Brooklyn set of Boardwalk Empire. I hope that wasn’t an accident during filming!
No (laughs), that was not an accident. That was very well staged and done extremely safely, even though it was really spectacular. I mean, it was really big and really dramatic, but you’ll see as the season goes on.
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New Characters
Bobby Cannavale as Gyp Rosetti
“A touchy gangster with a thirst for bootleg whiskey,” according to HBO, Rosetti is Nucky’s new foe.
Arron Shiver as
Dean O’Banion
The real-life Irish mobster, who was Al Capone’s Chicago rival, is introduced this season.
Stephen Root as Gaston Means
Veteran actor Root (Talk Radio, Office Space) portrays the creepy con man and convicted criminal associated with the Warren G. Harding administration.
Fifty years after his death in a car crash at age 42, the Mercer County native is showcased in two new DVD releases and a CD.
Atlantic City hosts tattoo expo, antique show, and the 5th annual A.C. Cinefest, plus more.
In episode 26, "Spaghetti & Coffee," Eli Thompson is let out of jail, and gangster Gyp Rosetti takes over the fictional New Jersey town of Tabor Heights.
The fifth annual AC Cinefest, presented by the Downbeach Film Festival, will feature Robert Downey Sr. in addition to Terry Winter, award-winning creator of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, and actor Peter Dobson.
After being away for a couple of weeks, I had to make a trip to our Boardwalk, for inevitably, this time of year brings a hint of sadness to those of us who love all things summer.
The Chelsea is revisiting the Prohibition era by “conjuring the long-lost period of glamour, gangsters and speakeasies” with a special cocktail menu that befits the era. Bartenders with an historical perspective on cocktails might note that Prohibition ...
“It’s been my love and passion ever since I was five years old and I think this music moves people. People who come to see us, they say, ‘When I got here I was in kind of a blah mood, not so good, or depressed, or whatever and I come out in just a whole different place. I’m laughing, my spirits are lifted, it’s cheaper than going to a psychiatrist!’”
In real life, Nucky Johnson, Atlantic City’s Boardwalk emperor during the 1920s, did eventually marry a former showgirl and actress, a local woman named Flossie Osbeck. But that didn’t happen until one day before Johnson began serving a four-year prison term for tax fraud in 1941. There’s little historical evidence to support the fact that Lucy is patterned after Osbeck.
It was a windy and rainy mid-September night for the Atlantic City premiere of the much anticipated new HBO series Boardwalk Empire. Regional storms pounded the beach and Boardwalk with crashing ocean waves and assaulting wind gusts. We're talking not only hold onto your hat, but everything else, too.
"Eddie lived in a kind of musically optimistic 1920s place even though he had a shitty childhood. His parents died when he was young but his grandmother raised him and he was little and scrawny so he got beaten up a lot. He learned to make jokes so he could avoid getting beaten up, so from then on he realized this singing and dancing thing could work."
After retiring as a professional opera singer, Anthony Laciura figured he’d channel his energies into helping budding operatic stars hone their craft ... Then came a call from the office of the director of the planned HBO series 'Boardwalk Empire'
Early in the premiere episode of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, a crowd of dapper Atlantic City movers and shakers, partying well into the night in a spiffy supper club, make a familiar countdown, cocktail glasses held high...
The long-awaited DVD set featuring the complete first season of HBO's Boardwalk Empire will be released in January 2012.
“[Empire’s] helped remind people of what a colorful history we’ve had as a city, and helped bring these things back into focus for some people. And I think the fact that the series is very well regarded only helps.”
In a “news” box on the upper right side of the Archeophone Records home page, there’s a list of the songs played thus far in the first two episodes of HBO’s 'Boardwalk Empire,' set in 1920s Atlantic City.
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Carvey’s World
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The Wrecking Crüe
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Robin Leach to
Make Millionaires in Atlantic City
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At Last!
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New in June: The Social Concert Series
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Laughing with George Lopez
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Parrothead Paradise: Margaritaville to Debut at Resorts
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Fight Night at Boardwalk Hall
1. William said... on Sep 12, 2012 at 04:45PM
“Wrong, wrong, wrong Jimmy should come back. He is the perfect nemesis for Nucky. Kind of between Nucky and the other gangsters, sometimes siding with him and sometimes against him. The bullet could have gone through his skull but glanced his brain so he spent a long time in the hospital and rehabilitation gaining his memory back which he loses and don't remember Nucky shooting him.”
2. Beth Tinnon said... on Sep 12, 2012 at 05:23PM
“Make sure you get you tickets now for our production show at Dante Hall Theater November 10th "A Night At The Speakeasy" a musical journey which is both entertaining and educational on the 1920's here in Atlantic City! For more info go to www.BethTinnon.com look on the calendar page under November to see time, ticket info and watch a video :)”
3. Shakespeare said... on Sep 12, 2012 at 06:48PM
“william ... that is a possibility isn't it?”
4. Anonymous said... on Sep 12, 2012 at 07:10PM
“then why did the creator of the show say he was dead? Uh...”
5. PJ Proby said... on Sep 12, 2012 at 08:22PM
“great interview”
6. Mueller said... on Sep 12, 2012 at 09:40PM
“Bring Jimmy back!”
7. Robert W said... on Sep 13, 2012 at 10:20AM
“Can't wait for season 3 ! We are having a boardwalk empire party sunday night to celebrate! I am glad Jimmy is dead, his story was getting redundant it was the right thing to do.”
8. ChanningJ said... on Sep 13, 2012 at 12:06PM
“1923 is going to bring the best from the series, such superb acting, sets, and detailed suits, this series should inspire all to dress better.”
9. Tara said... on Sep 13, 2012 at 12:33PM
“Looking forward to seeing "BE" continue without Michael Pitt's character. It is rare one of the main characters gets killed off the TV show, so it will be interesting to see how they continue the story without him. Cannot wait to see!!!!”
10. rich said... on Sep 13, 2012 at 05:56PM
“Cant wait!”
11. Brenney said... on Sep 13, 2012 at 08:53PM
“Looking forward to getting some Nucky! ;)”
12. Djmanzy said... on Sep 13, 2012 at 08:53PM
“Looking forward to seeing how Chalky White continues to survive and thrive withstanding the bureaucracy & racism of the time.”
13. Wayne said... on Sep 13, 2012 at 10:05PM
“I can't wait for the third season. It's gonna be awesome!”
14. Bobby G said... on Sep 14, 2012 at 01:36PM
“I love seeing all the Roaring 20's theamed outfits and staging and especially living in the Atlantic City area for over 30 years it great to see some of the area on HBO. Awesome!!”
15. Tracey Bright said... on Sep 14, 2012 at 03:58PM
“Season 3, bring it on! Been jonesing for some more Nucky action! I know Terence Winter and crew will not let me down!”
16. Lynda C. said... on Sep 14, 2012 at 04:06PM
“This article has me very excited for season three! I'm looking forward to seeing more of Margaret and how she deals with Nucky's new mistress.”
17. Gail C said... on Sep 14, 2012 at 05:42PM
“Nelson Van Alden was one of the most deliciously-creepy characters in the show - I can't wait to see what happens to him out in Cicero with nanny and baby (if he stays in the show), and how he will tie into the new season. I'm SO GLAD Terence Winter is tipping his hand about a Season 4 - we can't wait. Sundays at 9 PM is the fastest hour all week in our house!!”
18. Dominic P said... on Sep 14, 2012 at 06:49PM
“Read article anxious to see how you interwove Atlantic City with the role it played during prohibition.”
19. Danny Boy said... on Sep 16, 2012 at 09:09AM
“Jimmy's character was so devastated by the end of season 2, the only outcome was his demise. Either by Nucky's hand or his own.”
20. Bill Ernst said... on Sep 17, 2012 at 04:13PM
“In the upcoming 2012 season, I'm looking forward to seeing any relationship that Nucky Johnson may have had with Skinny Diamato, the owner of the 500 Club
”
21. LINDA HEFFERNAN said... on Sep 18, 2012 at 10:16AM
“We just watched Season 1 and hope to soon get to Season 2. As someone who visits AC frequently, I enjoy BE a lot.”
22. anonymous s w said... on Sep 19, 2012 at 03:25AM
“looking forward to ever increasing intense violence and someone important getting whacked! hint hint - a real Shocker”
23. JOHN HEFFERNAN said... on Sep 19, 2012 at 09:17AM
“I read the book that inspired Boardwalk Empire. Highly recommended!”
24. pork sharp said... on Sep 19, 2012 at 01:41PM
“Skinny D'amato in the 1920s?”
25. peter said... on Sep 20, 2012 at 09:34PM
“Loved the books, I sold Many, Many copies of it when I worked @ Borders, looking forward to seeing Nucky's new Mistress”
26. John Chowanec said... on Sep 21, 2012 at 10:42AM
“i think nucky will kill nelson van alden before the season is over!”
27. cindy said... on Sep 21, 2012 at 07:12PM
“Favorite Show..Thanks HBO...”
28. Linda said... on Sep 21, 2012 at 08:30PM
“What a great series. Can't wait to see what happens next.”
29. bud said... on Sep 22, 2012 at 07:03PM
“killer show for a killer town. Worth the wait between seasons”
30. Annette R. Grohman said... on Sep 23, 2012 at 09:40AM
“Eli's coming out of jail-this should be real interesting.”
31. Steven Melhorn said... on Sep 24, 2012 at 10:49PM
“Looking forward to the new season!”
32. Allen said... on Sep 25, 2012 at 10:59PM
“Hope some of the spoilers are just red herrings, lets have some surprises to enjoy!”
33. Anonymous said... on Sep 26, 2012 at 08:56AM
“What I am looking forward to with season three, well I have not seen season two yet. But I do own season one and hope to add the following seasons as well. I found the series very entertaining with its place as being
historical, capturing a time when Atlantic City was an entertainment capital.
Showing how probition effected american society, a law that was not very
well observed, gave rise to organized crime, and shown how upprepared
law enforcement was with the issue.”
34. Shelly said... on Sep 27, 2012 at 06:56AM
“Please sign me up to WIN!
Thank you”
35. Anonymous said... on Sep 27, 2012 at 11:06AM
“The best drama on TV!”
36. taylokus said... on Sep 27, 2012 at 11:34AM
“I'm interested in seeing how far Richard Harrow can go on his quest for revenge. He's on a collision course with Nucky, which of course he can't win.”
37. Anonymous said... on Sep 27, 2012 at 11:46AM
“Heck yes!”
38. Eddie J said... on Sep 27, 2012 at 12:24PM
“"Will Margaret and Owen Sleater "hook up" again?
"Will Gyp Rosetti and Nucky go head to head over the deal of Nucky supplying Arnold Rothstein exclusively?
"Gyp Rosetti is trouble for everyone."”
39. Turtle said... on Sep 27, 2012 at 02:42PM
“I think Richard is going to go off-the-hook this season in revenge for Jimmy's death. I also bet there's an explosion!”
40. paul nowell said... on Sep 28, 2012 at 07:10AM
“I'll always watch the series but I'd love to see less violence and more story. I'd also hope for something nice to happen to Margaret. In the future it would be great to jump forward to the Skinny D'Amato era. Nucky Johnson finally went to jail in 1941. The young Skinny went to jail for a year in 1938. When he got out he became one of the best known figures in AC history. His life at the 500 Club was rich with stories about the celebrities and gangsters he became close to.”
41. Donna said... on Sep 28, 2012 at 10:51AM
“Love the show!”
42. ChuckBrownB!tch said... on Sep 28, 2012 at 10:58AM
“I have had a tough time staying involved with this show since Jimmy got knocked off. None of the other characters are as likeable or easy to relate to as Jimmy was. I will continue to watch and try to get emotionally attached to someone on the show, but it is a struggle.”
43. Anna said... on Sep 28, 2012 at 11:03AM
“I'm looking forward to everything thats good to happen this season, so much to look forward to <3”
44. Anna said... on Sep 28, 2012 at 11:03AM
“I'm looking forward to everything thats good to happen this season, so much to look forward to <3”
45. Jeanne said... on Sep 29, 2012 at 10:22AM
“Missing Jimmy. Nucky shows a vulnerable side with his new mistress. Love the shoe and the history of AC.”
46. tom p said... on Oct 7, 2012 at 01:05PM
“best show since 1920”
47. Taylor Denise said... on Oct 22, 2012 at 09:55PM
“I just got hooked on boardwalk empire & can not find older episode online!! Such a great show, it always has you on your toes & is a great way to show Asbury & NJ before they trash ways of snookies and YOLO”
48. Tom said... on Oct 25, 2012 at 07:39PM
“Great show and great acting.”
49. mike said... on Oct 28, 2012 at 09:45AM
“Great Show”
50. Tom said... on Oct 31, 2012 at 05:16PM
“I wish there had been another roll or part for Frank Shattuck aka Charlie Sheridan who was killed in episode six I think he is a very good actor and would have been a fine character if it had been written into the script I think the show is the best it is wright up there with the Sopranos or at least even and I also think it is great that HBO has signed for a 4th season!”
51. Shelly said... on Nov 1, 2012 at 05:46PM
“Hope you choose me, while everything is going on and hopefully will improve now.”
52. marge mcq said... on Nov 13, 2012 at 09:48PM
“Best series I have ever seen, love the AC history that is shown and told.
Read the book and met the author, great story!! of AC, Seen 1st and 2nd series looking forward to the third and more.”
53. maryellen said... on Nov 24, 2012 at 09:42PM
“Atlantic Highlands is nowhere near Ocean Grove, still confused as to what town the fictional Tabor Heights is supposed emulate.”
54. mike said... on Jan 20, 2013 at 11:53AM
“This show is Awesome and Terence Winter is Brilliant! I can not wait till season4 ! ... keep up the Great Work and I Purchased your signed book at the wine shop on the Boardwalk in Ac . with some" Uncle Nucky Wine"
also..”