When Senator is negotiating with Mike in Tahoe, he tells Mike "My sources tell me etc.". Mike upon hearing this gives a quick glance to Tom, then says "Turnbull has done a good job", at which point Geary cuts the chat short. I get the impression that the source might have been Roth, because I assume that Roth was the only one that knew of Mikes move. Can anyone confirm or deny this.

Listen to Fredos confession again.

Are you implying that Fredo was Gearys source? It kinda don't sound logical to me. I thought Fredo was dealing with Roth and Ola. I don't think Geary would be dealing with Fredo, since Fredo really wasn't in on the decision making, and Geary couldn't put the squeeze on him. Of course now that you mention it, possibly Fredo was feeding Roth information, then Roth was working with Geary. This might be a possiblility, because I get the impression neither Roth or Geary wanted Mike and his "oily hair and silk suits" in Las Vegas.

As a US Senator from Nevada who was up to his elbows in the gaming industry, Geary would have had many sources. But I don't think it mattered because I don't think Michael's move on the Tropicala (or was it "Tropigala"?) was a secret. It seemed that Michael or his representative needed to be on the license for the Tropicala. When Geary says, "The license will still be in Klingman's name," Michael replies, "Turnbull is a good man." I inferred that Michael had contacted Turnbull to get on the license. And getting on a license is a public matter in Nevada.

and all this time I thought you got YOUR name from Sammy the Bull who "turned" federal witness.

Is Turnbull the only name mentioned in which we don't ever actually see the character? I seem to recall Tom mentioning some political types who sent their regrets for not attending the wedding. But I think anybody else mentioned by name actually gets camera time.

...oh wait...Roth runs down a laundry list of names when he "bequeathes" his Havana interests...

tony b.

Between the time Geary gives Michael his little speech, and Michael says "Turnbull is a good man", there is a shot of Mike looking at Tom and Tom looking back at Mike. It appeared to me that Mike was a little taken back, with what Geary knew, and he wanted to know who Geary's source was. Could it be that at this point, Mike suspected he had a leak within the family, and the assasination attempt in his bedroom, solidified it for him?


GEARY

Well uh, it's perfectly all right with me, but I should tell you that I am a blunt man and I intend to speak very frankly to you -- maybe -- more frankly than anyone in my position's ever spoke to you before.


[MICHAEL lights a cigarette]


The Corleone family has done very well here in Nevada. You own, or, you control, two major hotels in Vegas -- one in Reno. The licenses were grandfathered in, so there is no problem with the gaming commission. Now, my sources tell me that -- you plan to make a move against the Tropicalla. They tell me within a week -- you're gonna move Klingman out. That's quite an expansion. However it will leave with one little technical problem. Ahh -- The license will still be in Klingman's name.


MICHAEL

Turnbull is a good man.

Michael and Tom may have exchanged looks not because Geary knew about the move, but because Geary used a key word: "problem." Michael and Tom probably figured that they had the whole thing sewed up through Turnbull, so Geary mentioning that there was a "problem" with the license came as a surprise--and a threat, probably--to them.

That sounds very plausible to me, and proably is the scenario. Do you think Michael was a little surprised that Geary knew about his move on the Tropicalla? I use the reference in GFI when Vito met with Sollozzo, and Vito reprimanded Sonny for letting Sollozzo "know what the family was thinking" I think that Mike was following his fathers advice, even though he wasn't at the meeting, and didn't want anyone outside of the family knowing the what was going on with the family.

I'm assuming that Michael needed to tell Geary about his move. Geary obviously controlled gaming licenses, or was influential. Why else would Geary have wanted to meet with Michael privately?

Mike had to meet with Geary because Geary would use his influence in overcoming the "problem" with license. When he referred to the problem, he was simply stating the simple fact that there was one which they all knew anyway. Turnbull was probably a Geary aide and that's who Tom had been dealing with. Geary would never get involved in the menial task of arranging a meeting. He simply waited to be told when it could occur and the communion was a perfect setting for it. But, the reference to the Tropigala was totally unexpected; that was the reason for the "look".

That sounds good too.

I always inferred that Turnbull was a lawyer or lobbyist who served as Geary’s “bagman”—someone who intermediates between Geary and the people who need to bribe him to get political favors. Bagmen are import features of US political life: they launder money and legitimize bribes. Here’s how the Turnbull/Geary connection might work in real life:
Let’s say you want to open a new casino in Nevada, or buy into one. You’ll need a gaming license in either case. But when you see the Gaming Commissioner, he’s very negative. He says that since you’re new to the state and to the gaming industry, you’ll have to fill out a zillion-page application, and undergo an exhaustive background check—a “daunting” process that could take years. And there’s no guarantee that you’ll get your license at the end of it. But, he brightens up, “if a prominent and respected citizen of this state were to vouch for you, things could go a lot quicker.” Who might that person be, you ask. “Senator Geary,” replies the Commish. “Everyone respects him.”
Now you see Geary, who puts on his best “aw shucks”/country boy act. “Mah friend the Gamin’ Commissioner flatters me,” he says. But he agrees that getting a license can be “daunting.” What you need, he says, is a first-class lawyer to help you. Who might that lawyer be? “Turnbull,” says Geary. “He’s the best darn gamin’ lawyer in the whole darn state of Nevada. Why, Ah have so much confidence in Turnbull that, if he takes you on as a client, Ah’ll be glad to write to the Commish to vouch for ya.” You offer to pay Geary, but he recoils, horrified: “Shucks, son, Ah cain’t accept that. This is just a little favor Ah do for mah constituents.”
You're getting the picture, so you see Turnbull. He, too, says the process of getting a license is “daunting.” But he’ll take you on as a client. His fee: $250,000. You swoon. But Turnbull says, “I take on very few clients—but every one of them has gotten a license.” You gulp—and you pay.
Now, Turnbull’s a lawyer, and he does things legally. He deposits your $250k in his law firm’s checking account. He draws a check for $100k payable to “The Committee to Re-Elect Senator Pat Geary.” He draws another check for $100k payable to a certain private investigator in Carson City. Hanging over the investigator's desk is a framed certificate from the Gaming Commission that attests that he’s “Certified by the Nevada Gaming Commission to Conduct Background Checks on License Applicants.” Oh, and by the way: the Commissioner’s wife is the investigator's first cousin. Turnbull keeps the remaining $50k for himself.
As if by magic, things begin to happen for you in a hurry. A letter from Geary arrives in the Commish’s in-box. Geary writes that he knows you intimately (though not in the biblical sense ) and believes that you are “of peerless moral character.” He’s certain—yes, certain—that you’ll be the best thing to happen to the gaming industry since the invention of the slot machine. Right on its heels arrives the zillion-page application, filled out by Turnbull. The Commish reads it immediately and is greatly impressed with its absolute perfection. The next day, the investigator’s report arrives. The investigator has found that you are a living saint: you were a choir boy, an alter boy, a National Merit Scholar, a four-letter man in high school and college, a Jaycee, a Toastmaster, a Knight of Malta, a daily Communicant. You were on your way to India to join Mother Teresa to assist her in alleviating hunger and suffering among the poor, but Mother herself convinced you that you’d be of greater serviced to humanity by running a Nevada casino.
Well, in the face of such overwhelming evidence of your sterling character, the Commish is happy to grant your license.
You might ask: why deal with Turnbull? Why not just pay off Geary and the Commish directly? Why, that’d be bribery! That’s illegal! Horrors! What you did was to pay Turnbull a retainer for his legal services. Turnbull made a perfectly legal contribution to Geary’s re-election campaign. The money he paid the investigator was a fee for the investigator’s services. By the way: the investigator is a strong family man. He loves his cousin, the Commish’s wife, so much that he lets her and her husband use his $5 million vacation home in Lake Tahoe year-round. And just last month, he bought his beloved cousin and her husband a new Bentley Continental for their anniversary.
Get the idea?

Get the idea?

Get the idea???? You bet I do! Where do I sign up for the "bagman" job?

First you have to pass a Cadillac Identification Test, since you're going to be buying a lot of Cads.

I just loved it Turnbull. Thank you , this one was so great I just have to say this: Turnbull is a good man. I think I'm gonna need a gamin' license too ...

Turnbull's explanation belongs in the Hall of Fame of posts for this BB! Brilliant and entertaining description of the process!

tony b.

Wow...that was an incredible explanation! And, unfortunately, it's scarey at the same time because it sounds all too real and plausible, too!

But, I still don't understand why Mike seemed to have a problem with what Geary was saying because his response to Geary was, "Turnbull's a good man." Was it that Geary didn't want to go the route of Turnbull? Also, what did Geary mean when he said to Mike, "The cost of the gaming license is $250,000. In addition, I want 5 (or was it 10?) percent of the gross on the casinos--all four casino's. Mr. Cor-lee-oooo-neeee." Before this, Geary said something to Mike about the casino being "grandfathered in so that there would be no problem with the gaming commission." How does that statement fit in? This whole part of the movie has had me very confused for a long time. Some of it now makes more sense after your explanation, but I'm still not 100% sure about what really was going on based on my additional questions above. Can you help a little further?

Thanks so much!

~~ Lollie

[This whole part of the movie has had me very confused for a long time. Some of it now makes more sense after your explanation, but I'm still not 100% sure about what really was going on based on my additional questions above. Can you help a little further?]]

What are you still confused about? The basic situation is that Michael was going into the Casino business. There wasn't going to be any problem with the gaming commission since the license(s) would be grandfathered in, but it still had to have the approval of the gaming commission which Geary was a member. Up to this point, Mike thought that Geary was going to be in his pocket, proably because of the endowment that Michael made. At the meeting, Geary "took off the gloves" and put his "cards on the table". He was telling Michael flat out, that he would be approved only if he made the kickbacks to Geary. I got the impression that up to this point, Michael thought it was a "done deal", and he was suprised at Geary's demands. I think what this scene showed was Michaels "coolness under fire", with his quick and demanding response to Geary.

OK, I have to add to this confusion
Michael says something like "...which I would appreciate if you would put up personally...." to geary.
I never followed that part of the dialogue.What was michael referring to?

In addition to Michael refusing to pay the 5% of the gross of the hotels, Michael is telling Geary to pay the fee for the gaming license. Out of Geary's own pocket. I think it was another not-so-subtle threat/last chance for Geary that either Geary allow the license to go through and pay the fee or risk Michael's wrath. We later see that Geary made the wrong choice by getting set up with the dead prostitute.

Here's what I believe is the background on this seemingly confusing bit of dialog. Please bear with me:
When gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931, the state legislature put control of the industry (including licensing) into the State Tax Commission. The industry was very loosely regulated because the legislature was happy that casinos were bringing money into the state. All they cared about was taxing the profits.
But, the Kefauver hearings in 1950-51, and the Eastland hearings in '57, established proof (highly publicized through televised hearings) that organized crime ran gambling in Nevada. The state legislature, anxious to keep gaming "clean," took control out of the Tax Commission and put it into a new Gaming Commission that had two big fangs: the power to license key employees of casinos, and the "Black Book," a list of people whose criminal records or reputations could bar them from even entering a casino, much less owning or operating one (this is what Ace and Nicky ran afoul of in the movie "Casino). Now the gangsters were driven to hide their involvement.
Back to Michael and Geary:
As the most powerful politician in the state, Senator Geary's influence would be needed to obtain any approval for anyone to be involved in the sale, transfer or operation of a casino, or to staff it with key employees. As I said earlier in this thread, Turnbull most probably was his political bagman--a guy who collected money for Geary and kept it from looking like bribery (which it really was).
When Geary said, "the licenses were grandfathered in," he probably meant that the actual operation of the casino that Michael was interested in had been licensed previously, under the Tax Commission, which would mean that it didn't have to get a start-from-scratch license from the new Gaming Commission. "But that leaves you with one problem: the license will be in Klingman's name." I think Geary meant that if Michael or one of his people wanted to be the official license-holder for the casino, that application would have to be reviewed by the new Gaming Commission. When Michael replied, "Turnbull is a good man," he meant, "I made my application through your political bagman, just like everyone else does who wants your ok." Probably there was a flat "legal fee" paid to Turnbull that would satisfy Geary. But then Geary tells Michael that he's going to "squeeze" him because he's Italian--and demands $250k up front and 5% of the gross of all of Michael's hotels, "Mister Core-lee-own-eee," to emphasize his contempt. Now Michael gets it: he's a victim of prejudice as well as greed. So he replies, "The fee for the gaming license is less than $20k, am I correct?" He's really telling Geary, "If this were an honest process--and you weren't a crooked politician--that's all I'd be paying, instead of having to pay you off through Turnbull, much less the preposterous money you're demanding on top of that." And when he said, "...I'd appreciate it if you'd put it up personally," Michael was saying, "Because you've insulted me, now you're gonna pay, you greedy, bigoted bastard."

Bravo to Turnbull for his precise and well written explanation especially with the film "Casino" reference In fact the explanation was maybe too clear and accurate Could it be that this "Turnbull" knows just a little too much and unlike the rest of us, who use "nom de plume" names, this "Turnbull" is using his real name?????

Thank you Turnbull!
You're always so informative!

Turnbull:

NOW I understand!!! Thank you!! Sometimes I have to hear explanations in "Simple-ese" before I get it! Thanks so much! I would have still been asking the same question had you not provided that explanation!

"TURNBULL'S A GOOD MAN!"

~~ Lolly

That was great and helpful. Thanks.

You left out the part where Geary points the cannon that is on Michael's desk AT MICHAEL.....(((SHUDDERS)))
LOL


Another question: If the licenses are "grandfathered in"... then how come they are given a new name ie. Klingman becomes Corleone as the name on the license?

The meaning of "grandfathered" is that something is allowed to stand that existed before a new law or regulation took effect. When Geary said, "the licenses were grandfathered in so there was no problem," he meant the Corleone licenses for their existing casinos. But Michael was making his move on the Tropigala(?) as a new addition to his Nevada empire. He needed to take over an existing license, which had Klingman's name on it. Therefore, he needed to make an application under the new, 1958 law--and Geary was making huge demands for his ok.

I thought the cannon was a very nice touch! But, as we saw, Michael brought Geary into line without resort to firearms. Or, as Calo said to Michael earlier in Sicily, "In this country, women are more dangerous than guns."

Ah.. Thank you very much.

Yeah... Michael's counter to the canon was MASTERFUL... "Senator you can have my answer now........."

I always thought that Michael's reply to Geary was premature, flippant, egoistic, and injurious to the family's interests. there was no way thathe could be sure that he could coerce Geary into accepting his "nothing" offer.