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Scott Goldstein never met Herman “Hank” Greenspun. Yet, the last two years has created a bond between Goldstein and Greenspun though the latter passed away in 1989
For those who do not know the name Herman “Hank” Greenspun, the following will concisely explain “Where He Stood” in Las Vegas history:
In 1950 Greenspun purchased, for $104,000, a faltering newspaper that had been an offshoot of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He called the paper the Las Vegas Sun and it turned into a daily publication.
In Las Vegas, the press was used to sway public opinion, and the power of the press was second only to the power of money. With the Las Vegas Sun, Greenspun soon gained political power, particularly from his column, “Where I Stand.” His writing attacked politicians and prominent Las Vegans who Greenspun believed had vested interests and less than “noble motives.” Using the aggressive tactics he had learned in childhood, Greenspun’s column soon became infamous as having the power to make or break a politician.
“I talk about him in the present tense, though we never met,” says Goldstein, director/producer and driving force behind the “Where I Stand” documentary about Greenspun that will be shown at the 10th annual CineVegas Film Festival June 18 (1 p.m.) at the Brenden Theatres at the Palms.
“That’s the influence he’s had on me. The level of respect that everyone I spoke with bestowed on him. I never experienced anything like it in all my years in the business producing and writing television shows and films,” added the two-time Golden Globe and Emmy winner.
Goldstein says the experience just happened; it was one of those being in “the right place at the right time” scenarios.
He was working on a project at the Los Angeles-based Museum of Tolerance, when its’ leader Rabbi Marvin Heir called him into his office and told him about a telephone conversation with Hank’s son, Las Vegas Sun Publisher Brian Greenspun.
“It was amazing. Brian is obsessed with his father, yet he gave a freedom I’ve never had on a project with the least amount of notes,” said Goldstein. “It didn’t take long for it to become an obsession for me, too.
“Nobody on the planet of more critical of one’s self than me. I never go back at look at a project twice. This one became a two-year marathon, not only for me, but for everyone who worked on it. I can honestly say everyone did the best job they could possibly do.”
A former field producer for Peter Jennings, the experience of working with Hank Greenspun has built a fascination with Las Vegas for Scott Goldstein.
“I want to do more projects about Las Vegas,” he said, “after talking with so many great people about Hank. On the top of my list now is Steve Wynn.”
He calls the 140-minute film inspirational, and with Anthony Hopkins as the voice of Greenspun, fascinating.
“The film is another column written by him,” Goldstein emphatically says.
Greenspun was born on Aug. 27, 1909 in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in a poor neighborhood of New Haven. Greenspun's father, a devout Talmudic scholar, bestowed upon his son a respect for his Jewish heritage that he would carry his entire life. His mother, who ran the family store and at one time bootlegged, taught Greenspun how to stand up for himself.
In school, Greenspun studied law and went to work as a criminal defense lawyer. But he didn't like defending people he believed were guilty and soon quit his law practice to make the transition into business. In 1938 Greenspun founded Vulcan Steel, successfully operating the company for two years before securing, through political connections, two contracts with the Maritime Commission. Constructing Liberty Ship engines for the commission, Vulcan Steel was paid nearly $15 million.
During World War II, Greenspun was drafted into the Army, where he developed an interest in journalism working for the military newspaper. His tour of duty was When the war was over, Greenspun moved to New York to return to his law practice. But, in 1946, a friend named Joe Smoot convinced Greenspun to drive down to Las Vegas, where Smoot was hoping to get involved with a racetrack. Greenspun, excited by the potential new business venture, drove to Las Vegas with Smoot. He would make the city his home for the rest of his life.
Once in Las Vegas, Greenspun began publishing his own magazine, a small entertainment guide published twice a month called Las Vegas Life. But the publication lost money. Then, in March 1947, when he was 34, Greenspun was hired by Ben “Bugsy” Siegel to help churn out hype for the reopening of Siegel’s Flamingo Hotel.
Greenspun needed the money and Siegel desperately needed the positive press. Once hired for Siegel, Greenspun gained recognition by writing a weekly column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Called “Flamingo Chatter,” the column was essentially advertising space for the hotel. Greenspun wrote the column for three months before quitting in June 1947 after Siegel was murdered.
A few months after Siege’s death, Greenspun, who had carried a reverence for his Jewish heritage since his childhood, became involved in the Jewish organization Haganah, which was in the midst of fighting to establish the nation of Israel. Greenspun purchased weapons from around the world and smuggled them to Haganah members.
His activities were soon discovered, and in 1950 he was fined $10,000 in violation of the Neutrality Act. Although he could have been sentenced to a prison term, the judge overseeing the case, citing Greenspun’s “noble motives,” did not send him to prison.
Although he attacked politicians for their connections, Greenspun had his own. In his tenure in Las Vegas, Greenspun helped establish a major Las Vegas newspaper, a cable network and two broadcast stations.
One, the CBS affiliate station KLAS-TV, was sold to Howard Hughes in the late 1960s when Hughes wished to control the late-night programming to his liking. In 1962, Greenspun ran for governor of Nevada, losing in the Republican primary to Las Vegas’ Mayor Oran Gragson.
Mediator and broker Greenspun helped shape Las Vegas with his participation in some major events in the city’s history. He acted as a mediator in the Moulin Rouge Agreement which called for the desegregation of Las Vegas. He also helped Hughes during his four-year stay in Las Vegas, securing his suites in the Desert Inn, and later, helping him negotiate the purchase of the Desert Inn from co-owner Moe Dalitz.
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