Geno
“True magic lies not in the tricks we perform, but in the belief and encouragement we offer to those we love.”
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This week, I introduce one of the most captivating individuals from Las Vegas, Geno Munar. Before I begin, here is his fascinating background. First, I am thrilled and honored to call him a friend, and I am delighted he invited me to be part of his radio station KIYQ 107.1 on the final in Las Vegas, where my new show, Retro Vegas Nights, airs throughout the day. Now, Vegas in the ’60s was famous for entertainment featuring A list of Hollywood stars like Sammy Dsvis Jr., Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Elvis, and many others. However, some of the very best performers in Vegas during that time were magicians. Close-up artists who dealt you a hand of cards using sleight of hand to control your every whim. You thought you had a choice, but maybe you didn't. Wealthy high rollers would receive complimentary tickets to say Frank Sinatra’s show, followed by a meet and greet where they would shake hands with the iconic superstar briefly before being hassled out the back. A few more essential VIPs would stay for drinks. But the real shows for rich high-roller VIPs spending thousands of dollars a night at the baccarat tables were world-class magicians like Jimmy Grippo. These are the guys who enchanted Las Vegas audiences for decades. Jimmy Grippo was the best, but there were others. No person has better knowledge of their influence on Las Vegas and how owners of the top gambling halls in Las Vegas depended on them to bring in the big bucks. There is no person better to talk about it than my friend Geno Munari, an expert on gambling, the history of the mob in Vegas, and the importance of magic in Sin City. So, it's my pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, to present Mr Geno Munari to you. 👏 Let's begin with a bit of his impressive biographical history and resumé:
Gene Munari is a writer, researcher, and former Adjunct Professor of Gambling. His relentless pursuit of the True Story has led him to uncover captivating narratives from mobsters, gaming legends, movers, and shakers. As a magician, he has invented popular effects used by many professionals and owns a famous chain of magic stores called Houdini Magic Stores.
Geno Munari moved to Las Vegas in 1964 and was involved in all facets of the gambling and hospitality business.
Adjunct Professor U.N.L.V. 1980-85. Casino Operations and Management.
The Second Assassination of President John F. Kennedy – Co-writer. The Rainman, 1986. Script collaboration. Indecent Proposal, 1993. Wrote and produced special gaming production incorporated within the motion picture. Los Angeles Herald Examiner, circa 1980s. Weekly columnist for the Herald Examiner’s West Coast supplement, Vegas Magazine.
International Wagering and Business Exposition, Board Member and speaker. (eleven years).
Guide to Jobs in the Casino Industry, circa 1966. Las Vegas and Convention and Visitor’s Guide, freelance contributor. Lottery Players Magazine, columnist. Staten Island Advance, columnist. Drama-Logue, columnist. The Dunes Hotel; The Mob, The Stories, The Connections
Gaming Confidential, monthly publication. Author. The Magic of Jimmy Grippo, 1982. Co-author and collaborator. The Prologue, starring Ernest Borgnine, Executive Producer and writer. 2007
Inside Secrets, series, writer.
Secret Cabaret, collaborator.
Obtained a non-restricted gaming license in the 1970’s for Cowboy Gene’s Casino. In addition worked the Dunes Hotel for eight years; helped develop the San Remo, Bourbon Street and the Astro Hotel.
Writers Guild of America (WGA) member.
There are so many facets to this magnetic and intriguing man. Let’s begin.
“I was going to write a lot more about my dearest son, but when looking for a photo of him I discovered something he had written March 8, 2001, from a lecture tour he & I did in Japan for magicians.” Geno Munari
“Hello! Before I get started, let me tell you about myself. My name is Matthew Munari, I`m from LV, I`m 28 years old, & I have been performing magic professionally for about 7 years. Magic has been in my life since I was born. My father, Geno Munari, studied under 1 of the worlds top Close Up magicians, Jimmy Grippo for years in LV. Jimmy was the resident close up magician at Caesars Palace, performing in many of the 5 star restaurants that casinos offers. Mike Skinner, another top magician, of Lily Langtrees (also of the Golden Nugget in LV) was a regular dinner guest at our house as I was growing up. Allan Ackerman lived 2 streets away, & I was privileged to meet many many more top flight magicians as I was growing up. But you know what? I didn`t care! I would have been happier sleeping, or playing video games on my Commodore 64 than mingling with these Hall of Fame magicians. I truly didn’t know the scope of the talent around me as a child and as I look back, it saddens me to think I could have learned a trick or 2 from some of these old timers. Jimmy Grippo is now dead, as well as Mike Skinner, & Dai Vernon, & Larry Jennings, & so many more not quite as famous, but just as skillful magicians of that era. As I entered my late teens, early 20s I got a job working as a stagehand for Melinda at the Sahara hotel. As the cruel hand of fate would have it, I was bitten by the magic bug. Not of the stage variety, but of the Close up variety my father & his cronies practiced all my life. I don’t know when it happened exactly, but before I knew it I had a deck of cards in my right hand practicing 1 handed cuts, & the Charlier pass. Shortly after my 21st birthday, my father let the final curtain drop on his stage show, (at the Hotel San Remo off the strip) & opened his 1st magic shop located behind the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in the MGM Grand theme park. If you have ever been inside 1 of our 10 shops, you know it’s as if you’ve stepped back into time. It`s a throwback to the days of mahogany shelves with tricks popping their heads out of every possible nook & cranny. Tricks are piled upon each other & it feels (from what my father & others have told me) like the "olden days." Between those 4 walls of the MGM theme park, I stumbled onto some of the greatest magic ever invented. I was inquisitive, & thirsted for knowledge. When I started learning magic, I would practice a move over & over until I had it just right. They say that ignorance is bliss. I find a lot of truth in that statement, when you think you know a lot about something, in this case slight of hand, you begin to 2nd guess yourself, "Maybe I could do it this way" or "Maybe it looks better from that angle". When your knowledge is limited, you take something for what it is, as did I in my formative years behind the magic shop counter. In the last 7 years, I’ve gone from green to a seasoned pro working trade shows & exclusive Hollywood parties. But, I wouldn`t change a thing about my 1st few (& sometimes awkward) years in magic.”- Matthew Munari who passed on to heaven Aug. 8, 2008. Born July 31, 1972.”
“Bye Matthew, I will miss you my son. God loves you. I will see you in heaven.” Love, Dad
Overwhelming grief profoundly affects any father who suddenly loses a son. Geno Munari's sorrow was layered with heartbreak and sadness. But reading Matthew’s words while writing his obituary, I would imagine, brought back a sense of connection with Matthew as if he were still communicating with him. Bittersweet solace, allowing Geno to feel close to Matthew once again, even if only through his beautiful memo reflecting his joy of life and love for the opportunities given him being the son of one of the most mysterious figures in magic, entertainment, and gambling worlds. How could Geno not take pride in his son as he read Matthew’s journey, especially learning how Matthew’s indifference to magic changed to a burning passion, even wishing he’d taken advantage of the opportunities given to him by his father to learn from the greatest prestidigitators in the world like Jimmy Grippo. It was certainly a chance missed, but his father is no magic slouch, and he taught and encouraged him, becoming his most important mentor. As a result, he became an exceptional close-up magician intrigued by manipulating cards, coins, cups, balls, and other small delights. With his father, he joined forces to develop and create their signature effects and marketed them through Geno’s magic store chain —Houdini’s found in Vegas, Disneyland, etc., if you’ve been to one. You probably remember the famous card trick that was demonstrated, which floats around your body. Geno and Matthew invented this viral trick.
After Geno said his final farewell to his beloved son, he went home alone and rested in his chair. Sitting at his feet were roses, and after he woke, the roses had changed their pattern, indicating an invisible force had moved them. It was a mystical experience where, seemingly, Mathew visited him briefly during his nap to say a last goodbye. When I read this story, I was reminded of my mother. She had sent me a note in the mail, which I had never opened until after she passed away. I found the note after I’d returned from a trip to Antelope Valley to experience the amazing poppy fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. I came across her card while cleaning some drawers on my return home. Opening it, I found a beautiful picture of the puppy fields I had just visited the previous day. It was clear to me a spiritual interception had occurred. God gave me a special hidden moment with my mother, reminding me she rests in peace in his arms, just like you’d sleep in a field of poppies. I believe my brother and Matthew are there too. We rest in peace until our following assignment in the next realm. The other day, I was reading one of Demi Pietchell-The Starfire Codes meme collections when I came across an image of a woman sleeping in a forest, reminding me of my mother’s card and the afterlife message from our Creator. It came right when I was writing this blog and thinking about the roses at Geno’s feet. Serendipity can reveal so much, and there are no cowinkydinkies! I believe we’ll all be reunited in the next life, and when we die, our energy rests until the awakening. Until then, may Matthew and all before and after him continue to Rest In Peace.
I've been to Japan many times and will write about some of those fantastic adventures in a future Substack article. Japanese love MAGIC more than anyone in the world. It’s almost synonymous with their culture. So, to be invited to lecture and perform magic is a great honor bestowed upon Geno and Matthew, demonstrating their professionalism as world-class magicians. I wish our paths had crossed in Japan. It would have been a delight to be with them. But I didn’t meet them there, and the first time I met Geno was in the mid-eighties while performing at Bally’s Grand or the Flamingo. I can’t recall exactly, but I knew it was at the late-night Wednesday magic club meetings hosted by the late Gary Darwin at the famous Village Pub/Ellis Island, an Irish-style restaurant and bar still open today. A family-owned business in a sea of corporate-owned mega hotels and casinos. One of the few places that survived the takedown of Old Vegas, when in the late '80s and into the ’90s, casinos and hotels like the Dunes and the Sands, which were previously owned by mob figures, were imploded and destroyed to make room for their new landlords—corporate America. From my vantage point, where I lived far west of the city, I regularly watched these events from our porch, where I had a front-seat view of the entire strip.
We’d finish our last show on Wednesday nights and head over to Ellis Island to meet with some of the finest magicians in Vegas. We'd all sit around telling stories, performing magic for one another until dawn sometimes. It’s where I met the fantastic close-up artists performing, gracing the finest casino rooms in Vegas. Stage magicians like Siegfried from Siegfried and Roy, Lance Burton, Joseph Gabriel, and my then-husband Jonathan Pendragon showed off what they could do with their hands. It was like the Algonquin Table of Vegas. Geno was there one night, and I wondered who this Suave, nice-looking, mysterious, reserved man was with Jimmy Grippo, who was the most revered and best card manipulator in the world, and the house magician at Ceasar’s Palace since its opening in 1966 performing exclusively for very affluent VIP high rollers. He was there at the same time Frank Sinatra left the Sands Hotel in an angered huff for the new Caesar’s Palace, who welcomed Sinatra with open arms, and he became Sinatra’s friend often requesting Grippo’s magic during dinner where Sinatra and his guests would be entertained with a private show in one of the five-star restaurants. It wasn't until I saw Jimmy in Vegas at those Wednesday night meetings that I discovered his fantastic wealth of talent. He was a star in Vegas, along with Frank and the Rat Pack. As the house magician of Caesar’s Palace, he made rich high-rollers happy for over twenty years. I met him first in 1980 at an Academy of Magical Arts Rewards Show, where he was honored with a performing fellowship. That night at Ellis Island, an elderly Jimmy performed incredible feats of legerdemain. He chose me as a spectator volunteer for one of his effects, and honestly, I was afraid of messing up his presentation, so I focused on his instructions so mistakes weren't made. It ended with a massive ovation for Jimmy from our group, and I was relieved it was over. I'm more nervous being a volunteer for a magician than I am performing my magic. Geno said after Jimmy Hoffa, the prominent union leader, watched Grippo perform. He loved him so much that he planned to build a casino for him to perform. That never happened, like so many dreams that fade and never come to fruition. But Geno continues to keep Jimmy’s name alive through his biography of him and planned documentary. And who better to tell it than Geno, a magic expert who is also a gambling expert and historian on Vegas, especially the old days when the mob first rooted their operations in Vegas?
Jimmy Grippo on The Tonight Show
I was finally introduced to Geno, and we chatted a bit, and he bragged about his admiration for his friend Jimmy. When it was Geno’s turn to perform, he was an exceptional magician among the sea of top notch Vegas professionals. The magic bug bit him early in his life, and his last love for art gave him the desire to become a magician. But it was moving to Vegas where he befriended Jimmy and other magic performers like Mike Skinner and Larry Jennings, where he acquired the impetus to do more excellent work and became a true professional in Vegas, where he opened iconic magic shops and produced his own Magic show at the San Remos, which is long gone and rebranded Oyo Las Vegas. But before moving to Vegas, Geno grew up in Burbank, California, where he fell in love with magic as a boy, frequently Hollywood Magic, a shop I often visited our base magic effects, and where I met Mohamed Ali, world champion boxer buying magic for his close-up magic shows.
Geno Munari performing magic
Without the influence of Jimmy Grippo, Geno’s journey into the world of magic might have taken a vastly different route. He most likely has remained a Sunday afternoon parlor magician, enjoying an acceptable pastime yet missing out on the daily engagement and fulfillment that true magic brings to a magician. Although he began exploring magical effects at the young age of eight, he would likely have continued to perform the same tricks as everyone else—nothing extraordinary, merely adequate had he not been influenced and encouraged to be greater than average.
His parents, Geno and Rose Munari, played integral roles as his first support team and influencers in his early magical quest. His mother had connections with Louie St. Pierre, the second owner of Hollywood Magic Company, who generously informed her that her child could acquire any item from an old Douglasland Magic catalog for half the price. St. Pierre’s kindness nurtured his budding interest in magic. Serendipitously, fresh out of college, I worked at Hollywood Magic at the Newport Beach location in 1976. I love both stores and frequented the one on Hollywood Boulevard in the Los Angeles area when I was up that way. Geno has my spirit, and every weekend, he eagerly visited Hollywood Magic, often making it into an entire day’s adventure by taking the bus to Bruce's Haunted House in Glendale. I’ve never been to Bruce’s, but I've always heard about it. Instead, I'd head out to Owen’s Magic Supreme in Arcadia and hang out with owners Les and Gertrude Smith, listening to their version of the history of illusions. They were a fascinating couple who built illusions for the finest performers in the world. On the other hand, Hollywood was a captivating place filled with unique characters and experiences, and the magic shop teemed with tricks that left the uninitiated spellbound. Geno spent his hours here, fueled by a few dollars from his mother, savoring every moment until he kindly asked to leave.
Geno Munari-Author of Book-Las Vegas Dunes Hotel: The Mob, The Connections, The Stories
Frank Ross, a mentor figure in his life, often shared the wisdom, “Buy books; they’re better than tricks.” Although this advice was initially challenging for him to grasp, Munari eventually took it to heart. He learned countless tricks; however, like most boys his age, he yearned for more magic and, of course, bigger illusions. So a particularly memorable summer occurred when he was 12, a summer that would be spent restricted at home after breaking a leg at a local park. His father showed much empathy during this difficult time, visiting Hollywood Magic to surprise Geno with a phenomenal coin-through-glass illusion made by Thayer, a well-known quality magic builder during that era. He also gifted him Scarne's Book of 200 Magic Tricks, filled with treasures that he still cherishes (one of the best close-up books on magic). Little did he know that one day, he would meet Jimmy Grippo, a close friend of Scarne’s. He had likely read the card trick by Grippo in Scarne’s book!
I love luck, and it’s through a serendipitous moment. I just happened to reencounter Geno here on Substack, and he invited me to be part of his team on radio KIYQ Las Vegas 107.1 on the dial. I had chills reading the invitation. Thank you, Geno! I’m forever grateful for your friendship.
My dear Char, I didn’t know Geno Munari or his friend Jimmy, but after reading your article, I feel they are old acquaintances. What an amazing gift you have as a storyteller. Scarce and exceptional! Thank you for sharing your talent! ♥️♥️♥️
Love it, Charlotte. Love these stories.