The Silver Screen Oasis

Jake Guzik, was the accountant for the Capone, Nitti ,et al mob, might be a figure to be used as the connecting thread in a major motion picture telling the story of the Chicago mob and its role in the deep politics of America.

"Greasy thumb" was portrayed numerous times on the TV show The Untouchables by Nehemiah Persoff. Guzil received this nicknamee because he allegedly got agreasy thumb by hand counting all the loot collected by the mob.

Allegedly Mr Guzik said, in 1947 after being brought in by the Chicago police in regard to the shooting of racing wire operator James Ragen and being asked to take a lie detector test," if I took a lie detector test the biggest men in Chicago would jump out of windows ".

Researching my biography of George Raft, I came across an interesting story concerning Guzik.

While on a USO tour during World War II, Raft had collected a number of German and Italian pistols and rifles which he brought to Chicago to hand over as souvenirs to Guzik. Raft recalled that in accepting the guns, Guzik said to him: "Don't worry, Georgie. I’ll never use them.”

Another Guzik quote pccurred after he was subpoenaed when the Kefauver Organized Crime committee hearings left New York and went to Chicago.

Jake told the local newspaper and television reporters that he wanted to avoid being on television the same way Frank Costello did during the Committee's televised hearings in the Big Apple.

"Hey, just the hands, like with Frank".