Both Caiti and I are totally addicted to Boardwalk Empire. It seems that almost every time we're together our conversation eventually turns toward the wacky hijinks of those good ole Atlantic City rascals. By "hijinks" I mean "murders", and by "rascals" I mean "sort of bloodthirsty gangsters and generally unstable people".
We also talk about their clothes. I mean... COME ON:
But since we're both kind of dorks, we're also very into how the show is based off of some true life events. I think it's really fascinating! Did you know that Nucky Johnson, the carnation sporting scoundrel, is inspired by a real person?
The man who inspired the ringleader of the show is politician Enoch Johnson, also known as Nucky... because, really, who's going to go by Enoch all their life? Like the character on the show, he was known for pinning a carnation on his suits (which I find to be quite dapper, personally. would it be wrong if I started doing that?). He was also known as quite the boss in Atlantic City in the 1920s and '30s. He had his hands all up in some Prohibition shenanigans, including but not limited to bootlegging & prostitution... although, Mr. Johnson wasn't known to engage in any sort of turf wars or other nonsense with organized crime.... and according to all known evidence, Enoch Johnson never killed anyone, nor ordered anyone to be killed. Surely, the show wouldn't be nearly as exciting if they hadn't given him the extra flair he has now. Oh Nucky, you and your old murdery tricks.
And while I'm not sure that he was inspired by one particular man, there were lots of men who suffered a similar facial fate as Richard (who I am QUITE partial to):
Is it strange that a socially withdrawn ex-sniper with clear issues is the most endearing character to me? Because he is. I think he's a beautiful creature.
Due to the heavy artillery that was introduced during the First World War, soldiers were far more advanced than medical procedures were at the time. They adapted to new situations as well as they could in order to make the soldiers' transition home as easy as possible. For facial injuries like Richard's, they created prosthetic masks, usually made of a very thin layer of copper or sculpted from plaster. It was generally secured on to the face via a pair of glasses, which Richard's character sports quite handsomely, if I do say so myself.
It's interesting to watch the show while comparing it to historical events. And even if you aren't nerds like Caiti & I, you can at least enjoy the beautiful clothing, am I right?!
Are you watching Boardwalk? What do you think of it?
Bee's Knees & lots of Malarky,
(we love 1920s slang, but that's a whole 'nother blog post)
Jess & Caiti
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