Friars Club
Mike ” Rizzi” Rizzitello
Anthony “Tony The Animal” Fiato
Walter Matthau
In the sixties, the Beverly Hills Friars club was a cash cow for major-league wiseguy Johnny Roselli. Johnny and his crew of card cheats milked the joint for a bundle of bucks. Years later. the club was still full of fat-cat entertainers, and Hollywood celebrities, who loved to gamble on sports.
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BIG ACTORS like the late Walter Matthau, and Get Smart, star, Don Adams, wouldn’t think twice about betting ten grand on a football game.Through the years, the Friars Club resident bookies have always gotten rich off the losers
In 1980 Bobby Craig was the in-house-bookie, and he was making money hand over fist.The greedy mutt didn’t want to share the wealth with Capo Mike (Rizzi) Rizzitello. I pushed Bobby down a flight of stairs in the Friars Club, and then he coughed up the cash, two grand a week rent.
Next was an ex Brooklyn copper named Al Lazaar. Al took over the bookie action at the Friars Club when Bobby Craig died. We moved on Brooklyn Al too. Mike Hammer actor , Stacy Keach, was taking action up the Friars too. I went to Stacy’s wedding in Malibu so I gave him a pass for a while. Anthony Fiato
Hollywood goodfella 