Yesterday, the great western character actor, L.Q. Jones, passed away.  He was 94 years old.

Though he was probably best known for the films that he did with Sam Peckinpah and for directing the darkly humorous sci-fi film, A Boy And His Dog, Jones also appeared in Martin Scorsese’s 1995 film, Casino.  Playing the role of county commissioner Pat Webb, Jones went toe-to-toe with Robert De Niro and more than held his own.  Reportedly, Scorsese asked Jones to rewrite much of his dialogue, in order to give it a western authenticity,

From Casino, here is a scene that I love:

https://youtu.be/-L5Zx34mjUU

Though Ace would disagree with me, he really should have just taken Webb up on his suggestion to give his brother-in-law a “position further down the trough.”  That pride was not only Ace’s undoing but also the end of Bugsy Seigel’s vision of Las Vegas.

Interestingly enough, this scene always makes me think of the scene where Sen. Pat Geary (also of Nevada) tried to bully Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II.  In that film, the Corleones were able to put the senator in his place.  In Casino, however, it turns out that Pat Webb is right and Ace and the gangsters in Kansas City never really do figure out how things work in Vegas.