Best Nucky Johnson Quote Isn’t From HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, It’s From Nucky Himself

After this New York Times piece got me all charged up for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire a few weeks ago, I feared a letdown. But last night’s premier of the show about early prohibition era Atlantic City delivered. And it’s not just because I’m a sucker for gangster stories or a fan of Steve Buscemi who plays Nucky Johnson, ruler of Atlantic City back then. It’s because the show, like the NYT piece describes, is so painstakingly true to the period.

My favorite quote of the premier was from Nucky. After a stirring speech about pulling himself up by his bootstraps, his driver/henchman Jimmy questions the story’s validity. Nucky’s response: “First lesson in politics: never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” Whether or not that’s an actual quote, it’s a keeper. But the NYT piece did confirm an actual quote from Nucky that’s even better because it includes both politics and economics: “We have whiskey, wine, women, song, and slot machines. I won’t deny it and I won’t apologize for it. If the majority of people didn’t want them, they wouldn’t be profitable.”