MovieChat Forums > Casino (1995) Discussion > How often did Ace work 18 hour days?

How often did Ace work 18 hour days?

posted 9 years ago by BogartDeniroScorsese
15 replies | jump to latest

At one point in the film, Ace says that he would up working 18 hour days. How often do you think he actually did this? Working 18 hours a day means that he would only have six hours for sleep (less than that when you figure he had to drive home, change, maybe have a drink or smoke before bed, then get up, have breakfast and drive back to the casino). It seems like working that many hours in a day is something you could only do once in a while, but if you tried to do it every day, eventually you’d collapse from sheer exhaustion. I read the book a long time ago, but I don’t remember if it says whether or not Rosenthal actually worked that many hours in a day.

What do other people think?

[–] BiffGG 9 years ago

Might have happened once in a great while. Not everyday.

[–] cabal24 9 years ago

This kind of thing happens all the time. Some people are known for working all hours. 18 hour days really wears you down but you can do it. Not every day but most days. You cant sustain it but you can do it for a while especially if you are the only one who can do the job. You primarily see this with very hands on managers.

[–] Stevicus-2 9 years ago

It's not unheard of, and people have been able to do it for long stretches. Humans can sustain a lot of abuse - smoking, drinking, staying up late. You wouldn't necessarily collapse from exhaustion right away, but it will eventually take its toll in the long run.

A lot of people can actually survive on less sleep. 6-8 hours might be optimum, but some people seem to get by on 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night, with a couple of power naps during the day. A good 15-30 minute nap right after lunch can work wonders.

[–] BiffGG 9 years ago

My understanding is that Lefty Rosenthal was not very healthy. He would have to caught a couple of naps. At least he was not doing anything too taxing such as mining coal by hand. I have my mother's family's bad genetics so 18 hour days and 4 hours rest are out of the question for me.

[–] OptimumTaurus 9 years ago

Ace was obsessive about his work. That is, as stated in the film, the reason he was given the opportunity to run a casino. The 18-hr days were likely not mandated by anyone but a matter of Ace's own obsessive nature.

Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment. -Michael Corleone

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] roxclyde 9 years ago

Maybe, maybe not, but the stress of knowing a screw up could mean getting "fired" (upon) with possibly a special sort of "severance" (of head from shoulders) had to be considerable.

[–] OptimumTaurus 9 years ago

Sam worked very hard. He was always walking the casino floor, catching cheats, dealing with cheats, micromanaging everything. Again, this was largely due to Sam's personality, but his gambling-oriented nature was the whole reason the bosses wanting him running the casino in the first place.

Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment. -Michael Corleone

[–] cabal24 9 years ago

Ace had to run the whole operation. He had to make sure the guests were being taken care of. He had to make sure the games were being run correctly. He had to make sure any complaints were being dealt with. He had to make sure the employees were at work on time and acting professionally. He had to deal with cheaters.

Then there is the illegal stuff- he had to make sure the skim was being done right. He had to make sure the right guys were taking home suitcases and nobody was catching on to what was going on. Then he had to make sure guys like Spilotro were not doing too much damage.

There is so much that has to be done when running an operation like that I question if 18 hour days were long enough. Unless you have an excellent staff to take some of the weight off, you kind of have to do it yourself.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] Blubonnet_Spearman 9 years ago

All the time. A lot of known powerful workaholics have worked 18 hour days for s lengthy period of time. Lincoln as president did for instance

[–] ScarletKnights 8 years ago

Lincoln needed to work 18 hour days like he needed a hole in the head.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] rmh_228 8 years ago

I saw my father do it for years on end when he owned his own drugstore in Chicago. You should also look at the current work/sleep schedule for U.S. submarine crews.

[–] Star_blazer_9000 8 years ago

Kobe Bryant sleeps only 4 hours a day and in the morning exercises for like 3 or 4 hours before basketball practice. Ace has it easy compared to the Black Mamba

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