Boardwalk Empire: Ed Bader’s Birthday Party

And what a wild affair it was.

Not only do a bunch of dominatrix hookers show up to give Mayor Ed Bader a good birthday spanking, butler Eddie Kessler sings in German and Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague (who has partied with Nucky himself with a bare-breasted ukelele player) shows up with heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey (Devin Harjes).

They josh around with Frank Hague and Dempsey is asked how he feels about Carpentier. “Are you kidding,” he says, I’m going to knock his block off.” Nucky invites him to train for the fight in Atlantic City.

New Jersey Monthly has the scoop on how Dempsey
really trained for that fight at the Atlantic City airport

It then comes to light that the ladies of the night at the party are not only from Philadelphia, they’ve been there since November when they were brought in to help with the election. A light bulb goes off in Nucky’s attorney’s head and he tells Nucky they can get his case dismissed because that means he violated the Mann Act.

The Mann Act was passed in 1910, making it illegal “transport any woman or girl” across state lines “for any immoral purpose.” That definition was specifically extended in 1913 to include “debauchery” and not just prostitution. Heavyweight champ, Jack Johnson was the first person to be prosecuted under the Mann Act. The real Enoch Johnson was around for that and was still around when both Charlie Chaplin (1944) and Chuck Berry (1962) ran afoul of this law.

Later the fillies from Philly affirm to State Attorney General Solomon Bishop that they did perform sexual favors at Nucky’s behest. When Margaret reads the headlines, she’s too revolted to draw the conclusion that Nucky will now be able to get Harry Daugherty’s help since this is a federal charge. He has to point it out to her.

Rather than offer her congratulations, girlfriend hits him up for $100 for clothes for the children and sallies off to her room to add that money to her secret stash under her vanity’s jewelry tray.

Not to be missed: Summer Dawn Hortilossa’s awesome interview with Anthony Laciura