George Raft Personal Items. George Raft became an overnight screen sensation when he played a small-time, coin-flipping gang...

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George Raft Personal Items. George Raft became an overnight screen sensation when he played a small-time, coin-flipping gangster in the original "Scarface" (1932). Born and raised in New York's "Hell's Kitchen," Raft tried prize fighting before becoming a dancer on Broadway and in Prohibition-era nightclubs, where he got to know some of the biggest racketeers in the city. In movies, he seemed at first a lounge-lizard type, but he almost immediately slid into gangster portrayals, and was the actor most responsible for creating the '30s cinema image of gangster-as-hero. The fact that Raft was a close friend of notorious gangster Bugsy Siegel since they were boys together in New York probably influenced many of the roles he took. Featured is a collection of Raft's personal items that includes: two suitcases full of Raft's personal effects, including a pair of spats, a deck of playing cards from the Riviera hotel and casino, photos, personal notes, monogrammed towels, a silk robe, hats, photos, articles of clothing, a vintage Argus camera in nice condition, some books, and -- best of all -- a vintage Kodak Cine 16mm home movie camera in excellent condition (film included); a scrapbook containing articles, photos, letters, and other clippings by, for, and about Raft, including a copy of th actor's death certificate; and a black-and-white vinyl ottoman, decorated in an Arabian theme, once owned by a man well aware of the importance of keeping one's feet comfortable.