(There is no link to this broadcast.)

Temple historian Bryant Simon, author of Boardwalk of Dreams: Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America, appeared in Atlantic City: The Original Sin City, a documentary that provides historical context for HBO's new drama, "Boardwalk Empire." Central to the story is the character of Enoch "Nucky" Johnson — the Atlantic City treasurer during the time of prohibition, when the sale of alcohol became illegal across the country. Simon explained that prohibition was an experiment to discipline the working class — the rich knew they would keep drinking. Johnson, who was part gangster and part politician, led the city with his brother as sheriff. "The basis of Nucky's power was a system of graft that allowed him to pay people and that gave him power," said Bryant. The documentary is available On Demand until January 2011.