ON DETROIT. LOCAL 4 NEWS AT 5:30 STARTS NOW!
>> Jason: JIMMY HOFFA’S WHEEL
MAN TELLS ALL.
>> I WAS FEARFUL 100% OF THE
TIME.
TIME. >> Jason: MARVIN "THE WEASEL"
ELKINS DISHES ABOUT RUN-INS WITH
MOB BOSSES, CONVERSATIONS HE
WISHES HE DIDN’T HEAR AND HIS
FRONT-ROW SEAT TO ONE OF THE
BIGGEST MYSTERIES IN AMERICAN
HISTORY.
HISTORY. BOY, CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE?
THIS WEEKEND, A SERIES OF
REPORTS AS WE EXPLORE THE LIFE
AND LEGACY OF JIMMY HOFFA.
>> Karen: THERE AREN’T MANY
PEOPLE ALIVE WHO SAW THE POWER
OF JIMMY HOFFA UP CLOSE AND
PERSONAL.
PERSONAL. OUR STEVE GARAGIOLA FOUND A GUY
WHO SAW A LOT MORE THAN THEY
WANTED TO.
WANTED TO. AND STEVE JOINS US WITH VERY
UNIQUE STORY.
UNIQUE STORY. >> Steve: HE IS SUCH A
CHARACTER.
CHARACTER. WE SPENT A COUPLE HOURS WITH HIM
AND HE’S FASCINATING.
HIS NAME IS MARVIN "THE WEASEL"
ELKINS.
ELKINS. WE FOUND HIM LIVING IN TORONTO.
FOR 5 FRIGHTENING YEARS, HE WAS
JIMMY HOFFA’S PERSONAL DRIVER.
IN THE LATE 1950s, MARVIN WAS A
BUSBOY AT THE COPY -- COPACABANA
IN NEW YORK.
TONY SALERNO TOLD HIM HE WAS
GETTING A NEW JOB.
>> FRIDAY IS YOUR LAST DAY HERE.
WHY?
WHY? I’M TRYING TO DO A GOOD JOB.
HE SAID BECAUSE AS OF MONDAY,
YOU’RE GONNA BE JIMMY HOFFA’S
DRIVER.
DRIVER. I DIDN’T KNOW HIM, BUT I HEARD A
LOT OF STORIES.
I WAS 18 AND IT SCARED THE CRAP
OUT OF ME.
>> Steve: HE MET JIMMY HOFFA.
>> GOOD MORNING, MR. HOFFA.
HE SAID, ARE YOU MARVIN?
YES, SIR.
YES, SIR. HE SAID, GOOD START.
MR. HOFFA OR SIR, REMEMBER THAT.
>> Steve: HE SAID MR. HOFFA HAD
A COUPLE OF RULES THAT ARE
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER.
FIRST, HE NEVER BE LATE.
AND ONE OTHER RULE THAT MUST
NEVER BE BROKEN.
>> WHAT YOU HEAR IN THIS CAR
STAYS IN THIS CAR.
IF I HEAR YOU TALKIN’ TO ANYBODY
ABOUT WHAT YOU HEAR IN THIS CAR,
YOU WON’T BE AROUND THE NEXT
MORNING.
MORNING. DO WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER?
YES, WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER.
>> Steve: MARVIN DROVE JIMMY
HOFFA WHEREVER HE WANTED TO GO.
>> IN THE BACK OF THE CAR, SAM
SAL VA TORE, AND FRANKIE CARVIL.
AND MANY TIMES HE WISHES THERE
HAD BEEN A GLASS PARTITION
BETWEEN HIM AND THE
CONVERSATIONS IN BACK.
>> I WAS FEARFUL 100% OF THE
TIME.
TIME. I FIGURED OUT AS LONG AS I DID
WHAT MR. HOFFA SAID, HE GAVE ME
THIS CHAIN TO SHOW ME, AND HE
TOLD ME 100% LOYALTY AND
OBEDIENCE.
OBEDIENCE. IF I DO THAT, I’LL BE OKAY.
>> Steve: AND ABOUT HIS
NICKNAME, THE WEASEL, HE WAS
HOOKED INTO THE MOB AND THEY
DON’T LET GO.
HE WAS EVENTUALLY FORCED TO BE
AN INFORMANT FOR THE FBI.
THEY GAVE HIM THAT UNFLATTERING
TAG, THE WEASEL.
HE SAID WORKING FOR THE FEDS
WASN’T MUCH DIFFERENT THAN
WORKING FOR THE MAFIA.
>> THEY’VE GOT YOU BY THE
THROAT.
THROAT. WITH THE MOB, THEY THREATENED
YOU OPENLY.
YOU OPENLY. THE FEDS DID IT DIPLOMATICALLY.
>> Steve: DIPLOMATICALLY.
HE SAID HE ALWAYS HAD GREAT
RESPECT BUT ALSO GREAT FEAR OF
MR. HOFFA.
MR. HOFFA. IF YOU’RE A PODCAST LISTENER,
CHECK OUT EPISODE 1, RELEASED
TODAY.
TODAY. AND TOMORROW NIGHT AT 10:00, OUR
DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL ON JIMMY
HOFFA.
HOFFA. AN INVESTIGATION THAT REALLY
TOOK US PLACES WE NEVER
EXPECTED.
EXPECTED. FROM THE CASINOS OF LAS VEGAS TO
THE MOB FAMILIES OF NEW YORK,
EVEN TO THE KENNEDY
ASSASSINATION, TOMORROW NIGHT.
>> Karen: THE WEASEL, ANY IDEA
WHY HE WAS CHOSEN?
>> BECAUSE HE’S CANADIAN.
AND JIMMY HOFFA’S DRIVER HAD
BEEN ARRESTED AND MARVIN HAD NO
RECORD IN THIS COUNTRY, AND
NOBODY KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM,
SO THEY SAID YOU’RE PERFECT,
YOU’LL BE MR. HOFFA’S DRIVER.
>> Jason: THE STORIES YOU GET
OUT OF THIS.
>> Steve: AND MORE STORIES I
COULDN’T FIT IN THERE.