THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: JULY 31, 1945

On this date in 1945, inmate John Giles escaped from the federal prison at Alcatraz. Giles, a convicted train robber, worked on the prison's dock loading and unloading military uniforms that were cleaned in the prison laundry. Over a period of time, Giles managed to steal a complete uniform, which he hid from guards. While dressed in the uniform, he boarded a ferry carrying a forged pass and left the island, headed for freedom. Or so he thought.

Luck, and math, weren't working in Giles's favor. The guards at Alcatraz soon realized they were one inmate short on their dock detail. And the senior officer on the ferry saw that he had somehow picked up an extra soldier. When the ferry arrived at its destination, nearby Angel Island (not San Francisco, as Giles had hoped), Giles stepped off the boat and into the hands of Alcatraz guards.

Further reading (and viewing):

Alcatraz History - Alcatraz Escape Attempts

Socyberty - None Shall Escape Alcatraz

HowStuffWorks - Alcatraz Webisodes: 1945 Escape Attempt

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"You're a vampire, Michael! My own brother, a goddamn, shit-sucking vampire. You wait 'till mom finds out, buddy!"

-Sam (Corey Haim), The Lost Boys (1987)

BABE OF THE WEEK

This week's babe is actress Sophia Bush, who made her big-screen debut in National Lampoon's Van Wilder.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: JULY 30, 1975

On this date in 1975, former (and would-be future) teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa disappeared. Hoffa was scheduled to have a sit-down at the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield, MI with Detroit mobster Anthony "Tony Jack" Giacalone and New Jersey labor leader Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano. Tony Pro, by the way, was also a made member of the Genovese crime family.

Hoffa's plan was to mount a court challenge to a federal ban on his participation in union activities that would have kept him out of the Teamsters until 1981. With that out of the way, he could challenge his successor Frank Fitzsimmons for control of the Teamsters. Sadly for Jimmy, it looks like the mob had other ideas. He was last seen leaving the restaurant parking lot in an unidentified car.

Further reading:

truTV Crime Library - The Disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa

Coverups.com - Jimmy Hoffa

WAKEY WAKEY, HANDS OFF SNAKEY!

Add this guy to the list of idiots that make me worry now that my daughter has her license. From the Hartford Courant:

Driver: Escaped Snakes Caused Multi-Car Crash

HARTFORD — - A 20-year-old driver told police his baby pet snakes are to blame for a multi-car crash he caused on Main Street Monday morning.

Angel Rolon, of New Britain, lost control of his SUV as he and a passenger scrambled to catch the two snakes, he told police. He said they escaped from his pants pockets and slithered down near the gas and brake pedals, police said.

Rolon is charged with reckless driving, failure to drive in proper lane, driving while being distracted and driving without a license.

At least three other cars were involved in the crash, reported to police at 10:20 a.m. Rolan's SUV sustained heavy front end damage and rolled over onto the driver's side.

Talk about a trouser snake! And no, I'm not referring to the actual reptiles.

I think this story calls for some Zappa:

MOVIETIME

Last night I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It was pretty good. Darker than the earlier movies, it ended with sort of a cliffhanger. Actually, it had kind of a The Empire Strikes Back vibe to it. I'm definitely anxious to see the next one.

One of the trailers they showed last night was for Sherlock Holmes, which hits theaters this Christmas. It stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. Guy Ritchie (Snatch, RocknRolla) directs. This one's on my must-see list. You can check out the trailer below.

Sherlock Holmes - Trailer n°1
Uploaded by 6ne_Web - Check out other Film & TV videos.

BABE OF THE WEEK

With everything I had going on this week, I managed to completely forget about posting the Nobody Move! Babe of the Week. Figuring "better late than never," I decided to do the post today. Fortunately, this week's babe, actress Anna Faris, is worth the wait.

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"The reason you caught me, Will, is we're just alike."

-Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox), Manhunter (1986)

CRASH COURSE

I wound up taking yesterday off. I had my final exam scheduled for last night. On top of that, my daughter was scheduled to take the road test for her driver's license yesterday afternoon. She was worried about failing (one of her friends had failed her road test the day before), so she begged me to take the day off and work with her on her driving.

So I spent the day studying and riding around the greater Albany area giving tips on parallel parking and three-point turns. I'm not sure which was more mentally draining, but they both took a toll on my gray matter.

As it turns out, we both passed. My daughter was elated--more about her test than mine, I'm sure. I was just relieved. But my relief was short-lived. Now I have another course to tackle. And on top of that, I have a teenager out there driving (and dodging the idiots) on her own. Oy.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: JULY 22, 1934

On this day in 1934, John Dillinger was shot and killed by lawmen as he left the Biograph Theater in Chicago, IL. FBI agents under Special Agent in Charge Melvin Purvis, along with officers from the East Chicago, IN Police Department set up a stakeout outside the theater, which was showing the film Manhattan Melodrama.

After the movie, Dillinger walked out with his girlfriend Polly Hamilton and Anna Sage, the infamous "Woman in Red" (she was really wearing orange, but "The Woman in Orange" doesn't have quite the ring to it). Agent Purvis ID'd Dillinger, and the agents closed in. The outlaw ran toward an alley and tried to draw a pistol from his pocket. The agents opened fire, and Dillinger was hit four times. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.




"It's like the coroner said, 'Crime don't pay!' does it?"








Further reading:

truTV Crime Library - John Dillinger.

Dillinger Day at the Biograph

FBI Famous Cases: John Dillinger

GIANT SIGH OF RELIEF (WITH ONE MORE TO GO)

Just completed and turned in my final research paper for CJ 645 Delinquency in America. I now know a lot more about the Australian juvenile justice system than I did last week. Fascinating subject, really. But I'm happy to be through with it. All that's left to do now is take the final exam Wednesday night. Minor detail, that.

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

-Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duval), Apocalypse Now (1979)

FRIED DAY

Yeah, it's only Wednesday, but I'm more than ready for the weekend.  I had an exam last night for the course I'm currently taking.  Online exams are a little different than what I used to take back in my undergrad days at good old SUNY Potsdam.  I can actually take the test at home, which is kind of convenient - for me, that is, not for my family.  They all get banished from the room for the duration of the test, which is usually about 90 minutes.  The test is proctored via webcam.  That seemed kind of cool to me at first, but the idea of having the camera about 18 inches from my face while a stranger watches me for an hour and a half tends to creep me out after a while.  I guess I'll never have my own reality TV show.  One way in which online exams are exactly the same as the old-fashioned kind is that feeling you get when you look at a question and draw a complete blank.  Not that I'm saying that happened to me last night.  Of course, I'm not saying it didn't, either.

I have my final next week.  And on top of that, I have a paper to write that has to be turned in before I take the final.   So the frying continues.  Maybe I should spray myself with PAM.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: JULY 14, 1881

On this date in 1881, Henry Mccarty, aka William Bonney, aka Henry Antrim, aka Billy the Kid (his most famous alias), was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garret in Fort Sumner, NM.

Further reading:

Wikipedia: Billy the Kid

Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang

About Billy the Kid

TruTV's Crime Library: Henry McCarty: The Wild West's "Billy The Kid"

Find a Grave: William "Billy The Kid" Bonney (this site puts the date of his death on July 15th, which is incorrect; the coroner's inquest was held on the 15th)

BABE OF THE WEEK

This week's babe is Brazilian model Adriana Lima. Adriana is a distinguished member of the Maxim Hot 100. She also has her own website. Sadly, it's not online yet, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"Made it, Ma! Top of the world!"

-Cody Jarrett (James Cagney), White Heat (1949)

OH DEER!

"What we have here is... failure to communicate."  What do you do when you can't find the words?  Try a shovel.  From the Albany Times Union:

Ohio woman, 75, accused of beating fawn to death

EUCLID, Ohio -- An Ohio woman who found a fawn in her flower garden has been accused of beating it to death with a shovel. Dorothy Richardson, 75, was charged in a warrant with animal cruelty at her Euclid home near the Cleveland Metroparks Euclid Creek Reservation, a wooded park where deer, foxes and other wildlife roam.
     
Animal control officer Ann Mills requested the warrant. She said "everybody's very upset" about the fawn's June 15 death.

Richardson hasn't appeared in court. She told Cleveland's WKYC-TV she was afraid of the fawn and used a shovel to try to make it move. She said after it died she put it in a box and took it to the curb on trash day.

Euclid's cruelty to animals charge is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Nice one, Dorothy!  That'll teach those woodland creatures to stay the hell out of your garden.  I think Dorothy ought to keep a sledgehammer handy.  You know, just in case she finds a vicious baby bunny hopping around her pansies.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: JULY 8, 1898

On this date in 1898, con-man and gangster Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith uttered his last words: "My God, don't shoot!" What do you think happened next? If your guess was "He was shot," give yourself 10 points. Soapy was killed over a game of three-card monte, among other things.

Alias Soapy Smith: King of the Frontier Con Men

Leadville & Twin Lakes, Colorado History: The Story of Jefferson Randolph (Soapy) Smith

Legends of America: Soapy Smith - Bunko Man of the Old West

BABE OF THE WEEK

This week's babe is Israeli model Bar Rafaeli, who somehow managed to make her way into the 2008 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. You can check out her website here.

HOLLYWOOD GOING GREEN(ER)

And the recycling (of ideas) continues in Tinseltown.  Anything to stop the melting of the polar icecaps and save those poor polar bears, right?

'T.J. Hooker' will patrol bigscreen

"T.J. Hooker" is headed for the bigscreen as an action comedy with David Foster, Ryan Heppe and series creator Rick Husky producing.

Chuck Russell ("The Scorpion King," "The Mask") is in talks to direct. The writing team of Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson will script the story, which focuses on the relationship between the title character and his father.

No actors have been cast yet for the feature.

The TV series, produced by Aaron Spelling, debuted in 1982 on ABC and ran for five seasons, the last on CBS. William Shatner starred as a no-nonsense patrol sergeant, with Adrian Zmed, Heather Locklear, Richard Herd and James Darren as co-stars.

T.J. Hooker?  Are you kidding me?  I just know that Charles in Charge: The Movie is coming any day now. 

Hat tip to TV writer/novelist/blogger Lee Goldberg, who wonders if the producers will get Chris Pine to play T.J. Hooker.  I'm hoping for Ben Affleck.  And Shia LaBeouf as Hooker's rookie partner.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

Pictured above: John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence. You can read the Declaration of Independence and learn more about it at the National Archives website.

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"Open the pod bay doors, HAL."

-Dr. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: JULY 2, 1881

On this date in 1881, President James A. Garfield was shot in the back and arm at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station in Washington, D.C.  The wounds were not immediately fatal, and the president lingered until September 19th when he died of complications from his wounds.  He was the second US president to be assassinated.  Had he been shot 20 years later, medical science probably would have been able to save President Garfield, a point not lost on assassin Charles Guiteau.  "The doctors killed Garfield, I just shot him," Guiteau proclaimed at his trial.  Be that as it may, Guiteau was convicted of murdering the president in January of 1882.  He was executed on June 30, 1882.


Further reading:

truTV - Charles J. Guiteau

The Assassination of James A. Garfield, By Robert Kingsbury

Wikipedia - Assassination of James A. Garfield

UMKC Law School - Last Words of Assassin Charles Guiteau

Nobody Move - THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: JUNE 30, 1882

BABE OF THE WEEK

This week's babe is Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard. She plays Billie Frechette, John Dillinger's girlfriend, in the movie Public Enemies, which opened in theaters today.

CASEY JONES, YOU'D BETTER WATCH YOUR SPEED

Check out this study in brilliance from the Albany Times Union:

Woman on tracks to 'clear her mind' hit by train

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Birmingham police said a 22-year-old woman has suffered a broken leg after being hit by a train. Officer Lawrence Billups said the woman told police she was lying on the tracks "to clear her mind" when the train approached around 7 a.m. Sunday.
     
Billups said the CSX train was moving about 10 mph when it hit her. The train's operator told police he tried to stop.

She was on the tracks to clear her mind.  What do you want to bet that she cleared out the other end instead?  I guess some folks really don't know their head from their ass.