SHERLOCK HOLMES - THE REVIEW

Early last week my wife said to me, "Did you see Sherlock Holmes is opening on Christmas day?"  Did I see it?  Of course I saw it.  I've been anxiously awaiting the premiere of this movie for over a year now.  But I figured I'd play it cool, see what she was up to.

"Yeah," I said.  "I saw that."

"Do you want to go see it Christmas night?" she said.

Yesssss!  "Um... sure," I said, "if you want to."

So we went to see Sherlock Holmes, you know, just to make the wife happy.  I'm usually not one for seeing a movie the day it premieres, but I was really anxious to see this one.  Besides, the idea of seeing a movie on Christmas night appealed to me.  Otherwise I'd have just spent the night sitting around stuffing myself with Christmas candy and baked goods until I felt like Jabba the Hut. 

And now for the obligatory review:  I like it.  I liked it a lot.  It was entertaining.  Funny.  Even exciting at times.  Downey and Law were great as Holmes and Watson.  I'd go so far as to call this the best buddy flick since Lethal Weapon.  And the production design is impressive, capturing the look of Victorian London as I'd imagined it.  I'll be buying the DVD as soon as it hits the stores.  And I'd go see a sequel, if there is one.  And rumor has it there will be.

The movie does have its faults.  Most notably, the action sequences sometimes became somewhat convoluted.  I attribute this to the quick-cut editing that was popularized by the Jason Bourne movies.  Not that there's anything wrong with quick-cut editing, but it can be overdone.  For a review by a professional reviewer (i.e., someone who actually gets paid to do this), check out this one on the CNN website.  I think it's pretty close to the mark.

There have been some complaints by Holmes purists (Sherlockians) about the fact that this movie is too action-oriented.  Having never read the works of Arthur Conan Doyle (an oversight I plan to correct in the near future, with the help of the Guttenberg Project), I'm not in a position to say whether they have a point.  For some perspective from someone who is, check out Holmes fan, and crime fiction writer, Rafe McGregor's analysis over at the Rap Sheet.  Also, there's a story on the CNN site about the reaction of some prominent Sherlockians to the movie.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 30, 1905

On this date in 1905, former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg was killed by a bomb that was rigged to a gate at his home. While Governor, Steunenberg took a tough stand against the Western Federation of Miners during a period of labor unrest. Former WFM member Albert Horsley (a/k/a Harry Orchard) was arrested for the crime. Legendary Pinkerton detective James McParland headed up the investigation. McParland pressured Horsley into implicating three high-ranking WFM officials as co-conspirators. Horsley was ultimately convicted of Steunenberg's murder, but his testimony against the other men was discredited. Two of them were acquitted at trial, and charges were dropped against the third. Albert Horsley was sentenced to death by the court, but the sentence was later commuted to life in prison. He died in prison in 1954 at the age of 87.

Further reading:

Wikipedia - Frank Steunenberg 

Wikipedia - Albert Horsley 

Find a Grave - Frank Steunenberg 

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 29, 1975

On this date in 1975, a bomb was detonated in a baggage claim area at New York's LaGuardia Airport. Eleven people were killed and seventy-five were injured. The identity(ies) of the bomber(s), and the motive for the bombing, were never discovered. The case remains unsolved to this day.

Further reading:

New York Times - Terrorist's Release Reopens Wound of Unsolved Bombing 

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE - MERRY CHRISTMAS EDITION

"Now, I had heard that word at least ten times a day from my old man. He worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master."

-Adult Ralphie/Narrator (Jean Shepherd), A Christmas Story (1983)

IT'S ALMOST HERE

And I'm fried. Again. But hey, at least I can sleep in tomorrow. In the meantime, I need to wrap some presents. I'll need a movie to watch while I'm doing that. Maybe this one:

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 22, 1984

On this date in 1984, self-employed electronics repairman Bernhard Goetz just said no to subway mugging. Letting his gun do the talking, Goetz shot four unarmed men he claimed were trying to rob him. He fled the state after the shooting, but turned himself in nine days later in New Hampshire.

Goetz was tried for felony assault, attempted murder, and illegal weapons possession. He was acquitted of the assault and attempted murder charges, but convicted of the weapons charge, for which he served eight months in jail.

Following the criminal trial, Darrell Cabey, one of the men who was shot, filed a lawsuit against Goetz. The jury found Goetz liable for Cabey's injuries and awarded Cabey - who was left paralyzed by the shooting - $43 million. Goetz responded by filing for bankruptcy.

Since the shooting, Goetz has run unsuccessfully for mayor of New York, and for public advocate. He also founded his own company, appropriately named Vigilante Electronics.

Further reading:

The Eighties Club - The Subway Vigilante

Wikipedia - Bernhard Goetz

NY1 - December 22nd In NYC History

LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEAS - UPDATED

Hey, if you're still looking for gift ideas for that historical true crime fan in your life, check out these two from my Christmas list. First up is a Classic Cars of the Depression Era Wall Calendar, pictured above. It features beautiful, detailed drawings of some of the cars used by depression-era gangsters. You can order one (or more) here.

Another great gift that lasts all year long is an annual subscription of On the Spot Journal. According to the magazine's website:

On The Spot is a quarterly journal created for researchers, authors and historical enthusiasts in general of the 1920s & 1930s. Each journal will include the most current factual information available on crime and law enforcement of the twenties and thirties era.

Update: Here's another gift idea for you: Pat Downey's Gangster City is now out in paperback. You can buy it from Amazon, or from your local bookstore.

AU REVOIR, HALOSCAN

It appears that Haloscan, the free commenting service I've been using since I started this blog, will be closing down in a couple of weeks. They were bought out by JS-Kit, which is allowing Haloscan users to convert over to their Echo platform. The Echo service costs $9.95 a year. While this is relatively cheap, the idea of paying for comments on my free blog doesn't appeal to me. At this point, I'm probably going to switch over to the Blogger commenting system.

Since the Blogger commenting system has improved considerably in the last couple of years, I'm not anticipating any heartburn in switching over. Trouble is, I'll probably lose all the comments left here during the Haloscan era. I've created XML files containing all of the archived comments, but I have no idea how to import them to Blogger. If there's anybody out there who knows how to do this, your imput would be greatly asppreciated.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 18, 1931

On this date in 1931, gangster Dutch Schultz finally got his wish. "Ain't there nobody that can shoot this guy so he don't bounce back?" Dutch once asked about his rival, Jack "Legs Diamond" Moran. Old Legs, whose other nickname was "Clay Pigeon," had this annoying habit of surviving assassination attempts.

By 1931, Legs had moved upstate to start bootlegging and narcotics operations. He spent the night of December 17th partying in Albany, after having just been acquitted in a kidnapping trial. He left his girlfriend, showgirl Marion "Kiki" Roberts around 11 PM, and went back to the boarding house on Dove Street, where he had been staying. Around 5:30 AM, two men entered the boarding house, went to the second floor room where Diamond was sleeping it off, shot him in the head multiple times and fled the house.

The murder of Legs Diamond remains unsolved, but there were multiple theories about who was responsible. Dutch Schulz was an obvious choice. Lucky Luciano was another likely candidate. Some think it was local Albany thugs, or that the hit on Legs was ordered by Dan O'Connell, the head of the notorious Albany Democratic Machine. The Machine not only controlled politics in Albany, they also ran the local rackets. And they weren't open to the idea of competition. This being the case, the hit may have been carried out by members of the Albany Police Department. Double-crossed ex-partners are always a good bet too, and Legs had some of those out there gunning for him.  But I guess we'll never know for sure.

The picture above, which I took a year ago today, is of the house at 67 Dove Street in Albany, where Legs Diamond was killed. It now belongs to author William Kennedy.

Further reading:

Wikipedia - Jack Diamond (gangster)

Gangster City - Jack "Legs" Diamond

Albany Times Union - Mobster's 1931 murder remains unsolved

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"Hey, Donny! We got us a German here who wants to die for country. Oblige him!

-Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), Inglourious Basterds (2009)

WELL THAT FIGURES...

The state of New York is dead last in happiness. Big surprise.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 16, 1962

On this date in 1962 - the 25th anniversary of the Cole/Roe escape attempt - Alcatraz inmates John Paul Scott and Darl Lee Parker took a shot at busting out of The Rock. After bending the bars on the kitchen window, they made it to the shore and swam for it using inflated rubber gloves as makeshift water wings. Parker made it about 100 yards and stopped on a rock formation near the island. He was found there half an hour after the escape was discovered by prison officials. Scott was found an hour and a half after Parker, unconscious and suffering from hypothermia. He had made it to Fort Point, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. After a stint in a nearby hospital, Scott was returned to Alcatraz. John Paul Scott is the only Alcatraz escapee who ever successfully swam to the mainland... that we know of.

Further reading:

Utica Observer - "2 Escape from Alcatraz; Freedom Short Lived"

Alcatraz History - Escape Attempts

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 16, 1985

On this date in 1985, Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano and his underboss/bodyguard Thomas Bilotti, were shot dead outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan. The hit was reportedly carried out at the order of John Gotti, a captain in the Gambino family. Following Castellano's death, Gotti would take over as the family's teflon-covered boss. The teflon wore off in 1992, when Gotti was convicted of thirteen counts of murder, including those of Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti.

Further reading:

Wikipedia - Paul Castellano 

Gangsters, Inc. - John Gotti 

Sparks Steak House 

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 16, 1937

On this day in 1937, Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe decided they needed a change of scenery. The two Oklahomans were inmates at the infamous federal prison on Alcatraz Island. Over a long period of time, they had filed through the bars on one of the windows in the prison mat shop, where they worked. They waited for a stormy day, when the guards in the towers would be less likely to see them leave the prison. When the time was right, they crawled through the window and disappeared. When prison officials discovered that the men were missing, they conducted an exhaustive search of the island, but there was no sign of the two men. It's believed that the men tried to swim to shore using empty five gallon oil cans as floatation devices, and that the current - stronger than usual due to the storm - carried them out to sea, where they drowned.

Further reading:

Wikipedia - Alcatraz Escape Attempts

Alcatraz History - Escape Attempts

THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THIS ANYMORE

Check out this TV commercial from a less "enlightened" era.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 11, 1985

On this date in 1985, Hugh Scrutton, a computer store owner in Sacramento, CA was killed when a bomb loaded with nails and splinters exploded in the parking lot of his store. Scrutton was the ninth victim, and first fatality, in the 17 year bombing spree of the man who turned out to be the nuttiest of nutty professors: Ted Kaczynski, a.k.a. the Unabomber. By the time he was arrested in 1994, Kaczynski had planted sixteen bombs. Two of the bombs were defused before they could explode. The other fourteen bombs killed three and injured eleven. He is currently serving a life sentence (without the possibility of parole) in federal prison.

Further reading:

Wikipedia - Theodore Kaczynski 

truTV - Ted Kaczynski: The Unabomber 

FBI - The Unabomber 

The Unabomber's Manifesto 

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash."

-Cmdr. Tom "Stinger" Jardian (James Tolkan), Top Gun (1986)

JUST ANOTHER FREAKIN' BIRTHDAY

Another day older and deeper in debt; that's what I am today. I'd like to believe that 46 is the new 21, but that's just wishful thinking.

And speaking of deeper, it snowed like hell here this morning. It took me 25 minutes to get to work, and I only live 4 miles away. There's nothing like a near-death experience first thing in the morning to get the blood pumping. And in case you were wondering, hybrid cars suck in the snow. I want my Impala back!

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 9, 1935

On this date in 1935, newspaperman Walter Liggett was murdered in an alley behind his home in Minneapolis. Liggett, editor and founder of a weekly newspaper called The Midwest American, published stories that exposed the links between government officials and organized crime. Liggett persisted, even after multiple warnings that included an assault and a trumped-up prosecution for a rape that never happened. On December 9th, Liggett's enemies took action to silence him once and for all: they shot and killed him as he returned home from a shopping trip that evening. Liggett's wife and 10 year old daughter witnessed the shooting. Mob boss Isadore "Kid Cann" Blumenfeld and one of his associates were identified as the shooters, but a (possibly intentionally) sloppy prosecution prevented their conviction.

Further reading:

Muckracker Walter Liggett Killed in Gangland Rub-Out

"Hunt Gang in Slaying of Crusading Editor" - Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 10, 1935

Stopping The Presses: The Murder Of Walter W. Liggett, by Marda Liggett Woodbury

Wikipedia - Walter Liggett

Wikipedia - Kid Cann

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 4, 1875

On this date in 1875, William "Boss" Tweed, former head of the Democratic machine in New York City, escaped from jail and fled to Cuba. Tweed was facing hard time for his role in fleecing New York taxpayers of millions of dollars (some estimates run as high as $200 million). Almost captured in Cuba, Tweed moved on to Spain. He was arrested there in 1876 by a police officer who reportedly recognized him from a political cartoon by Thomas Nast. He was returned to the United States by Spanish authorities. He died of pneumonia in the Ludlow Street Jail in 1878.

Further reading:

Wikipedia - William M. Tweed

OSU - Thomas Nast

William Boss Tweed Cartoons

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"Can I ask you something? These sunglasses, they're really nice. Are they government-issued, or do all you guys go to the same store to get 'em?"

-Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro), Midnight Run (1988)

YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD

They say key to staying young is to keep a youthful attitude. From the Albany Times Union:

Cops nab fedora-wearing, 75-year-old suspect in heist

COLONIE-- A 75-year-old, fedora-wearing robber, fired last month as a security guard at the Blue Shield office, tied up his guard replacement and stole a safe from where he used to work late Tuesday night, police said.

He was arrested this morning at his home in Schuylerville.

Colonie police recovered the safe, which contained less than $500, in a wooded area near the Blue Shield of Northeastern New York office at 30 Century Hill Drive early this morning, according to Lt. Robert Winn.

The alleged robber, Kenneth H. Zeller, apparently had struggled to lift the 100-pound safe from a hand truck into the trunk of his compact Pontiac and abandoned it near the scene.

You have to give the guy a "A" for audacity. Even if his moral reasoning--and his planning too, for that matter--earns a solid "F". Mr. Zeller's mugshot is below. Kind of a villainous visage, don't you think?

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 2, 1993

On this date in 1993, Medellin Cartel boss Pablo Escobar was shot and killed by Colombian police. Escobar, who had been doing less-than-hard time in a luxury prison, busted out when he found out he was being moved to a prison without a hot tub. I guess having enemies brought to the prison so he could torture and murder them was more than the Colombian government was willing to tolerate. Wonders never cease. After Pablo went on the run, the Colombian police formed a special unit called the Search Bloc. The Search Bloc was tasked with only one mission: get Pablo. Which they did. With a little help from US military and intel types.


Further reading:

Pablo Escobar - The Medellin Cartel

Wikipedia - Pablo Escobar

Killing Pablo, by Mark Bowden

BABE OF THE WEEK

This week's babe is retired Russian tennis hottie Anna Kournikova. If you want to see more of Anna, and see how she's enjoying her "golden years," you can go to her official website. She looks pretty good for a retired lady, if you ask me.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 1, 1884

On this date in 1884, 19 year old Elfego Baca, a self-appointed lawman, found himself in a shootout in Lower San Francisco Plaza (now Reserve), NM with over 80 cowboys. The incident began when Baca arrested a drunken cowboy for disorderly conduct - if you'd call walking (or was it staggering?) down the street firing a pistol into buildings "disorderly." Anyway, the cowboy's buddies didn't appreciate the arrest and demanded Baca release him. Baca refused, but the cowboys wouldn't take no for an answer. As a crowd gathered, Baca took refuge in the house of Geronimo Armijo, a local resident. About 80 cowboys surrounded the house. During the course of the siege, they tried setting the roof on fire (wouldn't catch), dynamiting a corner of the house (didn't work), and firing around 4,000 rounds at the house. They gave up 36 hours later, when they ran out of ammo. Baca emerged from the house unscathed. During the shootout, he killed four of the cowboys and wounded eight. His prisoner eventually stood trial and was convicted. Baca himself was indicted for the murder of the cowboys. The door to the house was admitted as evidence during the trial. Once the jury saw the 400 bullet holes in the door, they voted to acquit. Baca went on to become a Deputy US Marshal and an attorney. He died in 1945 at the age of 80.

Further reading:

Wikipedia - Elfego Baca

Elfego Baca and the Cowboys

Elfego Baca & the "Frisco War"