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The Untouchables
Taking on men who would stop at nothing, including bribery, blackmail and murder, unable to trust the men outside their own team, the Untouchables' battle against the racketeers has become the stuff of modern myth.
Contents
- Passing prohibition
- Organised Crime in Chicago
- Forming the Untouchables
- The Early Days
- Turning Deadly
- The fall of the Chicago mob
- After the Untouchables.
- More resources
- The legend of the Untouchables
- The Film by Brian de Palma
- The Special edition DVD
- The Untouchables - the series
- Eliot Ness: An untouchable life
- Eliot Ness: An untouchable life on DVD
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- Leave your comments
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- Other history lenses
- About the lensmaster
Passing prohibition
The background to the Chicago mob scene
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Prohibition, probably the most controversial Amendment in American History was passed in 1919 and came into efect in 1920. It banned alcohol completely.
The result was unexpected, but in hindsight obvious. Overnight a massive market in illegal and home brewed alcohol sprang up. Bootleggers ran alcohol to speakeasies - illegal bars. With such massive demand it was inevitiable that crime would organise.
The illegal industry quickly grew beyond the ability of the law to control. Trying to enforce an unpopular law, with which many of their members were not in agreement, against organised crime was a recipe for disaster. Hampered by corruption within the departments, public officials taking bribes and above all the vast amounts of money available to the people who controlled bootlegging, the Prohibition agents quickly became ineffective. Worse, due to bad apples, their name became a byword for corruption.
The most notorious area was Chicago, a haven for prohibition breakers, and controlled by a man whose name became linked to the era: Al Capone.
More about the Prohibition Amendment:
Amendment XVIII (the Eighteenth Amendment) of the United States Constitution, along with the Volstead Act (which defined "intoxicating liquors" excluding those used for religious purposes and sales throughout the U.S.), established Prohibition in the United States. Its ratification was certified on January 16, 1919. It is the only amendment to the Constitution that has been repealed (by the Twenty-first Amendment) (1933).
Organised Crime in Chicago
The St Valentine's Day massacre
The gang warfare in Chicago spiralled out of control, culminating in the Valentine's Day massacre. The fight for control of the lucrative market had narrowed to two factions: Capone and Bugs Moran. Men dressed as police "arrested" seven members of Bugs Moran's gang, and then shot them with machine guns. This gave Capone full control of the market and made him the prime suspect as the power behind the killings, although no one was ever convicted.
This was however, what it took to focus the attention of the federal government on Chicago.
The full story of Capone's to power is covered in detail on Wikipedia, but the story of the Untouchables begins once he is in power.
More from Wikipedia
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone (January 17, 1899 ? January 25, 1947) was an American gangster who led a crime syndicate dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s.
Born in Brook...
Forming the Untouchables
Elliot Ness and his men
Eliot Ness by LawrenceMercantile
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Going through the records to find people who were not corrupt, he had a shortlist of fifty names. Some he rejested because they had families, others simply on gut feel, and initially he formed a team of nine officers, named in his biography:
Martin "Marty" J. Lahart
Samuel "Sam" M. Seager
Bernard "Barney" V. Cloonan
Lyle Chapman
Thomas "Tom" Friel
Joseph "Joe" Leeson
Paul W. Robsky
Michael King
William "Bill" Gardner
And one unofficial member: his driver, Frank Basile.
Two other officers are often mentioned as members of the Untouchables:
Jim Seeley
Albert H. Wolff
Ness knew that going after the outlets would be ineffective, but if he could destroy the supply, then the outlets would close. He went after the racketeers' breweries and supply lines.
Eliot Ness: Untouchable
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Eliot Ness biography on DVD.
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The Early Days
Gaining a name
Prohibition Raid, New York City
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An attempt was made to bribe Ness through a mob agent, which he forcefully rejected. As they offered $2000 a month, and he was only earning $3000 a year, this highlighted how much the mob had available, and the damage he was doing.
The Mob retailiated by putting a tail on Ness and his men, and offering rewards to anyone who saw them. After failing to bribe Ness, the mob turned to his men. Two of the as-yet unnamed team were surprised by a packet of money thrown into their car through the window. The enraged officers sped up, caught the car it came from, and lobbed it back full force.
Ness released this to the press for useful publicity, and the team were promptly dubbed "The Untouchables".
Turning Deadly
The war hots up
Eliot Ness' driver was shot and murdered. Later Ness discovered a car bomb in his car. A double agent they had planted within the mob had to skip town when his life was threatened - not because he was discovered but because he failed to provide accurate enough information on Ness.
And through it all, Ness continued methodically raiding and shutting down breweries. One of the largest they found by accident, when a woman reported an odd smell at the paint factory next door. When they raided it, the still took up three floors of the building.
Bootleggers Caught After Car Chase Photograph - Washington
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The Untouchables were winning.
The fall of the Chicago mob
Al Capone jailed
However the treasury department was working on two fronts. While Ness was eroding Capone's public influence, the IRS were investigating his private affairs and discovered he had never filed a tax return.
In 1931 Capone was arrested for income tax evasion. His influence and resources reduced he was convicted and sentenced to ten years' hard labour. Released in 1939 his influence over the crime syndicates had gone, and he retired to his home in Florida where he died in 1947.
Capone
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Widely accounted as one of the best biographies of Al Capone, this book removes the glamour and delves into the detail of racketeering in Chicago in the twenties.
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After the Untouchables.
The career of Eliot Ness
Prohibition, Shall Uncle Sam Back Down
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Eliiot Ness went on to become Safety Director at Cleveland in 1938, putting him in charge of police and fire. Once again he went after the mob, but also after a serial killer the "Torso Murderer" who was never caught. Running for mayor unsuccessfully, and performing a range of other duties, Ness's life never again reached the heights of his fame in the Untouchables.
He died in 1957 after working with Oscar Fraley on his authorised biography. It was published a month after his death.
The Untouchables
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The true story of the Untouchables, by the man who lead the team. Written in first person (by Oscar Fraley working with Ness), it was published in 1957.
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More resources
More about Prohibition and the Untouchables
Prohibition: The 13 Years That Changed America
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Torso: The Story of Eliot Ness and the Search for a Psychopathic Killer
Elliot Ness' later career and the beginning of his decline.
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The legend of the Untouchables
In film, tv and books
Robert Stack in
The Untouchables
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More about the real Untouchables from Wikipedia
The Untouchables were a group of eleven U.S. federal law-enforcement agents, led by Eliot Ness, who from 1929 to 1931, worked to end Al Capone's illegal activities by aggressively enforcing Prohibition and tax laws against Capone and his organization. In their conduct, they became legendary for being fearless and incorruptible, earning the nickname "Untouchables".
The Film by Brian de Palma
The Untouchables on the big screen
That said, it's still a very good film, notable for Connery receiving a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.
The Special edition DVD
Brian de Palma's film on DVD
The Untouchables (Special Collector's Edition)
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The Untouchables - the series
On the small screen
Robert Stack in Scene from TV Show The Untouchables
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Ness and his team never went up against many of the adversaries shown, and this is a highly fictionalised account. The series also features significant amounts of violence for one created in that era.
Starring Robert Stack, this series is now available on DVD. (Season 3 and 4 are limited availability). With solid 4 and 5 star ratings, it's well worth a look.
Eliot Ness: An untouchable life
The one man Broadway show
Michael Cornelison performs Max Allan Collins' one man show "Eliot Ness: An untouchable life". Some sections are lifted directly from Fraley's book, such as the bribery attempt by The Kid, Ness's double agent.
Eliot Ness: An untouchable life on DVD
A one man show
Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life
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Smashing Beer Bottles Prohibition 1923
by lc_vintagephotos
Browse Events Posters
If you think I've missed something, have resources about the Untouchables that I should put on here, or just want to comment, this is the place!
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- markjcarter markjcarter Jul 8, 2009 @ 12:41 am
- Purple star? Great work... congrats... nice lens
mj
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- JenOfChicago JenOfChicago Jun 4, 2009 @ 6:00 pm
- I really enjoyed this lens, and would love to have it part of my group All Things Chicago - please feel free to add - http://www.squidoo.com/groups/allthingschicago
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- spirituality spirituality Jun 2, 2009 @ 5:54 am
- Great lens - you've been blessed by a squidoo angel :)
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- Tipi Tipi May 30, 2009 @ 7:49 pm
- I just seen the title of this and had to visit. You have made great lens about a great movie. I grew up watching the Untouchables! I love this!!!! - Congratuations on the Purple Star! :)
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- BigGirlBlue BigGirlBlue May 29, 2009 @ 10:30 pm
- Congratulations on the purple star!
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About the lensmaster
Tirial&Error lensography
Lensmaster tirial has been a member since August 11 2008, has rated 195 lenses, favorited 7, and has created 239 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "Dragon Cave - the online hatching game". See all my lenses
My Bio
Aviation, IT, History, Gaming, I'm interested in just about anything! I made the Squidoo Top 100 Club in June 2009.
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