S3E19 | Television Special: The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults

"It may be Chicago’s equivalent of King Tut’s Tomb... Nobody knows what’s in it. Some say money. Some say bodies. Some say it’s booby trapped, and we’re gonna open it.” In the spring of 1986, Geraldo Rivera hyped what was to be the greatest television event of the century: uncovering the mystery of Al Capone’s vaults beneath the Lexington Hotel in Chicago, live on primetime. But as the subterranean crews dug deeper and Rivera grew more frantic, we witnessed something entirely different unfold that night... was it some of the greatest career-saving courage ever made by a “newsman” or the birth of trash television and the 24-hour news-cycle? Classmate Allison Dickson returns as we unearth the origins of the primetime spectacle that glued more than 30 million viewers to their televisions, eager for an answer to, “what was inside Al Capone’s vaults?”

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Check out Allison's podcast, Ding Dong Darkness Time, wherever you listen to podcasts. Or follow her on Twitter @MsAllieD.

 

-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? -- 

• Andrea Doria Safe Opened (The Washington Post)
• 1986 promo for "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults" featuring Geraldo Rivera
• The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults television special
• Geraldo Rivera discusses "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault (EmmyTVLegends.org)

 

-- Teacher's Pets -- 

• Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
• Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast
• Theme song by Greg Reed, with vocals by Chad Bumford
• Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com