1997
Starting as a mob hit man, Bugsy Siegel quickly becomes a Manhatten mob boss through his relationships with fellow crime entrepreneurs and his assassination of the Mafia old guard. Through his flamboyance and violent nature hold him in good stead as a mob boss it attracts the attention of prosecutor Thomas Dewey forcing him to flee to Los Angeles. In LA his charm soon endears him to Hollywood celebrity. But his in experience and incompetence as a businessman lead to his downfall in the ill fated Flamingo hotel and casino project.
Mon, Mar 17, 1997
Still considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, Sophia Loren, an international star for many years. Born into poverty in Italy, Loren went from modeling to acting, and with the help of director Carlo Ponti, onto Hollywood and international fame. She was awarded a special Academy Award in 1991 for lifetime achievement.
Mon, May 12, 1997
Born Ruby Stevens, she was orphaned when she was four. A chance audition led to a chorus job. By 17 she was a Zeigfield Girl. At 20 she earned excellent reviews for a bit part in a Broadway play -- and she had a new name: Barbara Stanwyck. Her first marriage was to vaudeville headliner, Frank Fay. When Hollywood beckoned, it was Fay who convinced Frank Capra to give Barbara her first real break. But as Stanwyck's career took off, Fay's sank. Fay's jealousy and drinking led to divorce. Barbara's greatest love was actor Robert Taylor, her second husband. But even that didn't last and she spent the greater part of her life alone. However, there was always the one love she could rely on: her work -- in over 80 feature films and a rich career in television. Included are clips from: Ladies of Leisure , Annie Oakley, Golden Boy, The Lady Eve, Meet John Doe, Double Indemnity, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers , Sorry, Wrong Number , Clash By Night and The Thorn Birds. Interviewed are: actors Robert Wagner, Robert Stack, Roddy McDowall, Ricardo Montalban and Charlton Heston, producer Aaron Spelling, director Edward Dymtryk, dress designer Nolan Miller, biographers Ella Smith and Bob Thomas.
Mon, Sep 8, 1997
He was considered, even among gangsters, "totally evil." When his father abandoned the family, he quit school and began a life of crime to help his mother. He changed his name to Dutch Schultz from Arthur Flegenheimer while serving his first prison sentence. Here is the story of one of the nation's most ruthless and brutal criminals. He ended one argument by sticking his .45 automatic pistol into the mouth of a friend and pulling the trigger. He combined such merciless acts with a keen instinct for business to become the most feared and successful gangster of the Prohibition era. He lived the gangster version of the American dream--fast bucks, fast cars and fast women. Lucky Luciano is said to have arranged one of gangland's most infamous massacres, one that killed Schultz and his men. His death cleared the way for Luciano and other organized criminals to take over Shultz's various operations. Schultz goes down in crime history as the last truly independent Jewish gangster.