The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults (1986) (TV)

User Rating:

2.5/10   

Director:

Bill Foster

Release Date:

21 April 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Crime | History

Plot:

Journalist Geraldo Rivera hosted this much-hyped live-on-TV opening of gangster Al Capone's secret vault beneath the Lexington Hotel in Chicago...

Plot Keywords:

Vault | Gangster | Medical Examiner | Chicago Illinois | Hotel

Cast

Al Capone	...	Himself (archive footage)
Doug Llewelyn	...	Himself
Geraldo Rivera	...	Himself - Host
Charles 'Buddy' Rogers	...	Himself (as Buddy Rogers)
Dr. Robert Stein	...	Himself - County Medical Examiner
Robert St. John	...	Himself

Runtime:

USA:120 min (with commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Lexington Hotel - 2135 S. Michigan Avenue, Near South Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

WGN

Trivia:

The show aired live in the USA in April 1986 garnering one of the highest ratings in US television history. Nielsen recorded a 34 average rating and 48 average share in eight markets, and a 57 rating and 73 share in the Chicago market. Rivera hosted the show which was to climax with the opening of a "secret vault" inside the bowels of the Lexington Hotel in Chicago, supposedly revealing Al Capone's treasure or possibly human remains. Internal Revenue Service Agents and a medical examiner stood at the ready should any cash or corpse lay inside. When demolition crews finally made their way inside the only contents were a dirt pile and a bottle of bathtub gin. The hype generated a record rating of 57 with an estimated audience of 30,000,000. The term "Al Capone's Vault" has come to mean any over-hyped event that leads to nothing.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "I Love the '80s Strikes Back" (2003)