1 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: It's early January two thousand and Stephen Fishler is sitting 2 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:16,439 Speaker 1: in his office. You probably don't know the name unless 3 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: you've ever been in the market for expensive comic books, 4 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 1: very very expensive comic books. Titles that sell for millions 5 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: of dollars. Comics that once cost ten cents got thrown 6 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: away or left to us, and then go on to 7 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: fetch an incredibly high price for their rarity. Fishler was 8 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: and still is among the most well known brokers of 9 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:45,160 Speaker 1: such books. He's been collecting since he was five years old, 10 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: a kid in Brooklyn, after stacks of superheroes. If you 11 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: want a particular title in a particular condition, he can 12 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: probably find it. And that's what Stephen was doing today, 13 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: making deals for collectors from his place of business, Metropolis 14 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: Collectibles in New York City, overflowing with rare books, first 15 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: appearances of Spider Man, Captain America Archie, many looking like 16 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: they just came off a news stand, even though they're 17 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: decades old. This is the kind of place that even 18 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: when the comics are sealed in plastic, they give off 19 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: that distinctive smell of old, cheap paper. Well maybe not 20 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: so cheap anymore, but today isn't going to be a 21 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,759 Speaker 1: normal day for Stephen. It's going to be the beginning 22 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:39,039 Speaker 1: of a situation and obsession really that will take up 23 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: a good deal of his time, something that will one 24 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: day have police instructing him on what to do in 25 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: the event of a shootout, that kind of situation. And 26 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: it begins, like many stories do, with a phone call. 27 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: Nick called me very upset and said to me that 28 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: somebody stole some of his comic books and was really 29 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: in a panic. I must have been. I don't know 30 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: that noon my time, and I sort of asked him 31 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: to sort of slow down so I can understand what 32 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,720 Speaker 1: went on, and he gave me, you know, an account 33 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: of what went on as best he could. Nick is 34 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:25,919 Speaker 1: Nicholas Cage, the star of huge movies like Face Off, 35 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: Cohn Air and The Rock, an Oscar winner, a man 36 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: who ate a live cockroach in Vampire's Kiss because he 37 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: knew it would draw attention. He didn't win the Oscar 38 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: for that one that was leaving Las Vegas. Cage is 39 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: talking quickly in that distinctive twang that makes his sentences 40 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: sound like melodies. He's calling because Stephen is his dealer, 41 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: his comic book dealer. Well, it started many, many years ago. 42 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: A friend of mine who was a friend in a 43 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: comic collector, Miguel Ferrare currently was on some movie set 44 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: with Nick Cage. This is in the eighties when he 45 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: was not as well known, and they got into a 46 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: conversation about comic books. And probably a month later, I'm 47 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: at seeing Nick at a hotel. He was living at 48 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: Hotel Rossmore and there he was in his crew cut 49 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,359 Speaker 1: and this is after like Valley Girl, I believe, and 50 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: he had a giant fish tank in his apartment at 51 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: the hotel with a shark in it, and that's where 52 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: I first met him and started dealing with him way 53 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: way back. Since then, Cage has bought hundreds of comics 54 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: from Stephen, and now Cage is trying to explain that 55 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: the worst possible thing that could happen to a comic 56 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: collector has happened. His most valuable books have turned up missing. 57 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: And not just valuable books. The most valuable book, the 58 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: most sought after issue of them all, The Mona Lisa 59 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: of Comics, Action Comics number one, the first appearance of 60 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: a superhero, the first appearance of the Man of Steel, Superman, 61 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: the most well preserved copy available, a comic so rare 62 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: that even a rusty staple or some page flex from 63 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 1: one can sell for hundreds of dollars to collectors desperate 64 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:38,680 Speaker 1: for even a small dose of its magic. Superman, the 65 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 1: embodiment of morality and virtue stolen. Stephen takes a deep breath. 66 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: He asks one of the world's most famous actors to 67 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:54,840 Speaker 1: tell him exactly what happened. Nick told me that there 68 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,479 Speaker 1: was some sort of party and that they disappeared during 69 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: the party. That was it is house, a party, a heist, 70 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: a frantic phone call, and as Cage talks, Stephen realizes 71 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 1: it gets worse. Action Number one is missing, and so 72 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: is Detective Comics Number twenty seven. That was the first 73 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: appearance of Batman. Someone has run off with half the 74 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:26,279 Speaker 1: Justice League from right under the nose of a Hollywood superstar. 75 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: And that's about all Stephen can get because Cage, in 76 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: his indomitable cage fashion, is too upset to offer too 77 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: many details on what will shape up to be the 78 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 1: most unlikely artist of all time. Oh for I Heart Radio, 79 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: I'm Dani Schwartz. This is Stealing Superman, an I Heart 80 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: original podcast now on my long running podcast noble Blood. 81 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: I tell the true stories of historical royals, but occasionally 82 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:07,720 Speaker 1: I like to cover a different kind of royalty, Hollywood Royalty. 83 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: Last fall we brought you Haileywood, a podcast about Bruce 84 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: Willis buying up a town in Idaho in the es 85 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: and the friends and enemies he made along the way. 86 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 1: This year's tale involves a brazen comic book heist, Nicolas 87 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: Cage and y two K. Let's get into it Episode one, 88 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: Beads of Sweat. We need to turn the pages back 89 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 1: a little. A few days prior to a house party 90 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 1: at three sixty three Coppa de Laura Road in bel Air, California, 91 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: the residents of Nicolas Coppola, known to most people by 92 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: his stage name Nicolas Cage, New Year's Eve was something special, 93 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:03,599 Speaker 1: something peculiar. Remember why two K when people believed that 94 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: computers wouldn't be able to understand the year two thousand 95 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:10,320 Speaker 1: and that it might cripple our infrastructure. Well, if the 96 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: people in attendance at Cage's house were worried about it, 97 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 1: they didn't act like it. And if this was the 98 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 1: end of the world, Cage was going to make sure 99 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: they had one hell of a good time On their 100 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: way out. The scale of a Nicholas Cage party is 101 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: hard to fathom. You'd have celebrities, actors, producers, directors, agents. 102 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: Fresh food was laid out on the fade tables made 103 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: from solid blocks of ice. Giant nutcrackers standing ten feet 104 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: tall flanked the main entrance. Fake snow was blowing out 105 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: of machines. Lightning professionals made sure everything looked perfect. At 106 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 1: one party, someone brought Cage a pony as a gift. 107 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 1: It would be found wandering around the yard the next morning. 108 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: It was as though Cage were always starring in a 109 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: party being directed by David Lynch. Yeah, he had amazing parties. 110 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: I once got a cigar from Jack Nicholson, who was 111 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:24,680 Speaker 1: very intoxicated and gave me a cigar to give to 112 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: my father. Yeah. I was there. I was there, and 113 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: we were all there, all the staffs and all the people, 114 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,160 Speaker 1: and I met some really amazing people and I had 115 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: a great time. That's Jen Bosworth Ramirez. Jen worked for 116 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: Cage in the two thousand's and no she didn't steal 117 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: the comics I did. Can you imagine? Jen was hired 118 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:51,079 Speaker 1: by Cage himself, who conducted the job interview with one 119 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: of his ears blown off. Okay, And so then I 120 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:57,559 Speaker 1: get into this trailer, a small trailer. Wasn't like a 121 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 1: fancy he must have been in the makeup trailer or something. 122 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:02,839 Speaker 1: I don't know, but it wasn't like a big honey wagon. 123 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:05,320 Speaker 1: It was like small, and I'm like, oh my god, 124 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 1: I'm sitting across from this movie star. Also, he doesn't 125 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: look like himself because he literally his ear is blown off. 126 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: He has my resume backs in his hand that they 127 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: had facts to his trailer, to the base camp or something, 128 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: and I'm like, twenty four, I don't know what's happening. 129 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 1: And then I said, I said, oh my god, your ear. 130 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 1: I remember being really startled because the prosthetics were so 131 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: good and wind Tucker's that's a John Woolf felt. I 132 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: think anyway, the prosthetics were really good, and I said, 133 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: oh my god, your ear go. Yeah, that's that's not real, 134 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:38,559 Speaker 1: Like that's that's a prosthetic. And I was like, oh, okay, 135 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:41,319 Speaker 1: it was so awkward. The whole thing was so weird, 136 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: so weird. I left. I didn't know if I had 137 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 1: the jab or not. I had no clue was happening. 138 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: Jen worked for Cages production company Saturn Films. Some perks 139 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: were parties like this one in Cage's Grand Residents over 140 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: a seven thousand square feet sitting on one acre in 141 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:08,080 Speaker 1: one of the country's most prestigious neighborhoods. Walk inside the 142 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 1: house and you're created with a different kind of splendor. 143 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:17,599 Speaker 1: A real estate agent and architectural historian named Brett Parsons, 144 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: who once toward the house, described the style as frat house, 145 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:30,079 Speaker 1: bordello or quote early American Adams family. Those sound like insults, 146 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: and well maybe they were, But however you felt about it, 147 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: it was undoubtedly a reflection of its owner. Originally built 148 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: by famed architect Gerard Colcord in nineteen forty, it was 149 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:47,320 Speaker 1: once owned by Dean Martin and later Tom Jones, who 150 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:51,959 Speaker 1: sold it to Cage In Cage would make some improvements 151 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: or changes. At least purple curtains hung from windows. A 152 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 1: vintage nineteen fifty five jag war car had been painstakingly 153 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: disassembled and put back together in one room until the 154 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: pungent smell of oil overcame visitors and it had to go. 155 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 1: There were even people who swore they saw shrunken heads. 156 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:18,840 Speaker 1: Oh you know, I never knew that. I never saw 157 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:21,080 Speaker 1: the shrunken heads I heard about that. That doesn't shock 158 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 1: me either. I mean he had dinosaur bones. I think 159 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:31,080 Speaker 1: model trains were running above diners. In the breakfast room 160 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:36,120 Speaker 1: and throughout the house were bronze walsconces. Light fixtures, but 161 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 1: not ordinary light fixtures. These were fixtures sculpted out of 162 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:46,320 Speaker 1: a cast made from Nicholas Cage's arm, his muscled appendages 163 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 1: illuminating the home, the bell Air House. If my recollection, 164 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: it's a huge Gothic mansion, meaning there's probably like ten 165 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 1: bedrooms in there. I mostly hung out in the living area. 166 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: It was like a probably a three story situation. Outside 167 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: it looks like a regular you know, if I recall correctly, 168 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: like a brick mansion that you'd see in Valor. But 169 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 1: inside he had it decorated like super gothic, key and 170 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: dark and ornate at points and not my style, like 171 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: that's not my jam. But it was like a castle. 172 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:19,160 Speaker 1: That's what I could sort of say. It reminds me 173 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:21,680 Speaker 1: of a castle. A lot of rooms, a lot of 174 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: twists and turns. It was not an open floor plan. 175 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:27,200 Speaker 1: Let's just say that, you know what I mean, There's 176 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 1: a pool. But I didn't spend a ton of time there, 177 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: but I do remember being like WHOA, I remember purple droops. 178 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,720 Speaker 1: As guests wandered through the home, they would have noticed 179 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: something else. Lining the walls on the second floor were 180 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:45,720 Speaker 1: comic books. Lots of comic books, the first appearance of 181 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:50,440 Speaker 1: Captain America and Green Lantern and The Justice Society, comics 182 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:54,560 Speaker 1: from the Golden Age of the nineteen forties and nineteen fifties, 183 00:12:55,200 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 1: science fiction comics and horror comics. Skeletons peering out at 184 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 1: the reader, and scantily clad women gasping at probing alien marauders. 185 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: Any comic book fan would have taken one look and 186 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: seethed with envy. At least a hundred scattered throughout the house, 187 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:19,520 Speaker 1: one book in each frame. As you can probably imagine, 188 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:23,200 Speaker 1: Cage didn't just pin the comics to the wall. This 189 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:27,839 Speaker 1: was an ornate display. Each frame was nineteen and a 190 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 1: half inches long by sixteen and a half inches wide, 191 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: Each was made of stained maple. Each had a small 192 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 1: lock that could only be opened with a key, and 193 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 1: each was connected to a pressure sensor alarm. If someone 194 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:45,960 Speaker 1: had the key and were to open the frame and 195 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: remove the comic inside cages security staff would be immediately notified. 196 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: You couldn't easily pill for any of these books unless, well, 197 00:13:56,200 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 1: hang up, We're almost there, but let's finish the tour. 198 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 1: The hub of Cage's collection was in what he called 199 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:08,760 Speaker 1: a smoking lounge. It was originally a secret room used 200 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 1: by Dean Martin, and accessible only if you knew how 201 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:17,319 Speaker 1: to get in from an adjoining bathroom through a panel 202 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: door that pops open. It's kind of a clandestine deal. 203 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:26,960 Speaker 1: A spiral staircase curved up, and it's tight, so tight 204 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: Cage had to bring up the furniture in pieces. This 205 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 1: secret smoking room was, like other parts of the house, 206 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 1: decorated heavily in purple, purple furniture, purple walls, a purple 207 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: carpet with gold accents, a spiral staircase leading to the 208 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 1: roof carpeted, and well, you get it. It was in 209 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 1: this small room that Cage went to unwind, a respite 210 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: from fame or even from hosting duties. It's a small, 211 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:03,640 Speaker 1: intimate room and the walls were lined with his most 212 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 1: valuable comics. Hanging in one wall frame was Detective Comics 213 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: Number twenty seven, dated May nine. The cover captures its protagonist. 214 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:22,840 Speaker 1: In the thick of it, Batman, a strange, masked vigilante 215 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:26,680 Speaker 1: readers have never seen before, is swooping into frame to 216 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 1: put a criminal in a choke hold. As Batman cuts 217 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:33,960 Speaker 1: off the hoods corroded artery. He's hanging from a supported 218 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 1: building outside of you. In the lower left corner, two 219 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 1: crooks look on, one is armed. Both seem unsure of 220 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,160 Speaker 1: what to do about the man with violent tendencies dressed 221 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 1: as a bat It's advertising sixty four pages of action. 222 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:55,520 Speaker 1: Once upon a time, it was ten cents in two thousand. 223 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 1: It's thought to be worth up to a hundred and 224 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: fifty thousand dollars. It's actually why Cage went to Fishler 225 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 1: in the first place. They wanted a Detective twenty seven, 226 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:10,800 Speaker 1: so that's what the conversation focused on. I had brought 227 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 1: him a twenty seven to look at, but it had 228 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,240 Speaker 1: too much restoration, that particular copy. But that was the 229 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 1: first meeting his interest in in a detective comics. But 230 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:24,560 Speaker 1: that was really just a warm up. As desirable a 231 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: book as Detective Number twenty seven was and is, it's 232 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:32,280 Speaker 1: always taken second place in the comic book hierarchy to 233 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:37,080 Speaker 1: its bigger brother, The birth of the superhero genre. The 234 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: comic that would change popular culture forever. Action Comics number one, 235 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:53,240 Speaker 1: dated June, but actually released a little earlier. You've probably 236 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: seen the cover. It's part of our cultural iconography by 237 00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:00,960 Speaker 1: this point. They're Superman hefting a call are clear over 238 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: his head. His costume isn't much different from the one 239 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:09,000 Speaker 1: he sports today. Let's refined, sure, but the red cap, boots, 240 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:19,360 Speaker 1: and s insignia are all there Bystanders are fleeing from 241 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: the scene, terrified of this man with super strength. In 242 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:26,720 Speaker 1: the lower left corner is a man who is positively hysterical. 243 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 1: His hands are clasped to his face, like the figure 244 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:35,160 Speaker 1: in Edward Monks the screen. He's running away. Maybe he's 245 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:38,200 Speaker 1: part of the crew inside the car the crooked Superman 246 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: is trying to bring to justice. Maybe he's not involved. 247 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 1: Either way, he's got beads of sweat running down his forehead. 248 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 1: Seeing Superman for the first time has to be stressful. Nowadays, 249 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,679 Speaker 1: people are happy to see him. They wave and clap. 250 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 1: Not this crew. They were scared. Two hundred thousand copies 251 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:04,120 Speaker 1: of this comic book were printed in fewer than one 252 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 1: hundred copies are believed to still exist, and even fewer 253 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:12,679 Speaker 1: in good condition cages. Copy is considered one of the 254 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:17,240 Speaker 1: most well preserved, With bright colors and an intact cover. 255 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:22,360 Speaker 1: Superman is still a deep red and blue. The pages 256 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:26,160 Speaker 1: inside are a creamy white. On the scale of one 257 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 1: to ten, it's an easy nine. A comic over sixty 258 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 1: years old to survive, to endure and look this good 259 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: is remarkable. Unlike some comics that get restored, this Action 260 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:44,919 Speaker 1: number one hasn't had any work done. Yeah, this is 261 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:50,360 Speaker 1: now much later, probably around and I'm gonna say nineteen 262 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 1: or so, and an interest in buying an Action one 263 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:58,160 Speaker 1: in high grade. I knew a collector who had one, 264 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: and I was able to was sort of a difficult deal, 265 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 1: but I was able to put the deal together, and 266 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,399 Speaker 1: that was the book that Nick ended up with. It 267 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 1: was just the mechanics of giving me the book, and 268 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:12,960 Speaker 1: I think the collector was enamored of selling it to Nick. 269 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:16,479 Speaker 1: And I met with Nick without the collector there, but 270 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 1: I put Nick on the phone with this collector and 271 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:21,920 Speaker 1: then the deal went through. I think he just kind 272 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: of wanted to meet him, just to be honest, But 273 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: Nick really did value it was very excited about buying 274 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:29,359 Speaker 1: this book as well. He should, and I thought it 275 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:31,359 Speaker 1: would be sort of a fun deal to pull off 276 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:35,239 Speaker 1: selling it to him. Cage It paid one hundred and 277 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:40,439 Speaker 1: fifty thousand dollars for Action Number one. That was a 278 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: record for a comic book sale at the time, but 279 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:47,360 Speaker 1: three years later it's likely worth more, perhaps as much 280 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 1: as two hundred thousand dollars. It's the crown jewel of 281 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:55,199 Speaker 1: Cage's collection. It would be the centerpiece of any comic 282 00:19:55,240 --> 00:20:00,400 Speaker 1: book collection today. Right now, copies of both of these 283 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:04,479 Speaker 1: comics are worth two to three million each, if not more. 284 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:09,600 Speaker 1: They've only appreciated in value, but Cage appreciated them then. 285 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:13,720 Speaker 1: In two thousand, before comic book movies became the only 286 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 1: thing playing in multiplexes, he grew up reading comics. He 287 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:22,280 Speaker 1: took his stage name Cage, partly after Luke Cage, the 288 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: seventies Marvel comic hero with impenetrable skin, a good superhero 289 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 1: for an actor who didn't always find kindness coming from critics. 290 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 1: But the comics were something else for Nicolas Cage too. 291 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:40,200 Speaker 1: Like the House itself, they were monuments to Cage's success 292 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:45,679 Speaker 1: from turns as strange characters in Moonstruck and Raising Arizona, 293 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:49,240 Speaker 1: to winning an Oscar to becoming an action star. Cage 294 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:53,600 Speaker 1: had navigated Hollywood successfully, and he arrived at a time 295 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:58,879 Speaker 1: when the industry was paying record salaries. After the Academy 296 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 1: Awards win, cages quote for a movie went from four 297 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:08,800 Speaker 1: million dollars to seven million dollars. Years before, Cage had 298 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:11,400 Speaker 1: asked the director of a small film he was going 299 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: to make a cameo in Never on Tuesday, if the 300 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: man could buy him an Action Comics Number one instead 301 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:22,160 Speaker 1: of paying him. The director couldn't afford to, But now 302 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:25,720 Speaker 1: Cage could afford to buy his own copy, and so 303 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:28,679 Speaker 1: he did. He love this book, I mean the actually 304 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:31,880 Speaker 1: one metal lot to him, which brings us to Stephen 305 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:37,400 Speaker 1: Fishler's phone ringing and Nicholas Cage telling him his comics 306 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 1: were no longer there. It was a few days before 307 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 1: Stephen could make it out to California, but he did. Stephen, 308 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 1: of course, wasn't in law enforcement, but he was one 309 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:00,919 Speaker 1: of the few people in Caged circle who could understand 310 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 1: the enormity of what had happened. Saying it was just 311 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,840 Speaker 1: a comic book theft was like saying a museum heist 312 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:11,639 Speaker 1: only resulted in some plaster going missing. And I'm pretty 313 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,879 Speaker 1: sure as soon as he realized that they're missing, he 314 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,879 Speaker 1: called me. It seemed like you on the spot. He 315 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:21,920 Speaker 1: called me because I was this comic guy, so this 316 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 1: is about a comic. He wanted, I guess advice, and 317 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 1: that's what I gave him, and I offered to come 318 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,800 Speaker 1: out to help, which is what I did within maybe 319 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,159 Speaker 1: a week or two. According to Stephen, it had taken 320 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: a day or two, perhaps longer for Cage to realize 321 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 1: the comics were missing. A maid had been in the 322 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:44,520 Speaker 1: smoking room and noticed that three of the frames were empty, 323 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 1: and something else that was curious. Those lockable frames hadn't 324 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:57,280 Speaker 1: been forcibly opened. So my brain went, oh, it's maybe misplaced. 325 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: Maybe they were put somewhere. I went there it was described. 326 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:05,000 Speaker 1: I saw that I had sold Nick these shadow box 327 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,040 Speaker 1: frames that the books were located in, and the Action 328 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:12,199 Speaker 1: one in Detective were in the shadow box frames, and 329 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 1: there are the frames with the label on it Action 330 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,480 Speaker 1: one with nothing in it. So the frames were opened 331 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:20,400 Speaker 1: and taken. But I went through yet too safe there 332 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,840 Speaker 1: and went through the safe and I went, huh, this 333 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:27,600 Speaker 1: may be actually stolen. The comics weren't just loose inside 334 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:32,199 Speaker 1: their frames. They were each in protective, hard plastic sleeves. 335 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:36,719 Speaker 1: It's called a fortress, and it's used by serious collectors 336 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:40,919 Speaker 1: to make sure comics didn't get bent, ripped, or otherwise damaged. 337 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,480 Speaker 1: Each fortress was held together in two pieces by screws. 338 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,479 Speaker 1: If a thief wanted to take the naked books, they 339 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 1: would have needed to spend a little bit of time 340 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:56,760 Speaker 1: unscrewing each fortress, but the fortress sleeves were entirely gone. 341 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:59,199 Speaker 1: Whoever took them would have had to deal with a 342 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: little extra book folk, as opposed to just rolling up 343 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:04,920 Speaker 1: the comics and stuffing them in a pocket, something that 344 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:08,760 Speaker 1: would have been unspeakable for a rare comic. It could 345 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:12,040 Speaker 1: also mean the thief or thieves didn't have time to 346 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: remove the books from the fortress covers that they needed 347 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 1: to move quickly. It's a little bigger than the book, 348 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,720 Speaker 1: but if you put in your jacket, it's not so big. 349 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 1: It's not like taking a giant painting and taking it 350 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:27,679 Speaker 1: off the wall. Fisher noticed something else Cajun mentioned in 351 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 1: their conversation. The thief had also made off with a 352 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:35,040 Speaker 1: third comic from a frame It was a copy of 353 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 1: Detective Comics Number one from seven, an even older title 354 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 1: than the Big two. While certainly valuable and worth ten 355 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,879 Speaker 1: thousand dollars or so, it wasn't nearly as desirable. No 356 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: famous heroes made an appearance in it. The stories inside 357 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:57,840 Speaker 1: lacked real staying power. You probably haven't heard of Speed 358 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 1: Saunders and the River Patrol or Cosmo the Phantom of Disguise. 359 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 1: Maybe the thief just saw an opportunity to take it. 360 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:09,680 Speaker 1: Maybe he saw a Detective and number one and thought 361 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:13,439 Speaker 1: any issue with that title was prized. But that still 362 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:16,959 Speaker 1: wasn't the biggest news. There was an alarm in the 363 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:20,359 Speaker 1: back of each frame, and I guess the box was open, 364 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:23,280 Speaker 1: and maybe the alarm was not set for they want 365 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:25,760 Speaker 1: to be triggered when the box is open, but apparently 366 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: that was the idea behind it. I saw there was 367 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,240 Speaker 1: a wire attached to the back of each shadow box, 368 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 1: attached to the wall. A lot of money setting this up, 369 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:38,359 Speaker 1: but unfortunately, somebody was able to open up these frames 370 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,679 Speaker 1: and take the books out. Probably understood these are the 371 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:45,600 Speaker 1: most valuable books. What Cage liked to do was take 372 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,840 Speaker 1: the books out of their wall frames and rearrange them 373 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 1: show them off to people, that's what collectors do, and 374 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 1: then he'd leave them unlocked and the alarm disengaged. That's 375 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:01,879 Speaker 1: sometimes what happens when people installed alarms. They become a 376 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:07,119 Speaker 1: nuisance and so they're deactivated. That meant that, at least 377 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: in theory, anyone could walk up and grab a piece 378 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:17,520 Speaker 1: of comic book history and disappear into the throngs of 379 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 1: a Nick Cage New Year's Eve party. But it would 380 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 1: have been bold to take the books without some sort 381 00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:29,720 Speaker 1: of knowledge that they were unlocked and disarmed. Yeah, I'm 382 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:34,479 Speaker 1: not sure what this individual knew or didn't know. I 383 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,639 Speaker 1: think that this individual saw Nick open up the case 384 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:40,440 Speaker 1: and show the book to somebody, and he probably went 385 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:45,600 Speaker 1: opened up. It doesn't bring if that's what happened, it's 386 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,879 Speaker 1: not likely they would have been stopped. Not at a 387 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:53,359 Speaker 1: Cage party and one of those parties, especially, Are you 388 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 1: kidding me? You have to understand, like everyone's drinking, it's 389 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:00,280 Speaker 1: a huge party. Everyone's trying to make business deal and 390 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:04,159 Speaker 1: get to know the famous people. Oh sure, there's so 391 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:06,600 Speaker 1: much stuff in those houses. You'd have to have security 392 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:10,360 Speaker 1: guards watching every rook like a museum them all of course, 393 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:12,640 Speaker 1: and Also, there is this thing of you let people 394 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:14,959 Speaker 1: into your house you trust. The problem with that is 395 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 1: you let two other people into your house, you can't 396 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:19,720 Speaker 1: trust them, all right, So oh, yeah, someone would be 397 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:23,359 Speaker 1: able to leave. Are you kidding me? But Stephen wasn't 398 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 1: entirely convinced a crime had been committed, not yet. First 399 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:33,880 Speaker 1: he diligently searched the enormous house. It was certainly possible 400 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:36,640 Speaker 1: Cage had taken the books out and set them down 401 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:41,160 Speaker 1: somewhere without remembering, or maybe a party guest had picked 402 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:44,600 Speaker 1: them up and left them in another room. Maybe a 403 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:48,160 Speaker 1: thief considered taking them, then panicked when they ran into 404 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:53,520 Speaker 1: someone and decided to leave them behind. All were reasonable possibilities. 405 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:58,080 Speaker 1: But the more Stephen looked, the more he realized that 406 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:02,440 Speaker 1: nothing innocent had taken place. And I really, after probably 407 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 1: spending six or seven hours in the house, said yeah, 408 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 1: and now we're understanding that this was in this case, 409 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:12,200 Speaker 1: and it's not there. Nobody took it out. That works 410 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:15,320 Speaker 1: for nick, and but it's somewhere else. It would be unusual. 411 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:19,159 Speaker 1: He couldn't find a trace of them, not a page, 412 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:23,280 Speaker 1: not a screw, not anything. So if this was a crime, 413 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:26,960 Speaker 1: and it was looking that way, who were the suspects. 414 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,959 Speaker 1: It was incredibly unlikely a burglar had somehow made their 415 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:34,480 Speaker 1: way into the home undetected, forcing their way in through 416 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: a window or door. It had to have been the 417 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:42,120 Speaker 1: party where dozens of people had filed through Cage's home 418 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:45,960 Speaker 1: like they were on a museum tour. To make matters worse, 419 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:50,280 Speaker 1: Cage had more than one gathering around that time. It 420 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:53,240 Speaker 1: could have been his New Year's party, or it could 421 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:57,480 Speaker 1: have been a birthday or Christmas bash. It was impossible 422 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:01,400 Speaker 1: to know the exact night the comics had disappeared, but 423 00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:06,320 Speaker 1: Cage's guests were always friends or friends of friends. Robbing 424 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:10,720 Speaker 1: the actor seemed pretty out of character for wealthy, connected people, 425 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 1: But Fishler was told that there was another possibility. There 426 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: was talk of somebody who worked at the party selling 427 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:26,280 Speaker 1: some alcohol, almost like a bodyguard or somebody who worked 428 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:28,680 Speaker 1: at his house. It seemed like just for that day, 429 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:32,280 Speaker 1: it didn't seem like a regular employee, and that person 430 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:34,719 Speaker 1: was selling alcohol in the back of a car, and 431 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,160 Speaker 1: that alcohol seemed to have been taken out of Knick's 432 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: house as well. So there was the belief that this 433 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:44,360 Speaker 1: is the thief that took the books a transient worker 434 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 1: of sorts. They're just for the party, someone who had 435 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 1: access to Cage's home but wasn't a friend or associate. 436 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:56,240 Speaker 1: It made sense, but nothing came of it, and nothing 437 00:29:56,320 --> 00:30:01,000 Speaker 1: came up. Speaking with Cage's many employees, security staff, a chef, 438 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:05,480 Speaker 1: cleaning staff, drivers, all had varying degrees of access to 439 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,880 Speaker 1: Cage's home. In theory, one of them could have used 440 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:11,680 Speaker 1: the party as a cover a way too deepen the 441 00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:16,080 Speaker 1: suspect pool to help avoid detection. Or someone could have 442 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:19,280 Speaker 1: used that information and given it to a third party 443 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,280 Speaker 1: a kind of tip. What was it likely? Was someone 444 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: really going to steal from Nick Cage and then just 445 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:29,920 Speaker 1: continue reporting for work as if nothing had happened in 446 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:37,240 Speaker 1: the gated exclusive community of bel Air. Well Yeah. Flash 447 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: forward about a year. Movie producer Peter Goober, who also 448 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:50,080 Speaker 1: lives in bel Air, discovers he short one Picasso drawing 449 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:56,960 Speaker 1: titled fun From taken from his wall. A glass entry 450 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: door appeared to be kicked out, just like at his 451 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: Picasso was gone like Cage. Uber had a full time 452 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 1: staff twenty nine employees to be exact, and all were questioned. 453 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 1: Nothing turned up, nothing until five months later when a 454 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: man named Tony walked into Christie's, the famed auction house, 455 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:24,040 Speaker 1: and asked if they'd be interested in purchasing in authentic 456 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:29,520 Speaker 1: Picasso drawing fonn He was going through a divorce, he said, 457 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:34,360 Speaker 1: and wanted sixty dollars for it. And then Tony said 458 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:38,040 Speaker 1: something odd. He said the drawing by one of the 459 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:44,280 Speaker 1: world's most famous artists was quote ugly. The Christie's employee 460 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:47,520 Speaker 1: furrowed her brow and told Tony to hang on for 461 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 1: just a second. On a hunch, she got online and 462 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:57,000 Speaker 1: checked out the Los Angeles Police Department's database of stolen art. There, 463 00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 1: alongside a note about Nicholas Cage's missing be of Action 464 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:04,800 Speaker 1: comics number one, was a notice about the missing Picasso. 465 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:09,360 Speaker 1: Tony was arrested, and that wasn't as you may have 466 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:13,200 Speaker 1: guessed his real name. He was a driver for Peter Goober, 467 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:16,240 Speaker 1: who snuck into the house and smashed a window to 468 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,960 Speaker 1: make it look like a break in. He had seen 469 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:23,520 Speaker 1: the Picasso, he gave in to temptation. If Tony could 470 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:27,800 Speaker 1: do it, well, why not someone working for Cage, someone 471 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:33,760 Speaker 1: who knew the comics were often unlocked, unarmed, and easily accessible. 472 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:44,680 Speaker 1: Was it like Goober's drawing an inside job. But the 473 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:47,040 Speaker 1: thing to know about in his life then is that 474 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:50,920 Speaker 1: there were so many people working for him. It's fascinating. 475 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,680 Speaker 1: He had a staff I would say of like maybe 476 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:57,320 Speaker 1: of a round. I mean, it was crazy. It's hard 477 00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: to keep track of everybody. There's such an enabling thing 478 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:04,000 Speaker 1: of celebrities that, like, my first thing when you say 479 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:05,800 Speaker 1: about the comic is like, well, what if this is 480 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:09,120 Speaker 1: an inside job? Totally an inside job at the house. 481 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:14,760 Speaker 1: That's Jen Bosworth Ramirez. Again, Jen has some ideas about 482 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 1: how Cage found himself in this position. First, there's the 483 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:22,720 Speaker 1: house itself, the Purple Palace. That house is huge. I 484 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 1: don't think he still owns it. I think he lives 485 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 1: in Vegas. But like, that house was so big and 486 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 1: had so much stuff in it. It was like this 487 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,760 Speaker 1: gothic mansion obviously in bel Air, but it also had 488 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,760 Speaker 1: twist and turns in that house, and he had what 489 00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 1: I believe is the first danger Will Robinson Robot in 490 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:41,120 Speaker 1: the house, which I remember being really weirded out by 491 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:43,160 Speaker 1: from what was it lost in space? I think, And 492 00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 1: it was like a museum. So it doesn't shock me 493 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:48,400 Speaker 1: that something walked off from that house. If it did. 494 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:52,960 Speaker 1: That's what actually happened. Other sources say the robot was 495 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:57,360 Speaker 1: a replica, but still so. The Cage Museum of Modern 496 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:00,880 Speaker 1: Art is one factor, and the other is people in 497 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 1: cages orbit, the employees, associates, hangers on. The other thing 498 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 1: to note about this time, and maybe it's all times 499 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:13,200 Speaker 1: with celebrities and kind of interesting weird celebrities, is that 500 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,359 Speaker 1: they always have a cast of characters around them. They 501 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:18,960 Speaker 1: sort of elect people, people that are in the industry, 502 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,440 Speaker 1: people that are not in the industry. I could totally 503 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:25,080 Speaker 1: also see how someone like Nick could get involved with 504 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,000 Speaker 1: someone who could be a little shady, you know what 505 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:31,080 Speaker 1: I mean, Because everyone's shady here in Hollywood in some way, right, 506 00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:36,359 Speaker 1: and Cage had undoubtedly run into them. So you have 507 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:40,080 Speaker 1: a party at your house, there's an object worth at 508 00:34:40,160 --> 00:34:43,399 Speaker 1: least a hundred and fifty thousand dollars that's small enough 509 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:47,120 Speaker 1: to fit inside of a jacket. Two of them. Actually, 510 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:53,279 Speaker 1: people can wander around freely. Employees come and go, and 511 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:57,480 Speaker 1: you're away for maybe half the year shooting movies. Would 512 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:00,719 Speaker 1: you just leave it unlocked and available for anyone to 513 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:05,200 Speaker 1: pick up? If you're Nicolas Cage, yes, yes you do. 514 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:11,239 Speaker 1: My understanding of him is that he started acting so young, 515 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:14,360 Speaker 1: and because he was from kind of a famous family, 516 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:16,880 Speaker 1: you know, the Coppolas, And because of all these things, 517 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:20,440 Speaker 1: he was sort of like protected from a lot of 518 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:23,680 Speaker 1: the harsh truths of the world that people can take 519 00:35:23,719 --> 00:35:26,759 Speaker 1: advantage of you, which is something actually I've seen over 520 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:29,360 Speaker 1: and over with celebrities, but especially with Nick. I was 521 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:33,680 Speaker 1: struck by the fact that he was super earnest in 522 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:36,319 Speaker 1: a way that shocked me. It was like he wanted 523 00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:38,680 Speaker 1: to believe the best in people. But more than that, 524 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:42,040 Speaker 1: I don't think he thought people would do that to him, 525 00:35:42,719 --> 00:35:45,799 Speaker 1: steal from him. It's really weird because you would think 526 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:47,640 Speaker 1: that people would be like, Oh, I have money and 527 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:50,640 Speaker 1: fancy things, and I have random people in my house. 528 00:35:50,719 --> 00:35:54,000 Speaker 1: This could be a big problem. I'd never experienced him 529 00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:57,520 Speaker 1: that way. It was so interesting during that time. I 530 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:01,520 Speaker 1: remember being like, Oh, he really takes people at their word. 531 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:08,279 Speaker 1: The famous cage eccentricity you probably figured we'd address this 532 00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:14,399 Speaker 1: cage has always been perceived as slightly odd. What other 533 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:17,480 Speaker 1: actor has bought a dinosaur skull for two hundred and 534 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:20,400 Speaker 1: seventy six thousand dollars and then had to give it 535 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:23,480 Speaker 1: back when it was discovered that it was stolen from Mongolia. 536 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 1: Who else has described his own acting style as no 537 00:36:27,719 --> 00:36:31,840 Speaker 1: voo shamanistic and again we remind you of eating a 538 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:36,959 Speaker 1: live roach. So Cage is not exactly playing by any 539 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:41,040 Speaker 1: particular rule book. And it's fair to say he experienced 540 00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:45,080 Speaker 1: the world in a very different way. And it was 541 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:50,680 Speaker 1: like he couldn't understand that there were consequences financially. I 542 00:36:50,719 --> 00:36:52,920 Speaker 1: don't know that he knew that if you don't pay 543 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:55,000 Speaker 1: a parking meter, there's a ticket, and if you don't 544 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,359 Speaker 1: pay the ticket like increases, because I think everyone just 545 00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:02,040 Speaker 1: did things for him all the time. He didn't know 546 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:06,400 Speaker 1: certain things. But by his own admission, Cage was often 547 00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:10,879 Speaker 1: interested in building up a mythology around himself. Why else 548 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:13,799 Speaker 1: by a two headed snake and share the fact that 549 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:16,319 Speaker 1: you had to feed it with a spatula between the 550 00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:20,000 Speaker 1: heads to keep them separated. Why else stand up in 551 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,000 Speaker 1: a restaurant and throw a ketchup bottle against the wall 552 00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:26,239 Speaker 1: to impress a date, Or get on a plane intercom 553 00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:29,360 Speaker 1: and pretend to be an ill pilot losing control of 554 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 1: the plane. Why else appear on a talk show in 555 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:37,040 Speaker 1: the UK and stripped down to your bare chest. Cage 556 00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:41,680 Speaker 1: seemed to enjoy testing the boundaries of personality, creating his 557 00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:46,000 Speaker 1: own alter ego like Superman created Clark Kent, so that 558 00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:49,280 Speaker 1: it became difficult for anyone to compare the real Cage 559 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:54,280 Speaker 1: to a part because well, who was the real Cage anyway? Well, 560 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:58,400 Speaker 1: there was a story. I used to get beat up 561 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:00,560 Speaker 1: on the bustle of a way. I went to a 562 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:04,479 Speaker 1: correctional school for juvenile delinquents and I wasn't a big guy. 563 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:06,279 Speaker 1: I was ten years old. I got kicked out of 564 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:08,399 Speaker 1: school because I was, you know, the class clown, coming 565 00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:11,560 Speaker 1: up with pranks and whatnot, fried grasshoppers and people's egg 566 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:16,000 Speaker 1: salad sandwiches and uh, I used to get beat up 567 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:18,800 Speaker 1: on the bus every day. And then then I was 568 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:21,200 Speaker 1: Nikki Coppel, that was my name. So one day I 569 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:24,280 Speaker 1: went to school and I dressed up, put my cowboy 570 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,960 Speaker 1: boots on, put my black leather jacket on, put my 571 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:31,920 Speaker 1: sunglasses on, and UH said, I was Roy Richards and 572 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:34,160 Speaker 1: if you if you mess around with my my cousin, 573 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:37,200 Speaker 1: Nicki Coppel, I'm gonna kick your ass. So after that 574 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:38,920 Speaker 1: they never screwed around with me anymore. So that was 575 00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:45,760 Speaker 1: really my first acting experience. The eccentricity probably gets exaggerated, 576 00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:50,399 Speaker 1: but it's also true that Cage, like many stars, is 577 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:56,040 Speaker 1: somewhat distanced from the normal burdens of life. There was 578 00:38:56,080 --> 00:38:59,319 Speaker 1: the time he bought a Bentley, a beautiful Bentley, and 579 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:02,320 Speaker 1: had it cussed demised so that it had every available 580 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:06,840 Speaker 1: amenity you could think of, plush seats, televisions, a stereo, 581 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:11,560 Speaker 1: a bar, luxury. When Cage got it back, he found 582 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:14,799 Speaker 1: he couldn't fit inside of it anymore. There had been 583 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:20,000 Speaker 1: too many additions. It became too opulent to contain him. 584 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:23,480 Speaker 1: It also just didn't occur to Cage that anyone would 585 00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:26,920 Speaker 1: mean him any harm. He was, by the account of 586 00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:31,920 Speaker 1: people who worked for him, generous kind, far from the 587 00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:36,960 Speaker 1: egocentric star stereotype. It probably never occurred to him that 588 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:40,359 Speaker 1: action number one could be taken, because who would want 589 00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:44,120 Speaker 1: to do that to him? Too many people? Do you 590 00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:46,680 Speaker 1: know what I mean? Like, why don't you know these people? 591 00:39:47,440 --> 00:39:49,279 Speaker 1: I don't know. It was such a weird time. He 592 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,919 Speaker 1: had tons of people working for him, tons, and then 593 00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:56,120 Speaker 1: that doesn't include his agents, manager, and then all of 594 00:39:56,160 --> 00:39:59,600 Speaker 1: the publicists. I mean, it's a huge team of people, 595 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:03,920 Speaker 1: and he's paying for all them, and you're probably wondering 596 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:09,920 Speaker 1: security footage. Nope, no cameras inside, no one guarding the doors, 597 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:13,640 Speaker 1: no one searching bags or patting people down. It was 598 00:40:13,719 --> 00:40:16,799 Speaker 1: a party, not a t s a checkpoint. Being at 599 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:21,480 Speaker 1: the house and seeing sort of the grandness with which 600 00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:26,760 Speaker 1: he lived in terms of how much stuff he had 601 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:29,600 Speaker 1: and collectibles, it was a whole new world to me, 602 00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:34,560 Speaker 1: and I can easily see how that world, as glorious 603 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:37,080 Speaker 1: as it could be and as fun, could also be 604 00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:39,880 Speaker 1: a huge burden, and to keep track of everything and 605 00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:45,680 Speaker 1: everybody in your life would be almost impossible. That's the story. 606 00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:48,160 Speaker 1: It's just being in his house. You're playing pool with 607 00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:51,320 Speaker 1: Tom Waits and Jack Nicholson just gave you a cigar, 608 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:54,760 Speaker 1: and this is this guy's house, and yet nobody really 609 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:58,120 Speaker 1: knows you. It's very him, it's very weird. It's a 610 00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:00,239 Speaker 1: weird life. But that I think would be it's just 611 00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:02,480 Speaker 1: being the grandness of the whole thing and all the 612 00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:05,320 Speaker 1: things that people are being like, Oh, but who really 613 00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:07,520 Speaker 1: are these people and what are they doing here? And 614 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,799 Speaker 1: what are we doing here? And what is this kind 615 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:12,080 Speaker 1: of a life. It seems like it'd be very overwhelming 616 00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:15,920 Speaker 1: and unmanageable. But Stephen Fishler thought he could help manage 617 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:20,480 Speaker 1: at least one part, the stolen comic part. He understood 618 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:23,080 Speaker 1: that if these books were going to surface, there was 619 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:26,000 Speaker 1: a very good chance he would hear about it. So 620 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 1: no one went to the media, and that was on purpose. 621 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:36,920 Speaker 1: If you make it very public, then somebody's going to go, oh, 622 00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:40,520 Speaker 1: it is very public. And I can't publicly sell these 623 00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:44,080 Speaker 1: books because everybody knows. But if they steal them and 624 00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:48,600 Speaker 1: they're not able to find references to the theft, then 625 00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:52,640 Speaker 1: they may believe that nobody realized and now they're free 626 00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:55,160 Speaker 1: and clear to sell. But I think the word might 627 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:58,720 Speaker 1: have gotten around about this theft in l A. Instead 628 00:41:58,719 --> 00:42:02,160 Speaker 1: of calling the Los Angeles As Times, Stephen picked up 629 00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:06,040 Speaker 1: the phone and began dialing Los Angeles area comic bookshops. 630 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:09,920 Speaker 1: He told owners that some valuable comics had been taken, 631 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:13,640 Speaker 1: but not who they had been taken from. Perhaps the thief, 632 00:42:13,880 --> 00:42:17,319 Speaker 1: like with Tony and the Picasso, would be brazen or 633 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:21,000 Speaker 1: ignorant enough to just walk into Golden Apple Comics and 634 00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:25,920 Speaker 1: present an action number one with some concocted story. Comics 635 00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:30,200 Speaker 1: were after all found in attic. Sometimes it was a 636 00:42:30,239 --> 00:42:34,760 Speaker 1: long shot and here's the thing about property crimes. Unless 637 00:42:34,840 --> 00:42:38,240 Speaker 1: someone is an eyewitness to the theft, or unless someone 638 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:40,799 Speaker 1: is stupid enough to admit to being in possession of 639 00:42:40,840 --> 00:42:45,399 Speaker 1: stolen property, it's not too hard to stay out of handcuffs. 640 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:50,279 Speaker 1: It's estimated that just ten of art thefts see the 641 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:57,960 Speaker 1: items recovered. But then, speaking to one dealer, Stephen heard 642 00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:01,800 Speaker 1: something too good to be true. Yes, the store owner 643 00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:05,680 Speaker 1: said someone had just called asking about the value of 644 00:43:05,719 --> 00:43:09,040 Speaker 1: an action number one and a detective number twenty seven, 645 00:43:09,520 --> 00:43:12,440 Speaker 1: but he didn't leave his name, and as the days 646 00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:16,360 Speaker 1: ticked by, it became clear that person wasn't going to 647 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:21,040 Speaker 1: phone back. Please hang up and try your call again. Please. 648 00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:26,640 Speaker 1: There's a working theory about art crime. When something is stolen, 649 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:30,160 Speaker 1: it will either surface immediately to get some quick cash, 650 00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:33,759 Speaker 1: or in about ten years, just long enough to hope 651 00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:37,040 Speaker 1: the victim has forgotten or has died, or the cops 652 00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:41,560 Speaker 1: are no longer actively investigating. It's the difference between a 653 00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:46,239 Speaker 1: fast score and playing the long game. So which was 654 00:43:46,280 --> 00:43:49,279 Speaker 1: it going to be? Was someone trying to move these 655 00:43:49,320 --> 00:43:53,040 Speaker 1: books fast? Were they going to go deep underground until 656 00:43:53,120 --> 00:43:56,920 Speaker 1: cage was onto other things? Was the l a shop 657 00:43:56,960 --> 00:44:00,359 Speaker 1: call a sign of things to come. This is just 658 00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:02,880 Speaker 1: the beginning of the story of one of the most 659 00:44:02,920 --> 00:44:07,200 Speaker 1: audacious art heists in modern history. Taken from one of 660 00:44:07,239 --> 00:44:12,800 Speaker 1: Hollywood's most famous actors, it moves from Los Angeles to Connecticut, 661 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:18,040 Speaker 1: to Memphis and Paris and ropes in two Billionaires. It's 662 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:22,759 Speaker 1: Nicolas Cage's own real life version of National Treasure, a 663 00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:26,640 Speaker 1: search for the birth of modern popular culture and the 664 00:44:26,719 --> 00:44:31,080 Speaker 1: person or persons who took it from his frat house 665 00:44:31,120 --> 00:44:36,280 Speaker 1: Bordelo Fortress of Solitude. And it really begins with one question, 666 00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:39,839 Speaker 1: the one that you might have caught yourself asking when 667 00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:45,120 Speaker 1: we started. When Nicolas Cage called Stephen Fishler, it was 668 00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:50,040 Speaker 1: the first question Stephen asked Cage. He actually told him, 669 00:44:50,160 --> 00:44:53,000 Speaker 1: did you call the police? And yet not so? I said, well, 670 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:56,279 Speaker 1: get off the phone with me. Let's get the police involved. 671 00:44:56,560 --> 00:45:00,520 Speaker 1: Cage hadn't phoned the police right away. It was Stephen 672 00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:04,560 Speaker 1: who called them and gave them the advice of right 673 00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:08,840 Speaker 1: police to get them involved. Get him over there, went on. 674 00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:12,640 Speaker 1: They may be able to certainly help, but could they 675 00:45:13,080 --> 00:45:17,080 Speaker 1: This was no conventional art theft. Stephen was about to 676 00:45:17,120 --> 00:45:19,480 Speaker 1: put l a p d s finest to the test 677 00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:23,960 Speaker 1: when he discovered that there weren't just three comics missing, 678 00:45:24,719 --> 00:45:28,320 Speaker 1: there were four, and that's when the beads of sweat 679 00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:37,799 Speaker 1: really started rolling this season on Stealing Superman, the fact 680 00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:40,840 Speaker 1: he went to the Dayla first rather than the place 681 00:45:41,160 --> 00:45:44,240 Speaker 1: as an investigator, that would indicaite to me that Nicholas 682 00:45:44,320 --> 00:45:47,279 Speaker 1: Kaige knew more than what he let on and he 683 00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:50,279 Speaker 1: didn't want really a lot about being my public. You 684 00:45:50,360 --> 00:45:52,200 Speaker 1: hear the gossip that it could have been the butler, 685 00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:55,000 Speaker 1: could have been security guard, and I just remember that 686 00:45:55,239 --> 00:45:57,840 Speaker 1: showed us everything, and then in the end it was like, 687 00:45:57,960 --> 00:46:00,839 Speaker 1: well the police is going to come and everything. And 688 00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:03,680 Speaker 1: then Jeff and I were like, well we touched everything 689 00:46:03,880 --> 00:46:07,080 Speaker 1: because he had said something about fingerprints. We're both like, 690 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:11,040 Speaker 1: we just touched everything. We touched the door coming into 691 00:46:11,080 --> 00:46:13,920 Speaker 1: your room and we never go up there. K you 692 00:46:14,040 --> 00:46:16,200 Speaker 1: just one of our people. He's one of my people. 693 00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:20,479 Speaker 1: I understand exactly what he must be thinking half when 694 00:46:20,520 --> 00:46:22,600 Speaker 1: that happened, how it felt to him. We all do. 695 00:46:22,880 --> 00:46:25,120 Speaker 1: And it's like, that's why Mark was more piste off 696 00:46:25,120 --> 00:46:26,600 Speaker 1: and all this stuff, just because it's like, why are 697 00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:29,239 Speaker 1: you bringing something around to my warehouse? Now I can 698 00:46:29,280 --> 00:46:32,879 Speaker 1: go to prison for but this is because it's so 699 00:46:33,000 --> 00:46:37,239 Speaker 1: specific both the man and his interests that it just 700 00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:40,400 Speaker 1: feels like another world, right, Like it feels like fiction 701 00:46:41,239 --> 00:46:46,200 Speaker 1: because someone targeted this very specific, very talented actor and 702 00:46:46,239 --> 00:46:50,080 Speaker 1: stole something that is very specific to his interests, but 703 00:46:50,120 --> 00:46:53,880 Speaker 1: that we're all aware of. As if it was a Monai. 704 00:46:54,440 --> 00:46:58,560 Speaker 1: That feels more relatable than if it was like someone 705 00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:02,279 Speaker 1: stole a two thousand dollar car from that damon, that 706 00:47:02,280 --> 00:47:04,720 Speaker 1: wouldn't be interesting. I think they should make a movie 707 00:47:04,760 --> 00:47:07,160 Speaker 1: this and just talk about all the weirdos that worked 708 00:47:07,160 --> 00:47:08,880 Speaker 1: for him and like who could have done this? And 709 00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:11,160 Speaker 1: maybe it turns out that in the end he did 710 00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:21,880 Speaker 1: it to himself. Stealing Superman is written by Jake Rawson, 711 00:47:22,440 --> 00:47:27,799 Speaker 1: sound design scoring by Josh Fisher, additional editing by Jonathan Washington, 712 00:47:28,520 --> 00:47:33,560 Speaker 1: mixing and mastering by Baheed Frasier. Original music by Aaron Kaufman. 713 00:47:34,160 --> 00:47:37,920 Speaker 1: Research and fact checking by Jake Rawson and Austin Thompson, 714 00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:43,320 Speaker 1: with production support from Lulu Philip. Show logo by Lucy Quintinia. 715 00:47:43,880 --> 00:47:48,000 Speaker 1: Our executive producer is Jason English and I'm your host 716 00:47:48,160 --> 00:47:52,000 Speaker 1: Danish words. If you're enjoying this show, check out Haleywood 717 00:47:52,120 --> 00:47:55,680 Speaker 1: and Noble Blood and give us a nice review. We'll 718 00:47:55,680 --> 00:47:59,120 Speaker 1: see you next week. Stealing Superman is a production of 719 00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:07,520 Speaker 1: I heart Rate Yeah.