1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Ye 2 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: welcome back to the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as 3 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: always so much for tuning in. Let's hear it for 4 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: the one and only super producer, Mr Max Williams. Okay, 5 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 1: use that, but b lada lads mag who's that sound cue? 6 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: Maybe it's facts, maybe it's Maybel. I'm ben uh No, 7 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: you know, I was thinking, I'm born with it. You're 8 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: born Yeah, yeah, I know. I know. That's why we 9 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: hang out, so I um, I was thinking about this. 10 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: We had this lovely conversation just a second ago for 11 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: us off air about how we're We're always very fortunate 12 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: and we acknowledge how grateful we are to be able 13 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: to do these shows with you Ridiculous Historians and NOL. 14 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: I like to think that we haven't let our jobs 15 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: change us too much. Would you agree with I would 16 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: agree with that. Yeah. I try to actively not become 17 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: a monster. That's one of my goals, and I think 18 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: the first step to doing that is self awareness, a 19 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,279 Speaker 1: skill which the subject of today's episode, John Paul Getty, 20 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: seems to have lacked. Perhaps I don't know. We're fortunate 21 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: for sure, but we're not John Paul Getty, fortunate man. 22 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: That man was made of the kind of money that 23 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: changes people. Yeah, we're also not J. Paul Getty petty. 24 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: We're not that level of petty. Now, this guy you're 25 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: gonna see. We're not sure whether this will be a 26 00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: two part episode because we sometimes our off Mike conversations 27 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: get to be a little bit like group therapy, like 28 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: what do we think about the world? How does it 29 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: inform ourselves? So, uh, happy birthday? What do we do 30 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: if we had all the money in the world. Don't 31 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: don't buy the violin after the first year. Rented for 32 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: the first year. Then by sorry, we were just talking 33 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: about We wrapped that into a real big metaphor about 34 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: the plight of humanity. Yeah, so bowling was involved. You know, 35 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,360 Speaker 1: you don't buy the ball on day one? Yeah, I 36 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: have joined. I have accidentally joined a Vulcan themed bowling league, 37 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: child to our awesome graphic designer, Pam Peacock, who is 38 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: our fearless leader in that regard. But but let's not 39 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 1: bury the lead. John Paul Getty. You have doubtlessly heard 40 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: the name Getty. You may not have heard it associated 41 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: with the family because it is a legit American aristocracy. 42 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:56,799 Speaker 1: It's a dynasty. Like there are actors who were part 43 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: of the Getty dynasty. We'll get into all of that, 44 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: but what you need to have seen some of their pictures. 45 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: You might have seen their pictures. They control huge or 46 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: a significant chunk of copyrighted images like Getty Images is 47 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: something that knowl you and I and probably YouTube Max 48 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: at this point had to Uh, we had to interface 49 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:22,359 Speaker 1: with often when we're starting shows, when we're looking for 50 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: images to share. Back when I was writing a ton 51 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: of old house stuff works videos, we had to go 52 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: back and forth about which Getty images we could afford. Um, 53 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: I think you can even find a group shot of 54 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: some of us on Getty Images. We made it to 55 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: Getty Images. Hey, we were jerks about it. For like 56 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: four red carpet. Yeah, every red carpet in the world 57 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: is on Getty Images exactly quality or size exactly. So 58 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: this uh Getty dynasty. The reason Getty is such a 59 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: recognizable word in the Western world today is because by 60 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: the late nineteen six these, this guy John Paul Getty 61 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: had become known as the richest man in the world. 62 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: Now that's a tricky title because as anybody who listens 63 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: to stuff they don't want you to know it can 64 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 1: tell you the real most powerful people in the world. 65 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: They're not rated as much by bank accounts. Nobody knows 66 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:24,559 Speaker 1: how much money Putin actually has. For instance, even when 67 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: Russia is turning into a dumpster fire. This guy, though 68 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: he got Getty got called the richest man in the 69 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 1: world by Fortune magazine in nineteen fifty seven. And he 70 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 1: was an oil man, right, No, he was. He was 71 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: a man of oil. Uh animal collected song by the 72 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: same name. Yeah, you know, he got it on the 73 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: ground floor. I mean, I think maybe in some ways 74 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: the character of Daniel Plainview in Um There Will Be 75 00:04:55,560 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: Blood might have been influenced or inspired by Getty just 76 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 1: kind of just spitballing on that. I don't know that 77 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: for sure, but you know, in the same way that 78 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: Paul Thomas Anderson sort of vaguely based the character played 79 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: by Phillipy Moore Hoffman and the Master on l Ron Hubbard. 80 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,359 Speaker 1: It's definitely a vibe, because you know, oil is one 81 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: of those things where to truly become a titan of 82 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: the industry, you gotta kind of get in on the 83 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: ground floor. You gotta get in gonna drink everyone else's milkshake. Yeah, 84 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,480 Speaker 1: you gotta get below the ground floor, you know, start 85 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:34,719 Speaker 1: drilling well. Also, J Paul Getty was the inspiration for 86 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: an excellent little Saturday Night Live sketch with Adam Driver 87 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: as an oil man talking to his talking about his 88 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:47,359 Speaker 1: son's career day at school. Do check it out? Do 89 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:49,599 Speaker 1: you guys remember that one? I don't think I've seen this. 90 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:51,920 Speaker 1: I'm gonna send it to you after this, all right, 91 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 1: we'll do our homework first. So he had been called 92 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: the richest man in the world for a while because 93 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 1: by the time he consolidated his various businesses into what 94 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: was called the Getty Oil Company, his personal fortune not 95 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: related to his job. His personal fortune was estimated to 96 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: be it more than two billion by like nineteen sixty seven. 97 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:23,479 Speaker 1: But as you know, more money, more problems, hip hop 98 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: is right. His his family had a lot of personal 99 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: tribulations and travails such that people started asking whether the 100 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: Gettys were cursed and to learn about whether or not 101 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,600 Speaker 1: this is a curse. First off, wait, we've talked about 102 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,159 Speaker 1: this before on various shows on and off air. Noel Max, 103 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: do you guys believe in curses, Oh gosh, belief as 104 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 1: the hell of a drug. I don't know about that. 105 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: I mean, I feel like I believe in something resembling karma. Sure, 106 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:02,840 Speaker 1: I feel like if you're a person of great means 107 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,719 Speaker 1: and you put negative things out into the world and 108 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,400 Speaker 1: you screw people over, then potentially negative things will come 109 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: back to you. But I don't know. I'm that's probably 110 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: the about as hippie as I get in my belief system. Yeah, 111 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: I mean, I think there's a lot of other circumstances 112 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: that can cause stuff that looks like a a curse to happen. 113 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: And I do think karma is like, you know, not 114 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 1: like the direct actual notion of karma, but like something 115 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: similar to that is a part of that. But just 116 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: I I think it's calling someone a curse is like 117 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 1: very good, like get a jail free card, of just 118 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: being like, all these terrible things have happened, instead of 119 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: just like, you know, being like, all these terrible things 120 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 1: happen and I have a hand playing these things, right, 121 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: So saying a curse, that saying something's a curses refusing 122 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: to acknowledge oneself as the only constant in the equation 123 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: of catastrophe. I get it. I mean, my favorite definition 124 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: of magic is weaponized psychology. G that's a shout out 125 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 1: to our our buddy, doctor Damian Patrick Williams. Look up 126 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: his work. So anyway, let's learn about getting before he 127 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: learned about whether or not there's a curse. This story 128 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: has it all. There's kidnapping, there's a high level secession 129 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: vibes if you're familiar with that show, and there's a 130 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: lot of tragedies. So no fooling by any measure. This 131 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: guy is one of the most successful tycoons of industry 132 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:38,559 Speaker 1: in all of US history. He did make multiple billions 133 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: of dollars in the oil business. But he didn't you know, 134 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:45,679 Speaker 1: he didn't start from the bottom. You know, he didn't 135 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 1: come out the mud, as as people often say. The Gettys, 136 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 1: his forebears started as Scotch Irish Presbyterian immigrants. One town 137 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: in Pennsylvania is even named after the family. That's Gettysburg, 138 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: pennsylvan Mania. You might recognize that from some other stories 139 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:07,080 Speaker 1: are if you are a fan of history. His father, 140 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 1: George George F. Getty, got into corporate law and insurance 141 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: in Minneapolis, and then he moved the family to Oklahoma 142 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:20,600 Speaker 1: in nineteen o four to get in, like you said, 143 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 1: Noel on the ground floor of the oil business. He 144 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: started making some pretty good scratch in just a few 145 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:34,560 Speaker 1: years with the Minnahoma Oil Company, and around that time 146 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 1: he was already like before J. Paul ever gets on 147 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 1: the scene, his father is has already made it. He's 148 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,839 Speaker 1: already a millionaire. Several times over correct, it's being a 149 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:47,680 Speaker 1: correct thing. I just want to point out that I 150 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:51,440 Speaker 1: can't find any evidence that P. T. Anderson specifically drew 151 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: influence from Getty for his character. And there will be blood. 152 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 1: It's based on the book Oil by Upton Sinclair. But 153 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 1: it's just such a rare eyed position that there there 154 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: are certainly similarities, you know, in terms of the kind 155 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 1: of riches that that that sort of discovery and that's 156 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: sort of you know, career path and how like. You know, 157 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: there can only be a few, right like actual bona 158 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: fide oil magnates. So I think I was sparking up 159 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:20,959 Speaker 1: the red Tree in theory. But I just can't find 160 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: any direct quotes from Anderson citing Getty as an inspiration 161 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: Oil by Upton Sinclair, though I read that book. It 162 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 1: is based on the life of another tycoon named Edward L. 163 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:37,160 Speaker 1: Tony Dohany or something like that. That's right, it's Hainy 164 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 1: or something. Yeah, with a weird age placement. Yeah, but 165 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: but still, like you said, rarefied air, and this rarefied 166 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 1: air of financial success is what J. Paul is born into. 167 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:52,679 Speaker 1: He gets out of college in in pretty young. He's 168 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:56,320 Speaker 1: twenty one years old. He graduates college and over the 169 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:59,559 Speaker 1: summer he is working in the family business. He's working 170 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: at the oil fields, and his dad wasn't really given 171 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: him money. His dad was lending him money and said, here, 172 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: go make your own way. John Paul invest in oil 173 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: wells all thine own. I don't know he was doing 174 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,560 Speaker 1: these and owls. That's more of a Quaker thing. Yeah, 175 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: I take it. I think it suits him. Um, but yeah, 176 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 1: it's it's true. He takes that whatever seed money and 177 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: he does invest it smartly and pretty quickly makes his 178 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: first million dollars, which in those days was significant, significant scratch. 179 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:39,679 Speaker 1: And he's quoted as saying, in building a large fortune, 180 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: it pays to be born at the right time. I 181 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: was born at a very favorable time. If I had 182 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: been born earlier or later, I would have missed the 183 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: great business opportunities that existed in World War One and later. 184 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,200 Speaker 1: I suppose it takes a long time, and it takes 185 00:11:56,200 --> 00:12:00,959 Speaker 1: extraordinary circumstances to be born at the time and to 186 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 1: have cash money available at the right time. I was 187 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 1: fortunate to due to my father's foresight and my good luck. 188 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: Mr Wayne, So i'd kind of a kind of a 189 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:14,320 Speaker 1: bane voice there. I don't know where that came from, 190 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 1: but I'm rolling with it. Yeah, timing is everything. Getting 191 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 1: in on the ground floor of an industry is everything, 192 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 1: and only a few people can do it. Yeah, I 193 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,640 Speaker 1: want to jump in here because we we set the top. 194 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:28,959 Speaker 1: That this guy kind of lacks some self awareness, which 195 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: is one true, but this is one of the lines 196 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 1: where I'm like, he at least somewhat seems aware that 197 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,320 Speaker 1: it's not like I did all of this. I am 198 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: so great, I am just amazing. He at least realized 199 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,120 Speaker 1: It's like, well, I I had some money that I 200 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,040 Speaker 1: got from my dad, and I got into this business 201 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: at the exact right time. Well, he's also you can 202 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:53,960 Speaker 1: tell that his his father, the patriarch of the Getties, 203 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:56,959 Speaker 1: was one of the few people that he actually looked 204 00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 1: up to and respected, so maybe that's that's a fun 205 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: auction of it, and I think it probably really uh 206 00:13:03,559 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 1: inbedded in him, this idea of you know, no handouts, 207 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: you know, like I mean, yeah, you'll you'll, you'll get 208 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: your inheritance when I'm dead. Until then, Uh, you're not 209 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 1: getting a red cent unless it's something that I'm gonna, 210 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:21,839 Speaker 1: you know, used to invest in you and you show 211 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: me that you've got the chops otherwise, you know. He 212 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 1: he didn't he wouldn't suffer any shiftless lay abouts. Let's 213 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:30,320 Speaker 1: just say he wouldn't suffer anyone that was just trying 214 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: to coast on the family fortune because clearly his father 215 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 1: instilled that in him. Well sort of. There was definitely 216 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 1: a process because the year after he makes his first million, 217 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 1: he does become one of those shiftless lay abouts, just 218 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 1: like a Heroes journey Joseph Campbell thing. He spent some 219 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 1: time in the wilderness of Vice. Uh. He he spen 220 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:56,559 Speaker 1: two years in Los Angeles as what would have been 221 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 1: called a playboy. He's just blowing money in the club's 222 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 1: making it rain, chasing chicks and this is from nineteen Uh, dude. 223 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: He gets back in the oil business in nineteen nineteen 224 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 1: so nineteen seventeen eighteen, those are his lost years. Once 225 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: he gets back in the oil business. He also has 226 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: a tumultuous love life. He's married and divorced three times 227 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: in the twenties, and his father, George F who was 228 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 1: still very much in the mix, is like, Hey, I 229 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,280 Speaker 1: think you're good at business, but son, you've got to 230 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 1: button up your love life, buddy. You know, the imagine 231 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 1: conversation is where what if you get into the realm 232 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: of politics, morality or the appearance of such is important. 233 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 1: That's a great quote that I just made up. But 234 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:46,240 Speaker 1: to be clear, that's not an actual quote. That's just 235 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:49,840 Speaker 1: the conversation I think they had. And so he said, like, 236 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 1: as George was dying, he uh, he starts warning his 237 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 1: son and telling his associates because I wouldn't call him 238 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: friends at that level of health. He says, Look, my 239 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 1: son's gonna destroy the family business. He can't have the 240 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:09,280 Speaker 1: whole pie. So George F. Getty dies with a fortune 241 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: and nick excess of ten million dollars. He leaves his 242 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:17,040 Speaker 1: son j Paul about five grand and he leaves the 243 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 1: business to his wife. See, he gotta wonder, though, I 244 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 1: mean everything you just said, you know, it is absolutely accurate, 245 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: but like you gotta wonder did he do this as 246 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: almost like a test, like so he had to pull 247 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 1: himself up by his bootstraps kind of like when he 248 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 1: just gave him that the loan early on and then 249 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 1: he invested right, and now he's sort of like in 250 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: this wandering in this wilderness advice as you say, and 251 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 1: he's almost like, you know what the worst thing I 252 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: could do for my son, It will just keep him 253 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: in this like limbo, uh is leave him all of 254 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 1: this money, you know, unchecked uh and leave him this company, 255 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 1: which at this point in his life he may well 256 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 1: drive into the ground. So I think, honestly, whether he 257 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 1: was he did this consciously or not, this is probably 258 00:15:57,560 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: the best thing that could have happened to Paul Getty, 259 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:05,480 Speaker 1: getting that, you know, I mean, by most mortal standards, 260 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,280 Speaker 1: five thousand dollars isn't a pittance, but compared to the 261 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 1: big old bye that that that was on the table, 262 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 1: it really was. But it really did force Getty to 263 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:18,000 Speaker 1: flex some of the knowledge that he had that George 264 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 1: maybe didn't even know he had, because he really had 265 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 1: been doing his homework and studying and he was very 266 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 1: familiar with things like petroleum geology. If you know anything 267 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:31,680 Speaker 1: about the art world, you know that Getty is huge 268 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,160 Speaker 1: in that realm, in terms of grants, in terms of 269 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 1: museums and all that stuff. That all started with this guy. 270 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 1: With this guy, Jean Paul Getty, he uh was all 271 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 1: with the art world, and he was a very worldly man. 272 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 1: He could speak French and German and Italian. He also 273 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:54,720 Speaker 1: could conversationally get along in Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Greek, 274 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 1: as well as being able to read Greek and Latin. 275 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,640 Speaker 1: So he was an incredible the intelligent person and a 276 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: very skilled businessman despite his kind of you know, dalliances 277 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: in his twenties. Well, this is okay, So this is 278 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: a question. Yeah, the word I just said polyglot is 279 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:16,119 Speaker 1: just the fancy word for speaking multiple language as well. 280 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:20,919 Speaker 1: And I know some polyglots. They're usually really cool. But 281 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:23,639 Speaker 1: this is one of my questions. So, if you were 282 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: a child of privilege, if you are a psion to 283 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: a dynasty like this, is it not true that you 284 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 1: have more opportunities to cultivate those pursuits. This guy wasn't 285 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:38,520 Speaker 1: you know, scratching wheat out of the dirt so I 286 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:42,639 Speaker 1: would say, if you hear these kind of accolades folks, 287 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:46,280 Speaker 1: and you're an average person, just remember that that this 288 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:48,679 Speaker 1: is a guy who started on third base, so we 289 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:51,080 Speaker 1: had time to stroll to the home run of those 290 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:55,359 Speaker 1: various achievements. No doubt how that baseball analogy work, Max 291 00:17:55,440 --> 00:18:04,159 Speaker 1: is Yeah, I mean, come on, I like like the 292 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:08,360 Speaker 1: image of strolling imagery. It worth great and actual baseball 293 00:18:08,359 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 1: it makes no sense. Yeah, okay, you know I figured 294 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 1: that was. I just wanted a gut check. Alright, fair fair, 295 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: fair fair. So yeah, it sort of reminds me of 296 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:17,440 Speaker 1: like how you know, oftentimes a lot of folks would 297 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 1: become very successful actors, not always but sometimes, or or 298 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,879 Speaker 1: successful musicians or whatever. They've got a bit of a 299 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:28,480 Speaker 1: safety net pretty often, pretty often, and they're able to 300 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,320 Speaker 1: go to the finest of of of drama schools, you know, 301 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 1: because they were they were able to receive you know, 302 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:39,400 Speaker 1: the best education against financial safety net that allowed them 303 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:42,119 Speaker 1: to kind of just you know, go out there and 304 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: try to be an artist or an actor because they 305 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 1: didn't have to worry about making ends meet. Also, I 306 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:50,720 Speaker 1: want to backtrack, you know what, Ben, I'm thinking about 307 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: it more it made a lot of sense. Baseball sense 308 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:56,680 Speaker 1: was something and someone else hit the home run. Yeah, okay, 309 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:01,320 Speaker 1: I'm gonna I'm gonna apologize, good, good, good an thanks man. 310 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: You don't have to apologize. I'm not Getty. I'm not 311 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 1: just weirdly mad at people. But then until ief your inheritance, 312 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 1: and it's like one dollar, itce like for making fun 313 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:15,840 Speaker 1: of that baseball analogy, will ruin this state, will ruin 314 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 1: this company, this fictitious company. So here's another film comparison, 315 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,640 Speaker 1: if you want to before we get to Getty's more 316 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 1: villainous behavior or morally objectionable behavior, it's like he's in 317 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: that he's like Robert de Niro's character in that film Casino. 318 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:39,479 Speaker 1: He is an obsessive researcher. I love that you pointed 319 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:43,720 Speaker 1: out his knowledge of petroleum geology. So like the scene 320 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,879 Speaker 1: in Casino where you see Robert de Niro testing the 321 00:19:47,119 --> 00:19:51,440 Speaker 1: basketball and looking at the floor and bouncing stuff before 322 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 1: he makes any bets or anything like that, this is 323 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: what Getty is doing. What J. Paul is doing when 324 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: he starts making international oil deals. He's researching the land, 325 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:08,919 Speaker 1: the wells, the geology. He learns Arabic or he gets um, 326 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:12,040 Speaker 1: he gets conversational in Arabic not fluent, so that he 327 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:17,199 Speaker 1: can directly negotiate with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to 328 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:21,600 Speaker 1: get a sixty year concession or lease on an oil field. 329 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:25,200 Speaker 1: He pays nine point five million dollars for it. In ninete. 330 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: No oil has been discovered there yet, right people are 331 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: thinking there might be some, but they're not doing the 332 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: casino level research that he did. So he pays nine 333 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 1: point five million dollars, a ton of money back, then 334 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:41,640 Speaker 1: a ton of money now, and then he pays thirty 335 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: more million dollars to explore the oil field before he 336 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 1: hits the oil in nineteen fifty three, Like just like 337 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:53,320 Speaker 1: the Beverly Hillbillies up from the ground, comes a bubble 338 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: and crude production reaches sixteen million barrels a year. That's 339 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:06,359 Speaker 1: more more than one billion dollars at today's prices per year. Bud. Yeah. Again, 340 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:10,720 Speaker 1: like the privilege of being able to explore those oil 341 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:14,360 Speaker 1: fields and having the infrastructure in place and the knowledge, 342 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:19,000 Speaker 1: you know, like very much, born on whichever base is appropriate, 343 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,439 Speaker 1: born on, born at shortstop, is that thing that's not 344 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: really a base, that's more of a that's a person anyway. 345 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:26,680 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I had to try my hand at the 346 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 1: baseball metaphors. We rising tide, Max, I don't want to 347 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:34,880 Speaker 1: hear another word from you home on when the bases 348 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,919 Speaker 1: are loaded, you know what I mean. That clears the 349 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:43,200 Speaker 1: field where it's clearly I'm not a golfer um. But yeah, 350 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: I mean, he he did, he did, He did good. 351 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:49,440 Speaker 1: He's real good and essentially, you know, did better than 352 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:52,919 Speaker 1: his father. He did. And part of that is because 353 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 1: the business of oil is evolving as well, you know 354 00:21:56,359 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 1: what I mean. He steered the business to global domination. 355 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:06,639 Speaker 1: But again, remember the business was left to his mom, 356 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:08,919 Speaker 1: not directly to him. But he's still like doing a 357 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:12,920 Speaker 1: lot of the day to day stuff. And George's prediction 358 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 1: about his son was, you know, I know you have 359 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,960 Speaker 1: your head on your shoulders with business, but your personal 360 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:24,520 Speaker 1: life is going to be a problem. And that seemed 361 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 1: to be that seemed to have some sand to it 362 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 1: for a while. He would go on to have five wives. 363 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:33,160 Speaker 1: He had five sons with four of his five wives, 364 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:38,320 Speaker 1: and in each case it wasn't the best marriage. There 365 00:22:38,359 --> 00:22:42,439 Speaker 1: was tragedy, people weren't communicating. Well, that's the key to 366 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,360 Speaker 1: a good relationship there were. There was also just ranking difference. 367 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:50,600 Speaker 1: He was icing some of them. His eldest son, George 368 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:55,200 Speaker 1: Franklin Getty the second was supposed to be the heir, 369 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 1: but just like that show's Succession, they didn't get on 370 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 1: too well. Like he bare really spoke with his son 371 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: who was supposed to be his heir. I didn't know 372 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:07,159 Speaker 1: this until we started researching this with our research associate, 373 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:14,159 Speaker 1: Doctor's act Zack. But J. Paul didn't go to his 374 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:18,680 Speaker 1: own son's wedding. He was like, I got oil barrels 375 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 1: to count or something. He had gold coins to swim 376 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:25,879 Speaker 1: in the giant vault. I always loved that image with 377 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:30,879 Speaker 1: George Scrooge McDuck or he spits out the coins, but 378 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 1: don't do it. It's dangerous. Try that real life. You 379 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 1: will break bones. He will break bones at the very 380 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: least get a really bad concussion. So he's skipping out 381 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:41,960 Speaker 1: his son's wedding. He doesn't really have any time for 382 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:46,480 Speaker 1: his grandchildren. And that's the son that like he kind 383 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:49,240 Speaker 1: of liked, I guess not liked, but like he he 384 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: had a high position in the company. Yeah, exactly, Um, 385 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,480 Speaker 1: it's it's it's it's a little confusing as to get 386 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,680 Speaker 1: you know, because being liked by Jehan Paul Getty basically 387 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:02,800 Speaker 1: just and he wouldn't completely ice you out and skip 388 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,440 Speaker 1: your wedding. It wasn't like he was, you know, throwing 389 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: your parties and giving you hugs or anything. I don't 390 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:11,160 Speaker 1: think he gave good hugs, I would imagine. But his son, 391 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:15,000 Speaker 1: his other son, John Paul Getty Jr. Had four sons 392 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 1: um with his wife Gail Harris. John Paul Getty the 393 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:25,160 Speaker 1: third was one of these sons and really the subject 394 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:29,320 Speaker 1: of kind of the main plot twist in today's story. 395 00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:39,440 Speaker 1: So we'll call him, let's just call him JP three. 396 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:44,719 Speaker 1: JP three is the son of John Paul Jr. Who 397 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:49,199 Speaker 1: divorces his wife JP three's mother, Gayl Harris, in nineteen 398 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:55,359 Speaker 1: sixty four, and then JP jr. JP three's dad moves 399 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 1: to Rome and uh he remarries a woman named Taltha Pole, 400 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:04,520 Speaker 1: but allegedly, or accorded, according to historians of the family 401 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:09,840 Speaker 1: and reports, he became addicted to heroin. And that's very sad. 402 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:12,080 Speaker 1: It just seems like he was sort of a little 403 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 1: bit adrift, you know, and didn't really have any direction 404 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:18,400 Speaker 1: or like a set of skills and just kind of 405 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:21,840 Speaker 1: withered a little bit um So JP three, who is 406 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 1: his son, also ends up moving to Italy as a teenager. 407 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,040 Speaker 1: At first, he's at a boarding school, like you do. 408 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:32,080 Speaker 1: But he's a bit of a troublemaker, a bit of 409 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,760 Speaker 1: a problem child. He gets kicked out, he's expelled, and 410 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:40,200 Speaker 1: even though his father had left Rome uh and moved 411 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 1: to England following his new wife's overdose on heroin, he 412 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:52,320 Speaker 1: had to skip town. I guess JP three continued living 413 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,600 Speaker 1: in Italy on is lonesome. Yes, yeah, and became a 414 00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:00,399 Speaker 1: bit of a bohemian. Yeah, he was. He was a 415 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:04,160 Speaker 1: kid without consequences. You've probably met some in your own life, 416 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:07,119 Speaker 1: ridiculous historians. You may have grown up as one. He 417 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:10,560 Speaker 1: got expelled from a lot of schools. He was partying. 418 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:13,800 Speaker 1: He was considered artistic, but it was just he was 419 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:15,920 Speaker 1: a wild kid. He's like one of those kids who 420 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: uh for whom it doesn't matter if you stay in 421 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 1: the fancy boarding school. Your parents can just put you 422 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: in another one, or your family. He threw a Molotov 423 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:31,440 Speaker 1: cocktail during a protest. He was he was just always partying. 424 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:35,840 Speaker 1: And because of this, because of his behavior and the 425 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:39,360 Speaker 1: notoriety of his family. He was like a low key 426 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:43,080 Speaker 1: local celebrity. While he was living in Rome at the 427 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:48,240 Speaker 1: age of sixteen, and he had long, curly hair. The 428 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,080 Speaker 1: press gave him a nickname that wasn't j three. They 429 00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:55,240 Speaker 1: called him the Golden Hippie. Uh And and this is 430 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:59,200 Speaker 1: where things get a little bit strange. So one day 431 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:03,679 Speaker 1: he's been out party and all night he's walking home, 432 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:08,760 Speaker 1: maybe singing a song from a local music hall. It's 433 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 1: the wee hours of July. A car skirts skirts up 434 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:18,240 Speaker 1: beside him and the driver says, excuse me, signor you 435 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:22,359 Speaker 1: pulled Getty and Paul. Uh. We don't know how drunk 436 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:25,200 Speaker 1: he was, but Paul goes you man, and then they 437 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,679 Speaker 1: grab him the black bag and basically they pull him 438 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,679 Speaker 1: into a car. They muzzle him with a pad soaked 439 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:36,800 Speaker 1: and chloroform and a gag, and they drive him away. 440 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: He gets snatched. One note about chloroform. A lot of 441 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,880 Speaker 1: times movies are lying to you. If you want there's 442 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:47,639 Speaker 1: a reason they use the gag. It's not just to 443 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:50,920 Speaker 1: keep him quiet. It's to keep the chloroform on his face. 444 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,440 Speaker 1: Because if you chloroform someone and you remove it, they 445 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:58,639 Speaker 1: will come to shortly thereafter. This is not a step 446 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: by step guide how to incapacitate people. It's just good 447 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:07,119 Speaker 1: to know these things in case situations occur. Ben, you 448 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:10,119 Speaker 1: got a chloroform guy? What? Yeah? I mean you know 449 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:12,560 Speaker 1: Gandhi would have said, you gotta be the chloroform guy 450 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,160 Speaker 1: you wish to see in the world, but don't do it, don't. 451 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:18,320 Speaker 1: I actually didn't know that, Ben. I would have would 452 00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: have I would have bungled my kidnapping attempt horribly. They 453 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: would have woken up then just runaway, and then I 454 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,280 Speaker 1: would have had to give chase and I don't know. 455 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:30,200 Speaker 1: I'm not I'm not in that kind of shape. I 456 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:32,240 Speaker 1: would have lost the I would have lost the mark. 457 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:36,360 Speaker 1: But they did not lose the mark. These kidnappers. They 458 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:41,239 Speaker 1: spirited Getty away to a hideaway hideout uh in the 459 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:45,200 Speaker 1: Italian countryside. And obviously you see where this is going. 460 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:51,120 Speaker 1: It would appear JP three's loose lips sank his own ship. Uh. 461 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 1: You know, I wouldn't is It's not like they would 462 00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:55,800 Speaker 1: want to make a public information that this is an 463 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:58,680 Speaker 1: air to the Getty fortune, especially in a place like 464 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:02,800 Speaker 1: Italy where you know there are not you know, there 465 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:06,640 Speaker 1: are criminal elements around. You know, understand to say that's 466 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:10,520 Speaker 1: exclusively an Italian thing, but organized crime did kind of 467 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: have its roots in this part of the world. And 468 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 1: it is conjecture that when JP three would like barter 469 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:22,920 Speaker 1: some of his paintings for rent, because again it wasn't 470 00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:26,200 Speaker 1: swimming in dough, there were some folks maybe at the 471 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:29,360 Speaker 1: restaurant near his apartment where he would go to do this, 472 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 1: that overheard and maybe you know, curried a little favor 473 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:38,080 Speaker 1: with a local, you know, Mafio so and uh potentially 474 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 1: maybe got a little bit of a pay day like 475 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:44,480 Speaker 1: a finder's fee. Yeah. Yeah. And to this day, the 476 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:49,080 Speaker 1: details of the of the genesis of this kidnapping plot 477 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: are still a little murky, but we do know that 478 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: a few days after the disappearance, the Golden Hippies mother 479 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,400 Speaker 1: gets a note and says the following, Yeah, mother, I've 480 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:02,400 Speaker 1: fallen into the hands of napos. Don't let me be killed. 481 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:06,160 Speaker 1: Please make sure the police do not interfere. You must 482 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: absolutely not take this as a joke. Don't give publicity 483 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:14,680 Speaker 1: to my kidnapping. Its spelled like kidnaping. But look, people 484 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: took this as a joke initially because the scuttle Butt 485 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:25,440 Speaker 1: had it that the Golden Hippie had talked to friends, family, 486 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:28,840 Speaker 1: and locals and trusted folks in his life about solving 487 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:33,640 Speaker 1: his financial problems by arranging his own perfect kidnapping and 488 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,920 Speaker 1: using that as a pretext to get a large sum 489 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:41,280 Speaker 1: of scratch from his grandfather to pay the ransom ostensibly, 490 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,600 Speaker 1: and then just keeping it for himself and saying, thank you, grandfather, 491 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:48,560 Speaker 1: I've learned my lesson and should change my ways. They go, 492 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:53,040 Speaker 1: those loose lips again, JP three, not good seeking your 493 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:55,680 Speaker 1: own ship. The boy who cried wolf at all? That right, 494 00:30:56,560 --> 00:31:00,560 Speaker 1: nobody nobody comes to running boy cried kidnapping. Mm hmm. 495 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:05,040 Speaker 1: This this even translates to the local police who are 496 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: also aware of this, and they're like, you know, he 497 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:11,760 Speaker 1: he probably kidnapped himself. Yeah, we're not gonna we don't 498 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 1: have the resources to deal with this shiftless lay about 499 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:17,920 Speaker 1: him gonna keep saying that. Yeah. Well, Also, the police, 500 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:21,240 Speaker 1: at least some faction of them were likely part of 501 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: Indreta like part of the mafia group at the time, 502 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,000 Speaker 1: Like they were probably compromised on the payroll. Yeah, and 503 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:32,000 Speaker 1: everybody knew he was in debt because he kept partying, 504 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 1: even though he's talking about how he's out of money, 505 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:38,400 Speaker 1: you know, bum and drinks and whatnot. His kidnappers where 506 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 1: this mafia group from southern Italy. They knew all about 507 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 1: his family. His mom, Gail, gets a call from the 508 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:51,320 Speaker 1: mafia so ring leader sin Quanta, and sin Quanta says, look, 509 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:53,640 Speaker 1: it's gonna we know who your family is. It's gonna 510 00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:57,400 Speaker 1: take a lot of money to get your son back. 511 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:00,600 Speaker 1: And she said she told them the truth. Said look, 512 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:02,640 Speaker 1: I know we got the name, but I don't have 513 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,080 Speaker 1: any of the family money. We're cut off. And then 514 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:08,560 Speaker 1: he said, ask for it from your father in law. 515 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 1: He has sold the money in the world, All the 516 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:13,920 Speaker 1: Money in the World. There's a film biopic, I guess 517 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:18,480 Speaker 1: by Ridley Scott called All the Money in the World, Um, 518 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:20,640 Speaker 1: which I have not seen, but I very much want to. 519 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:23,200 Speaker 1: In fact, I think after we wrap up here, I 520 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:26,000 Speaker 1: might rent it on the old Roku and give it 521 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:29,520 Speaker 1: a look. Um. I do like Ridley Scott doesn't appear 522 00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:32,400 Speaker 1: to be considered like one of his like greats, because 523 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:34,280 Speaker 1: I certainly haven't heard a whole lot about it. But 524 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: I am fascinated to see how this was dramatized all 525 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: the money in the world, and so they do just that. 526 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 1: They go to to hold the dear sweet cremuctedly Grandpapa 527 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:49,280 Speaker 1: and and can lay it out for him, you know, 528 00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: thinking he would just oh my, my, my, post sweet grandson. Uh, 529 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:58,240 Speaker 1: that is not what happened. No, No, they're swimming with 530 00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 1: the shark and they think they're in the guppy pulled. 531 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,600 Speaker 1: This is gonna be part one. We thought this would 532 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:07,360 Speaker 1: be the perfect place to pause the story here. We're 533 00:33:07,360 --> 00:33:09,840 Speaker 1: gonna return at the top of next week with part 534 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,680 Speaker 1: two of this story. We're gonna zoom out because you 535 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:16,040 Speaker 1: need to learn a little bit more about old JP 536 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:20,320 Speaker 1: Getty the patriarch, to learn why things went down the 537 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:22,600 Speaker 1: way they did. But we can't wait for you to 538 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 1: hear it. Thank you for joining us, folks. As always, 539 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:28,600 Speaker 1: thanks to our super producer, Mr Max Williams. Max, you're 540 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:31,120 Speaker 1: not secretly a Getty, are you, because you've been asking 541 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:34,120 Speaker 1: all the money in the world. You guess weird timing 542 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:38,000 Speaker 1: with the chuckles today, I mean Maxwell James Williams Getty. Yeah, 543 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 1: I mean, there's no hyphen. They end up my last name, 544 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:44,600 Speaker 1: you son of like the third Esquire Junior Senior. I mean, 545 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 1: I think the thing we've learned from this episode though, 546 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:51,320 Speaker 1: is don't name your children Junior and third and because 547 00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:53,800 Speaker 1: if down the road some one does a podcast about you, 548 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:57,840 Speaker 1: it just gets messy, right, Like Gabriel Garcia Marquez is 549 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:02,080 Speaker 1: hundred years of Solitude, which is a great look like that, 550 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:06,040 Speaker 1: like that House of Dragons business. Yeah, yeah, well that's 551 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:09,080 Speaker 1: also just a matter of casting. You know, a lot 552 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:12,719 Speaker 1: of a lot of those people look very similar, I'm thinking, yeah, 553 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:15,480 Speaker 1: but also even the ones with different names, their names 554 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:18,959 Speaker 1: sound similar. Yeah. You know, you've got Raineri's, You've got 555 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,680 Speaker 1: Ray and Thees you've got you know, we can just 556 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:29,000 Speaker 1: make up. You know, you'll be like Valerio and they'll say, oh, 557 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:34,400 Speaker 1: I think I remember him, Yeah Valerio, right, Vali Hi. Yeah. 558 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:38,239 Speaker 1: So so with with that name confusion aside, we are 559 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:41,080 Speaker 1: sticking to some nicknames for these folks. But this is 560 00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:44,080 Speaker 1: an important story and we can't wait to explore it 561 00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:49,040 Speaker 1: with you. Thanks also to our own, our own Balthazar 562 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:53,040 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland ak the Quister. Uh let's see who else. 563 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:56,319 Speaker 1: Thanks to East Jeff Cot, Alex Williams, who composed this 564 00:34:56,400 --> 00:35:01,719 Speaker 1: slamming track. Alex Williams. Indeed, Christopher rastiotis here in spirits 565 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:09,800 Speaker 1: the ghost of John Paul Getty Junior Senior, Maxwell Esquire 566 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:15,000 Speaker 1: Tally hot to Yeah, tell you, who do you? The 567 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:17,960 Speaker 1: kidnappers are calling me when I gotta go. Okay, okay, 568 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:27,040 Speaker 1: We'll see you next happix. For more podcasts for my 569 00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:29,759 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, 570 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:32,000 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows