WEBVTT - ‘Acid Burns’: That Time Mae West Was Blackmailed, Know What I Mean? See?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Criminalia, a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership

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<v Speaker 1>with iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Miss West. The letter stated, quote we told you before

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<v Speaker 2>one thousand dollars or by god, we will get your

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<v Speaker 2>face at Western and Sunset you personally acid burns. This

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<v Speaker 2>was not the first time may West had run up

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<v Speaker 2>against extortionists. In another instance, in nineteen twenty nine, The

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<v Speaker 2>New York Times reported she paid three thousand dollars to

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<v Speaker 2>quote stay out of trouble with Chicago gangsters who were

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<v Speaker 2>threatening and terrorizing quote nationally known performers to hand over

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<v Speaker 2>cash for their own good. It was bigger than actors, though.

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<v Speaker 2>There were five major studios at the time, and they

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<v Speaker 2>not only made movies but also distributed them through their

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<v Speaker 2>own theater chains. Chicago gangster Frank Nitti. Since the Mob

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<v Speaker 2>controlled the Hollywood unions, the mob would also be able

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<v Speaker 2>to run a racket extorting theaters around the United States,

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<v Speaker 2>and they did. Plus they targeted actors, producers, executives, everyone.

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<v Speaker 2>By nineteen forty three, Nitty and his associates were charged

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<v Speaker 2>with extorting millions of dollars from Hollywood studios. But this

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<v Speaker 2>letter sent to May West this was different. This may

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<v Speaker 2>have been Hollywood, but this one was personal. Welcome to Criminalia.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm Rich Markey and I'm Holly Frye. So this time around,

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<v Speaker 2>West wasn't being threatened by the mob. She wasn't being

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<v Speaker 2>blackmailed in regard to something salacious or indecent that she

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<v Speaker 2>may or may not have said her done, or for

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<v Speaker 2>her secret, albeit short lived marriage to New York vaudeville

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<v Speaker 2>performer Frank Wallace in nineteen eleven.

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<v Speaker 1>That's right. She denied it until nineteen thirty seven, but

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<v Speaker 1>she finally admitted under oath that she was yes, missus

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<v Speaker 1>maymie Zukis, but the pair she claimed had never lived together. Wallace,

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<v Speaker 1>which was of course his stage name, was not trying

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<v Speaker 1>to blackmail her in the action that brought her before

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<v Speaker 1>a judge. He was trying to get New York state

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<v Speaker 1>courts to declare that he was entitled to half of

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<v Speaker 1>everything she had. She won that case.

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<v Speaker 2>After Labor Day in nineteen thirty five, West received the

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<v Speaker 2>first of what would become a series of extortion letters,

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<v Speaker 2>threatening death or disfigurement by acid if one thousand dollars

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<v Speaker 2>was not paid. This wasn't about secrets or favors. It

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<v Speaker 2>was about taking money from a celebrity. It started with

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<v Speaker 2>an envelope postmarked September thirteenth, nineteen thirty five, Special Delivery,

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<v Speaker 2>and was addressed to Miss May West of five p

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<v Speaker 2>seventy North, Rossmore, Ravenswood Apartments, Hollywood, California. There was nothing

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<v Speaker 2>unusual about the envelope, but its contents were a different matter.

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<v Speaker 2>The blackmail letter read as quote acid is a horrible

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<v Speaker 2>thing to throw in one's face, so beautiful in the

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<v Speaker 2>height of her career. You can lose one thousand dollars

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<v Speaker 2>or a million dollars. We are determined to get it.

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<v Speaker 2>We want money no later than nine o'clock Monday night

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<v Speaker 2>at the other end of Warner Brothers studio in the

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<v Speaker 2>last palm tree. If the extortion squad is there, we

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<v Speaker 2>will spoil your face for all time. You know where

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<v Speaker 2>the last tree is, by the gate on the corner.

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<v Speaker 2>Stick it in the tree by the palms, and don't

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<v Speaker 2>try to stop who gets it ty a handkerchief on

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<v Speaker 2>the wall there opposite the tree. If you fail to

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<v Speaker 2>meet our demands, we will shoot an air gun at you,

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<v Speaker 2>and we are good shots.

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<v Speaker 1>Over. Another letter followed it read quote acid is a

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<v Speaker 1>holy job. It never heals. We have an air gun

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<v Speaker 1>which will shoot one hundred yards and it has a

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<v Speaker 1>perfect sight. We know we would be caught if we

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<v Speaker 1>walk up to you and throw it in your face,

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<v Speaker 1>so we are playing safe. We want one thousand dollars

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<v Speaker 1>by Tuesday night at twelve o'clock. There is a tin

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<v Speaker 1>can in front of the Warner Brothers studio on Sunset Boulevard,

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<v Speaker 1>next to the Remick Music Pub. There's a passage there.

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<v Speaker 1>It's inside the concrete wall next to the hydrant. Tie

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<v Speaker 1>a white handkerchief on the faucets so we know it's there.

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<v Speaker 1>Cross us and lose a million, we will send a

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<v Speaker 1>decoy for it, acid burns.

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<v Speaker 2>These were threats meant to induce terror, no doubt, Promising

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<v Speaker 2>to disfigure a celebrity known for their face probably seemed

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<v Speaker 2>like a quick way to gain compliance. As we ponder that,

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<v Speaker 2>we're going to take a break for a word from

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<v Speaker 2>our sponsors. And when we return there are more letters

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<v Speaker 2>to talk about. But first we'll get to know more

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<v Speaker 2>about May West.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome back to Criminalia. You may know her from lines

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<v Speaker 1>like cut up and see me sometime, But May West

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<v Speaker 1>was much more than the character she played, So let's

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<v Speaker 1>talk about how she got to be a celebrity.

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<v Speaker 2>Mary Jane May West was an American actress, singer, playwright,

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<v Speaker 2>and screenwriter. She wrote under the pen named Jane mast And.

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<v Speaker 2>She was known for her sex appeal and her body humor.

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<v Speaker 2>West was born on August seventeenth, eighteen ninety three, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn,

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<v Speaker 2>the first of three children born to John West and

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<v Speaker 2>Matilda Delker. After she placed well in local talent contests

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<v Speaker 2>under the stage name Baby May as a child, her

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<v Speaker 2>parents allowed her to drop out of school to pursue

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<v Speaker 2>the stage. Her education ended after the fourth grade. Recalling

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<v Speaker 2>of herself growing up, May has stated quote, I had

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<v Speaker 2>a deep, rough voice for a child. The audience started

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<v Speaker 2>laughing when they heard my first powerful tones. I fell

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<v Speaker 2>in love on that stage.

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<v Speaker 1>May began her acting career when she was fourteen years old,

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<v Speaker 1>when she signed with hal Clarendon Stock Company at the

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<v Speaker 1>Gotham Theater in New York City. She spent the next

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<v Speaker 1>few years working the vaudeville and burlesque circuit. By the

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen twenty she was acting, singing, and writing her own plays.

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<v Speaker 1>It was in nineteen twenty six when she shot to stardom,

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<v Speaker 1>some say, to notoriety with her self penned play titled

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<v Speaker 1>Sex The Story of a Montreal Sex Worker was a

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<v Speaker 1>hit on Broadway, and a year into its run, as

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<v Speaker 1>many as three hundred seventy five performances had already taken

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<v Speaker 1>place and three hundred twenty five thousand people had seen

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<v Speaker 1>the show. But in February of nineteen twenty seven, authorities

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<v Speaker 1>rated the theater and the show was shut down. West

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<v Speaker 1>was arrested and faced a grand jury claiming that her

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<v Speaker 1>quote obscene, indecent, immoral, and impure drama would corrupt the

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<v Speaker 1>morals of youth.

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<v Speaker 2>The court offered to drop the charges if she paid

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<v Speaker 2>a five hundred dollars fine and closed the show, but

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<v Speaker 2>the savvy West chose to serve a ten day jail

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<v Speaker 2>sentence in a workhouse on Welfare Island now known as

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<v Speaker 2>Roosevelt Island because of the publicity it would garner. She

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<v Speaker 2>ended up serving eight of those days, and she used

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<v Speaker 2>the very public opportunity to her advantage, including stating to

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<v Speaker 2>the press during her incarceration that she'd dined with the warden.

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<v Speaker 2>She shocked the tabloid press when she told them she

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<v Speaker 2>wore silk garments under her inmate uniform. In response to

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<v Speaker 2>a journalist who asked her what she thought was going

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<v Speaker 2>to happen next, West replied, quote, I expect this will

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<v Speaker 2>be the making of me. The whole event, said West

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<v Speaker 2>was quote marketing gold. It was the first time she

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<v Speaker 2>was arrested on indecency charges, but it wasn't the last.

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<v Speaker 1>She followed up Sex with several other plays, including Diamond Lil,

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<v Speaker 1>a massive hit that ran for more than three hundred

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<v Speaker 1>performances on Broadway alone. When the Great Depression began to

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<v Speaker 1>take a toll on the economy, West, at age thirty eight,

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<v Speaker 1>relocated from New York to Hollywood, and in nineteen thirty two,

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<v Speaker 1>she was offered her first motion picture contract. The contract

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<v Speaker 1>with Paramount Pictures not only launched her screen career, but

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<v Speaker 1>it also helped save Paramount from bankruptcy. Arriving in Hollywood,

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<v Speaker 1>West famously announced quote, I'm not a little girl from

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<v Speaker 1>a little town making good in a big town. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>a big girl from a big town making good in

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<v Speaker 1>a little town. And she proved it. Variety reported quote,

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<v Speaker 1>May West's films have made her the biggest conversation provoker

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<v Speaker 1>free space grabber and all around box office bet in

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<v Speaker 1>the country. She's as hot an issue as Hitler. It's

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<v Speaker 1>kind of a dubious honor to be given by the press.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes. By nineteen thirty five, West had become a hot

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<v Speaker 2>celebrity topic. She was the highest paid woman in the

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<v Speaker 2>United States and the second highest paid person behind William

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<v Speaker 2>Randolph Hurst. Her critics called her quote the first female

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<v Speaker 2>leading man and the greatest female impersonator. So not exactly

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<v Speaker 2>adored by.

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<v Speaker 1>All, but there were many who championed her too, including

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<v Speaker 1>popular American writer f. Scott Fitzgerald, who considered West quote

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<v Speaker 1>the only Hollywood actress with an ironic edge and comic spark.

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<v Speaker 1>Popular British novelist Hugh Walpole wrote that only she and

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<v Speaker 1>Charlie Chaplin quote dare to directly attack with their mockery

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<v Speaker 1>the fraying morals and manners of a dreary world. French

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<v Speaker 1>author Sidey Gabrielle Colette praised her independent spirit, writing quote,

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<v Speaker 1>she alone, out of an enormous and dull catalog of heroines,

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<v Speaker 1>does not get married at the end of the film,

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<v Speaker 1>does not gaze sadly at her declining youth, does not

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<v Speaker 1>experience it's the bitterness of the abandoned older woman. She

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<v Speaker 1>alone has no parents, no children, no husband. This impudent

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<v Speaker 1>woman is in her style as solitary as Chaplain used

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<v Speaker 1>to be.

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<v Speaker 2>We are now going to take a break for word

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<v Speaker 2>from our sponsors, and when we return we will talk

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<v Speaker 2>about yes, more letters and how West's extortionist was caught

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<v Speaker 2>sort of caught.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome back to Criminalia. It took more than one try

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<v Speaker 1>to do it. But let's talk about the odd way.

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<v Speaker 1>This case was closed.

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<v Speaker 2>In October of nineteen thirty five. The letters kept arriving.

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<v Speaker 2>One stated quote, lose your career and beauty on the

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<v Speaker 2>set or fights or home five seventy raw or writing

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<v Speaker 2>or parties or studio. We see you every day. Acid burns.

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<v Speaker 2>Yet another read quote, you can call the police if

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<v Speaker 2>you wish, but then you will be sure to get

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<v Speaker 2>acid and a little lie in the eyes as good measure.

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<v Speaker 2>We want one thousand in fives, tens, twenties, unmarked or copied.

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<v Speaker 2>If so you shall never be afraid again of this threat,

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<v Speaker 2>as we keep our promise, as.

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<v Speaker 1>Any of us would. West reported these letters to the

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<v Speaker 1>authorities as soon as they started arriving. District Attorney's Office

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<v Speaker 1>investigator Harry Dean was assigned to the case capture the

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<v Speaker 1>extortionist who was threatening to throw acid at May West

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<v Speaker 1>unless she delivered one thousand dollars, and to catch their

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<v Speaker 1>suspect to Dean went undercover, really undercover. He impersonated May West,

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<v Speaker 1>wearing hair, makeup and clothing in her style and manner.

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<v Speaker 2>Part of another letter read quote, we could have did

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<v Speaker 2>it many times already, but we want to see what

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<v Speaker 2>you would say.

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<v Speaker 1>First.

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<v Speaker 2>We had your chauffeur's automatic last Friday, but put it back,

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<v Speaker 2>ask him if he left it in the car, and

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<v Speaker 2>then came back for it an hour later.

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<v Speaker 1>Attempts to make contact with the perpetrator failed the first

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<v Speaker 1>few times. Dean and his team left a decoy package

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<v Speaker 1>at the site more than once, but no one showed

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<v Speaker 1>up at the drop to claim it, and then May

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<v Speaker 1>received another letter stating quote, we've seen your sign. It

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<v Speaker 1>looked like a trap. You put that money next to

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<v Speaker 1>the fire plug over the wall in the bushes tonight

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<v Speaker 1>and leave it there in a tin can, a small

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<v Speaker 1>can of your own. If anyone stops the man who

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<v Speaker 1>comes for it, this town will be too hot to

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<v Speaker 1>hold you as he will not know who we are,

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<v Speaker 1>and we don't joke. We knew you when you sent

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<v Speaker 1>one guy up the river for publicity, so don't try

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<v Speaker 1>it again, Acid burns.

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<v Speaker 2>After those few failed attempts by dean impersonating Way to

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<v Speaker 2>make the drop at the named rendezvous point, May herself

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<v Speaker 2>went with her chauffeur to drop off the money, well

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<v Speaker 2>to drop off the decoy. West's chauffeur, by the way,

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<v Speaker 2>was a man named Albert Chalky Wright, who was a

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<v Speaker 2>former boxer, and he was no joke. In two thousand

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<v Speaker 2>and three, he appeared in The Ring magazine's list of

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<v Speaker 2>one hundred Greatest Boxers of All Time. There was serious

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<v Speaker 2>backup at the scene too, a shotgun squad. Shotgun squads

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<v Speaker 2>were used in stakeouts, during which officers would camp out

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<v Speaker 2>for hours or longer at the scene waiting for their suspect.

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<v Speaker 2>One retired sergeant who worked these types of shifts once

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<v Speaker 2>quipped that the process was quote seven hours of boredom

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<v Speaker 2>and three seconds of sheer terror when confronting a suspect.

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<v Speaker 1>A man named George Janus, a cafeteria worker at one

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<v Speaker 1>of the studios, was taken into custody after he picked

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<v Speaker 1>up the decoy, which had been placed by Chalky Wright.

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<v Speaker 1>Reported by the Los Angeles Time on October tenth, nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>thirty five, quote, the bus boy was arrested Monday night

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<v Speaker 1>when he picked up a pocketbook which miss West chauffeur

0:14:08.040 --> 0:14:13.080
<v Speaker 1>had placed near Warner Brothers Sunset Boulevard studio. Per instructions

0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:16.640
<v Speaker 1>contained in the last of six notes received by the actress,

0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:19.880
<v Speaker 1>Yanoo stuck to his story that he happened along as

0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:22.520
<v Speaker 1>the pocketbook was placed by the tree, and that he

0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:25.840
<v Speaker 1>had picked it up out of sheer curiosity. The Los

0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:29.240
<v Speaker 1>Angeles Times then reported the next morning that quote, six

0:14:29.280 --> 0:14:33.000
<v Speaker 1>other suspicious characters found loitering in the neighborhood were taken

0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:36.920
<v Speaker 1>to the District Attorney's office for questioning. Those six people

0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:38.360
<v Speaker 1>were released.

0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:43.760
<v Speaker 2>And Janoos well, the chief special investigator for the District Attorney,

0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:47.640
<v Speaker 2>a man named Blaney Matthews, doubted his guilt because George,

0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:52.720
<v Speaker 2>a Greek immigrant, spoke little English. Janos was released from

0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:56.200
<v Speaker 2>custody on October tenth, nineteen thirty five, and the extortion

0:14:56.800 --> 0:15:01.000
<v Speaker 2>story just kind of ends there. The case wasn't solved,

0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:03.680
<v Speaker 2>but it was closed. No one was held accountable for

0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:07.040
<v Speaker 2>the threats, but after Yanus was detained and questioned, the

0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:08.120
<v Speaker 2>letters stopped.

0:15:09.600 --> 0:15:13.640
<v Speaker 1>Dean for his efforts, received acclaim and applause for his

0:15:13.720 --> 0:15:19.160
<v Speaker 1>investigation and his impersonation from his fellow investigators. The New

0:15:19.240 --> 0:15:22.440
<v Speaker 1>York Times reported that his colleagues turned his office into

0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:26.160
<v Speaker 1>what could have been may West's dressing room, tying ribbons

0:15:26.200 --> 0:15:29.600
<v Speaker 1>to his telephone and placing flowers on his desk and

0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:34.440
<v Speaker 1>leaving quote essence of hyacinth spray lingering in the air.

0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:38.040
<v Speaker 1>At the same time and off the record, some reports

0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:41.960
<v Speaker 1>suggest FBI Director j. Edgar Hoover was really angry with

0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:45.560
<v Speaker 1>the Los Angeles Police Department because he believed blackmail and

0:15:45.680 --> 0:15:50.280
<v Speaker 1>extortion fell under federal responsibility and was not an enforcement

0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:54.280
<v Speaker 1>matter for local law. Hoover built the reputation of the

0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:58.080
<v Speaker 1>FBI by targeting and arresting bank robbers in the nineteen thirties.

0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:02.680
<v Speaker 1>That's true, but yes, the new bureau was responsible for

0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:05.160
<v Speaker 1>investigating this type of threat.

0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:08.520
<v Speaker 2>When may West died from complications of a stroke at

0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:11.280
<v Speaker 2>the age of eighty seven in November of nineteen eighty,

0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:15.560
<v Speaker 2>it was front page news and the embalmer it said,

0:16:15.720 --> 0:16:20.400
<v Speaker 2>made her look half her age. The Los Angeles Times

0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:23.520
<v Speaker 2>reported quote. In her life, she became both an icon

0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:27.640
<v Speaker 2>and a caricature. May herself lives on in so many

0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:31.920
<v Speaker 2>ways still today, and she's been a dictionary entry, yes,

0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:36.480
<v Speaker 2>since World War Two, when RAF pilots cheekily named their

0:16:36.560 --> 0:16:40.960
<v Speaker 2>full chested inflatable life preservers in her honor. I think

0:16:40.960 --> 0:16:42.320
<v Speaker 2>we should have a drink to her honor.

0:16:42.960 --> 0:16:45.320
<v Speaker 1>Listen, I'll drink to May West any day. I love her.

0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:54.560
<v Speaker 1>So this coercion concoction, it's an interesting one. Before I

0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:57.920
<v Speaker 1>talk about the one we're having, there is a cocktail

0:16:58.000 --> 0:16:59.520
<v Speaker 1>called a May West.

0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:00.720
<v Speaker 2>I didn't know that.

0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:04.400
<v Speaker 1>I was not brave enough to make it, and I'll

0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:08.919
<v Speaker 1>tell you why. It is an odd combination of ingredients

0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:16.200
<v Speaker 1>because it is made with vodka, amaretto, madori, and cranberry juice.

0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:20.560
<v Speaker 2>What very interesting fruity salad you got going on there.

0:17:20.680 --> 0:17:23.359
<v Speaker 1>It seems like it would be a war. Allegedly, and

0:17:23.400 --> 0:17:27.200
<v Speaker 1>again I didn't make this to test it. Allegedly, something

0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:29.600
<v Speaker 1>happens where when you drink it, it actually tastes like

0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:32.640
<v Speaker 1>a cherry cordial like. It takes on a chocolatey note

0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:36.480
<v Speaker 1>from the amaretto and the medori's sweetness. Okay, does something

0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:39.919
<v Speaker 1>that makes it sound like a confection. I haven't tried it.

0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:42.040
<v Speaker 1>I might at some point, but just if you're curious

0:17:42.080 --> 0:17:44.600
<v Speaker 1>about it, that's what that is. That's not what we're having.

0:17:45.200 --> 0:17:47.679
<v Speaker 1>The thing, of course, that I would bet most of

0:17:47.760 --> 0:17:52.520
<v Speaker 1>us are thinking throughout this whole thing is acid Burns,

0:17:52.920 --> 0:17:56.119
<v Speaker 1>which is interesting right the way it's always the tag

0:17:56.200 --> 0:18:00.200
<v Speaker 1>of the letters. It almost sounds like somebody's name, their

0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:03.520
<v Speaker 1>pen name is acid Burns, like Charles Montgomery Burns and

0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:07.120
<v Speaker 1>his brother Acid his brother, just to get a little

0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:09.879
<v Speaker 1>Simpsons reference in at any time. But it made me

0:18:09.920 --> 0:18:15.240
<v Speaker 1>think about a cocktail that would be acidic ie in

0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:20.560
<v Speaker 1>cocktail language, that means citrus, heavy and a little bit interesting, familiar,

0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:23.160
<v Speaker 1>but something with a bite that was like as robust

0:18:23.240 --> 0:18:26.600
<v Speaker 1>and brazen as May West. This one is a little

0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:29.600
<v Speaker 1>bit it shares DNA with a margarita, but it goes

0:18:29.640 --> 0:18:33.400
<v Speaker 1>to a different place pretty quickly. But we also haven't

0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:35.240
<v Speaker 1>done tequila in a while, so it felt like the

0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:38.600
<v Speaker 1>right time, right. I could definitely see May West doing

0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:41.680
<v Speaker 1>shots of tequila, or we're not doing shots, but.

0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:45.080
<v Speaker 2>I could see that. Yes.

0:18:45.480 --> 0:18:48.639
<v Speaker 1>So the acid burn starts with an ounce and a

0:18:48.680 --> 0:18:52.880
<v Speaker 1>half of tequila reposotto would be my choice. A half

0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:57.760
<v Speaker 1>ounce of quantro, a half ounce of ginger liqueur, a

0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:01.919
<v Speaker 1>half ounce of lime juice. Then you're also gonna add

0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:06.520
<v Speaker 1>a quarter ounce of lemon juice, anywhere between a splash

0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:09.200
<v Speaker 1>and a half ounce of a gave, depending on how

0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:11.960
<v Speaker 1>sweet you like it, like in agave syrup. And then

0:19:12.119 --> 0:19:14.520
<v Speaker 1>you're gonna shake that. You're gonna pour it into a

0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:17.240
<v Speaker 1>pre chilled glass, and you're gonna top it with a

0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:22.359
<v Speaker 1>low kiss of prosecco. There's enough sweetness because the citrus,

0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:25.000
<v Speaker 1>we're getting citrus from the liqueur and the ginger liqueur

0:19:25.119 --> 0:19:29.679
<v Speaker 1>is involved that it's not just the bitter acid flavor.

0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:32.560
<v Speaker 1>You're also getting that sweetness. And the prosecco evens it

0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:34.560
<v Speaker 1>out a little bit, makes it very crisp and bright,

0:19:34.600 --> 0:19:36.440
<v Speaker 1>because otherwise I found it a little heavy.

0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:38.399
<v Speaker 2>And you get a little bubbly from may West.

0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:41.080
<v Speaker 1>I think you know I love a little bubble action

0:19:41.600 --> 0:19:44.840
<v Speaker 1>the mocktail. For this one, we're gonna do things a

0:19:44.840 --> 0:19:49.760
<v Speaker 1>little different. We're gonna do an ounce of lime juice,

0:19:50.240 --> 0:19:53.520
<v Speaker 1>a half ounce of lemon juice, a half ounce of

0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:57.040
<v Speaker 1>ginger syrup, and a half ounce of orange syrup. If

0:19:57.080 --> 0:19:59.720
<v Speaker 1>you cannot find ginger syrup, man, that's the easiest syrup

0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:02.160
<v Speaker 1>in the world to make. If you just boil some ginger,

0:20:02.800 --> 0:20:06.720
<v Speaker 1>literally chunks of ginger and water, you will have ginger tea,

0:20:06.800 --> 0:20:09.520
<v Speaker 1>and then you can make that into ginger syrup by

0:20:09.600 --> 0:20:13.080
<v Speaker 1>just adding sugar to it. I usually do like a

0:20:13.160 --> 0:20:15.399
<v Speaker 1>cup and a half of tea and a cup and

0:20:15.440 --> 0:20:18.160
<v Speaker 1>a half of sugar. I like a one to one.

0:20:18.240 --> 0:20:22.240
<v Speaker 1>Some people like more sugar to get a thicker syrup,

0:20:22.280 --> 0:20:26.399
<v Speaker 1>which is fine, that's dealer's choice. But then you're gonna

0:20:26.400 --> 0:20:28.480
<v Speaker 1>take all of that, You're gonna put it in your shaker,

0:20:28.520 --> 0:20:32.200
<v Speaker 1>you're gonna strain it into a pre chilled glass, and

0:20:32.240 --> 0:20:34.840
<v Speaker 1>you can top that with ginger ale or if you

0:20:34.880 --> 0:20:37.720
<v Speaker 1>want a less sweet drink, club soda. That's just like

0:20:37.760 --> 0:20:41.840
<v Speaker 1>a refreshing variation on a lemon lime. It's very, very

0:20:41.920 --> 0:20:45.200
<v Speaker 1>yummy and very easy to drink. So that is the

0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:49.800
<v Speaker 1>acid burns, which hopefully will not burn you in any

0:20:49.840 --> 0:20:53.119
<v Speaker 1>way and will only be delightful and make you feel

0:20:53.320 --> 0:20:57.080
<v Speaker 1>refreshed and also make you think of May West, because

0:20:57.119 --> 0:21:02.600
<v Speaker 1>she's pretty interesting, a fascinating woman. We just can't help

0:21:02.640 --> 0:21:05.000
<v Speaker 1>but admire a bit I like that. She was like, Ugh,

0:21:05.440 --> 0:21:07.040
<v Speaker 1>just give me the thing. I'll take it myself.

0:21:07.119 --> 0:21:09.639
<v Speaker 2>I yeah, right, you've tried five times, I'll do the

0:21:09.680 --> 0:21:10.560
<v Speaker 2>six to one. Right.

0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:13.040
<v Speaker 1>I got a boxer with me. We're fine between the

0:21:13.080 --> 0:21:19.000
<v Speaker 1>two of us, not a problem. If you find yourself

0:21:19.040 --> 0:21:21.800
<v Speaker 1>in dire straits, please let authorities handle it. Don't presume

0:21:21.800 --> 0:21:23.679
<v Speaker 1>that you can do it, even if Maywest is very.

0:21:23.520 --> 0:21:25.159
<v Speaker 2>Cool or you have a boxer friend.

0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:30.600
<v Speaker 1>We are so thankful that you spent this time with us.

0:21:30.720 --> 0:21:33.080
<v Speaker 1>We hope that you will join us once again next week.

0:21:33.359 --> 0:21:46.560
<v Speaker 1>Four other stories of blackmail, extortion, and coercion concoctions. Criminalia

0:21:46.680 --> 0:21:49.960
<v Speaker 1>is a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with iHeartRadio.

0:21:50.359 --> 0:21:54.720
<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

0:21:54.920 --> 0:21:57.959
<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.