Bruce L Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 From the friendly staff at the SMC Cartage Company! OK, a show of hands please. How many of us are going to be sitting down tonight with our Thompson / Thompson replica in our lap watching the St. Valentine's Day Massacre on the History Channel for the 30th time? I'll go first...me! My wife has a special place in Heaven for putting up with me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotDeaf Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Come on Bruce …. Even if someone says, that they aren’t going to watch, as soon as they start surfing around the TV, they’ll stop and finish watching the episode…. It looks like it’s on a 8PM EST…From the History Channel “February 1929: Al Capone takes on "Bugs" Moran in a battle for Chicago's underworld. Then: a burst from a Tommy gun and only one boss remained. Rare films and recreations offer the inside dope on organized crime's greatest mass murder. Narrated by Paul Sorvino†Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
full auto 45 Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 And then at 3am....it's us on the outdoor channel! With Thompson's! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/wink.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargent Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 belive it or not but my mothers aunt ann used to work in the same hotel buliding where bugs moran stayed and operated his business back in the good ol days when i was a little boy i used to have to run erons for her grocerys etc. she was unable to get around she gave me all kinds cool of things from the 20's and 30's like hats, jewerly,news papers tiger strip pens, antiques 1933 worlds fair stuff victrola with a least 1000 records the list goes on there was no one else to take care of her she never thru anything away i liked to listen to her old stories from chi-town have you ever heard (chick in the car and the car wont go) thats how you spell Chicago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duck52 Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Not planning on watching the History channel tonight, but I am taking a few friends out to shoot the M1928 today. Hopefully, it'll twist their future memories of Valentine's Day just a little. None of them have ever shot a Thompson before! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif duck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce L Posted February 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Duck, A very thoughtful Valentine's gift. Happines is a warm Thompson / Thompson replica! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce L Posted February 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 My wife even found a Pizzeria Uno (frozen) pizza from Chicago at our local grocery store for dinner! The only thing missing was a drum dump out in the backyard during intermission. By the way, is that a live SMG or a dummy gun that Helmer is holding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotDeaf Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 …..the way I seen it, it was a MGC Model Thompson, when he was holding it up you could see the markings on the side of the receiver… When was the episode made? Early 80’s? The program was called Time Machine and after seeing how everyone was dressed, it was a good laugh. But, still enjoyed it never the less…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docmolar Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 Phil They may have been kids in their 20`s but they said Capone was making a $105 million a year in 1929. I never had that kind of pocket change in my 20`s, or now for that matter of fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedry Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 (edited) QUOTE (docmolar @ Feb 15 2006, 01:01 PM) Phil They may have been kids in their 20`s but they said Capone was making a $105 million a year in 1929. I never had that kind of pocket change in my 20`s, or now for that matter of fact. Heck, is there ANYONE here who DOESN'T wish they could clear that kind of paycheck? (Legally and without selling out on principle, of course...) Can tell you what my first investments would be: A move out of this anti-class-3 crapheap in WA to somewhere auto-friendly and a vintage Colt to enjoy the new residence with. Edited February 15, 2006 by nedry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colt21a Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 QUOTE (NotDeaf @ Feb 15 2006, 02:45 PM) …..the way I seen it, it was a MGC Model Thompson, when he was holding it up you could see the markings on the side of the receiver… When was the episode made? Early 80’s? The program was called Time Machine and after seeing how everyone was dressed, it was a good laugh. But, still enjoyed it never the less…. bill got that replica from me when we did the book in 1990/91 on capone...and he tresure's it.since he can carry it around with no problem's....it has been used ina number of t.v.deal's...and when we did the redo of feb.14 at china club it was on display in a violin case....while i wielded the real deal with a fifty rd drum of blank's. and shouted "happy valentine's day's boys'' and let the entire 40 rd's go....then somebody moved on the floor and i let loose the last ten..........the club went crazy.....all in fun on a seriously deadly cold morning in chicago. good time's take care,ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 I loved the show. I have a thing for flappers, speakeasys, and a nice smoking finned barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giantpanda4 Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 Sgt, http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/iagree.gif Now if Zamm will post that picture..... I did think there is one detail, that has been shown in other shows, which states definitely that they found 70 .45 cases, 20 with marks from one gun and 50 from the other. Don't remember where I saw or read that, but it may mean one drum wasn't working after all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gijive Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 QUOTE (giantpanda4 @ Feb 15 2006, 07:45 PM)Sgt, http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/iagree.gif Now if Zamm will post that picture..... I did think there is one detail, that has been shown in other shows, which states definitely that they found 70 .45 cases, 20 with marks from one gun and 50 from the other. Don't remember where I saw or read that, but it may mean one drum wasn't working after all! Mike, There were 70 shell casings recovered that day in 1929. I have a copy of Calvin Goddard's report on his findings. For the record, a fifty round drum and a twenty round box magazine were used. My personal theory is that the Thompson with the fifty round drum was the primary shooting weapon. The twenty round equipped gun was for back-up. The Coroner's Inquest minutes report that several rounds were fired into the victim's when they were already down. Goddard determined which casings were fired from each gun. Fifty were fired from Serial # 2347 and twenty from 7580. The documentary was pretty well done, except for the statement that,"over two hundred rounds were fired." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chitowngangster Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 You're a 100% correct! The drum worked fine, the stick mag was there just in case the drum jammed.I've have heard of an even more ridiculous number reported,something like over a thousand shots fired????? http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif Mario Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gijive Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 QUOTE (PhilOhio @ Feb 16 2006, 11:33 AM)I was just thinking that out of around 15,000 1921 Colt Thompsons made before WW-II, it was probably no more than about a dozen, in the hands of a few kid gangsters in and around Chicago or New York, which gave the gun most of the popular imagery which surrounds it today. And that was also the foundation for all the exaggerated legal overcontrol and prohibition efforts. Talk about the tail wagging the dog... Phil, Actually, there were several more than that, but your point is well taken. I have been doing some research lately on the Massacre and the role of the Thompson during the Prohibition Era. Several newspaper editorials of the period decry the availabllity of machine guns to the public and the few sensational shootings attributed to the Thompson certainly influenced, if not caused, the passage of the National Firearms Act in 1934. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35divmp Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 All: If you can find it on DVD/VHS, there's also Roger Corman's movie, "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre"," staring Jason Robbards as Capone and Ralph Bellamy (I think) as Moran. Corman is best known for all his B-grade movies, but this movie is an excellent recreation of the events leading up to, the shooting, and the events after. There's a bunch of Thompsons in this one. The best scene is where Moran's people shoot up the lobby of the hotel where Capone is staying. Talk about squibs exploding! Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chitowngangster Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 QUOTE (35divmp @ Feb 16 2006, 04:52 PM) All: If you can find it on DVD/VHS, there's also Roger Corman's movie, "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre"," staring Jason Robbards as Capone and Ralph Bellamy (I think) as Moran. Corman is best known for all his B-grade movies, but this movie is an excellent recreation of the events leading up to, the shooting, and the events after. There's a bunch of Thompsons in this one. The best scene is where Moran's people shoot up the lobby of the hotel where Capone is staying. Talk about squibs exploding! Jay Yes! Real cool! In a documentary about the massacre movie Corman used more squibs in that Hawthorne hotel scene than was used in the whole war movie the Longest Day.They shot the scene something like three times.The prop dept. was freaking out. Mario Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21 smoker Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Yep,.. and George Segal was the main shooter who steps out the car and `re-hoses` the restaraunt with `Capone` cowaring on the floor... http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/wink.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bounty1 Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 I guess I'm getting in a little late on the St. Valentines day thing, but thought I'd mention something because someone on the forum indcated that 2 C drums were used. According to the Thompson Collector's Assocation last magazine, which I don't have at my fingertips right now., the two Thompsons used are being held by a police dept. in Illinois somewhere, and they had photos of both of them. RE: the massacre Thompsons.....one was used with a 20 rd. mag, and the other a 50rd. drum. All 70 shell casings were found on the floor of that Clark St. garage. I'll look around for the copy of my magazine and post the S/Ns when I find it, and the name of the police jurisdiction still holding them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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