9 replies to this topic

[worldsfairent]

For those of you who are WCE fans-- and/or fans of a great novel published a few years ago called THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY (a gripping tale of America's first serial killer set against the construction of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair)-- it looks like Hollywood is finally going to take a whack at the movie version:

"Devil of a Role for Leonardo DiCaprio"

[xl5er]

Great book!
Wonderful WCE descriptions.
HORRIFYING murder(s) tale. Like an accident you can't take your eyes from.

(I'm still waiting for Hollywood to come through with Confederacy of Dunces.)

Curious how they would visualize the WCE, or otherwise adhere to the parallel narratives.

[Jim]

It is a wonderful and creepy tale. If a film is made, would DiCaprio play the role of HH Holmes, the infamous killer? That would be a huge change for him. Also, if the film is made, it would have to provide some sort of scenes from the Columbian Exposition and those would be incredible to see. It is interesting to me that two of Chicago's most notorious murder stories come from the same part of the city. The first is the infamous HH Holmes murders at his "hotel" near the Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park. The site of his murders is well known today and is on a tour of such places in Chicago. The second story took place thirty years later when Bobby Franks was killed by Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold who lived very near to Jackson Park in the Hyde Park section of Chicago. That murder took place in 1922 or 1923. In fact, it all unfolded very near to where President Obama's Chicago home is located. One footnote: When Loeb and Leopold had finished typing their ransom note to be sent to the Franks family (their victim, thirteen year old Bobby, was already dead), they trashed the typewriter and dumped it into a lagoon in Jackson Park where police found it a few days later.

[Doug Seed]

it looks like Hollywood is finally going to take a whack at the movie version

I hope you're going to get a crack at writing the screenplay!

[worldsfairent]

I wish, Doug. I actually pitched a take way back when Tom Cruise had the rights, but alas, no go. No respect for us lowly TV writers!

[Larry Lief]

Great book!
Wonderful WCE descriptions.
HORRIFYING murder(s) tale. Like an accident you can't take your eyes from.

(I'm still waiting for Hollywood to come through with Confederacy of Dunces.)

Curious how they would visualize the WCE, or otherwise adhere to the parallel narratives.

"I'm still waiting for Hollywood to come through with Confederacy of Dunces. "


I love that book. Read it three times so far. But Hollywood will just screw it up if they ever do it.

I tried reading the Devil book once. Couldn't get in to it. Guess I didn't try very hard.

[eskarp]

H H Holmes "real" name was Herman W. Mudgett, which I've always considered a wonderfully plain moniker for a serial killer.

[Jim]

National Geographic channel now has a one hour story about the Columbian and HH Holmes. It was on today (4.22.12) at 11 AM EST. I notice that they frequently rebroadcast episodes. They had great images of the construction of the Fair as well as the destruction caused by fires. That exposition was absolutely plagued by fires starting in 1893 (during the Fair). There were a series of fires in the early winter of 1894 and then, during the Pullman Strike during that summer, huge portions of the buildings surrounding the lagoon were destroyed by fire. Just a year after the White City enchanted millions, it was--literally--ashes.

[waynebretl]

I thought of DiCaprio as just a pretty face (didn't think much of him in "Titanic") until I saw "The Departed." Now I think he learned to act, and since I just read "The Devil..." while on vacation, think he could be a convincing Holmes/Mudgett. And yes, that sure was creepy stuff. I knew of the book since it came out, but never got to it. It was lent to me by a colleague who was more interested in the details of the Expo, the engineering side of the Ferris wheel, the Chicago history etc. (He's originally from the Milwaukee area, so didn't get the Chicago indoctrination growing up, still wears those odd yellow and green football colors.) I took it on the plane and read half outbound and half returning.

[Randy Treadway]

Tomorrow night is the season premiere of Monumental Mysteries on the Travel Channel. Thursdays at 9/8c

Last season they had this episode regarding the H.H. Holmes murder story at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
http://www.travelcha...t-serial-killer