Asides: Stop Thief!

Since the turn of the twentieth century and even earlier, publishers realized the reading public would always be ready for a good true crime story. In the 20's and 30's, dozens of true crime magazines crowded the newsstand. The Police Gazette, True Crime, Crime Stories and True Detective Mysteries were some of the titles. This week's post features the true crime story of the Douglas Fairbanks - Mary Pickford (see, an early movie star actress tie-in) hold-up as told to True Detective Mysteries reporter Emerson Gaze.

When I saw this magazine for sale, I couldn't pass it up. Loved the cover, and knew my blog readers would want the full scoop on this Hollywood crime. The article is about 15 pages of text, and goes into so much detail I couldn't include it all. However, the first two pages are shown to give you a sense of the melodramatic writing style, and the rest of the post highlights the article's imagery, including the daring escape route photo-illustration, complete with a dotted line to help you follow along.

Some things never change, and the two ads that close this post show us that the problems of 1931 are still problems now, and there is always someone willing to sell you a solution.

Click on the images for a larger view.

True Detective Mysteries, August 1931
Cover Artist: Dalton Stevens

Table of Contents
You might also want to pick up this issue for the exciting story, The Murder on the Cannon Ball Express, or perhaps The Hell Valley Cistern Mystery.

Our true crime story begins - page 1 of a 2 page spread.

The perpetrators.

Exciting photo of doorway.

Doug and Mary weren't the only ones whose joint was cased.

Location of the shoot-out and capture of the bandits.

The car used in the "carnival of crime." Love that phrase.

Heroes.

But it wasn't over yet as a daring escape was tried...and failed.

1931 0r 2009, you decide.

Snake oil then and snake oil now. No dieting, no exercise, no drugs...and no results.

Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford, AKA Baby Gladys, "The Girl with the Golden Hair" ,"The Glad Girl", America's Sweetheart (abroad, The World's Sweetheart), Little Mary was was born in Toronto in 1892 and began her acting career at the age of six. She made her first of 249 films in 1909 and her final film in 1933. Married to Douglas Fairbanks, she was one of the founders of United Artists Pictures. She was also one of 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Without a doubt, Mary Pickford was the most popular stars in the silent era, if not of all time. She died in 1979 at the age of 87.

Mary Pickford- What do you think? Allure?

BTW - Another beautiful Beagle card - hand tinted