Al Capone - From Mobster to “Middle Grade Moron” | Biographical Documentary

The name of Al Capone was once feared by criminals and law-abiding citizens alike.
Implicated in over 100 deaths, some say as many as 700, he was famous for his ruthless control of the Chicago underworld in the 1920s.
But although he evaded his rivals and numerous attempts on his life, he couldn’t escape the tax man and his criminal career came to an abrupt end when he was incarcerated in 1931.
But after seven years of surprisingly good behaviour in prison, he became violent and delusional, believing he was on a mission from God to solve the problems of the Great Depression and he was diagnosed with an illness that led to him being described as a “middle-grade moron” in the terminology of the time.
In this historical documentary I explore the colourful life of the brutal gangster who was once declared Public Enemy Number One, but who ended his days needing round the clock care at the age of 48, aiming to find out what made Al Capone the man he was in his prime…. and what was the illness that reduced his mind to that of a 7-year-old child.
Finding Out More:
There are lots of biographies on Al Capone, but it is the older ones that are best. I would recommend Mr Capone by Robert J Schoenberg. There are lots of movies which are very entertaining but not very historically accurate. I have added some of the better ones my Amazon store page if you are interested: www.amazon.com/shop/professor...
Academic References:
Bousquet, S. C. (1997). The Gangster in Our Midst: Al Capone in South Florida, 1930-1947. Florida Historical Quarterly, 76(3), 4.
Brewer-Smyth, K. (2006). Neurological correlates of high-risk behavior: A case study of Alphonse Capone. Journal of neuroscience nursing, 38(6), 442.
Tampa, M., Sarbu, I., Matei, C., Benea, V., and Georgescu, S. R. (2014). Brief history of syphilis. Journal of medicine and life, 7(1), 4.
Copyright Disclaimer:
The primary purpose of this video is educational. I have tried to use material in the public domain or with Creative Commons Non-attribution licences wherever possible. Where attribution is required, I have listed this below. I believe that any copyright material used falls under the remit of Fair Use, but if any content owners would like to dispute this, I will not hesitate to immediately remove that content. It is not my intention to infringe on content ownership in any way. If you happen to find your art or images in the video, please let me know and I will be glad to credit you.
Images:
Wikimedia Commons
Wellcome Collection
FBI
My Alcapone Museum
Music:
Stephan Do Mandolinen Demo CC1.0
Hyacinth Yankee Doodle Public Domain
Leoncavallo Vesti la giuba from Pagliacci. Enrico Caruso rec 1907. Public domain
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem, K. 626, Lacrimosa. Wiener Philharmoniker Herbert von Karajan, conductor; Salzburg Festival, 1960. Public domain.
Scott Joplin - Gladiolus Rag - Pathé Dance Orchestra (public domain)
Jazz-Symphonie-Orchester Bernard Etté - O sole mio by Ernesto Di Capua, rearranged as a Tango and blues by Wilhelm Lindemann - Berlin 1927 CC0
Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra Create Rhapsody (Rhapsody in Blue-Paul Whiteman Orchestra) From the King of Jazz (1930) 1.35
The Foop Jazz Trio, Die Moritat von Mackie Messer -- Ukulele Instrumental Medley attribution
Confident Kurt Track Tribe CC0
Walk through the park Track Tribe CC0
Quiet the Mini Vandals CC0
Mussorgsky Il Vecchio Castello - Saxophone and Piano. David Hernando Vitores. CC4.0
Vladan Kuzmanović - Bravoure for 12 string guitar in A-flat major. CC4.0
Mussorgsky Hut on Fowl’s Legs IX. La Cabane sur des pattes de poule Allegro con brio feroce An by Skidmore College Orchestra CC0
Asher Fulero Lament of the Ancients CC0
Aletheia (Unforgetting) Devon Church CC0
B - Somber Ballads by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommons.org/licenses/... Artist: incompetech.com/
I Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: chriszabriskie.com/honor/
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/
Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer", published in 1902 and performed here by James Brigham in 2018. CC0
Video produced by Graeme Yorston and Tom Yorston.

[@am4793]

The fact that the syndicate gave him a pension is fascinating.

[@shaystern2453]

out of respect

[@therealnambro]

why wouldn't they? They're not a common street gang. It's an organization, a company. People give companies and organizations too much moral high ground.

[@philsurtees]

@@therealnambro WTF are you talking about??? NO ONE gives companies and organisations ANY moral high ground.

[@therealnambro]

Obvious blanket statement is false, big oof on your part See: The entire Left wing and half of the Right wing@@philsurtees​

[@RaptorFromWeegee]

Organizations or "companies" are subject to much conspiracy non-sense. Organizations are much like people, some are good, some are not so good, and others are terrible. But like people they're compelled to live within the law and when they live outside the law, they're prosecuted just like people. What are you going to do? Ban all organizations?

[@66kaisersoza]

The best documentaries are the ones that try to remain unbiased and judgemental. Great work!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I agree! Thank you.

[@koriw1701]

30:12 as a nurse, I simply cannot get over the cringe factor of that poor man receiving an injection directly into his gluteus maximus. The placement of the syringe tip puts the shot straight into the sciatic nerve! No wonder no one wanted to complete the injection series. Their sciatic nerves were being punctured without any attempts to protect the peripheral nerves. Didn't these"medical people" understand *anything* about spinal nerves? That lumber and sacral nerve branched into the major peripheral nerves of the leg. Were they even *qualified medical practitioners* or were they glorified techs, not even educated up to the level of a CNA? I personally have sciatica from decades of heavy physical labor with my patients (long before "body mechanics" were understood) and the damage this man (and probably many others) must have received at the hands of "medical personnel" had to put many people into bed, traction (if they had that in the 30's) Psychiatric hospitals are no longer being built in favor of bigger prisons. The mentally ill and unstable do not belong in prison. What a culture we've become...

[@robertstallard7836]

You do realise it could well be a posed shot for the camera and that no evidence is given that the photo is in any way connected to the treatment of STDs?

[@ierdnall]

I am currently attempting to revive the use of "Moron" as I encounter so many every day.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It's ok as an everyday insult, just not suitable for professional use!

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

It's always been one of my go to insults. It's weird that terms like moron, idiot, retarded etc. lost their professional uses and are insults because they just arbitrarily took on different meanings and aren't intrinsically bad words they just are conaidered such for really no reason. That's why I think political correctness is so ridiculous because there's no actual reason to change terminology, people just arbitrarily decide something is insulting and there's nothing intrinsically insulting at all about a term yet it gets labeled politically incorrect. Changing terminology is the most pointless thing ever except for rare occasions where something can be called something more descriptive or accurate but that's very rare.

[@stevewheatley243]

I use the word regularly. We're surrounded by morons.

[@terr777]

I use it while driving all the time.

[@LoveMyUnusual]

Dolt is a funny, underused one. 😂

[@Contessa6363]

My parents were born in 1920s Chicago. My mother( 1924 ) her family had immigrated from Sicily. Interesting times indeed!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It sounds like Chicago was a tough place in the 1920s.

[@wilburgraham6260]

Don Pellecan 🤣

[@mark8337]

My ex-in-laws on mother’s side were straight up 100% Italians from the boot. A very mafia-up’ed area. Immigrated and landed in little Italy/projects in Chicago. I do miss hearing those stories, but not my ex. Lol.

[@Mindfultranslations]

Me too … 😊

[@r.w.bottorff7735]

This was a very humane look at Capone, especially after syphilis ravaged his brain. Great video.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@SmokeyMcb]

@@professorgraemeyorston Al Capone was the only mobster that truly cared about his fellow human beings by setting up a soup kitchen that was feeding the hungry and poor during The Great Depression and what did the American government do to help the hungry and poor during The Great Depression? The American government did nothing to help the hungry and poor during The Great Depression because the American government let the hungry and poor die of starvation while Al Capone was the only mobster that truly cared about his fellow human beings by setting up a soup kitchen that was feeding the hungry and poor during The Great Depression. Al Capone was a good Samaritan that helped those that were hungry and poor.

[@lynnwood7205]

Back in the 1970's while in college one my fellow students showed a photo of his grandparent's dry goods store in Chicago. Standing with them in front of their counter was an impressive man in a fedora wearing a camel hair coat with a cigar in hand. He asked of the fellows there, "Anyone know who this is?" I waited. No one knew. So I said, "Alphonse". the others questioning, "Alphonse?" "Alphonse who" The fellow with the photo was smiling. "You know. Al.' "No Way.. Really?" "Yes, Al Capone. Scarface." "Look, you can even see the scars."

[@thorny7138]

The syphilis destroyed his mind and his body. I'd be surprised if he could even remember where the bathroom was in his own house, let alone get there himself by the end. As romanticised as he is, he did get the ending he deserved. He was a murderer, unwavering to take a life if it meant improvement of his station.

[@webbtrekker534]

My Dad had acquired a scar on his right cheek when he was about 8 years old. He had gotten it jumping out of a barn into a haystack and rolled into a barbwire fence. During the 1920's some of his friends began calling him "Al" in reference to Al Capone. He answered to that name until his death in 1955. I never thought anything about it until a few years ago when that point was suggested since it wasn't his real name. Even Mom called him that.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Some nicknames really stick!

[@zarni000]

That's a cool nickname to have

[@randelbrooks]

Moron is still a good legitimate classification just like idiot. They actually mean something. People are way too sensitive and look for reasons to complain. What a silly world we live in today.

[@tonimonteith8125]

My Grandparents came from Italy in 1910 via Ellis Island’ 🇺🇸, legally. When they lived in Chicago, they had the only cinder block garage in town. Al Capone used to park his car in their garage and pay them rent. He was very good to the community during the depression. He still was a crime boss and murderer. I heard a lot of stories from my father about the gang. My father died in 1991 of cancer. He was born 1922.. rest in peace Father. 🙏🏼

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

As soon as you mentioned middle age psychosis onset, I immediately thought syphilis. Peculiar disease, that has generational psychological effects, even with those seemingly asymptomatic. - 'Don't Call Me Scarface' , the start of the song by The Specials, called, 'Gangsters'.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It is nasty illness, the advanced stages of which we rarely see now.

[@RRaquello]

The Specials song was taken partly from Prince Buster's song "Al Capone".

[@cannotfindmyshoes3]

Brilliant track, great band. 👍

[@julierobertson148]

I was born in Miami and grew up on tales of Capone's harassment by local law enforcement (being hauled out of a classy car and charged with vagrancy, etc.). My mother (a registered nurse) told me about his syphilis but this is the first video I've seen directly addressing that issue. Very professional and revealing. (I'm now a subscriber.)

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Welcome aboard!

[@inwonderland4460]

Yes, as a result of this and the F. Scott Fitgerald video, I, too, am now a subscriber. Thorough investigation and reasoned, humane, valuable point of view. Kudos, Prof.!

[@wannawatchu66]

Didn't know Capone had syphilis, and that it WAS treatable, which makes me wonder why Scott Joplin didn't get treated. I think that's what killed him.

[@caittails]

⁠@@wannawatchu66 Syphilis is only treatable in the primary stage. Once it gets past that, it’s basically an insanity and death sentence. A lot of people might not even know they had it initially, which makes it extra dangerous.

[@janegardener1662]

Excellent documentary, thank you. The photgraphs are excellent, the writing clear, and the narration crisp and well-spoken.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Many thanks!

[@maggiemartin5754]

Other than the St. Valentine's Day Massacre didn't occur on 14 November. LOL

[@larryglowacki5312]

He misses a specific points that got him convicted for tax evasion. He didn’t do his homework.

[@thearmchairjournalist566]

@@larryglowacki5312nobody’s perfect but at least he tried his best and I learned new things I never heard before! You can do a video yourself you know!

[@kystars]

Yes, and he DID mention the tax evasion! He gave good information throughout the video@@thearmchairjournalist566

[@KatieDeGo]

I work in a hospital lab. Syphilis is still real, folks. We diagnose several cases a week, some in mothers and newborns. And I am in a midwestern town of 100,000. Get checked ✔️

[@professorgraemeyorston]

7 million new cases per year worldwide.

[@394pjo]

_"Don't mistake my kindness for a weakness. I am kind to everybody, but if you are unkind to me, weakness is not what you will remember me for"_ Al Capone

[@willissudweeks1050]

I dunno how nice the dude was

[@RaptorFromWeegee]

...and by kindness he means, doing what he tells you to do, or paying what he demands you to pay.

[@BradBrassman]

As someone who has studied organised crime in America for over 40 years, this documentary has been very interesting. I do think however that he was a product of his environment especially when one considers the range of mobsters from several ethnic backgrounds i.e. Irish, Jewish, Chinese and Italian that were spurned from the Lower East Side and Brooklyn.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, I agree they were all products of their environments and the politics of the time.

[@pipfox7834]

Spawned from the Lower East side, for sure...

[@tric5122]

They were all mostly spruned everywhere. Irish and Italians tended to be Catholic, who were spurned. So you have groups that were largely unwanted everywhere, leaving their best shots at wealth via crime.

[@velvetbees]

I too have been fascinated by the criminal mind. Have you ever run across this theory of the effects of prohibition on society? 1. Prior to prohibition, the ideals for society and people bent more toward honor in being chaste and noble. Our heroes were not criminals. Women wanted to be more like a Florence Nightengale and wanted to be seen as good, conforming and agreeable. 2. But when prohibition went into effect with the rise in crime, there was a message of "No" from the government. No alcohol. So, of course, crime went up. Speak Easies were daring and fun. Unexpectedly, young people rebelled. Gangsters became heroes. The films in Hollywood glamorized it. This video said people cheered Capone. Robin Hood is an old tale, but this was new. A love, or at least an allowing of transgressive behavior was born. It felt like freedom, and it was. After that, women wanted to be more like Scarlett O'Hara than Florence Nightengale. Which shows a shift in social norms. Rebellion against that puritanical mindset that was old fashioned. People were more daring. Life did become more fun, but it had positive and negative effects. Do you agree?

[@2livenoob]

"Irish, Jewish, Chinese and Italian"... what about black gangsters in Chicago? Are they also products of their environment?

[@Krullmatic]

I absolutely love your mini-documentaries Prof. Yorston! I get more out of these than an hour or two full doc.!

[@allisonhogg5131]

Thanks again. I always enjoy your documentaries.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you like them!

[@johnbrand1893]

An absolutely fascinating documentary on Al Capone, there’s probably a lot more that’s never been confirmed by any respected leading figures for one reason or another. But thank you for your video on this gangster.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jan9659]

This was a great video!

[@jan9659]

Bugsy Segiel

[@littleme3597]

@@jan9659 Bugsy Malone? No?

[@ministryoftruth8523]

It never ceases to amaze me that some members of the public put people like Capone on a pedestal. He was a murderous thug.

[@noelsalisbury7448]

It's the same thing with the Kray brothers, in 1960's London. Baffling.

[@fastyaveit]

Blame Hollywood and it's American audience

[@HammerStudioGames]

​@@fastyaveitAmerican? Excuse me? Hollywood movies play all over the world, we are exporters of culture.

[@TheBatugan77]

​@@fastyaveit I got your American audience right here.

[@2197slimeball]

kuz he helped his community😂

[@CrowCreekOutdoors]

In the 1920s, Capone built a house in Monteagle, Tennessee. It was at a halfway point between Chicago and Miami. It had hidden escape passages in case they had to get away from law enforcement. Im not sure if he called the house High Point,or if Monteagle was known as High Point in the 1920s, but the house became High Point Restaurant in 1999. Great historical place to eat.

[@christopherprisco8690]

Actually, he built a residence in High Point, NC. I lived near the place right off highway 85. I thought it was in Greensboro, on it's border with High Point.

[@adamgonzalez2785]

He had a similar home in Fontana California. It's still there.

[@mark8337]

@@adamgonzalez2785Didny know that about Fontana. Know it, will have to check it out.

[@jp-um2fr]

Just occasionally one comes across a channel worth watching. Few opinions and those together with extensive research make you feel 'I never knew that'. Well done that man.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Welcome aboard

[@Boo-dawg.]

Great video. I knew so little about Capone just the same information over and over. Very informative. I've always been fascinated by these OGs.

[@BarbaraCowdery]

Yet another interesting video. You always deliver! Thank you for your research & work.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@MoeSlislack]

the truth is often offensive. we need to get back to being honest and not worrying about offending everyone's precious feelings. the world was better when we were honest.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I agree we have gone too far.

[@RRaquello]

It's a cycle. There's no pleasant way to describe a mentally impaired person. Before the word "moron" was coined, they were generally referred to a "feeble minded". Moron was originally a more sensitive way to describe feeble mindedness. However soon the new sensitive word becomes common to the general population and becomes a general insult. Then it had to be replaced by a new word, which was "mentally retarded". That came in around the 1940's. Then that became a general insult and is now considered offensive, so it was replaced by "special needs" or "challenged". Now they've coined a new one "neurodivergent" and so it goes. There's no nice way to say someone is stupid, but they keep trying. But the language can only be stretched so far before it cracks.

[@bobtaylor170]

​@@RRaquello the doctor may correct me on this, but it's my impression that "neurodivergent" refers to those on the autism spectrum, and possibly those who have ADD. I agree, "neurodivergent" is an unsatisfactory word, extremely unsatisfactory. Euphemisms are fine as long as their meaning is understood, but "neurodivergent" is so flaccid its meaning mystifies me.

[@UncleDuTheWatchman]

It was. I'd rather know how you really feel about me than this fake "only say what makes people feel good" stuff we do now in the name of diplomacy I guess. It sucks. People are way too sensitive now and we're all walking on eggshells being super phony pretending the world is a better place now. It's not. Nobody's feelings have changed. People just have been forced to hide their feelings which leaves the rest of us at a disadvantage because KNOWING is half the battle.

[@braxtongreenwell5482]

Usually I don't trust ugly people but you are right on this one.

[@sidneysalcido9314]

Excellent mental health documentary. Have you by chance done one on Friedrich Nietzsche? He would be facinating to do since he was one of the most brilliant Philosophers who eventually gave way to severe mental issues. Thanks!

[@mrkitty777]

Nietzsce was unfortunately drugged with Ether almost a week everyday as punishment😢, eventually he had to take it by sniffing it volunteerly to not get seizures. Ether was also used as anesthetic.

[@annetterohla8932]

Nietczhe was a homosexual pedophile who hated women.A.Hitler,the homosexual pagan Jew founded his regime on Nietzche's philosophies.Not very attractive to normally socialized people of Jesus.

[@mj2495]

I second that! Nietzsche and his mustache is a fascinating subject. I jest. Having studied this interesting writer/philosopher several times during my younger days, I still know no details of his final years. That is; his so called insanity and hospitalization.

[@mrkitty777]

Nietzche said something about like: "the gov is the greatest beast" so hence the punishment.

[@SamiiYou]

He had terrible health that eventually lead him having an aneurysm in his mid to late forties. It's probable that he had contracted syphilis from a prostitute from symptoms he described, although had that been the case the length of his illness would have been atypical. In any case he was strung out on drugs for most of his life. Tragically he was institutionalized by his sister, who was a card carrying member of the Nazi party and a all round nasty piece of work. She just turned him into her meal ticket and forged later pieces of his work in order to further her own agenda.

[@john2510]

Really well done. The best Capone bio I've seen. Included a lot of info and photos I hadn't seen before. A very objective approach.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@Sprocketboy1956]

This was extremely well done. I have come to this video while checking a story that came about from a bicycle ride I did in Eastern Ontario in August. The locals claim that Al Capone had a country getaway in the area, a log structure that was built for him around 1942 and that he was there, under the assumed name of Joe Hatch, with an entourage at various times between 1943 and 1947. The nearest settlement would be Quadeville, which even today only has a population of less than 200. This video just confirms how unlikely the Ontario story has to be and how people spin out fantasies--stories like "when my grandfather built the cottage he said that Al Capone was just the nicest man to work for," or "my grandfather used to play with Al Capone's son," which also makes no sense as his son would have been 24 in 1942. There are also stories that Al Capone used a network of tunnels in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. It all overlooks what his mental and physical condition would have been after his release from the hospital in Baltimore in 1940 and that, according to the video, he would still have been on parole until November 1942. There is a Capone connection, however distant, and this appears to be the real story. After Capone's imprisonment, members of his mob dispersed. Joe Hatch (an assumed name for an Italian-American gangster) was based in Toledo and came to Ontario as an investor in a beryl mine, having the big log house built and staying for two summers with his family and associates before being arrested in Toledo and served 18 years in prison.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Fascinating, thank you.

[@lint8391]

"Loving husband"? The guy that was having sex with prostitutes? Come on! On what planet is that being a loving husband?

[@themoviemaniac8416]

The planet of the double-standard Mafia bosses who always attended Mass, haha.

[@nimo6640]

I've been waiting for this one!! Thank you

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Hope you like it!

[@dirtfarmer7472]

Thank you Sir I do appreciate your efforts. I’ll be looking forward to another one.

[@ninalangaroudy9844]

Thank you for this great video showing the real truthful side of this story

[@markholland5810]

Excellent video and fascinating information. I am looking forward to seeing another one of your videos! Please!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Awesome, thank you!

[@michaelfugate2404]

A fantastic piece of history, Brilliantly done. I thoroughly enjoyed watching.

[@somniumisdreaming]

Ahh I've heard of this, I'm glad you are covering it.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@nicholablakely2832]

I really enjoyed this, interesting character and I really didn’t know so much about syphilis and how devastating it could be without effective treatments available ☺️

[@ClaraSunshine]

Absolutely.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It was so common, yet very difficult to treat and devastating in its consequences.

[@craigelectric5241]

Everybody who was anybody back in the good old days had syphilis !!! Even Tolstoy Or .... Especially Tolstoy !!!👀😳

[@mtadams2009]

That is exactly how my grandfather died long before I was born. He died in a mental hospital. He was a genius and employed hundreds of people but also a man whore. He terrorized his family. My mother and her siblings had the most terrible experiences growing up. It had drastic effects on my mother and her siblings and the were all mentally unstable. My sister and I needed help to recover from things that took place long before I was ever born. We have officially broken the cycle and all of our children are very healthy especially from a mental health standpoint. It’s a terrible untreated disease that can devastate a family.

[@pipfox7834]

@mtadams2009 very well done, breaking the cycle is very hard to do. I salute you, wishing you all the very best in life long may you prosper!

[@1968superfreak]

Loved watching it. Well done and thank you sir.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@schwartzenheimer1]

Well done, insightful but compassionate. Thank you for a fascinating look at this legendary man...

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks for watching.

[@abbyfox2980]

I've been waiting for this!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@jeangenie68]

Ronnie Kray would be another interesting one.

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

Don't forget Reggie. They come as a double act. 😐😐

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Good suggestion.

[@karenax254]

My grandfather's sister and her husband left the UK and had a tobacco shop, in Chicago, that Al Capone frequented. They found him to be friendly and charming. Of course, they didn't know what was going on in his life at that time.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He was a charmer when he wanted to be.

[@RaptorFromWeegee]

So was Manson, John Wayne Gacy and Mengela.

[@TheBatugan77]

Ted Bundy was supposedly charismatic.

[@Jeph629]

All these guys were ignoramouses, and con men-liars. It took America much to long to pass the RICO Act and shut them down.

[@alfredeneuman6966]

Very well done sir. I quite enjoyed your documentary and analysis of Al Capone.

[@dalatina911]

I am so happy I randomly found your videos! I’ve been binging them all night ❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, welcome aboard!

[@elgato894]

its amazing he lasted that long

[@xxcelr8rs]

He had a short run.

[@athelstanodan5670]

Your balanced, unassuming approach to research and careful analysis, in presentation, might be characterized as circumspection. Refreshing coverage.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@user-qm7nw7vd5s]

Always thought he died in prison. So much more to the story! Good job. 👍🎬

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@TheIronbark]

wonderful documentary. Thank you for making it

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@eileenbauer4601]

Fascinating, thank you!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@ClaraSunshine]

Yes indeed.

[@mikederasmo7621]

New sub! love the Narration style! greetings from " New York "

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Welcome aboard!

[@robertpapps3618]

Thanks for the very informative video..

[@professorgraemeyorston]

My pleasure

[@DennisSullivan-om3oo]

great work

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@michaelhoggarth89]

Mrs H 🇬🇧 ... Extremely interesting and sad at the same time ... He wasn't perfect by no means but he suffered for all his wrongs.... Great documentary thank you..😉

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

[@user-ec3ji5lo2y]

Thankyou for a Great Documentary. 👌

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@claires8735]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@kathypappas6867]

Excellent podcast! Thank you.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks for listening

[@DaveSCameron]

Decent upload, I've just finished his biography on here so interesting to hear a fellow English man sum him up. Best wishes from Liverpool UK #OurHistory

[@DaveSCameron]

Nice work regards his illnesses. 👍

[@pussygalore731]

what was it called

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jak6326]

Thank you x

[@professorgraemeyorston]

You are so welcome.

[@ashleydavis1937]

This channel is always so respectful, honest and interesting!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I appreciate that!

[@LouiseJ62]

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

[@helmutsecke3529]

Mein Großvater knew Capone als Junge in Brooklyn. Capone's 1st cousin was the infamous hitman, Charles Fischetti. Herr Fischetti had an illegitimate son in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. This young man, Charles S., was both besotted with und devoted to my mother. My mother passed on him und married a wanker. I knew Herr Charles S., a finer and more upstanding und religious a person one could never have hoped to have met, 100% legit. A most excellent Sendung mein Herr!

[@bobtaylor170]

Thank you for what must be the single weirdest comment I have ever seen on KZbin. It's little known, but Capone beat Lindbergh to Europe, flying solo nonstop except for an unfortunate crash into the Atlantic, in September, 1926. This was not held against him: he was Al Capone, after all. Even less known is that he was the great love of Amelia Earhart's life.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Fascinating, thank you.

[@1stEarlOfSurrey]

I seriously read the thumbnail to say “from mobster to Mormon”

[@lauraarcher1730]

🤭

[@michaelhoggarth89]

Mrs H 🇬🇧 ....For me he was good hearted but wanted control and he'd do anything to get it... I also feel he suffered extremely through syphilis... I don't really feel he was a Moron I feel his brain was seriously effected through the disease .... He paid for most of his wrong doings, Died quite young...Sad and pathetic existence ... I pity him...!

[@arialvarez3007]

😂😂

[@mandibailey9104]

Mobster to Mormon would have been a laugh. American Italian & Irish mobsters did attend Mass and confession. Catholic Mobster to Mormon Mobster sounds like a decent movie plot.

[@garyfrancis6193]

@@michaelhoggarth89affected.

[@theodoremann1461]

Very informative. Thanks for the good research.

[@user-pz2lt7ox1r]

Thank you for this video

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@kystars]

I live in Kentucky. Bob is my name. I would like to thank you for your video about Al Capone. I really liked the presentation , the way you showed thing very interesting. Some of this I heard before. Such as the fishing pole in the swimming pole. My dad always said Al Capone was like a little baby in prison, but this showed that wasnt really the case. His health seemed to be the biggest problem. There is always the wife that often stays loyal to the husband as in this case. I don't know much about her, but I will look into her. Why not look into DILLINGER if you have not already or one of his men such as Baby face Nelson . Thank you

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@marjoriehoglund8754]

Thank you for this! I was glad to hear that Mrs Capone stayed by her Husband side! Al Capone made a good choice in his marriage! I knew Tommy Banks from Minneapolis! Tommy Banks was my Godfather! He also was a Bootlegger and knew Al Capone! They had respect for each other and had different cities for Bootlegging Mr Tommy Banks also spent time in prison for Tax evasion! Thank you for this excellent program! Blessings from Michigan!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@user-od5fh3gn4d]

I doubt Mrs. Capone had any other options.

[@jacquelinebrunder2384]

Very good and interesting video. Thank you.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@madgo22]

Excellent video!

[@teacherbrian6164]

Excellent documentary. Capone's old house in Florida is now on the National Historic places register

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I thought it was going to be pulled down. has it been saved?

[@highschoolbigshot]

@@professorgraemeyorston no it was just demolished several days ago

[@Bthe312]

What a shame ​@@highschoolbigshot

[@Voots7]

I always thought being called moron was better than being called piss balloon.

[@davidkoziol]

Thank you. Nicely done.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks for watching!

[@OLDCHEMIST1]

A very interesting and well-presented post! I particularly like your admission of what you don't know. Thank you for this fascinating documentary!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@carchub]

This was fun to learn about, thank you. I would love to hear your assessment of Howard Hughes and his head trauma + OCD + germ/agoraphobia

[@claudiabothma]

Oooh yes- that would be interesting!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Great suggestion. I'm on the case!

[@BanjaraHillbillies]

And I thought I knew everything about Capone. This was a well-done documentary. Thanks!

[@zargonfuture4046]

This was an excellent mini biography of an interesting character. Thank you for a straight forward assessment.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Bevin_Krennan]

The sound effect of a page flipping for segues is a nice touch.

[@SilentKnight43]

Fascinating documentary and well-researched. Years ago I visited Eastern State Penn in Philadelphia and remember seeing Capone's cell at the time. It was well-furnished and comfie and could only be viewed through a plexiglass window in a sealed door. But it was a sharp contrast to the rest of the prison and cells which by then were in a "suspended state of decay".

[@Dabebo-xk2bt]

We are all the same, we are born and we are going to die. Very well done on this documentary, learning about people and their experiences is a worthwhile way to relax and learn.

[@alextaylor8776]

No we are not all the same, on the contrary. Some people choose good and some people choose evil which Capone did in spades. I choose good, which is Jesus Christ.

[@Dabebo-xk2bt]

@@alextaylor8776 we are are the same, the only difference is Jesus not us, we are all the same. We all fall far short of the glory of God. We are all the same some people, few people take on Jesus in baptism for their sin. Jesus is the difference not man.

[@hjohnston3534]

I get where you're coming from, but we aren't the same. I am not going to die from syphilis ravaging my brain... It will be Alzhiemer's most likely.

[@davidpyott3710]

Excellent subscribed Thanks 👍

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Welcome aboard!

[@Contessa6363]

Excellent video professor 😃👍👍♥️

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you! 😃

[@segua]

My great-grandfather cut his hair once in Chicago and told him to never come back. He gave him a $5 tip, but every week broke his windows to his shop. And my family moved out of Chicago. The “great white flight” because of blacks moving to Chicago. Such nonsense. It was the mobsters charging fees to work in Chicago. Like my great grandfather said, “you’re American, I’m from Sicily, you will never be Italian.” Kinda pissed the dude off. But ironically he is buried in the same cemetery as my family. Which proves you don’t get to choose your neighbors in this world or the next.

[@TheTarrMan]

I like this perspective on him better than the others. Thanks for sharing.

[@debbiethompson14]

Fascinating! Thank you for your compassion.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it.

[@thigearlatha]

The fact he is still talked about , portrayed in movies to this day , tells you he is no middle grade moron. He'll still be in history books a hundred years from now.

[@AnthonyFlack]

He'll be in history videos like this one that people will comment on without watching.

[@thigearlatha]

@@AnthonyFlack nope , two minutes in and realised it was gonnae be pish 🤡

[@cl5470]

Refusing to get treatment for your STD makes you a moron. Come on now.

[@cl5470]

​@@thigearlathaaww, you're afraid of learning things that challenge your ignorant views. How sad.

[@thigearlatha]

@@cl5470 my views. That he will be in history books for another hundred years. Please explain how that is an ignorant view when it's actually a factual statement and not a point of view. See, you're a smart arse . The problem with smart arses is, they are never smart, just arses. You've proved that spectacularly. Here , take a look in this mirror 🤡

[@olwens1368]

When I started watching this I really didn't expect to end it feeling sorry for Al Capone ! Considering his early life he achieved quite a lot in an odd way, and I wonder how much more he might have done with the right start. An interesting man.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

That's how I felt too.

[@MikeGreenwood51]

He choose his start didn't he. He was who opted to be a criminal gangster. You decide to get employment in a whore house why not then keep your self clean? But no. He messed with the Brothel whores and paid the usual price. We can all feel sorry for the punishments heinious criminals receive. But isn't their punishment just some of what they themselves dish out to others. His notoriety status wasn't for selling flowers at a corner flower shop. It was for pyschopathic homicidal murder and being the head of crime family.

[@kathypappas6867]

I felt the same way . I wound up feeling a bit sorry for him .

[@thearmchairjournalist566]

@@MikeGreenwood51if he had late stage syphillis he may have had a reason for being the way he was. And everyone is human and deserves a little pity for their ailments no matter how bad they were! Even though he was a criminal he still had pity for the poor and gave heaps of money for their wellbeing!

[@pipfox7834]

Yep a young male who hits his female teacher in the face is def a guy we must feel sorry for (not).

[@virginiasoskin9082]

Very interesting documentary on Capone. Thank you!

[@deIcorazon]

thank you again!!!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

My pleasure!

[@bessofhardwick9311]

Very interesting documentary. I had no idea he had MH issues. Thanks for uploading. You asked for suggestions for other criminal documentaries. I used to live near to the former home of serial killer, Dennis Nilsen in Muswell Hill - I think his obsession with keeping dead bodies for company would be very interesting to analyze.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, yes he would be an interesting one.

[@jonprosise7162]

What is MH?

[@abz_414]

​@@jonprosise7162I believe MH is being used as an abbreviation for mental health.

[@GenoVincent]

A few things- The Capones lived on Garfield Place in Park Slope- his Father owned a Pool Hall, right across the street from their Apartment. The Harvard Inn was owned by Frankie Yale- whose real name was Francesco Ioele who was the biggest Gangster in New York from 1918 to 1928. Capone did not "comment on her figure", he slapped her on her tucchis !!!

[@thorny7138]

Very well articulated documentary.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@leonardodalongisland]

Great job-many facts I had no idea about.

[@cyboman9171]

Professpr Graeme Yorston: This is the best forensic psychological documentary I've seen on KZbin in years. Your high intelligence, great learning in psychology, and - most of all- your humanity is evident throughout. I'd really like to find out what your assessment of Ted Bundy would be. Bundy's case, I think, is much more enigmatic that Al Capone's.

[@ericswain4177]

Just because one does not do well academically does not mean one can't achieve greatness in life or perform great feats. Al Capone's life in part brings to mind the Quote: With the right amount of "Force" and "Intelligence", one can achieve anything.

[@dshe8637]

Built on the misery, murder and abuse of others...

[@hotrox2112]

@@dshe8637 Correct! Its why the Feds stole the mobs playbook, and use it as their own today. What the Governments done to its citizens, in recent times, would make John Dillinger blush.

[@noelsalisbury7448]

I think it helps one's single-mindedness, if you're also a psychopath.

[@hotrox2112]

@@noelsalisbury7448 genius, as well as madness are only one floor apart...

[@SuperGrimupnorth]

Enjoyed that, full of valid info & confirmed details ☑️ sub'd, liked & commented 👌

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Welcome aboard!

[@user-nv1uz8qv4z]

Great biography, thank you.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@melindawakley7859]

I look forward to a time when nobody admires high profile criminals. No movies or books on them…. ever. Thank you for doing this, becos I only ever see these kind of criminals as completely insane and very very dangerous.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I agree he should not be admired, but I think everyone deserves to be treated as a human being.

[@What_I_Think_Happened]

Thank you for always keeping your subjects real and human, Professor, and not presenting them as one-dimensional villains. I think you must be a very good doctor and therapist (I hope my terminology is accurate, I mean it as a compliment).

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@curlyteeth3097]

Superb insight thankyou..

[@stevenr2463]

Very interesting, thank you!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

My pleasure!

[@bobtaylor170]

I'd like your take on Paul Harold Orgeron, suitcase bomber of the playground of Poe Elementary School, in Houston, on September 15, 1959. I was one of the victims. Two of the boys who were killed, Bill Hawes and Johnny Fitch, were my closest friends. Bill spoke his last words to me. What I call the least inaccurate version of this event is the article, "Suffer the Children," by John Nova Lomax, from Houstonia, March 15, 2013.