Forty years after Geraldo Rivera's legendary television special "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults" captivated more than 30 million viewers, author William Elliott Hazelgrove contends the mystery of the Chicago gangster's missing fortune remains unsolved. The nationally syndicated broadcast on April 21, 1986, remains the highest-rated syndicated television event ever aired, but Hazelgrove's new book Capone's Vault argues the empty vault revealed that night actually deepened the legend rather than ending it.
"The vault was only one lead in a much larger mystery," Hazelgrove says. "Capone generated enormous amounts of cash during Prohibition, and much of that money was never accounted for." The author's research, which included interviews with the producers of the program as well as Geraldo Rivera, suggests the broadcast's aftermath helped usher in the era of modern reality television while keeping alive stories of buried cash, secret hiding places, and lost mob money.
Hazelgrove's book examines the dramatic events behind the famous television special, including the planning of the broadcast and the intense public anticipation that preceded it. The author will be discussing the anniversary and the story behind the broadcast in upcoming media appearances, including interviews with WGN-TV, Moody Radio, and the history podcast History Unplugged.
Four decades after the broadcast, the legend of Capone's hidden fortune continues to fascinate Chicagoans and historians. The enduring mystery speaks to both the cultural impact of the 1986 television event and the unanswered questions surrounding one of America's most notorious criminals. While the vault beneath Chicago's Lexington Hotel appeared largely empty when opened live on television, Hazelgrove maintains that the search for Capone's missing millions represents more than just historical curiosity—it reflects ongoing public fascination with unsolved mysteries and the cultural legacy of Prohibition-era crime.
