Jake Lingle
Encyclopedia
Alfred "Jake" Lingle, Jr. (July 2, 1891 - June 9, 1930) was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune
. He was shot dead gangland-style at the Illinois Central commuter train station
underpass , during rush hour on June 9, 1930, as dozens of people watched. The man convicted of the murder was a German-American mob associate, Leo Vincent Brothers
.
Lingle was initially lionized as a martyr
ed journalist, but it was eventually revealed that he was involved in racketeering with the Capone organization, and that his death had more to do with his own criminal activities than his journalism.
as the reporter, Fay Wray
as his love interest, and Clark Gable
as the gangster who corrupts him.
In 1959, the Jake Lingle murder was dramatized on a television episode of The Untouchables
.
The reporter played by Martin Balsam
in the 1959 film Al Capone
is clearly based on Lingle, although the character's name has been changed to "Mac Keeley".
In the 1979 film, The Lady in Red
, Lingle is incorrectly seen as the reporter harassing John Dillinger
's escort/girlfriend, Polly Hamilton. But, this is fiction, as Dillinger first met Hamilton in 1934, four years after Lingle's murder.
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
. He was shot dead gangland-style at the Illinois Central commuter train station
Randolph Street Terminal
Millennium Station is a major commuter rail terminal in downtown Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line to University Park, Blue Island, and South Chicago; and the South Shore Line to Gary and South Bend, Indiana...
underpass , during rush hour on June 9, 1930, as dozens of people watched. The man convicted of the murder was a German-American mob associate, Leo Vincent Brothers
Leo Vincent Brothers
Leo Vincent Brothers a.k.a. "Vincent Bader" was an early 20th-century gangster who gained notoriety throughout the underworld after being convicted of the 1930 murder of Chicago Tribune reporter Jake Lingle....
.
Lingle was initially lionized as a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed journalist, but it was eventually revealed that he was involved in racketeering with the Capone organization, and that his death had more to do with his own criminal activities than his journalism.
Media
The 1931 film The Finger Points was loosely based on Lingle's life and death, and starred Richard BarthelmessRichard Barthelmess
Richard Semler "Dick" Barthelmess was an Oscar-nominated silent film star.-Early life:Barthelmess was educated at Hudson River Military Academy at Nyack and Trinity College at Hartford, Connecticut...
as the reporter, Fay Wray
Fay Wray
Fay Wray was a Canadian-American actress most noted for playing the female lead in King Kong...
as his love interest, and Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
as the gangster who corrupts him.
In 1959, the Jake Lingle murder was dramatized on a television episode of The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
.
The reporter played by Martin Balsam
Martin Balsam
Martin Henry Balsam was an American actor. He is known for his Oscar-winning role as "Arnold Burns" in A Thousand Clowns and his role as "Detective Milton Arbogast" in Psycho.- Early life :...
in the 1959 film Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
is clearly based on Lingle, although the character's name has been changed to "Mac Keeley".
In the 1979 film, The Lady in Red
The Lady in Red (1979 film)
The Lady in Red is a 1979 film directed by Lewis Teague, and starring Pamela Sue Martin and Robert Conrad. It is an early writing effort of John Sayles who became better known as a director in the 1980s and 90s...
, Lingle is incorrectly seen as the reporter harassing John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
's escort/girlfriend, Polly Hamilton. But, this is fiction, as Dillinger first met Hamilton in 1934, four years after Lingle's murder.