The Noir Factory Podcast Case #37 Huey Long-The King Fish   “One of these days the people of Louisiana are going to get good government. And they aren’t going to like it.” -Huey Long   Huey Pierce Long Jr. was born to Huey Pierce Long Senior and Caledonia Tison Long on August 30th, 1893 in Winnfield, Louisiana. Winnfield was a dirt-poor parish and the wealthy Long family stood out. They were the wealth and class of Winn Parish and lead the community for generations. Huey’s grandfather had purchased 640 acres of woods and carved out a farm for his family. Huey’s father continued that tradition by buying up 320 acres near Winnfield. Huey himself was the seventh of nine surviving children and from the day of his birth expectations were high. His father insisted that the kids should strive “to be someone,” and the lesson took. Of Huey Long’s siblings, two became Louisiana governors, one later a senator, a U.S. congressman, a district attorney, and five became school teachers, one at the university level. In such a household it was hard to stand out, so Huey Long Jr. adopted a strategy that would serve him well for the rest of his life. He was very loud, and he was very proud. Known to be fearless and exuberant, Huey learned to walk at eight months and would wander out of the house to play with livestock. He was hard to keep track of and according to his father, he was forced to build a cover for the family well just in case Huey had decided to jump in.

The Noir Factory Podcast Case #37 Huey Long-The King Fish   “One of these days the people of Louisiana are going to get good government. And they aren’t going to like it.” -Huey Long   Huey Pierce Long Jr. was born to Huey Pierce Long Senior and Caledonia Tison Long on August 30th, 1893 in Winnfield, Louisiana. Winnfield was a dirt-poor parish and the wealthy Long family stood out. They were the wealth and class of Winn Parish and lead the community for generations. Huey’s grandfather had purchased 640 acres of woods and carved out a farm for his family. Huey’s father continued that tradition by buying up 320 acres near Winnfield. Huey himself was the seventh of nine surviving children and from the day of his birth expectations were high. His father insisted that the kids should strive “to be someone,” and the lesson took. Of Huey Long’s siblings, two became Louisiana governors, one later a senator, a U.S. congressman, a district attorney, and five became school teachers, one at the university level. In such a household it was hard to stand out, so Huey Long Jr. adopted a strategy that would serve him well for the rest of his life. He was very loud, and he was very proud. Known to be fearless and exuberant, Huey learned to walk at eight months and would wander out of the house to play with livestock. He was hard to keep track of and according to his father, he was forced to build a cover for the family well just in case Huey had decided to jump in.

Noir Factory Podcast

Noir Factory Case #37: Huey Long- The King Fish

Noir Factory Podcast Episode #36 Leopold and Loeb ***CORRECTED BACKGROUND AUDIO*** My deepest apologies! The previous version of this episode was released “in progress” and by mistake . Please enjoy this updated version and again, my sincerest apologies! -Steve Gomez ------ “To be an effective criminal defense counsel, an attorney must be prepared to be demanding, outrageous, irreverent, blasphemous, a rogue, a renegade, and a hated, isolated, and lonely person - few love a spokesman for the despised and the damned.” ― Clarence Darrow   Nathan F. Leopold Jr. was born on November 19th, 1904 in Chicago, Illinois to Nathan and Florence Leopold. The elder Nathan was the son of Samuel and Babette, Jewish immigrants from Germany who had brought their family to Michigan. He worked in shipping and had made a fortune. Their son Nathan had moved to Chicago and married Florence Foreman in 1892. Nathan Leopold Sr. was already wealthy but had a gift for making more. He started up many successful enterprises in Illinois, such as Leopold & Austrian, a lending firm, the Manitou Shipping Company, a copper mining company, as well as the Fiber Can Corporation, a paper mill in Morris, Illinois. Leopold Sr. was an active member of the community. He was president of the Young Men’s Hebrew Association in Chicago, one of the Chicago’s first bankers, and when he married Florence, he married into one of the most prestigious families in Illinois.

Noir Factory Podcast Episode #36 Leopold and Loeb ***CORRECTED BACKGROUND AUDIO*** My deepest apologies! The previous version of this episode was released “in progress” and by mistake . Please enjoy this updated version and again, my sincerest apologies! -Steve Gomez ------ “To be an effective criminal defense counsel, an attorney must be prepared to be demanding, outrageous, irreverent, blasphemous, a rogue, a renegade, and a hated, isolated, and lonely person - few love a spokesman for the despised and the damned.” ― Clarence Darrow   Nathan F. Leopold Jr. was born on November 19th, 1904 in Chicago, Illinois to Nathan and Florence Leopold. The elder Nathan was the son of Samuel and Babette, Jewish immigrants from Germany who had brought their family to Michigan. He worked in shipping and had made a fortune. Their son Nathan had moved to Chicago and married Florence Foreman in 1892. Nathan Leopold Sr. was already wealthy but had a gift for making more. He started up many successful enterprises in Illinois, such as Leopold & Austrian, a lending firm, the Manitou Shipping Company, a copper mining company, as well as the Fiber Can Corporation, a paper mill in Morris, Illinois. Leopold Sr. was an active member of the community. He was president of the Young Men’s Hebrew Association in Chicago, one of the Chicago’s first bankers, and when he married Florence, he married into one of the most prestigious families in Illinois.

Noir Factory Episode C#36: Leopold and Loeb CORRECTED

Noir Factory BEST OF 2017   There’s a tradition in the podcasting world that during the first week of a new year you look back at the episodes you’ve put out in the world. I know, if it’s a podcasting tradition how old can it be, right? Still, just like drinking too much on New Year’s Eve and stepping on the scale after the holidays, we look at one episode that seemed to resonate with our listeners more than any other. Perhaps it’s because the subject of the episode is a self-made man, who showed more grit and determination than most. Perhaps it’s because he rose to dizzying heights only to fall from a peak, again, of his own making. Or perhaps its because he was a prohibition guy, and everyone loves a good drink. Whatever the reason, our listeners fell for the story of George Remus-King of the Bootleggers.  And that makes episode 29 the best of 2017. --------------- “He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far wrong.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby   George Remus was born on November 13th 1876 in Germany to Frank and Maria Remus, a working class family. He was the middle child with an older sister and younger brother and while he was still just a toddler, the family immigrated to the US.   ------------------ If you haven’t done so, please leave a review on iTunes for The Noir Factory. It is an important way for new listeners to discover the show. www.iTunes.com   Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for our death-defying tales and banal thoughts. And check out our homepage at TheNoirFactory.com where you can download a FREE dossier: THE SECRETS OF THE NOIR FACTORY!

Noir Factory BEST OF 2017   There’s a tradition in the podcasting world that during the first week of a new year you look back at the episodes you’ve put out in the world. I know, if it’s a podcasting tradition how old can it be, right? Still, just like drinking too much on New Year’s Eve and stepping on the scale after the holidays, we look at one episode that seemed to resonate with our listeners more than any other. Perhaps it’s because the subject of the episode is a self-made man, who showed more grit and determination than most. Perhaps it’s because he rose to dizzying heights only to fall from a peak, again, of his own making. Or perhaps its because he was a prohibition guy, and everyone loves a good drink. Whatever the reason, our listeners fell for the story of George Remus-King of the Bootleggers.  And that makes episode 29 the best of 2017. --------------- “He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far wrong.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby   George Remus was born on November 13th 1876 in Germany to Frank and Maria Remus, a working class family. He was the middle child with an older sister and younger brother and while he was still just a toddler, the family immigrated to the US.   ------------------ If you haven’t done so, please leave a review on iTunes for The Noir Factory. It is an important way for new listeners to discover the show. www.iTunes.com   Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for our death-defying tales and banal thoughts. And check out our homepage at TheNoirFactory.com where you can download a FREE dossier: THE SECRETS OF THE NOIR FACTORY!  

BEST OF 2017:George Remus

Hero Obscura Episode #48 Santa Clause   Today’s hero isn’t obscure. Not in the least. In fact, he’s known by all. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist. And how dreary a world it would be if he didn’t. Old Saint Nick. Father Christmas. Kris Kringle. Santa Clause. Today on Hero Obscura. ----------------- If you haven’t done so already, please review us on Apple Podcasts! Reviews are an important way to help listeners discover the show.  <a href= "http://www.itunes.com">www.itunes.com</a>   Look for our signal in the sky or simply follow us on Facebook! Also visit our <a href= "http://www.HeroObscura.com">www.HeroObscura.com</a> for your FREE list of “The Top Superhero Lairs in Comics!”

Hero Obscura Episode #48 Santa Clause   Today’s hero isn’t obscure. Not in the least. In fact, he’s known by all. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist. And how dreary a world it would be if he didn’t. Old Saint Nick. Father Christmas. Kris Kringle. Santa Clause. Today on Hero Obscura. ----------------- If you haven’t done so already, please review us on Apple Podcasts! Reviews are an important way to help listeners discover the show.  www.itunes.com   Look for our signal in the sky or simply follow us on Facebook! Also visit our www.HeroObscura.com for your FREE list of “The Top Superhero Lairs in Comics!”

Hero Obscura Episode 48-Santa Claus

Noir Factory Interrogation #4 Dmitri Matheny- Noir Jazz ------------------------------------ Crime Jazz: “The Femme Fatal. The cop on the beat. The hard-boiled detective. The saxophone under the street lamp in the fog. It’s the music of “Chinatown” and “Taxi Driver.” -Dmitri Matheny Find Dmitri’s work at <a href= "http://www.dmitrimatheny.com">www.dmitrimatheny.com</a>   If you haven’t done so already, please review us on iTunes! It is an important way to help new listeners to discover the show. <a href= "https://tinyurl.com/y7py6qn7">https://tinyurl.com/y7py6qn7</a> Chat with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and be sure to sign up for our newsletter at <a href= "http://www.TheNoirFactory.com">www.TheNoirFactory.com</a>

Noir Factory Interrogation #4 Dmitri Matheny- Noir Jazz ------------------------------------ Crime Jazz: “The Femme Fatal. The cop on the beat. The hard-boiled detective. The saxophone under the street lamp in the fog. It’s the music of “Chinatown” and “Taxi Driver.” -Dmitri Matheny Find Dmitri’s work at www.dmitrimatheny.com   If you haven’t done so already, please review us on iTunes! It is an important way to help new listeners to discover the show. https://tinyurl.com/y7py6qn7 Chat with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and be sure to sign up for our newsletter at www.TheNoirFactory.com  

Noir Factory Interrogation #4-Dmitri Matheny

Noir Factory Podcast Case #35 Sexton Blake-Pulp Detective “If there is a wrong to be righted, an evil to be redressed, or a rescue of the weak and suffering from the powerful, our hearty assistance can be readily obtained. We do nothing for hire here; we would cheerfully undertake to perform without a fee or a reward. But when your clients are wealthy, we are not so unjust to ourselves as to make a gratuitous offer of our services.” -Sexton Blake As the 19th century came to a close, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes was the undisputed heavyweight champ of popular fiction. From London to California, the exploits of the World’s Greatest Detective were the stuff of legend, and the public, more literate now than at any other time in history, were hungry for more. And while Arthur Conan Doyle was hoping to distance himself from his great creation, one man, Henry Blyth, saw a hole in popular fiction that needed to be filled. And while he was just the man to do that, he saw no reason to re-invent the wheel.   Please stop by Facebook and "like" the Noir Factory. It don't cost nuthin'.

Noir Factory Podcast Case #35 Sexton Blake-Pulp Detective “If there is a wrong to be righted, an evil to be redressed, or a rescue of the weak and suffering from the powerful, our hearty assistance can be readily obtained. We do nothing for hire here; we would cheerfully undertake to perform without a fee or a reward. But when your clients are wealthy, we are not so unjust to ourselves as to make a gratuitous offer of our services.” -Sexton Blake As the 19th century came to a close, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes was the undisputed heavyweight champ of popular fiction. From London to California, the exploits of the World’s Greatest Detective were the stuff of legend, and the public, more literate now than at any other time in history, were hungry for more. And while Arthur Conan Doyle was hoping to distance himself from his great creation, one man, Henry Blyth, saw a hole in popular fiction that needed to be filled. And while he was just the man to do that, he saw no reason to re-invent the wheel.   Please stop by Facebook and "like" the Noir Factory. It don't cost nuthin'. 

NF Case #35: Sexton Blake-Pulp Detective

We will be back the week of October 16th.

We will be back the week of October 16th.

A short interruption for the Noir Factory

Noir Factory Podcast Interrogation #3 Will Viharo: Gonzo Pulp Writer Will Viharo is the author of the Vic Valentine series as well as the host of Seattle's Noir at the Bar, a seasonal showcase that combines author readings with alcohol, the way God intneded it. He is a writer that defies classification, with his work mixing humor, surrealism, gore, violence, and sex. His newest work, Vic Valentine, International Man of Misery, is due out this fall and in this interrogation I get a chance to get the skinny from an unconventional writer, society observer, and all-around good guy. You can connect with Will at <a href= "http://www.thrillville.net/">www.thrillville.net</a> Cover Art provided by Matt Brown. You can find his work <a href= "http://mattbrown22.myportfolio.com/">here.</a>

Noir Factory Podcast Interrogation #3 Will Viharo: Gonzo Pulp Writer Will Viharo is the author of the Vic Valentine series as well as the host of Seattle's Noir at the Bar, a seasonal showcase that combines author readings with alcohol, the way God intneded it. He is a writer that defies classification, with his work mixing humor, surrealism, gore, violence, and sex. His newest work, Vic Valentine, International Man of Misery, is due out this fall and in this interrogation I get a chance to get the skinny from an unconventional writer, society observer, and all-around good guy. You can connect with Will at www.thrillville.net Cover Art provided by Matt Brown. You can find his work here.    

Interrogation #3: Will Viharo-Gonzo Pulp Writer

Noir Factory Podcast Case #34 Joseph Weil: The Yellow Kid   “Who's going to believe a con artist? Everyone if she's good.” -Andy Griffith Joseph Weil was born in Chicago in 1875 to Mr. and Mrs. Otto Weil. The couple owned a small neighborhood grocery store and made a decent income. Their boy, Joseph, helped out after school by sweeping up and stocking shelves.   And then he discovered racehorses.

  Noir Factory Podcast Case #34 Joseph Weil: The Yellow Kid   “Who's going to believe a con artist? Everyone if she's good.” -Andy Griffith Joseph Weil was born in Chicago in 1875 to Mr. and Mrs. Otto Weil. The couple owned a small neighborhood grocery store and made a decent income. Their boy, Joseph, helped out after school by sweeping up and stocking shelves.   And then he discovered racehorses.  

Case #34: Joseph Weil-The Yellow Kid

Case #33: The Black Sox   I'm forever blowing ballgames, pretty ballgames in the air. I come from Chi, I hardly try, just go to bat and fade and die. Fortune's coming my way, that's why I don't care. I'm forever blowing ballgames, and the gamblers treat us fair.   -Ring Lardner     You could say that it started with Charlie Comiskey, because a lot of things started with Charlie Comiskey in Chicago in 1919. Comiskey owned the Chicago White Sox, a serious contender in any year, and he enjoyed the reputation as a tightwad and a fierce negotiator. I want to go on record by saying that although Comiskey fostered the reputation as a hard-guy and a tightwad, the payroll of the Chicago White Sox was one of the best in the league. The team was filled with solid players and had two bona fide stars on its roster; outfielder Joe Jackson and third baseman Buck Weaver. They each made over $6000 a year in 1919 and a lot of the other name players on the team made around half that. And that was about what they would have made on any other roster in the Bigs, so while money was a factor in the Black Sox Scandal, it wasn't the only factor.

Case #33: The Black Sox   I'm forever blowing ballgames, pretty ballgames in the air. I come from Chi, I hardly try, just go to bat and fade and die. Fortune's coming my way, that's why I don't care. I'm forever blowing ballgames, and the gamblers treat us fair.   -Ring Lardner     You could say that it started with Charlie Comiskey, because a lot of things started with Charlie Comiskey in Chicago in 1919. Comiskey owned the Chicago White Sox, a serious contender in any year, and he enjoyed the reputation as a tightwad and a fierce negotiator. I want to go on record by saying that although Comiskey fostered the reputation as a hard-guy and a tightwad, the payroll of the Chicago White Sox was one of the best in the league. The team was filled with solid players and had two bona fide stars on its roster; outfielder Joe Jackson and third baseman Buck Weaver. They each made over $6000 a year in 1919 and a lot of the other name players on the team made around half that. And that was about what they would have made on any other roster in the Bigs, so while money was a factor in the Black Sox Scandal, it wasn't the only factor.    

Case #33: The Black Sox-Baseball's Most Notorious Scandal

Noir Factory  Case #32 Alan Ladd and Box 13 “I'm the most insecure guy in Hollywood. If you had it good all your life, you figure it can't ever be bad, but when you've had it bad, you wonder how long a thing like this will last.” -Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd was born on September 3rd, 1913 in Hot Springs, Arkansas and was the only child of Ina Raleigh and Alan Ladd. Like most of the characters Ladd went onto play, his upbringing was rough and growing up was a constant struggle. The family lost Alan's father, a freelance accountant, to a heart attack when Alan was only four. Shortly afterwards the family apartment was lost when Alan accidentally burned it down playing with matches. After they lost their home Alan and his mother moved to Oklahoma City where she remarried. Afterwards they went to Pasadena, in a Grapes of Wrath-like journey,where his step-father found short-time work painting movie sets. Later in life, Ladd said they existed for long periods of time on nothing but potato soup.

Noir Factory  Case #32 Alan Ladd and Box 13 “I'm the most insecure guy in Hollywood. If you had it good all your life, you figure it can't ever be bad, but when you've had it bad, you wonder how long a thing like this will last.” -Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd was born on September 3rd, 1913 in Hot Springs, Arkansas and was the only child of Ina Raleigh and Alan Ladd. Like most of the characters Ladd went onto play, his upbringing was rough and growing up was a constant struggle. The family lost Alan's father, a freelance accountant, to a heart attack when Alan was only four. Shortly afterwards the family apartment was lost when Alan accidentally burned it down playing with matches. After they lost their home Alan and his mother moved to Oklahoma City where she remarried. Afterwards they went to Pasadena, in a Grapes of Wrath-like journey,where his step-father found short-time work painting movie sets. Later in life, Ladd said they existed for long periods of time on nothing but potato soup.    

Case #32 : Alan Ladd and Box 13

NFL SuperPro For a hero to fail, a lot of things has to happen. It has to be poorly thought out, ill conceived, and have little in terms of redeeming quality. Oh, and it should be created with ulterior motives. Sounds pretty harsh? Then you just haven't met NFL SuperPro.

NFL SuperPro For a hero to fail, a lot of things has to happen. It has to be poorly thought out, ill conceived, and have little in terms of redeeming quality. Oh, and it should be created with ulterior motives. Sounds pretty harsh? Then you just haven't met NFL SuperPro.  

Hero Obscura Podcast Preview #3

Space Cabbie! Everyone has a hero. For cop's it's probably the Dark Knight and for soldiers I can imagine Captain America, depending on the army your in. But what about the ordinary guys? What about the accountants and pastry chefs or the mail carriers and DMV workers? Fishermen, okay...we'll give you Aquaman. But for the Lyft and Uber drivers out there, today's episode is for you! I give you Space Cabbie!

Space Cabbie! Everyone has a hero. For cop's it's probably the Dark Knight and for soldiers I can imagine Captain America, depending on the army your in. But what about the ordinary guys? What about the accountants and pastry chefs or the mail carriers and DMV workers? Fishermen, okay...we'll give you Aquaman. But for the Lyft and Uber drivers out there, today's episode is for you! I give you Space Cabbie!  

Hero Obscura Podcast Preview #2

The Blue Diamond Some heroes are with us for ages and other are gone in the blink of an eye. If you are in the business of being a hero, particularly a super one, you never know how long you'll have. You just have to make sure that you use our time wisely. That and you should punch a lot of Nazis.

The Blue Diamond Some heroes are with us for ages and other are gone in the blink of an eye. If you are in the business of being a hero, particularly a super one, you never know how long you'll have. You just have to make sure that you use our time wisely. That and you should punch a lot of Nazis.    

Hero Obscura Podcast Preview #1

“He's clearly a man with a mission, but it's not one of vengeance. Bruce is not after personal revenge ... He's much bigger than that; he's much more noble than that. He wants the world to be a better place, where a young Bruce Wayne would not be a victim ... In a way, he's out to make himself unnecessary. Batman is a hero who wishes he didn't have to exist.” -Frank Miller   In 1939 detectives and vigilantes rules the popular literary landscape. They were hard men who handed out justice at the end of a gun. Even the heroes that appeared in pulps, the early Super Heroes, such as the Shadow and the Spider, handed out death sentences with regularity, and whenever justice didn't come from them, it usually came in another fatal form, and no one seemed really broken up over it. But suddenly comics and comic books were picking up steam with the public, serving as moral compasses for the kids of America, and that brand of quick justice would no longer do. Names like Doctor Occult, the Clock, Superman, and the Crimson Avenger were on the scene, and to tell the truth, the transition from pulp sensibilities to comic books was rough. Heroes still wailed on the bad guys with little regards for health or civil rights, and even Superman was not above sending a guy to the hospital. You know....if society needed that to happen. In truth even Batman carried around a gun in the early days, but that went away quickly. Comics had a wider audience than the pulps, and Bob Kane and Bill Finger had a job to do. That job wasn't to protect children. It was to sell comics to kids and approving parents.

“He's clearly a man with a mission, but it's not one of vengeance. Bruce is not after personal revenge ... He's much bigger than that; he's much more noble than that. He wants the world to be a better place, where a young Bruce Wayne would not be a victim ... In a way, he's out to make himself unnecessary. Batman is a hero who wishes he didn't have to exist.” -Frank Miller   In 1939 detectives and vigilantes rules the popular literary landscape. They were hard men who handed out justice at the end of a gun. Even the heroes that appeared in pulps, the early Super Heroes, such as the Shadow and the Spider, handed out death sentences with regularity, and whenever justice didn't come from them, it usually came in another fatal form, and no one seemed really broken up over it. But suddenly comics and comic books were picking up steam with the public, serving as moral compasses for the kids of America, and that brand of quick justice would no longer do. Names like Doctor Occult, the Clock, Superman, and the Crimson Avenger were on the scene, and to tell the truth, the transition from pulp sensibilities to comic books was rough. Heroes still wailed on the bad guys with little regards for health or civil rights, and even Superman was not above sending a guy to the hospital. You know....if society needed that to happen. In truth even Batman carried around a gun in the early days, but that went away quickly. Comics had a wider audience than the pulps, and Bob Kane and Bill Finger had a job to do. That job wasn't to protect children. It was to sell comics to kids and approving parents.  

Case #31: The Batman

The Noir Factory Podcast is created for the mystery reader, noir movie goer, or true crime buff who wants a closer look into the genre. Mystery writer Steven Gomez looks at crime history, pulp stories, noir films, and the men and woman who made them. Every other week we will examine an event or figure in crime history, a pulp or noir writer, or a piece of detective work, both fictional and in real life. If you have an interest in crime of any kind, THIS is the podcast for you!

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Noir Factory Podcast

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