Robert Franklin Stroud, known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", was a convicted murderer, American federal prisoner and author who has been cited as one of the most notorious criminals in the United States. During his time at Leavenworth Penitentiary, he reared and sold birds and became a respected ornithologist. From 1942 to 1959, he was incarcerated at Alcatraz, where regulations did not allow him to keep birds. Stroud was never released from the federal prison system; he was imprisoned from 1909 to his death in 1963.
Robert Storey was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) member from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Prior to an 18-year conviction for possessing a rifle, he also spent time on remand for a variety of charges and in total served 20 years in prison. He also played a key role in the Maze Prison escape, the biggest prison break in British penal history.
Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 American prison thriller film directed by Don Siegel. It is an adaptation of the 1963 non-fiction book of the same name by J. Campbell Bruce and dramatizes the 1962 prisoner escape from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island. The film stars Clint Eastwood, and features Patrick McGoohan, Fred Ward, Jack Thibeau, and Larry Hankin. Danny Glover appears in his film debut. Escape from Alcatraz marks the fifth and final collaboration between Siegel and Eastwood, following Coogan's Bluff (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), The Beguiled (1971), and Dirty Harry (1971).
Riot in Cell Block 11 is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Don Siegel and starring Neville Brand, Emile Meyer, Frank Faylen, Leo Gordon and Robert Osterloh. Quentin Tarantino called it "the best prison film ever made."
Don Daredevil Rides Again (1951) is a Republic Movie serial. It makes heavy use of stock footage from Republic's previous Zorro serials. The character of Don Daredevil was created for this serial as the rights to Zorro belonged to Disney by 1951.
Birdman of Alcatraz is a 1962 American biographical drama film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Burt Lancaster. It is a largely fictionalized version of the life of Robert Stroud, who was sentenced to solitary confinement after having killed a prison guard. A federal prison inmate, he became known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz" because of his studies of birds, which had taken place when he was incarcerated at Leavenworth Prison where he was allowed to keep birds in jail. When moved to Alcatraz, Stroud was never allowed to keep any birds.
Roy Barcroft was an American character actor famous for playing villains in B-Westerns and other genres. From 1937 to 1957, he appeared in more than 300 films for Republic Pictures. Film critic Leonard Maltin acclaimed Barcroft as "Republic Pictures' number one bad guy".
Arthur R. "Doc" Barker was an American criminal, the son of Ma Barker and a member of the Barker-Karpis gang, founded by his brother Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis. Barker was typically called on for violent action, while Fred and Karpis planned the gang's crimes. He was arrested and convicted of kidnapping in 1935. Sent to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in 1936, he was killed three years later while attempting to escape.
Frontier Circus is an American Western television series about a traveling circus roaming the American West in the 1880s. Filmed by Revue Productions, the program originally aired on CBS from October 5, 1961, until September 6, 1962.
Sunset Carson was an American B-western star of the 1940s.
Bells of Rosarita is a 1945 American musical Western film starring Roy Rogers and directed by Frank McDonald.
United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz or The Rock was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States, the site of a fort since the 1850s; the main prison building was built in 1910–1912 as a United States Army military prison.
There are many reportedly haunted locations in San Francisco, California. According to ghost hunters, over 100 sites in the San Francisco Bay Area are reported to be haunted.
Experiment Alcatraz is a 1950 American crime film directed by Edward L. Cahn and written by Orville H. Hampton. The film stars John Howard, Joan Dixon, Walter Kingsford and Robert Shayne. The film was released on November 21, 1950, by RKO Pictures.
Savage Frontier is a 1953 American Western film directed by Harry Keller and starring Allan Lane, Dorothy Patrick and Eddy Waller.
Madonna of the Desert is a 1948 American crime film directed by George Blair and written by Albert DeMond. The film stars Lynne Roberts, Don "Red" Barry, Don Castle, Sheldon Leonard, Paul Hurst and Roy Barcroft. The film was released on February 23, 1948 by Republic Pictures.
Lightnin' in the Forest is a 1948 American comedy film directed by George Blair and written by John K. Butler. The film stars Lynne Roberts, Don "Red" Barry, Warren Douglas, Lorna Gray, Lucien Littlefield and Claire Du Brey. The film was released on March 25, 1948 by Republic Pictures.
Desperadoes of Dodge City is a 1948 American Western film directed by Philip Ford and written by Robert Creighton Williams. The film stars Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, Mildred Coles, Roy Barcroft, Tristram Coffin and William Phipps. The film was released on September 15, 1948, by Republic Pictures.
Two Guns and a Badge is a 1954 American Western film directed by Lewis D. Collins and written by Daniel B. Ullman. The film stars Wayne Morris, Morris Ankrum, Beverly Garland, Roy Barcroft, William Edward Phipps and Damian O'Flynn. The film was released on September 12, 1954, by Allied Artists Pictures.
