Early in the writer’s room, we discovered a law article written by F. Thomas Schornhorst (one of the prosecutors in the Kiritsis case), which gave a legal analysis of the responsibilities and challenges of both Tony’s lawyers (John Ruckelshaus and Charles Wilson) and DAs (George Martz and David Rimstidt) over the course of the hostage crisis. This was a key find in our research as it gave us a world beyond Fred Heckman, Tony Kiritsis, and Dick Hall.
The article also shed light on the longstanding feud between Chief Eugene Gallagher and DA James Kelley, a clash so ugly that a Feb 3, 1977 The Indianapolis Star article quoted James Kelley as personally requesting Mayor William Hudnut to intercede in the “disruptive war that is taking place between the Indianapolis Police Department and the Marion County Prosecutors’ Office.” That plea to action was six days before Tony Kiritis took Dick Hall hostage.
Is the Ed McMahon contest that we hear in the show real?
Ed McMahon really did promote a contest where WIBC listeners could win a trip to California for a weekend of “McMahon, Martinis and Madness”. Unfortunately, we don’t know who won the trip or if they got their martinis with Ed.
Did people really call Tony Kiritsis on the phone during the crisis?
Tony’s phone number was listed in the local white pages. Anyone could look up his number after hearing his name on the radio and call. People did call him, including news reporters who were admonished by the police for interfering. Quickly the police were able to get Tony’s number changed to prevent unauthorized callers.
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