Here's some video and graphics of secret tunnels under the Green Mill on the North side of Chicago. The Mill was one of Capone's favorite hangouts. Speculation has it that at one point he owned the club.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainm...omepagenews-utl

Unearthing the Capone connection

By Robert K. Elder
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 28, 2007


Despite the Green Mill's prominent place in Chicago film and jazz history, its link to gangster king Al Capone still gets the most attention.

But that may be exaggerated, says historian Richard Lindberg, author of "Return to the Scene of the Crime: A Guide to Infamous Places in Chicago."

"People are always calling me with Capone stories, someplace where Capone was known to be," Lindberg says. "Ninety-nine percent of it is urban legend, and I think it's especially true with the Green Mill."

The Green Mill started life in 1907 as Pop Morse's Roadhouse, a watering hole in developing Uptown. Three years later, new investors converted the spot into the Green Mill Gardens, a blocklong dance hall and beer garden, complete with a giant windmill perched atop the festivities - a nod to Paris' own Moulin Rouge (or "Red Windmill").

Capone's shadow fell on the Mill during the late 1920s, when "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn - Capone henchman and speculated triggerman of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre - acquired part ownership.

Capone was said to frequent the club and even had a favorite booth that, owner Dave Jemilo says, still sits in the center of the room, facing away from the stage, in full view of the front and side doors, and a quick route to the trap door.

Famously, when singing comedian Joe E. Lewis attempted to get out of his Green Mill contract in 1927, McGurn's men visited Lewis in his hotel room where, Lindberg says, "he was sliced within an inch of his life." Fortunately, Lewis survived a slit throat, recovered and enjoyed a long career as a comedian, though he never fully recovered his crooner voice. His story was later adapted into the 1957 film "The Joker Is Wild," starring Frank Sinatra.

Beyond this, says Lindberg, Capone's ties to the Green Mill are "peripheral at best." When Jemilo bought the Mill in 1986, all sorts of longtime customers told him personal stories about Capone's visits to the club.

But, he says, "we don't make a big deal about the Capone stuff. We're more about the music and the history of the joint, overall. I don't mind the gangster history, but I don't want to it to be the only thing it's known for."

As for the world underneath Broadway, Lindberg says, "The tunnels had more mundane purposes … moving coal and eating materials." But, he adds: "Where there was illicit activity, you had tunnels," such as the dug-out tunnels in Capone's places in the Levee District.

Under the Green Mill, however, "I don't believe that they were created as escape routes. … They were created long before Capone," Lindberg says. "But I think the main point here is: Capone has become such a larger-than-life character, it has created an Al Capone cottage industry, and bits of stories become legend. Separating the fact from the fiction has become the greatest challenge."

If you've never seen that movie its time you did see it!! Its one of my favorite bio-pics and Sinatra is wonderful in it.

I don't know if you're old enough to remember but news reporter Geraldo Rivera hosted a tv special in the 1980's which aired live. The subject was an old vault that was found and reported to be used by Al Capone. They were to open it (for the first time in over 40 years) on live tv.

Now there was loads of speculation on what they'd find when the vault was opened (some said money, some said guns, some even said bodies). Well, after two of the most boring hours imaginable they found a few empty bottles.

Anyway, DN, thanks for posting this.

I like many of sinatras movies but ive never heard of this,do you think you would be able to get it on dvd? ive got the original oceans eleven on dvd excellent by the way.

Dunno. I can't find any online.

ive just been looking now tried amazon ebay etc.. cant find anything at all which has really suprised me if you have any look could you let me know please and vice versa.

Will do.

I watched thr original Ocean's Eleven on tv the other day. (Don't remember which one though) I really liked it. I was surprised to see the man who played Barzini was in that movie.

SC- I remember watching them open Capone's vault. I couldn't wait to see what was in it and, when they found nothing it was such a letdown.

Yep, and don't forget Norman Fell (Mr. Roper from "Three's Company"). My favorite appearance in that, though, was Shirley MacLaine... she used to run with Sinatra's Rat Pack and they wrote in a small part for her.

Oh yeah I forgot about him. Thanks for reminding me. I need to buy that dvd.

BTW have you dried out yet?

One of Sinatra's finest roles. Excellent movie.


I remember when Heraldo did that Capone thing on TV. It basically finished him at the time. His televison career made a huge nosedive. Then the O.J. Simpson thing happened and the trial revived his career as the ratings for his show soared big time.

Dunno if you remember the stories about Willowbrook (on Staten Island) that Rivera broke. He was a wonderful investigative reporter back then (as a matter of fact, I saw a short segment of film of Frank Sinatra telling Rivera that he was a good reporter - and Sinatra hated reporters!).

Rivera got too big for his britches soon after all that notoriety and IMO he's a douchebag now.

I remember it well.

It was a vault that they found when they were demolishing the Hawthorne Hotel.

The hype of Y2K had nothing on that!!

I remember that show. It was the greatest soporific since Quaaludes.
According to John Kobler, who wrote the best (IMO) biography of Capone, Lewis had to learn to speak again after that attack. Capone gave him $50k, but never disciplined McGurn for the attack.

Don't you remember the story that I told you about the whole Rivera/Willowbrook thing with my father?

Donatello -- It was the building that housed the Lexington Hotel in the south loop which once served as Capone headquarters...don't know that it was ever known as the Hawthorne Hotel.

The article on the Green Mill tunnels was very entertaining. Most older buildings in many major cities often have these wild sub-grade vaults and storage areas. You'd be surprised at how many commercial buildings have basements that actually extend beyond the facade of the building under the public sidewalk and right up to the edge of the street.

The famous "Chicago Flood" a few years ago was the result of a tunnel below the Chicago River being pierced by a company driving wood pilings into the river bed. Those tunnels, unused and for all intents and purposes abandoned, were part of an underground narrow gauge freight railroad that serviced many of the downtown buildings. Many old city centers have some sort of underground system...and, oh, if those walls could talk!

tony b.

Actually, the Hawthorne was Capone's headquarters in Cicero, west of Chicago. The Lexington is where the vault was - it was on the South Side near Mercy Hospital. He lived in the Lexington (also had a house on the South Side that I think is still there.)

My mistake. I stand corrected.