Description

Examining the case that inspired a pop culture phenomenon

In 1924 Beulah Annan was arrested for killing her lover, Harry Kalsted. Six weeks later, a jury acquitted her of murder. Inspired by the sordid event, trial, and acquittal, reporter Maurine Watkins wrote the play Chicago, a Broadway hit that was adapted several times. Through a fresh retelling of Annans story and Watkinss play, Charles H. Cosgrove provides the first critical examination of the criminal case and an exploration of the eras social assumptions that made the plays message so plausible in its time. Cosgrove expertly combines inquest and police records, and interviews with Annans relatives, to analyze the participants, the trial, and the play. Although no one will ever know what really happened in that Kenwood apartment, Cosgroves interrogation shows how sensationalized Watkinss writing was. Her reporting on the Annan case perpetuated falsehoods about Annans so-called confession, and her play inaccurately portrayed Chicagos criminal justice system. Cosgrove challenges the portrait of Annan as a killer who got away with murder and of Watkins as a savvy reporter and precocious playwright. He exposes the weaknesses of the case against Annan and vindicates the jury that tried her.

Author: Charles H. Cosgrove
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
Published: 06/07/2024
Pages: 240
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780809339389
Language: English