Ernest Granville Booth
Ernest Granville Booth (August 12, 1898–June 14, 1959) was an American criminal and screenwriter who got his start in writing while an inmate of
Biography
Booth was born in Oakland, California; his father Stuart W. Booth was a prominent area journalist.[3] He was sent to the Preston School of Industry reform school as an early adolescent following an arrest for burglary,[4] and went on to serve several years in prison for various crimes, at one point being dubbed the "ammonia bank bandit", for his holdups where he threatened tellers with a so-called ammonia bomb.[5] He gained notoriety for several escapes and attempted escapes,[6] and was described as "somewhat of a joker" after one episode where after escaping while being transported to California, he mailed a newspaper clipping describing his escape to his jailer in Milwaukee, where he had been originally captured.[7]
After being imprisoned in
In 1947, he was arrested again when it was discovered that he had been responsible for a 1943 burglary and a recent series of robberies, returning him to prison until his death in 1959.[8][2]
Works
Film
- Ladies of the Mob (1928)
- Ladies of the Big House (1931)
- Penrod's Double Trouble (1938)
- Women Without Names (1940)
- Men of San Quentin (1942)
Books
- Stealing Through Life (1929, Alfred A Knopf, ASIN B00085O1BQ)
- With Sirens Screaming (1945, Doubleday, Doran and Company, ASIN B0006AQMS8)
Stories
Published in
- "We Rob a Bank" (1927)
- "A Texas Chain Gang" (1927)
- "Ladies of the Mob" (1927)
- "Ladies in Durance Vile" (1931)
See also
References
- ^ San Bernardino Sun. 1937-08-23. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ^ ISBN 9780578653693. Excerpted: Philippe Garnier (2020-09-29). "Prison Made Me a Screenwriter!". Alta. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
- ^ "Thinks His Boy is in Stockton". Stockton Independent. 1910-05-10. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ^ Vince Keenan (January 16, 2020). "Golden Age Hollywood was Full of Ex-Cons". CrimeReads. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
- ^ "Two Escape Open Jail". Stockton Independent. 1924-10-27. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ^ ISBN 9781440621284.
- ^ "Booth Sends Jailer in East Clipping Telling of Escape". Chico Record. 1917-08-07. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
- ^ "Script Writer Held for Robbery". San Pedro News Pilot. 1947-03-24. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
External links
- Ernest Booth at IMDb