Raising a glass to City Confidential - Page 2 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

88keys · 04-10-2014, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Skidmore: Frontier Justice ~ Ken McElroy got what he deserved.

Is that the one where the town bully finally got beaten to death, but nobody saw anything?

wiseguy182 · 04-11-2014, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 88keys

Is that the one where the town bully finally got beaten to death, but nobody saw anything?

close. The town bully finally got shot to death, but the townspeople claimed they didn't see anything. The police believe there were actually dozens of witnesses, but nobody provided any information. It is unknown who actually fired the fatal shot.

Finnegan · 08-23-2014, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

close. The town bully finally got shot to death, but the townspeople claimed they didn't see anything. The police believe there were actually dozens of witnesses, but nobody provided any information. It is unknown who actually fired the fatal shot.

That episode was so good! It was one of the best ones. The other episode that I thought was good was the one about Fresno, CA. The twenty-something son in a wealthy family talked his college roommate into killing his parents and his sister on Easter Sunday so that he could get his inheritance.

wiseguy182 · 08-24-2014, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finnegan

That episode was so good! It was one of the best ones. The other episode that I thought was good was the one about Fresno, CA. The twenty-something son in a wealthy family talked his college roommate into killing his parents and his sister on Easter Sunday so that he could get his inheritance.

Dana Ewell. That's a pretty famous one that's been on other true crime shows such as American Justice. I thought Dana Ewell was incredibly stupid. He had absolutely everything going for him and would have inherited a lot of money someday, but got greedy and impatient and his current status (occupying a prison cell) is a far cry from his former life.

welcome, btw!

Finnegan · 08-24-2014, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

Dana Ewell. That's a pretty famous one that's been on other true crime shows such as American Justice. I thought Dana Ewell was incredibly stupid. He had absolutely everything going for him and would have inherited a lot of money someday, but got greedy and impatient and his current status (occupying a prison cell) is a far cry from his former life.

welcome, btw!

Thanks Wiseguy!

Ewell was really stupid. I remember hearing that he was spending Easter with his girlfriend who was the daughter of an FBI agent. You can almost imagine the little jerk laughing to himself thinking, "Air tight alibi! Nobody's going to question me since I was with an FBI agent's daughter." Lol...that obviously didn't work out so well.

I'm sure he's very popular now in prison.

LETTERL · 08-27-2014, 09:54 AM

I was a big fan of "City Confidential" too...but after Paul Winfield died, it really seemed to change. Nothing against the new guy they got to replace him...Winfield, like Robert Stack, just had that great voice and personality that let you know the narrator really seemed to love the show he was narrating.

There were too many good episodes to mention but there's one that's very special to me. "Small Town Justice" profiled the tiny town of Newberry, South Carolina; the daughter of a state senator was murdered by her husband. The Lander name is big in this part of South Carolina so at the time, this case really caused shockwaves in the upper part of the state. The episode featured many locals and most of the businesses and shops featured in the episode are still around, although they have, in many instances, been passed down to succeeding generations.

Newberry hasn't changed all that much in the years since City Confidential rolled into town. I now teach mathematics at Newberry College, founded in 1856, and was disappointed that the college didn't even garner a mention in the episode. The college is an integral part of the city, being within walking distance of downtown and the historic Newberry Opera House (a great venue to watch a concert, by the way.)

wiseguy182 · 04-13-2015, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

I liked:

St Augustine, FL: The Socialite and the Politician. Local reportedly cantankerous socialite (and former model) is murdered after multiple spats with local politicians.

That was a good episode. So haunting that she was murdered on her own front lawn in broad daylight and the killer has never paid for it.

What was really intriguing as that were several good suspects. Conventional wisdom says that city manager Alan Stanford was responsible, but there were some things about her husband and former mayor Jinx Lindsley and the deputy Sheriff that gave me pause.

I'm interested to know her backstory since the episode said she was hated everywhere she went. This article has some facts about her not stated in the episode: that when she lived in Jacksonville, FL shortly before moving to St. Augustine, she wrote a book, patented an invention, became a real estate agent and ran for state congress. http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/st...l#.VSt036PD_4Y

Also, another interesting fact I learned that was not mentioned in the episode. Later the same year, after Athalia was murdered, one of her neighbors was also killed. There was some speculation that said neighbor knew some information and planned to reveal, but you also have to wonder if there was some random sicko living in that area.

wiseguy182 · 04-14-2015, 01:28 PM

Do Florida juries ever, and I mean EVER get it right?

I was dismayed that they found no less than 3 people guilty in the murder of Lobster Boy Grady Stiles, including his wife Maria, her son, and his classmate Christopher Wyant. Where was the damn evidence? Grady was a known wife and child beater and murderer who beat his family nearly every day, and I can't say as I feel a tinge of sympathy for his death.

This wasn't mentioned in the episode, but Grady actually had incredible upper body strength as he had to use his arms and such to move around, which made him all the more intimidating to his family members.

Basically, it boiled down to the battered spouse syndrome and whether or not Maria felt Grady was an immediate threat to her at that moment. I feel he was as it's very likely he would have killed her eventually. The guy had pinchers for hands!

wiseguy182 · 04-16-2015, 06:32 AM

I found out some more information about Johnny Valpato. As you may recall, he was the Carlsbad, NM pharmacist and politician who had been accused of murdering his wife at the drug store where he worked late one night after receiving a call to fill a prescription. Valpato routinely accepted such calls after-hours and stated he and his wife were both shot by several Hispanic men robbing the store.

I found out that Johnny was actually declared "clinically dead" at the hospital, but staff were able to revive him. After his release from prison, he was broke and working as a farm hand, but once again was able to climb the ladder of success and resumed work as a pharmacist and politician after his license was restored. He remarried, but his second wife died not too long ago it what was another sad and unexpected death: she died in a car accident. Johnny has since married a third time.

The murder of his wife remains unsolved and it doesn't seem the authorities ever investigated the death after Johnny's retrial and release. It's interesting to note that shootings took place just days after the infamous Santa Fe prison riot that also occurred in the state of New Mexico.

wiseguy182 · 04-23-2015, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

Aspen: Murder on the Slopes ~ Weird they didn't talk about Claudine Longet's successful singing career, instead painting her as a washed-up B-list actress. I tend to think she's guilty though, and her way leninent sentence was a joke.

I can't even describe how much they completely buried Longet in the episode. Painting her as over-the-hill (she was 34!!! and not that much older than Spider). She was also known for her marriage to Andy Williams ("The King of Easy Listening") and was very close friends with the Kennedys. (Robert even made a hand gesture the night he was shot signaling to Longet that their get-together was on, he made it right after his speech and just before he died.)

She was also one of very few French singers to ever have any sort of success on the American charts. She registered quite a few songs on the adult contemporary charts. The radio station at my workplace has even played some of her music in recent years. And Elvis's favorite movie was "The Party", which Longet starred in.

teri360 · 05-14-2015, 03:20 AM

I miss City Confidential. It was my favorite true crime show along with Forensic Files. Does anyone know if they are available on DVD? The thing I liked about it is that it was sort of a combo travelogue and crime show. You got to learn a lot about the town where the crime took place. That was unique, though there was a recent show on ID, Sins and Secrets, that also did that.

08-27-2014, 09:54 AM	#21
LETTERL Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 11, 2004 Location: SC Posts: 83	I was a big fan of "City Confidential" too...but after Paul Winfield died, it really seemed to change. Nothing against the new guy they got to replace him...Winfield, like Robert Stack, just had that great voice and personality that let you know the narrator really seemed to love the show he was narrating. There were too many good episodes to mention but there's one that's very special to me. "Small Town Justice" profiled the tiny town of Newberry, South Carolina; the daughter of a state senator was murdered by her husband. The Lander name is big in this part of South Carolina so at the time, this case really caused shockwaves in the upper part of the state. The episode featured many locals and most of the businesses and shops featured in the episode are still around, although they have, in many instances, been passed down to succeeding generations. Newberry hasn't changed all that much in the years since City Confidential rolled into town. I now teach mathematics at Newberry College, founded in 1856, and was disappointed that the college didn't even garner a mention in the episode. The college is an integral part of the city, being within walking distance of downtown and the historic Newberry Opera House (a great venue to watch a concert, by the way.)

04-14-2015, 01:28 PM	#23
wiseguy182 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 11, 2006 Location: Wendy's salad bar Posts: 7,030	Do Florida juries ever, and I mean EVER get it right? I was dismayed that they found no less than 3 people guilty in the murder of Lobster Boy Grady Stiles, including his wife Maria, her son, and his classmate Christopher Wyant. Where was the damn evidence? Grady was a known wife and child beater and murderer who beat his family nearly every day, and I can't say as I feel a tinge of sympathy for his death. This wasn't mentioned in the episode, but Grady actually had incredible upper body strength as he had to use his arms and such to move around, which made him all the more intimidating to his family members. Basically, it boiled down to the battered spouse syndrome and whether or not Maria felt Grady was an immediate threat to her at that moment. I feel he was as it's very likely he would have killed her eventually. The guy had pinchers for hands!

04-16-2015, 06:32 AM	#24
wiseguy182 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 11, 2006 Location: Wendy's salad bar Posts: 7,030	I found out some more information about Johnny Valpato. As you may recall, he was the Carlsbad, NM pharmacist and politician who had been accused of murdering his wife at the drug store where he worked late one night after receiving a call to fill a prescription. Valpato routinely accepted such calls after-hours and stated he and his wife were both shot by several Hispanic men robbing the store. I found out that Johnny was actually declared "clinically dead" at the hospital, but staff were able to revive him. After his release from prison, he was broke and working as a farm hand, but once again was able to climb the ladder of success and resumed work as a pharmacist and politician after his license was restored. He remarried, but his second wife died not too long ago it what was another sad and unexpected death: she died in a car accident. Johnny has since married a third time. The murder of his wife remains unsolved and it doesn't seem the authorities ever investigated the death after Johnny's retrial and release. It's interesting to note that shootings took place just days after the infamous Santa Fe prison riot that also occurred in the state of New Mexico.

05-14-2015, 03:20 AM	#26
teri360 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 13, 2015 Location: Port Orchard, Wa Posts: 10	I miss City Confidential. It was my favorite true crime show along with Forensic Files. Does anyone know if they are available on DVD? The thing I liked about it is that it was sort of a combo travelogue and crime show. You got to learn a lot about the town where the crime took place. That was unique, though there was a recent show on ID, Sins and Secrets, that also did that.