CHICAGO IN THE TWENTIES 0. CHICAGO IN THE TWENTIES - Story Preface 1. CHICAGO IN THE TWENTIES 2. THE REAL ROXIE HART 3. WE BOTH REACHED FOR THE GUN 4. THE REAL VELMA KELLY 5. CHICAGO, THE PLAY 6. THE REST OF THE STORY This vintage postcard depicts a view of Chicago as it appeared in the 1920s. Click on the image for a better view. By the 1920s, Chicago was America's "second city." No longer just the place of a fort near the shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago had quickly become a gateway to the country's undeveloped wilderness. For many adventurous young men, the city was often the last stop to buy supplies. Or drink illegal liquor. Beginning in January of 1920, no one could legally make, transport, sell or buy liquor in the United States. Prohibition, however, did not stop people from drinking alcoholic beverages. What changed was its method of production and sale. In Chicago, bootlegging flourished and was largely run by organized crime. Trial lawyers like Clarence Darrow (who would be hired, in 1924, to keep Leopold and Loeb from hanging) were famous Chicago celebrities. So were their clients, largely due to extensive newspaper publicity. In the days before television - good days, in other words, according to writers like Roald Dahl - sensational murder trials often provided entertainment for the local populace. The Chicago Tribune hired a young reporter, Maurine Dallas Watkins, to cover the courts from "a feminine perspective." Watkins, a budding playwright studying at Yale, had decided to take a break from college so she could get some real-world experience. Her journalist duties at the Tribune gave her just the experience she needed - and more. Watkins turned two of the cases she reported - murders committed by two beautiful young women - into a play when she resumed her studies at Yale. Her classroom assignment still survives as the basis of Bob Fosse's musical Chicago. And the storyline of her play, including some of its impossible-but-true parts, is the basis for Chicago, the movie. In other words, "Roxie Hart" and "Velma Kelley" were real killers. See Alignments to State and Common Core standards for this story online at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/AcademicAlignment/CHICAGO-IN-THE-TWENTIES-Chicago-The-Movie See Learning Tasks for this story online at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/AcademicActivities/CHICAGO-IN-THE-TWENTIES-Chicago-The-Movie Media Stream Drawing of Early Chicago Image online, courtesy the History of Chicago website. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Drawing-of-Early-Chicago Fort Chicago Image online, taken by History of the Great Lakes, by A.T. Andreas, 1884. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Fort-Chicago First Dock in Chicago Image online, taken by History of the Great Lakes, by A.T. Andreas, 1884. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/First-Dock-in-Chicago Merchants Along Chicago's Docks Image online, taken by History of the Great Lakes, by A.T. Andreas, 1884. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Merchants-Along-Chicago-s-Docks Clarence Darrow Image online, courtesy the U.S. Library of Congress. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Clarence-Darrow3 Maurine Dallas Watkins Image online, courtesy the Crawfordsville District Public Library website. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Maurine-Dallas-Watkins Chicago - by Maurine Watkins Image online, courtesy amazon.com website. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Chicago-by-Maurine-Watkins- Bob Fosse Image online, courtesy Wikimedia Commons. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Bob-Fosse Chicago Play - Boxcover Image online, courtesy amazon.com website. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Chicago-Play-Boxcover CHICAGO IN THE TWENTIES View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/CHICAGO-IN-THE-TWENTIES.