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HORRIFIC 1921 MURDER THE SUBJECT OF NEW MOVIE PRODUCTION IN SEATTLE, WA
When people told James Mahoney to "pack efficiently" for his honeymoon he took their words to heart, stuffing his new bride Kate into a steamer trunk and smashing her skull in with a club (yes, in that order). This grisly crime and the police investigation that followed is the subject of the newest horror noir feature film by Seattle-based independent movie production company Jungle Roar - Night Horizon Films.
Known as the The Mahoney Trunk Murder, this shocking crime captivated the entire nation and for a short time in 1921 all eyes were on the city of Seattle, Washington. There was never a doubt in anyone's mind that the murderer was Mahoney, but frustrated Seattle detectives were impeded from making an arrest because of one annoying inconvenience: Complete lack of evidence to tie the man to the crime.
What makes this criminal case compelling (apart from the murder itself) is the flamboyant and arrogant nature of Mahoney. His sociopathic sense of entitlement and lack of conscience lead him to marry Kate Mooers and then subsequently butcher her two months later.
Mooers had recently divorced her husband and, thanks to a substantial settlement, found herself quite rich. She was also now the exclusive owner of The New Baker House hotel in Belltown, a Seattle neighborhood located a mile Southeast of the Space Needle (Constructed in 1962) and a mile North of the famous Pike Street Market. The New Baker
House was managed by Mahoney's mother and she was more than delighted to introduce her handsome and dynamic son (half Kate's age) to the wealthy divorcee.
RECENT EDITIONS:
VOLUME 2 NO, 2 --
-- Evolution & Pre-Columbian Edition
VOLUME 2 NO.1 --
-- Uniquely American
Special Edition
2011 ARCHIVES:
VOLUME 1 NO. 3 --
-- Russian Empire &
Punishment Edition
VOLUME 1 NO. 2 --
-- Murder, Mayhem & the Macabre Edition
VOLUME 1 NO. 1 --
-- Arctic Exploration
Edition
On April 16, 1921, the day before their scheduled departure, Kate surprised her husband with a brand new steamer trunk. Mahoney was ecstatic and said, "Why, it's perfect, darling! Hey, do you mind climbing in for a second? I want to see something." The naive woman did as she was asked and then Mahoney lifted the wooden club hidden behind his back and delivered a series of vicious blows to the woman's skull.
Weeks later, when Kate's relatives inquired as to her whereabouts, Mahoney lied and told them she was in Havanna,Cuba on an extended gambling junket, knowing full well that she was actually resting comfortably at the bottom of Lake Union.*
Of course, anyone who knew the reclusive Kate realized immediately that this was a fib. It was only a matter of time before Mahoney would be linked to the crime and punished. Everyone seemed aware of this except for Mahoney, who was busy getting on with his life, masking his grief through whoring, drinking, opium abuse and a variety of other activites that made the Marquis de Sade look like a prudish Mennonite schoolgirl.
This early Progressive Era crime story will be brought to life on the silver screen, with principle photography to begin Summer 2012 in Seattle, Washington.
*Guinness World Records gives credit to Mahoney for "worst lie ever told to cover up a crime." This record still holds to date.
MOVIE SOUND HAS ARRIVED!
August 7, 1926
The death knell for
Silent Era film was
heralded yesterday
by the Hollywood
premier of Don
Juan, the first
synchronized sound
movie. The three-hour long moving picture extravaganza features a full length musical score and sound effects synchronized to the the action on the big screen. This exciting new cinematic innovation is brought to us by Vitagraph studios, a company recently purchased by the fledgling studio Warner Bros. Jane Pequin, renowned LA movie critic, had this to say: "I thought it would never end. I was also disappointed in John Barrymore's performance...I thought he would have sounded taller."
The May-December romance quickly blossomed and on February 10, 1921 the couple "eloped" and James Mahoney found himself in the catbird seat. Kate's bank account afforded him all the social & hedonistic pleasures he had always dreamed about but could never quite wrap his slimy fingers around: Loose women, high stakes gambling and the opportunity to expand his burgeoning opium smuggling business, just to name a few.
An iconoclast and not one to be restricted by annoying social conventions such as marriage, Mahoney focused on ridding himself of the albatros chained to his neck via a special honeymoon/murder vacation package. Kate was
thrilled with his idea for a St Paul, Minnesota (his old stomping grounds) lover's getaway, but was puzzled by his request that, for the trip, she pick up a steamer trunk that was "big enough to, you know, possibly hold a body."
VISIT JUNGLE ROAR - NIGHT HORIZON FILMS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS MOVIE
READ MORE ABOUT THE MURDER ON HISTORYLINK - KING COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY SOURCE
TWENTY YEARS AFTER: TWIN PEAKS REVISITED
Snoqualmie, Washington
Twenty years has passed since the filming and release (1990-1991) of the cult television series 'Twin Peaks.' Time has not faded the significance or popularity of the hit show, with countless visitors traveling to the small town of Snoqualmie (thirty miles East of Seattle) for a glimpse of this unique shooting location.
Written and directed by David Lynch & Mark Frost, Lynch chose Snoqualmie because of his fond memories of the area when he lived in Washington State as a small child. Focusing his particular and unique genius on this unusual mystery story, he crafted a surreal vision filled with dynamic film sequences, abstract montages that melded reality & dreams and multi-dimensional characters that leapt from the screen and captured our imaginations.
* The term Twin Peaks refers to Mount Si, a nearby mountain situated between Snoqualmie and North Bend which has an unusual top consisting of two peaks.
The Salish lodge is ground zero for the Twin Peaks fans. This grand hotel overlooking the mighty Snoqualmie Falls is used for all exterior shots to represent the Great Northern Hotel. Although the original structure built in 1919 has been destroyed, the lodge we see today was fully reconstructed and expanded in 1988, two years before filming.
Travel a bit further east and you will enter the town of North Bend. North Bend's claim to fame is Twede's Cafe, the famous restaurant utilized in the series where the 'town folks' gathered and many, many significant scenes were shot. They continue to serve Agent Cooper's favorite order: Coffee and cherry pie.
This writer can certainly testify that the area has a charm that sets it apart from every other place I have lived at over the years. If you find yourself in the city of Seattle, I highly recommend taking a drive East and checking out this iconic location. You too may find yourself developing a long term love affair...
THE ARTIST
MOVIE BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO THE BYGONE ERA OF SILENT FILM
'The Artist' truly captures the flavor and ambiance of quality silent films of the late twenties, providing us not only with a captivating visual display of remarkable performances, but also filling in the backstory on the abrupt, and often painful, transition from silent pictures to "talkies".
George Valentin learns (as Many major stars did at the time) that if you can't adapt to change, you are simply swept aside. In an age when 'big budget' translates into 'great movie', where eyes and ears are assaulted with back-to-back explosions and gunfire from films based on rehashed, banal scripts spoonfed to a zombified audience, 'The Artist' offers a refreshing & delightful change of pace.
It is no suprise that movie reviewers from across the globe have given this film a big thumbs up, and that it has been nominated for and received dozens of awards for its originality and superb cinematography. This critically acclaimed gem is a must-see for any true cinephile and recommended for anyone who wants a break from the status quo and hungers to view an absolutely unique piece of art.
- RJ Wattenhofer
'THE ARTIST' ON IMDb
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