Alcatraz with Cellhouse Audio Tour | Troma

the first thing you want to learn when you hit Alcatraz is keep your mouth shut walk with your back thank you for joining us on our tour of the Alcatraz cell house you should now be standing under the sign that says tour begins here on your right look for a photo panel entitled tour narrator's walk over to it walk do not run we're moving from one place to another I'm Pat Mahoney former Alcatraz correctional officer and I'll be your guide I served seven years on the rock these first photos introduced some of my fellow officers I am Philip Bergen captain of the guards United States penitentiary Alcatraz California well my name is George demand chezy I used to play checkers with Robert Stroud I don't think I ever beat him my name is Rommel battles I asked whether he hire blacks out there you know how it was some 50s continued to the left to the next photo panel these are some of the prisoners whose voices you'll hear yeah my name is Leon whitey Thompson my number was 1465 I was a man that had total hatred and them days I hated anything I walked to crawl on this earth a man who was dead inside you couldn't hurt me at all I see I'm John banner my Alcatraz number was 11 33 I'm a thief you know why you did up about number 17 or something like that I'm the most one you were a number you weren't a name I wasn't Jim Kuo and hell I was number 586 everybody wants to be an individual they want to be a human and you weren't hit the rock my name is Darwin Kuhn number 14 22 figured I've never got to get out yeah I'm gonna step right here until I die now continue to your left up ahead you'll see an open gate on your right this was called the cutoff walkthrough the cutoff the Alcatraz cell house opened as a federal prison in 1934 within these walls lived the country's toughest most dangerous and most famous prisoners as soon as you exit the cutoff immediately turn right unto the next quarter it's called Broadway walk slowly along the line of cells on the right side each cell has a number above the cell door on your right find cell number 113 stop and look inside Broadway was the first stop for arriving prisoners we went right down Broadway you know you know birthday suits and all the guys you know I Holloman well here's a typical Alcatraz cell every one of them in a Cell locks exactly like I had a metal table top and little chair that and that was about it fella barons by feet white 9 feet long 75 that's what I call the little box no decorations allowed anything can paste an e on the wall continue to the next cell waiting on the bed for each new prisoner was a copy of the official rules and regulations this is the rules of the cell house your cell is subject to search at any time Hotel had to be folded up and put on your shelf your toothbrush and they used to give us tooth powder in little green containers now continue ahead to the next sale I guess like a cockroach feels on the mats buff you may smoke on yourself in the library were issued a pack of wings on a Monday Wednesday and Friday every inmate that are smoked or not continue to the next cell sweep your cell and place the trash in the trash remember even mark everything in that cell and I pretty soon that cell became like a part of me or I became a part of the cell look ahead to the far end of Broadway you should see a clock on the wall walk towards it Alcatraz is always classed as the end of the line the point of no return was like going into the ground you know when you're buried you're gone forever Venezia is the area prisoners called time square when you get to Times Square turn left look over towards the right and find the large photo of the prison recreation yard walk over to it this is the rules of the cell house prisoners had a decision to make whether to obey the rules or not to do good time or bad time that decision affected their lives dramatically when it made us given housing good food medical attention and all in necessities of life everything else was a privilege time to exercise outside getting books and mail all had to be earned one of their favorite privileges was the recreation yard the most pleasant place I believe on our Patrol and the most appreciated the handball court horseshoe court prisoners also played bridge out in the yard they used dominoes instead of cards they came out with a system called Auto bridge you played it all by yourself guys got so wound up in this bridge thing that they ate and slept it they go out there and it would be so cold that you didn't think you could stay out there yet they'd stay out there for three hours and play bridge and if you're occupied with bridge and you're studying bridge you're not thinking about going over the wall prisoners who chose not to behave ended up in a harsher place isolation you should be facing the photo panel look to your left directly ahead is an open steel door marked D block go through this door D block was the prison within Alcatraz the treatment unit this place is going to operate on the basis that you do what you're told and you're gonna get a fair break you don't behave yourself we're gonna come down on her like a ton of bricks unruly or violent prisoners were sent here they stayed in their cells 24 hours a day typically they were only allowed out once a week for a shower and exercise walk over to the photo panel on the wall you'll see a photo of Robert Stroud alongside Stroud you'll see some other well-known prisoners Alcatraz was built for men like these Alvin Karpis gotta watch out for him former public enemy number one creepy Karpis when you seem creepy you wouldn't have to be told he was creepy because he walked on his cold he had Kelly nice fella never give me any troubles at all very accommodating polite Niki : Frankie Garbo and Capone beautiful with the Polti he was a street fighter a big man he was a good shape the only thing his brain was gone yeah syphilis well eventually they told him crazy now turn back to the cells walk over to the cells on the far right with solid green doors this was solitary confinement the whole cells 9 through 14 when the shell was occupied the regulations required that the light beyond well we kept the lights off when they were in there they were in the dark you may enter one of the cells if you wish well and I'd go in the hole what I used to do is I'd tear up but not my coveralls flip it up in the air then I'd turn around in circles then I get down on my hands and knees and I hunt for that button then when I found the button stands up I do it again walk through the nearest doorway mark library continue into the large open area this was the prison library you put your request on a library card if the book was available they'd bring it put it in the bars for you prisoners with reading privileges could subscribe to approved magazines and if it had some story but some convict got a Nebraska or something that was cut out never mind that she might have been written his serial and it was on the back on one end pages prisoners who behaved could also take correspondence courses took a course from the University of Pennsylvania on animal husbandry the gestation period for a pig is three months three weeks and three days now let's continue walk out of the library immediately turn left walk toward the recreation yard doorway up ahead stay along the left wall of the corridor you're now on C D Street C and D block they call it C D Street for C and D look for a large photo panel along the left wall stop when you get there in May of 1946 an inmate named Bernie coy along with five accomplices decided they would escape to freedom Alcatraz was built to keep every inmate directly under a gun you should now be at the photo panel this panel tells the story of the bloodiest escape attempt in Alcatraz history find the pictures of the escapees and look at the bar spreader we'll hear more about these in a moment now turn right and continue slowly down the quarter directly ahead of you and up above is a two-story walkway covered with bars this is the gun gallery well you had a man on the catwalk gun gallery and he carried a rifle a pistol stop when you get near the end of the roll of cells on Alcatraz guns were never carried down here on the floor only up in these galleries anyway this gun gallery was more or less overseeing the whole prison notice the keys hanging from a hook attached to the gun gallery you may wonder what that is well that hook was for sceptic purpose of allowing the officer on the floor to send his keys up to the gallery for safekeeping you should be at the end of the cellblock we'll be standing here a moment to escape Bernie coy knew he needed the keys in the gun gallery he arranged for an accomplice in d-block to distract the officer in the gun galleries while he overpowered the officer here on the floor next to enter the gun gallery coy used his homemade bar spreader he climbed the face of the Western gallery with his own made bar spreader hanging around his neck see there at the top of the bars where they curved back towards the back wall well that's where he spread the bars apart wide enough so that he could squeeze into the gallery boys surprised the gallery officer had not he grabbed his gun and keys and dropped them to his accomplices on the floor look below the gun gallery to the recreation yard door this was a door they hoped to open but none of the keys work the last thing I heard was this is a right key but it won't open the door outside the cell house other officers on duty were unaware of what was happy the phone started ringing they weren't getting any answers then one by one eight guards walked into the cell house to be confronted by armed convicts more people kept coming in they kept catching more people please find cells number 402 and 403 walk over to them eight officers were captured and locked up in these cells escape was now impossible the prisoners frustrations turned to rage Joe Kritzer pointed his gun at the officers trapped in these cells wildland Sam Shockley incited Kretzer to kill the captive guards he shot them in cold blood one by one poking his gun between the bars of the South front and then right after that the siren went and they were dead now continue back up the aisle towards the library stop at the cutoff across from the library it is on your left what happened next became known as the Battle of Alcatraz what the hell they have to live for they were gonna die they were gonna die one way or the other warden Johnson called in the United States Marines for two days the Marines and correctional officers bombarded the cell house from island slope and rooftops you should now be at the cut off across from the library glance into the cut off and look at the floor those pock marks were made by the exploding grenades that were dropped by the Marines through holes in the roof of the cell house on the wall above them you'll see a metal grate then the next morning things had quieted down and we decided that the escapees were dead we found them there in the utility quarter they were firing their guns as they died at the battles end two officers and three prisoners lay dead and two other prisoners were later executed for their role in the escape attempt step back out of the cutoff and on to C D Street continue walking slowly past the library along the quarter all o calm was restored for San Franciscans the Battle of Alcatraz with a stark reminder of the danger of having a maximum-security prison on their doorstep escape attempts got the attention but in Alcatraz is 30 years history most days were uneventful and repetitive stopped at the first furnished cell most accepted that dis cellblock however grim was home for now some considered this sunny area the most desirable part of the prison to live it was like coming back and we did old friend really take a look into the cells I used to do a lot of oil paintings on Alcatraz if I was painting scene of the Swiss Alps or something like that hey I'm right up there skiing as I'm painting and I used to escape that way my grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was a kid so I taught a lot of guys how to crochet big tough guys sent in there with a beetle hood crocheting move on to the next cell in the 1950s radios were installed at Alcatraz you might have noticed what looks like a light switch locks with two holes prisoners plugged their earphones in there to listen to the radio we had two stations we can plug into they let us listen to such programs as Boston Blackie Pelotonia have gun will travel baseball games and basketball games move on to the next cell at nighttime between 6:30 and 7:30 they have what they call the music hour maybe play a moniker there I get tired whatnot they had one guy over there and he used to play when he slide some bones they ite only knew three notes for now that's all I knew talk talk talk New Year's Eve everybody had had a saxophone or clarinet or guitar whatever started playing then taking tin cups and they dragged him back and forth across the front of the bars turn around and look up at the windows they face San Francisco and the Setting Sun the Yacht Club which was directly across from the island would always have a big New Year's party if the wind was blowing from that direction to the rock you could actually hear people laughing you get hear of music you could hear girls laughing you know you could hear all the sounds that were coming from the free world at the rock but New Year's was always the night we continued to the end of CD Street when you get there turn left look for four small windows in the wall on the right there are marked visitation the prisoners called this peek in place when they've written me that letter and said you know you're dead don't ever come back we've told your sister you're dead the whole yeah no I didn't have to Rock seven and a half years the guard came up rack my door open said Quillin and I said yeah or said 586 and I said yeah you got a visitor and I told him I said you're full of crap he said you've got a damn visitor go down to the visiting on approach the visitors windows I thought hell I'll see some good-looking chick at least if nothing else you know and I walked up there and here's this good-looking girl I I was nervous didn't know what to expect I knew who she was when I got a real good look at her and when she said Jimmy which was what she always called me though I knew it was my sash once I saw Jimmy it was you know he didn't look different and he was overwhelmed and and we just he couldn't believe it he couldn't believe it that we were there and that that I had grown up and that I'd come to see him let's continue directly ahead on the right look for an open gate with a sign that reads administration wing walk through this door prisoners rarely saw the world behind this door we're now entering officers country walk along the left side of the Corder we're passing the prison control room on your right but keep walking we'll stop here again later turn left into the first doorway up ahead officers reported for duty in this room this is where the business of running the prison took place they said okay fall in step up to the mannequin in a glass case this is a typical Alcatraz officer's uniform uniform was prison grey for the Hat I wore a hat all the time regular double-breasted uniform and they used to call you red ties because everybody in the place had this red tie on even supplied your shoes new socks didn't look like a policeman you didn't look like a social worker the only thing to Chad when he went in the cell hospital so listen I carried a SAP we weren't supposed to believe any of this dude unlike the prisoners officers could leave the prison many officers lived right here on the island walk over to the large window and take a look out when you got done work you just run down catch the next boot and you're in San Francisco in 12 minutes and you can stay go to a movie have dinner catch the last boat back just to the left of the plaza is what remains of the wardens house officers housing was just down over the hill oh my name is William long we had quite a plan a little community there on Alcatraz that included wives and children my mother was putting me to bed one night and I could hear the prisoners they were yelling and just raising a ruckus and I said what is that noise and she said oh just the prisoners letting off steam i'm jolene Babiak and I lived on Alcatraz as a child we all work together we all played together we had two bowling alleys where we had bow we never locked our doors or any of in the audit never they had a little grocery store it was like living in a very small town now continue through the nearest open doorway keep walking through the next small room the larger room up ahead is the warden's office I never did see what it looked like inside though a warden's office the only time I ever found out what it looked like is when I come back as a tourist Alcatraz had four wardens over its 29 year span walk over to their photos the prison opened in 1934 under the strict discipline of warden james Johnston they call him salt waters Johnson see things start to change the new warden you come in they open up a little more move to the next photo I got warden they had swollen nobody wanted to tangle with school the convicts calling the devil next was warden Paul Madigan and his nickname was promising Paul he promised you everything could never give you that that the last warden was Olin blackwell he was in charge when the prison closed Oh mr. Blackwell mr. Blackwell was a character he was a Texan and a really nice guy now continue through the next doorway and walk outside immediately turn right we're only going to be outside for a short time keep moving along the walkway to the open area up ahead when you get there find a place to stand where you can see San Francisco you couldn't beat Alcatraz but the beautiful view there though there was never a day you didn't see what the hell you were lose it and what you were missing you know it was all there for you to see there's life there's everything I want my life that it's there it's a mile or a mile and a half away and yet I can't get look at the city directly across from us San Francisco is only a mile and a quarter from Alcatraz and it's a combination of tides and temperature that makes that swim so treacherous I recall getting that water and we're like a shock and expect it to be that call if you can do it it's up to you but you got to pay the price if you find it cold out here you may walk through the green doors into the front of the cell house just inside turn left and you can look out the windows at the bay my father was Arthur M dhalsim in 1961 he became the associate warden On June 12th 1962 associate warden Arthur Dalton was in charge while warden Blackwell was away on a two-week fishing vacation my father was already up at 7 o'clock in the morning having his breakfast and of the phone rang and he told me later that he reached to that phone with dread because he knew that wasn't going to be good news art Dawson got the news that there had been an escape three men were missing from the cell house we all believed in the escape proof myth and this turned out to be one of the most sophisticated escape attempts in US history if you have it already step through the green doors in the front of the cell house step into the large open room on your left now look into the control room window when they heard the escape siren every officer on the island rushed here to report for duty prison authorities had made their own plans in case of escape the escape response plans were located in a locked safe and so my father had to go and get the key or the combination and unlock the safe and then that would determine which officers were armed where they were positioned and makes sure that all the bases were covered in any kind of escape now go back and continue down the corridor along the left side walk back into the cell block I wanted to escape in my mind constantly you cannot take away from a man the thought that he wants his freedom and you reenter the cellblock immediately turned right we're heading for what the inmates call Michigan Avenue when you get there cross over to the cells on your right walk to the large photo panel up ahead earlier on the morning of June the 12th 1962 officer bill long had been in charged of the first count of the day and at the sound of the Bell the inmates are supposed to be dressed and up standing in front of their doors for count bill bill is a guy up here I can't get up well it's just hard this is I'll get him up look across the aisle for a cell number 138 walk over to it and look inside Hey and he was laying in there so I reached in sued the bars and I hit the pillow Lord knows what happened the head fell off on the floor the guy said that I shot back up on Saturday face suresies head hair on his head there in it one of the other officers yes sir here's another one don't right here there's one up Arabella and I said don't touch him don't touch it a horror movie and and I was right in the middle of it you should be facing the cells continue to your left two cells number 150 and 152 prisoners Frank Lee Morris and two brothers John and Clarence Anglin had escaped the night before they made dummy heads to fully officers Morris was the brains the Anglin branch oh they were just swamp rats out of Florida according to the reports the man enlarged the vent openings in the back of their cells with stolen spoons I'll give you a ton of spoons and I want to see how long I'm gonna take you to go to one of them walls that it logs may be old but let me tell you you know you're not going through themselves with them spoons they didn't make those holes with spoon handles they had the necessary tools hammers and chisels and drills no one thought it was possible to get through concrete using spoons but in fact they were heavy gauge steel and you break off the bowl and now you've got a drill in fact 13 spoon hand a ladle handle were actually found hidden in two cans of cement paint after the escape was over now continue to your left to the end of the cellblock turn right just around the corner look for a glass door inside is the utility quarter the three men climbed up these pipes to the roof at approximately 10:30 that night there was a sound like a hubcap when you're dropping into our honor our output very long they worked for over a year to get up on to that roof and that would have been the most fantastic moment to have stood there knowing that you actually got out of the most secure building in the country the question has never been answered did they make it to freedom my theory is that they drowned they went to South America I know they were all studying Spanish the men have never been found face the utility quarter to your left is Broadway continue around the corner and back onto Broadway stay to your left and walk slowly down the quarter imagine it is nighttime and the cell house is dark lights went out around 9:30 at night and that was it it was dead quiet try like a mausoleum it's kind of scary walking around those dark tears and some would sleep with their eyes open some grinding their teeth some talk in your sleep you lay awake a long time I could sit out there in two Tower at that time and see the full moon come up continue slowly down Broadway past the cutoff toward Times Square in the housing of inmates at Alcatraz it was deemed necessary to keep the black separate from the whites at that time Alcatraz mirrored American Society this part of Broadway was a segregated section for black prisoners stop when you get to the end of the cellblock Mexicans Indians waits they can all cell next to each other the only ones that couldn't was blacks they tried it and they opened up and they had such a high population of hostile rednecks and such a low population compared ibly of blacks but they soon found out they couldn't do it they finally integrate to all the other Penitentiary's but not outfits of the 100 or so officers only a handful were black it was very difficult for the white officers they got rid of anybody with an education as their feeling was someday that guy is going to be my boss you should now be at the end of the quarter this is the area known as Times Square directly ahead of you is the dining hall step through the doorway and move toward the bars at the back of the dining hall three times a day all the men in general population gathered here for 20-minute meals imagine 200 plus men each armed with a knife fork and spoon this was potentially the most dangerous room in a cell house and if you notice up on the ceiling there you see these canisters up there dotted around that's tear gas and we we nicknamed the dining room the gas chamber it so happened during a history of Alcatraz they never did trip the button if they did trip it they would have made a fatal mistake because and two guards in there and the lieutenant would never have gotten out of there alive now walked through the barred area at the far end of the dining room behind it is a kitchen area notice the knife rack on the left the shape of each knife was outlined on the rack this way officers could tell immediately if one was missing even so some knives disappeared I think about 3-4 min got killed with kitchen work and I heard that old familiar pops slap you know and chilli had drove it into sauce his back was just like an ice pick he stuck it right in the back and that was the pop slap I heard at the end of three decades over 1500 men had served time on the rock by then Alcatraz had served its own time after years of harsh wind and weather the buildings were badly deteriorated the isolated island was too expensive to run and now in the 1960s prison reformers preached rehabilitation instead of punishment early in 1963 attorney General Robert F Kennedy ordered Alcatraz closed look back toward the dining hall entrance walk over to the large photo of prisoners walking down Broadway they were the last prisoners to leave the rock on March 21st 1963 thank you for taking the Alcatraz cell house tour and supporting America's national parks you

Channel: Troma

Views: 45,692

Keywords: vlog, vacation, troy, trip, utah, alcatraz, usa, do, road, holiday, troma, cellhouse, texas, inspiration, ut, married, house, to, nevada, and, daily, california, blog, inspo, ca, honeymoon, things, couple, emma, roadtrip, vlogger, travel, HD, az, gopro, nm, audio, arizona, vloggers, travellers, new, travelling, nv, tx, cell, tour, mexico

Id: 3yChfglRlKI

Length: 37min 32sec (2252 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 27 2016