Biography of a Bookie Joint
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| "Biography of a Bookie Joint" | |
|---|---|
| CBS Reports episode | |
| Narrated by | |
| Original air date | November 30, 1961 |
"Biography of a Bookie Joint" is an American documentary that aired on November 30, 1961, on CBS under the network's CBS Reports banner. It documented Swartz's Key Shop, an illegal bookmaking establishment located at 364 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston.[1] It was narrated by Walter Cronkite and producer/reporter Jay McMullen.[1]
Filming began as early as May 30, 1961.[1] According to Fred W. Friendly, Swartz's Key Shop was chosen because "there was a prolonged attempt by law agencies to close up this one place".[2] CBS's crew concealed cameras in an apartment across the street.[1] McMullen used an 8mm camera hidden in a lunch box to get footage of bookmakers accepting bets from hundreds of people inside the shop.[3]
Overview
The film showed 10 uniformed officers of the Boston Police Department and one recently retired BPD detective entering the establishment while illegal betting took place.[1] Cameras also captured members of the BPD walking past a burning trash can.[4] One of the bookmakers was filmed leaving the shop around 8:30 AM to drive to his regular job at the Metropolitan District Commission headquarters. On September 29 the shop was raided by members of the United States Department of the Treasury. The shop reopened again a week later. On October 27 it was raided again, this time by members of the Massachusetts State Police.[1]
In addition to footage of the key shop, Biography of a Bookie Joint featured interviews with members of the Internal Revenue Service's intelligence unit, the Massachusetts State Police, and the New England Citizen's Crime Commission.[2] State Representative Harrison Chadwick spoke about the influence bookmakers had on the state legislature.[5] MSP Col. Carl Larson stated that he had informed Boston Police Commissioner Leo J. Sullivan on at least four occasions that illegal gambling was occurring at the key shop. Each time, Sullivan sent back word to Larson that members of his department had visited the shop and found nothing to warrant an arrest.[1]