"The Untouchables" The Dutch Schultz Story (TV Episode 1959) Poster

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8/10
Lively Story Of Two Famous Gangsters
ccthemovieman-124 August 2007
If anyone saw the movie "Billy Bathgate," starring Dustin Hoffman and Nicole Kidman, you know a little bit about "Dutch Schultz" (real name: Arthur Flegenheimer," as pointed out in this episode.) I probably saw this episode when it was aired 48 years ago but it was too long ago for me to remember it.

However, from the movie I remember the story of Schultz having his trial moved from New York City to a small town in upstate New York, where Schultz tried to schmooze his way with the locals to get a sympathetic jury.

This episode also was informative (how true it was, I can't say) regarding Dutch's rivalry with upstart gangster Charles "Lucky" Luciano, who took over from Schultz.

Elliott Ness and the Untouchables wind up playing both crooks against each other, and trying to nab Schultz on the same charge they got Al Capone: tax evasion.

Overall, this was a good episode because it had enough action, interesting characters and a very surprising ending.
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7/10
The story of Arthur Flegenheimer is, as usual, HIGHLY fictionalized!
planktonrules12 December 2015
Real life mobsters were often portrayed on "The Untouchables". However, the stories really have taken a lot of liberties with the actual criminals' lives and this one, like the Ma Barker and other episodes, is far from reality when it features Arthur Flegenheimer...otherwise known as Dutch Schultz.

In this episode, Ness wants to get Dutch Schultz. So, he decides that they need a man inside his organization, so Agent Flaherty (Jerry Paris) goes undercover and infiltrates the mob. Additionally, after he infiltrates, he tries to add fuel to a feud between Schultz and Lucky Luciano. Using evidence that they are able to obtain based on this contact, Ness and the Untouchables get evidence that will convict Schultz of tax evasion. However, after getting a change of venues to a small town, Schultz and his gang work hard to make a lot of friends in the city in order to get the jury to see him as a swell guy. And, when that doesn't work, he resorts to some dirty tricks...but Luciano is NOT pleased. Enjoyable and with some grains of truth but nothing more.

By the way, in real life Schultz was indicted for tax evasion. Instead, he ticked off other mobsters when he planned on killing Thomas Dewey, a federal prosecutor. He was murdered...found dead in a restaurant at age 34.
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5/10
Change of Venue
bkoganbing13 September 2013
Hearing Walter Winchell's narrative of this story all I could think was that Winchell who was on the scene in New York when Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano were battling it out must have had a chuckle or three since he covered the real story in his column and it never included The Untouchables.

Both in Portrait Of A Mobster and Billy Bathgate where Vic Morrown and Dustin Hoffman play Schultz respectively you get the same story better and more elaborately told.

The main point of this story is the change of venue asked for by Schultz and his attorney for a fairer trial. The fictional town of Clearview was in reality Malone, New York, county seat of Franklin County near the Canadian border which up to that time best known for being the home of one of our more obscure Vice Presidents William A. Wheeler. What happened there as far as Schultz was concerned is as this episode and those two feature films show, he essentially bought the good will of the town and gained an acquittal.

However Lucky Luciano settled the rivalry permanently in his own way.

Lawrence Dobkin made the second of two appearances as Dutch Schultz who Robert Stack and his agents never had anything to do with his demise.
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Wow, did I enjoy this!
UNOhwen25 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
As were expecting in the midst of a global pandemic, I've had a lot of time to watch things I'd never seen.

I recently acquired the entire The Untouchables (1959) series - from the first, the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958) pilot (The Scarface Mob (1959)), and I've been watching them - slowly and chronologically.

In Vincent 'Mad Dog' Coll (1959), an episode which precedes this, I first saw Lawrence Dobkin who also plays 'Dutch' Schultz in both, and I found myself really enjoying his small scenes, and hoped is see more.

I was fortunate that this episode is Mr Dobkins' chance to really play Dutch.

As these stories are new to me, there's one thing which a viewer in the late 50's didn't have; the ability to instantly access anything. Though I'm not a mob 'aficionado', I am someone who's lived my entire life in the city in which the sorry takes place, so I really like to watch slowly, add I'm also reading about it (it doesn't irritate me to know a story's ending; is the writing and acting which are important), and this story had me pay attention from beginning to end.

I would like to believe there's people out there who - in spite of being born in the last 2 decades have the brushes to realise that 'ancient history' isn't anything which happened before their birth (that's not a joke, sadly), and like to explore.

In this case, watching a TV series which is (OMG!) mute than a half-century ago.

There's a truism; the difference between a dumb person and a smart one is the dumb one thinks they know it all, whereas the smart one knows, one never stops learning.

I'm having such a kick watching these episodes.

Yes, there's a bit of 'corniness' in them (to me), because a lot of what was new them has been done over and over.

But, if you think about it, there's only so many unique stories, all the rest are variations, so, it's really in the (pardon the pun) ... execution where it matters.

This story - even though it's (truly)? written in blood, I have to hand it to the writers for really throwing me a curve-ball, which made be sit up and drop the cookie I was eating (seriously!)

The series is 'based on the book'by Mr Ness, but, as someone who's not read it, I don't know if the entire story was actually used in link=tt0056449], and all the following episodes are not in there, but, taken from history, by the series' writers, either way, it's a lot of fun!

BTW; I didn't realise it as I watched, but Dutch's wide is 'Mrs C'; Marion Ross!

So, if your like me, and think there isn't anything 'new' to watch, I highly recommend you take a look back, because the history of television it's long enough that you can find wonderful nuggets to enjoy.
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