Film Premiere draws Huge Crowd

by Rachael Conrad

Dale Cox introduces the new documentary "Alcatraz: Escape
to the Wiregrass" on Monday night in Columbia, Alabama.

A crowd that one leader described as "the largest that we've ever had" turned out for the Columbia Historical Society's premiere of the new film, "Alcatraz: Escape to the Wiregrass."

Extra seating was brought into the cafeteria at Houston County High School as the crowd continued to grow. Historian and author Dale Cox who executive produced the new documentary, said that he picked Columbia, Alabama, because of the community's connection to the Anglin brothers. Clarence and John Anglin were two of the three inmates involved in the 1962 "escape from Alcatraz."

"The Anglins were serving ten years in federal prison for robbing the Bank of Columbia when they escaped from Alcatraz," he said. "That bank building still stands, and the Columbia Historical Society is working to preserve it as a museum."

Extra seating was needed to accommodate the crowd.

The documentary runs just under one-hour and explores the connections of the Anglin brothers and the third escapee, Frank Lee Morris, to the Wiregrass area both before and after the Alcatraz escape. It features specific crimes and sightings in Houston and Pike Counties, Alabama, and Jackson County, Florida, that many believe are connected to the escapees.

Featured interviews include eyewitnesses to bank robberies in Alabama and Florida and a family member of the Anglin brothers who describes what it is like to be investigated by federal authorities.

The film drew laughter at times and gasps at others. Audience members raved about it afterward, telling Cox that they were surprised by how much new information it gave them about the escape and its local connections.

Additional screenings are coming. Watch for more information soon on when and where you can see the film.

If your college, school, museum, or organization would like to host a screening, please contact us by clicking here.