Deirdre Capone to visit Moose Jaw

Deirdre Capone, grandniece to Al Capone, will be coming to Moose Jaw in August to be interviewed for Finding Al.

Deirdre Capone

In talking to her briefly over the phone, the Finding Al crew has learnt her uncle used to call the Canadian prairie God's country because of the big open skies, among other stories.

While in Moose Jaw, Ms.Capone will be giving a public talk at the Mae Wilson Theatre Moose Jaw Cultural Centre on Tuesday, August 27 at 7 p.m.

She will be sharing family stories about her great uncle Al Capone and showing pictures from the family album.

Ms. Capone's grandfather was Ralph Capone, listed in 1930 as Public Enemy #3 by the Chicago Crime Commission. This makes Deirdre the grandniece of Public Enemy #1, Al Capone.

One of the stories in Ms. Capone's memoir, Uncle Al Capone: The Untold Story from Inside His Family, is about how her grandmother Theresa used to bake cookies for Al and his gang, who absolutely loved Theresa's baking. In the back of Ms. Capone's book is a recipe for these "Mob Cookies." 

For much of Ms. Capone's life, she did not readily volunteer she was a Capone. She made every effort to hide her family history, leaving Chicago in 1972. It wasn't until she had grandchildren that she decided to share her family story and write a book about her experiences. 

After Ms. Capone's talk, audience members will have the chance to meet meet Ms. Capone and have her sign a copy of her memoir: Uncle Al Capone: The Untold Story from Inside His Family.

"A lot of people think Al Capone was a psychopath. A lot of people think Robert DeNiro captured the true nature of America's most notorious gangster. A lot of people seem hell bent on clinging to a bunch of mythology that plain and simple makes no sense," said Jonathan Eig, author of Get Capone. "Deirdre Marie Capone is not one of them. With this lovely, personal, heartfelt story, she takes a stand. She's not nominating Capone for sainthood. She's not asking you to pardon him his crimes. She's simply and honestly telling the story she knows best--the story of her family."

Following Ms. Capone's talk, people can see a sneak preview of  the Finding Al - A Documentary.

Tickets are $20 at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre box office only. 

Proceeds go towards supporting Ms. Capone's visit to Moose Jaw and the Mae Wilson Theatre's regular programming. 

Attending this event is a great way to support Saskatchewan film and artistic programming in Moose Jaw.

This event is general seating.