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Detroit, August 1932. The notorious Purple Gang-- long synonymous with terror in beer, booze, labor and prostitution-- gets into a new racket: kidnapping. They specialize in snatching other members of the underworld, since they can't go to the police for help. So far, they've kidnapped 9 hoods (the latest mug is Rocky Garver), for a total of 100 grand. The Purple Gang's leader is Eddie Fletcher, bank robber and murderer, who always wears gloves so he never leaves any fingerprints. Next on their list of gangsters to be kidnapped is Ian Tornek, who owns a novelty shop along with his brother-in-law Eric Vajda, who arrived from Europe 7 months ago. But Eliot Ness and his Untouchables also have their eye on Tornek: he's a Capone henchman, who makes a weekly pickup of narcotics every Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at the Railway Express Agency.

So Ness and Lee Hobson and Enrico Rossi fly to Detroit. Fletcher's boys snatch Tornek just before his weekly pickup; they phone his wife Martha and demand $15,000 or else. 3 hours later, Ness shows up at Tornek's apartment just as Fletcher's boys are phoning a 2nd time. Back at the hideout, Ian Tornek wants to make a deal with the Purple Gang-- he's just a messenger, Capone's middleman is really Eric Vajda. Fletcher figures, since Vajda could put the finger on every outlet and contact-man in the Syndicate, Nitti would have to pay a quarter of a million bucks to get him back. Ness, still at Tornek's apartment, is spotted by one of Fletcher's hoods. 11:00 p.m. the Purple Gang phones Mrs. Tornek a 3rd time; Ness lends her $15,000 and he and Lee Hobson follow her taxi in their car. At the drop-off point in the alley, Mrs. Tornek is tommy-gunned. Her hubby's hanging by the neck, with a note pinned on his body: "Satisfied, Mr. Ness?"

Then the Purple Gang snatches Vajda from the apartment complex he was living at. August 29, 1932 (that was a Monday), 9:00 p.m., Nitti and 3 of his boys, having received a long-distance call, arrive in Detroit for a meet with Fletcher and his gang. Nitti's plenty sore. Fletcher repeats his demand for 250 grand. Nitti grabs Fletcher and snarls, "I ought to cut your heart out!" Fletcher says he did Nitti a favor by kidnapping Vajda, since Ness was about to arrest Tornek and Vajda had they made the pickup; if Vajda turns state's witness to protect his hide, he could spill the entire operation to Ness. Nitti's heroin is making him $20-million a year, so what's 250 Gs?

They set up a time for another meet-- next time Nitti will bring the 250 grand and Fletcher will deliver Vajda. They exchange hostages. Nitti says to Fletcher, "I'll take DeLong, without him you ain't got a front." Fletcher says to Nitti, "I'll take Tomassi, without him you ain't got no organizer." They agree to meet again in 3 days: Friday night. After Nitti leaves, Fletcher tells Edward Wiles to keep his gun on Tomassi, and if he tries anything, cool him. Wiles says, "But if we rub out this character, they'll bump off DeLong." Fletcher quips, "Who cares?" (Talk about tough!)

Meanwhile, Ness and the Detroit police had rounded up a few dozen gangsters, in an effort to find the kidnappers; ironically, they bring in Rocky Garver, who was a kidnap victim himself. After pouring over the mugshot books, Rocky tips Ness that Edward Wiles works for the Purple Gang, he's the one who snatched him. Ness and Hobson arrest Wiles, he's a 3-time loser. Faced with a 1st-degree murder rap, he turns stoolie. He says Fletcher used the tommy-gun on Mrs. Tornek, but his fingerprints aren't on it because Fletcher always wears gloves. To keep Nitti and Fletcher from getting suspicious about Wiles' disappearance, Ness has the newspapers print the headlines that Wiles got killed in a shootout with the feds. Figuring Ness is onto something, Fletcher moves up the meet one day (so that would be August 31).

That night, Ness and his men intercept Nitti's car. They arrest DeLong, and take Nitti's dough. When Nitti protests, Ness says, "Sue me," and has the cops escort Nitti's car out of town. And so, instead of Nitti and his 2 boys, it's Ness with Hobson and Rossman who walk into the dark warehouse with DeLong. But Fletcher realizes it's not Nitti; DeLong yells "it's Ness!" and ducks. There's a big shootout. Rossi cuts Andrews down with a chopper; Ness cuts Fletcher down with a chopper.* Ness arrests Vajda.

Narrator Walter Winchell says, "On August 29, 1932" (again?) "Eliot Ness and the Untouchables, with the help of the Detroit police, ended the reign of the Purple Gang." As for Frank Nitti, he is now out both the drugs and the cash, plus Vajda might turn stoolie. Nitti's run-in with the Purple Gang left him feeling blue. (synopsis by: kdh)


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[note: Frank Nitti returns, after being killed off last season.]

*[facts: in real life, 3 members of the Purple Gang--Ray Bernstein, Irving Milberg and Harry Keywell-- got life sentences for a gangland killing in late 1931. As for Eddie Fletcher and Abe Axler, they were "taken for a ride" at 3 a.m. on November 26, 1933 as a result of an intra-gang squabble.] Add a recap »