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- [00:00]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
Okay, it's kind of embarrassing how bad I am at budgeting.
- [00:03]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
Let me see your charges.
- [00:04]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
Ugh, fine.
- [00:05]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
You spent over $600 on takeout last month.
- [00:08]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
I can't cook. You know this.
- [00:10]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
Yes, I have had your disgusting food, but you're literally paying for a meal subscription on top of that.
- [00:15]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
Whoa, wait, wait, wait. That. That can't be right.
- [00:18]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
Look, just get Rocket Money. It shows you all of your expenses in one place and even tracks your subscriptions. And if there's a subscription you don't want, which for you, there are a lot you don't need, you can just cancel right in the app with a few taps.
- [00:30]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
So you mean I don't call anyone to cancel? Nope.
- [00:34]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
No hold times or anything. And they'll even try to get you a refund on some of the months of wasted money, which is a lot of money for you.
- [00:41]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
Okay, okay.
- [00:42]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
And if you thought I was done, I'm not. The app can also help you make a budget that works for your income. Anytime you get close to your spending limits, it alerts you, so you know exactly where your money is going at all times.
- [00:53]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
All right, Emin, what do I have to do?
- [00:54]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
Go to RocketMoney.com cancel or download the app from the Apple or Google Play stores.
- [01:10]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
It's 9pm on December 8, 1963, at Harrah's Lodge Hotel in Stateline, Nevada. 23 year old Barry Keenan creeps up the exterior stairs to the second floor balcony. His friend Joe Amslin follows a step behind. When they reach the top of the stairs, car suddenly starts up in the parking lot below them. Barry and Joe press themselves flat against the wall. They wait in the shadows until they see the taillights disappear out of the lot. Then they continue along the balcony toward room 417. Joe hands Barry a box wrapped in brown paper. But they're not delivery men. The parcel is just a ruse because they're here to kidnap the son of world famous singer Frank Sinatra. Barry knocks on the door and a voice from inside asks who it is. Barry holds the parcel up and says he has a special delivery for Frank Sinatra Jr. A box of wine. The lock turns and the door opens a crack. That's all Barry needs. He shoves the door open and Frank Jr. Lurches back. As Barry and Joe muscle their way into the room, Barry throws the fake package aside and whips a revolver out of his pocket. But then his stomach drops because Frank Jr isn't alone. By the window is another man, his face frozen in fear. This wasn't part of the plan, but Barry and Joe have come too far to give up now. Thinking fast, Joe takes out a roll of tape. He pushes the second man down onto a chair and winds the tape around his wrists. Frank Jr. Turns to Barry and, his voice cracking, he asks if he should sit down too, but Barry answers no, because he's coming with them.
- [02:49]
Moments later, Frank Sinatra Jr. Is hustled out the door, down the steps and into a waiting car. Within hours, Barry Keenan and his accomplices will issue their ransom demand. The kidnapping of Frank Sinatra's son will dominate headlines around the world, but the scheme will quickly unravel, and Frank Jr. Will be free again just three days later, on December 11, 1963.
- [03:13]
Before we get back to the show, I need to tell you something. Making podcasts is a lonely business. I work in a very quiet, windowless room all by myself, and lately I've had an itch, a desire to break out of the studio and hit the road. So I'm building a History Daily live show. And if you want to be the first to hear about tour dates, which cities I'll be visiting, special VIP opportunities, and to get a discount on tickets, head to historydailylive.com that's historydailylive.com It's a big world out there and I want to see it. And you historydailylive.com what time is it?
- [03:48]
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- [03:53]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
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Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
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- [03:59]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
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- [04:01]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
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- [04:03]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
Think about the last time you had a cancel subscription. There's probably some waiting on hold, some guessing at your password, some mind numbing small talk, and maybe after all that, you still weren't able to cancel it. Good news. It doesn't have to be this way. Thanks to Rocket Money, Rocket Money tracks, manages and can cancel your subscriptions for you. When you connect your accounts, you'll see a complete picture of all your reoccurring subscriptions all in one place. Rocket Money organizes your subscriptions by due date. It notifies you when something's coming up, so you'll never be caught off guard when you get charged. If you see a subscription you want to cancel, Rocket Money simplifies the process. Instead of waiting on hold for an hour, you can cancel it right from the app. Rocket Money will even try to get you a refund for the money you spent on subscriptions. You forgot about. Stop wasting your time trying to cancel subscriptions the hard way. Make your life easier and go to RocketMoney.com cancel. That's RocketMoney.com cancel or download the app from the Apple app or Google Play stores.
- [05:03]
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- [05:27]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
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- [05:34]
Grainger Representative / Advertiser
If you're an H Vac technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
- [06:06]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
From Noiser and Airship. I'm Lindsey Graham and this is History. Daily.
- [06:26]
History is made every day on this podcast. Every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is December 11, 1963. Frank Sinatra Jr. Is released by his kidnappers.
- [06:43]
It's early afternoon on November 22, 1963, in a cheap hotel in Los Angeles, California. Two weeks before Frank Sinatra Jr. Is abducted. Barry Keenan turns over in bed, his head pounding. He squints up at the windows. He didn't close the drapes properly. And now a shaft of agonizingly bright sunlight cuts right across his pillow. It hurts his eyes, so, groaning, he rolls over. Last night he and two friends visited the famous Coconut Grove nightclub. It wasn't meant to be a celebration, though. He was there to watch Frank Sinatra Jr. Perform. Frank Jr. Hopes to follow in the footsteps of his famous father, the singer and movie star Frank Sinatra Sr. And for weeks now, Barry has followed Frank Jr around LA, tracking his every movement until he was sure he was ready to put his plan into effect. But having decided that the kidnapping would go ahead the next day, Barry and his friends had a few drinks to toast to their assured success. But now he's paying the price. With a brutal hangover.
- [07:44]
Barry staggers to the sink, fills a glass of water and downs it in three long gulps. He then fills it again and walks to the desk. He lifts the telephone and calls the switchboard. But when the operator answers, her voice is just as shaky as his. Struggling to hold back tears, she stammers out the devastating news. President John F. Kennedy has been shot and killed in Dallas. Barry's hangover suddenly feels even worse. He lowers the receiver, switches on the television and sits on the edge of the bed to watch the coverage. Anchors speak in stunned but flat voices. But for Barry, the death of the President is more than just a shock. It's a major wrench in his plans. With the nation suddenly plunged into mourning, bars and clubs are bound to close. Frank Jr. S performance tonight will be canceled, and Barry is going to have to postpone the kidnapping.
- [08:36]
After freshening up, Barry summons his two accomplices from their rooms. Barry is certain this only needs to be a temporary hitch. The plan is still solid. But the delay and the assassination seem to have spooked his co conspirators, and they no longer want any part in the scheme. Barry pleads and cajoles, trying to convince them that the plan is workable, but they're adamant they're out. For his part, though, Barry refuses to give up on the scheme. He can't afford to. He once had a different life. A few years ago, he was a successful financier. And as the youngest member of the Los Angeles Stock Exchange, he was on track to become a millionaire. But following a car accident that left him unable to work, he lost it all and became addicted to painkillers and alcohol. As his debts increased, Barry was increasingly desperate to reclaim his wealth. He also began to hear a voice, and he believed it was God telling him to turn to crime to help his family. He initially tried to ignore the voice, but soon he was pondering various illegal ways to make money. Finally, he hit upon the idea of kidnapping and ransoming the child of somebody famous. It didn't take Barry long to settle on his target. Frank Sinatra Jr. Is the son of one of the world's wealthiest entertainers. So Barry called up two friends and let them in on the plan. He believed it was foolproof. But then President Kennedy was shot. In the days that follow the assassination, the voice in Barry's head tells him to see the plan through, though. So he keeps Following Frank Jr. As he goes about his daily life in Los Angeles. And Barry believes his chance finally comes when Frank Jr. Announces that his upcoming performance at the casino in Stateline Nevada will go ahead. Still, Barry knows his plan can't be carried out by just one man. He convinces one of his ex accomplices to meet him in Stateline by claiming they can look for construction work there. But when Joe Amsler arrives in the lakeside town 350 miles north of LA, he realizes that Barry has duped him. But now that he's come so far, Joe is persuaded to rejoin the plot. Barry lays out the new they will snatch Frank Jr. From his motel room and drive him back to Los Angeles at gunpoint. There, they'll stash him at the house of the other man from the original kidnapping plot, John Irwin. John may not want to be part of it, but Barry figures that when they show up with Frank Sinatra Jr. He'll change his mind. Then all they need to do is wait for their ransom demand to be answered, and they'll all be rich.
- [11:02]
Sixteen days after the assassination of President Kennedy, Barry and Joe will set the plot in motion, and one of the most famous singers in the world is about to get the worst news he's ever heard.
- [11:16]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
You really want to be better with your finances. You try to put money away in savings. You look for deals. You wrote out a budget once, a long time ago, yet you still overdraft from time to time. And you still have debt. The truth is, managing money is not easy, but Rocket Money can help. Rocket Money shows you exactly what you're spending every month. From there, the app helps you make a budget that meets your financial goals. The app even gives you real time alerts when you're about to go over your budget so you don't spend too much time with Rocket Money. You can also see all of your subscriptions at a glance and cancel the ones you don't want right from the app. Rocket Money can even try to get you a refund for some of the money you wasted. Plus, you can use the Smart Savings feature to start putting more money away. Rocket Money analyzes your accounts to determine the optimal time to stow away cash without going over your budget. Our members report that the Rocket Money app saved them more than $700 a year. Getting better with money doesn't have to be a pipe dream. Rocket Money can make it a reality. Go to rocketmoney.com cancel or download the app from the Apple app or Goog Google Play stores.
- [12:17]
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- [12:37]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
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- [12:47]
Grainger Representative / Advertiser
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- [13:56]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
It's December 9, 1963 at Mapes Hotel in Reno, Nevada, the day after the abduction of Frank Sinatra Jr. Frank in a hotel an hour's drive from where his son went missing, 47 year old Frank Sinatra Sr. Stares at a telephone. Beside him are his publicist and five FBI agents. They're all waiting for the kidnappers to make contact. Earlier this morning, Sinatra was in Palm Springs, California when he received a frantic call from his ex wife Nancy, telling him that their son had been kidnapped. She told him all she knew, that two men had tricked their way into Frank's hotel room in Stateline, Nevada, tied up his trumpet player and then taken Frank away. After the trumpet player freed himself, he raised the alarm. The police immediately put roadblocks on the highways all around state line. But there were no sign of the kidnappers and Frank Jr. S whereabouts are now a mystery. After hearing the news, Sinatra immediately booked a flight to Nevada, wanting to be as close to the scene as he could. But bad weather hampered his travel and he could only make it as far as Reno. Now he's hunkered down in a hotel there with the FBI, waiting for the kidnappers to call. When the phone finally does ring, Sinatra snatches the receiver off the hook. But the Voice on the other end of the line isn't the kidnappers. It's J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the FBI. Hoover tells Sinatra that he's pulling out all the stops to find Frank Jr. When he needs Sinatra's support, Hoover tells the singer that he can't talk to the press. He just needs to wait for the kidnappers to call, pay any ransom they demand, and then let the FBI try to trace the money. After his son's release.
- [15:33]
Sinatra reluctantly agrees. He has little love for the FBI. Not long ago, Hoover put Sinatra under surveillance in an attempt to prove his ties to the Mafia. But despite their clashes in the past, Sinatra knows the FBI is his best hope for bringing home Frank Jr. Safely. So through gritted teeth, Sinatra thanks Hoover for his help and ends the call. Then he returns to his vigil by the phone. The ransom call finally comes at 4:45pm the man on the phone asks Sinatra if he can be available to talk at 9am the following day. Sinatra is surprised at the kidnapper's polite tone, who doesn't sound much like a criminal. But Sinatra answers without hesitation that of course he'll be free. Then, after a sleepless night, Sinatra takes another call the next morning. This time, the kidnapper hands the phone to Frank Jr. To prove that he's alive and unhurt. And when the kidnapper comes back on the line, the conversation finally turns to money. Sinatra insists that he'll pay. He just wants the criminals to name a price. But the voice on the other end suddenly gets angsty. He hangs up, leaving Sinatra petrified that he's done something wrong and endangered his boy's life. Thankfully, the kidnapper calls back within the hour, telling Sinatra that He must pay $240,000 for his son's safe return, a far lower figure than Sinatra was expecting. Then the kidnapper declares that he'll give Sinatra the instructions for a drop at a payphone in Los Angeles. Sinatra rushes back to LA and hurries to the payphone identified by the kidnapper. But when he gets there, the kidnapper sends him to another payphone. Over the course of the day, Frank is sent from phone to phone, having no idea why he has to travel all over the city like this. But he does as he's told. Finally, the call comes with instructions of where to drop the ransom money. Kidnapper says the cash must be left in one suitcase wedged between two parked buses near a gas station. And there's one extra demand. Sinatra must not be anywhere near the drop off. Someone else must do it. After running around the city all day. Sinatra isn't happy that he won't be the one to make the final handoff. But he continues to follow FBI advice and cooperates with the kidnappers as best he can. So the suitcase of money will be prepared. Sinatra will ask an associate to drop it off. And then Sinatra will wait and pray that his son makes it home alive.
- [17:59]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
Okay, it's kind of embarrassing how bad I am at budgeting.
- [18:02]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
Let me see your charges.
- [18:03]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
Ugh, Fine.
- [18:04]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
You spent over $600 on takeout last month.
- [18:06]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
I can't cook. You know this.
- [18:08]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
Yes, I have had your disgusting food, but you're literally paying for a meal subscription on top of that.
- [18:14]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
Whoa, wait, wait. That can't be right.
- [18:17]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
Look, just get Rocket Money. It shows you all of your expenses in one place and even tracks your subscriptions. And if there's a subscription you don't want, which for you, there are a lot you don't need, you can just cancel right in the app with a few taps.
- [18:29]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
So you mean I don't have to call anyone to cancel?
- [18:32]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
Nope. No hold times or anything. And they'll even try to get you a refund on some of the months of wasted money, which is a lot of money for you.
- [18:40]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
Okay. Okay.
- [18:41]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
And if you thought I was done, I'm not. The app can also help you make a budget that works for your income. Anytime you get close to your spending limits, it alerts you so you know exactly where your money is going at all times.
- [18:52]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
All right, I'm in. What do I have to do?
- [18:53]
Financial Advisor / Rocket Money Representative
Go to RocketMoney.com cancel or download the app from the Apple or Google Play stores.
- [18:59]
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- [19:24]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
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- [19:29]
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- [20:23]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
It's the morning of December 11, 1963 in Los Angeles, California. An hour after the ransom drop, Barry Keenan walks up the driveway of the suburban house where Frank Sinatra Jr. Has been held for the last three days. He has a suitcase tucked awkwardly under his arm. $240,000 is heavier than he expected, and he'll be glad when he can finally sit it down. But when he reaches the door, he stops in his tracks. It's unlocked.
- [20:51]
Hours earlier, Barry left Frank Jr. With his accomplice John Irwin while he went to the ransom. Drawn, he saw no signs of a stakeout and confident that the coast was clear, he grabbed the suitcase from between the two parked buses and rushed back to release Frank Jr. But now he can't understand why the front door has been left unlocked. Gingerly, Barry steps inside. He calls John's name, but there's no answer. He even shouts for Frank Jr. But the house is empty. Panicking, Barry grabs a suitcase and runs. Soon he hears on the radio that Frank Jr. Is back at home. The reports state that his kidnapper released him on a street in Bel Air in the early hours of the morning. Frank Jr. Was then picked up by a local security guard and taken home. Hearing this, Barry is relieved. Despite the chaotic way that Frank Jr. Was released, he tells himself that his plan has succeeded and the money is now his. But not for long. Within days, the reluctant kidnapper, John Irwin cracks. He confesses his involvement to his brother, who immediately turns them in to the authorities. Under questioning by FBI agents, John then gives up the identities of his co conspirators. Barry and Joe Amsler are quickly arrested and the suitcase full of cash is recovered and returned to Frank Sinatra Sr. Two months later, all three kidnappers go on trial. Barry claims that the kidnapping was Frank Jr. S idea, nothing more than a crude attempt to raise his profile and boost his fledgling show business career. But the jury doesn't buy it and Barry and his accomplices are each found guilty. Despite the high profile crime, though, Barry will serve less than five years in prison. And after his release, he will build a lucrative career in real estate and finally make the millions he always believed were his destiny. But the real target of Barry's abduction plot will never be able to forget what happened to his son. For the rest of his life, Frank Sinatra will carry a roll of coins with him everywhere he goes, ready in case a loved one is ever taken again and he has to reach the kidnappers by payphone, just as he did before the release of his son on December 11, 1963.
- [23:03]
Next On History Daily December 13, 1939 Less than two weeks after a Soviet invasion, Finland wins its first major victory in the Winter War.
- [23:18]
From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily Hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Mohammed Shazzi Sound design by Molly Bach Music by Thrum this episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nichols Edited by Scott Reeves Managing Producer Emily Byrne Executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.
- [23:47]
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- [24:12]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
Is a free to play social casino prohibited. Visit Spinquest.com for more details. This holiday season, reach for the one butter that never disappoints. Kerrygold. Made with milk from grass fed cows on Irish family farms, it's rich, creamy and perfect for baking.
- [24:29]
Person Struggling with Budgeting
Whether browning butter for cookies or crafting.
- [24:32]
Lindsey Graham (History Daily Host)
The flakiest pie crust, Kerrygold's high butterfat content makes all the difference in flavor and texture. Holiday treats will taste extraordinary if you're.
- [24:44]
Grainger Commercial Property Maintenance Advertiser
A maintenance supervisor for a commercial property. You've had to deal with everything from leaky faucets to flickering light bulbs. But nothing's worse than that ancient boiler that's lived in the building since the day it was built. Built 50 years ago, it's enough to make anyone lose their cool. That's where Granger comes in. With industrial grade products and dependable, fast delivery, Granger can help with any challenge, from worn out components to everyday necessities. Call clickgranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.