In 1962, three inmates escaped from Alcatraz. In 1979, their story was made into the

feature film called Escape from Alcatraz. Actor Clint Eastwood played Frank Morris,

who was allegedly the mastermind of the elaborate breakout. The story was so incredible,

it was hard to believe, but it was true. The three convicts were career criminals.

Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin had multiple sentences and escape attempts

between them. A fourth prisoner, Alan West, also played a large role in the scheme.

The men all knew each other from previous stretches in prison. To accomplish their goal,

they spent months tediously chiseling out the air vents in their cells. They built replicas

of the vents so the guards wouldn't notice their work. They developed amazing ways to drill through

metal and seal rubber to make it watertight and fabricate paper mache dummies of themselves

to fool the guards. They thought of everything. The levels of ingenuity and problem-solving are

unmatched. The complexity and creativity of their plan might be unparalleled in human history.

At 11.30pm on June 11th, 1962, their plan worked as far as we know. They escaped Alcatraz

and were never seen again.

From Blackbird Omedia, this is Infamous America. I'm your host, Chris Wimmer, and this is the

season finale of a series of stories about the most notorious prison in American history.

We save the best for last. This is chapter 5. The Greatest Escape.

Frank Morris arrived at Alcatraz on January 20th, 1960. He was 33 years old. Like so

many other inmates on the island, he'd already experienced a life of crime. Frank's early

years were hard. His parents died before he was three, and he was raised with strict foster

parents. He was convicted of burglary when he was 13, and then again when he was 14. He

was sentenced to nearly seven years in a boy's reformatory. His teacher said he was highly

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