90-Proof Dame

Description

Chicago, April 1932. The city is ruled by underworld czars, one of the toughest of which is Nate Kester, former henchman for the Capone mob. To put up a pretense of legality, he owns and runs the Odeon Theatre, which specializes in Burlesque, but his real operation is bootleg booze. Kester has his boys drag in Henry Bogar, who has a 5-6 state territory selling imported brandy. Kester tells him that from now on he will carry his stuff-- cheap rotgut with forged ""de Bouverais"" cognac labels. Bogar tastes the stuff, and calls it slop; he says brandy drinkers will never buy it as long as the real stuff is available. So Kester decides to eliminate the competition, he destroys 200 cases of the good 90-proof stuff that Bogar has stashed in an old church. Next day, in retaliation, Bogar phones Ness and is about to blow the whistle on Kester: his booze, houses and dope operations. But Bogar is rubbed out by Kester before he can finish talking; luckily, Lee Hobson managed to have the call