The Untouchables is an autobiographical memoir by Eliot Ness co-written with Oscar Fraley, published in 1957.[1] The book deals with the experiences of Ness, who was a federal agent in the Bureau of Prohibition, as he fought crime in Chicago in the late 1920s and early 1930s with the help of a special team of agents handpicked for their incorruptibility, nicknamed The Untouchables.[2]
First edition cover | |
| Author | |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Julian Messner |
Publication date | 1957 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 336 |
| OCLC | 1278969 |
| 364.9773 | |
| LC Class | HV6795.C4 N4 |
The main part of the book is written in first-person anecdotal style, as if directly from Ness's reminiscences; a foreword and afterword by Fraley provide historical context. In fact, Fraley, who was a prominent sportswriter for United Press when he worked on the book, did most of the writing, although Ness wrote a lengthy synopsis that Fraley used as a starting point, made himself available for interviews, made his scrapbooks and other memorabilia available for research purposes, and approved the final version of the text shortly before his death.[2]: xii, 531–532 [3][4][5]
The book inspired The Untouchables, a popular television series which ran from 1959 to 1963 (including the theatrically released film The Scarface Mob), and the 1987 film The Untouchables.[2]: xi–xii, 531–532 [6][7]
Reception
editAlthough The Untouchables has been criticized for its lack of historical accuracy,[8] later research casts doubt on these claims. Ness biographers Max Allan Collins and A. Brad Schwartz, after comparing Ness and Fraley's account to contemporary primary source evidence, concluded that the book is broadly accurate but includes some false details and is not in the correct chronological order.[2]: xii, 531–532, 588, 593, 608–610, 622, 627, 631–634, 640, 645, 649
In an article for Vanity Fair, the writer Matthew Pearl, citing "up-to-date Untouchables scholarship," observed that Ness and Fraley, "by and large, appear to be telling the truth."[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Pearl, Matthew (December 27, 2017). "Behind The Untouchables: The Making of the Memoir That Reclaimed a Prohibition-Era Legend". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Collins, Max Allan; Schwartz, A. Brad (2018). Scarface and the Untouchable: Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago (1st ed.). New York: William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-244194-2.
- ^ "Oscar Fraley; Wrote 'The Untouchables'". LA Times. January 9, 1994.
- ^ "Eliot Ness: The Real Story". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ "Oscar Fraley, 79, 'Untouchables' Author". The New York Times. January 9, 1994. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ^ "'Untouchables' fueled by scotch; Ness felled by proofs". UPI.
- ^ "Heirs of famed Prohibition agent find lost stock certificate that could net $1m". The Guardian. Associated Press. July 3, 2015.
- ^ "The Unbelievables: truth, lies and the myth of Eliot Ness". The Independent. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022.