We are excited to be releasing the trailer for "Changing Of the Guard". Our newest installment in the OUR Gotham short film series,COTG is set  at a Lower East SIde  gambling parlor in 1904 and it follows the exploits of  New York city History's own,Kid Twist and The Bottler.  COTG will be screening in April at The Museum Of The American Gangster in New York. Stay tuned for details!

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Here's a little sample from our upcoming piece,Changing Of the Guard. This piece focuses around the shift in the underworld from the old time,1890's way of brickbat supremacy to a progressive 20th century money making machine

Body Snatcher-A Detective who arrests Prostitutes.

  A six year old boy is rescued after being kidnapped by his mother and hid for 2 years inside a wall in his Grandmother's house. After being kidnapped raped,hidden for 18 eighteen years and then forced to birth to her captor's children, a 29 year old  was recently released.  It's sad to say that  these recent headlines were not spawned from the imagination of  Super Market checkout  line tabloids ,but were actual events that forever altered the lives of a boy in Illinois and a woman in North Carolina.

Perhaps the sicko captors behind these horrendous deeds took cues  from some of the many acts of White Slavery and forced prostitution that were a common place in Turn Of the Century Gotham.

According to  this article from the New York Herald and which was later  posted in the the personal scrapbook of the city's acting District attorney of 1905, fifteen year old Rose Kellner  of Brooklyn was kidnapped ,drugged and imprisoned alongside other white teens in a Chinese operated Opium Den off of Bayard Street. 

 Last week History came tro life as we in were in house at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum to support Authors Rose keefe and Pat Downey in their evening of tales about the early 20th  century New York Underworld and the coming of age of the Lower East Side gangster.

We fullfileld the role as being the chaser of the  evening with a performance of a recreated confronation scene between me as the  legendary Eastman Gangster, Max "Kid Twist" Zweifach, his 1st in command,Harris Stahl and old guard thug,Richie Fitzpatrick. The scene was of course written by Rose Keefe and Twist's GrandDaughter and great Grandchildren were were there to support as well.

 A huge thank you goes out to Amanda Lydon of the  Lower East Side Ttenement museum for letting us do our thing and to the actors,Mike Lubik and Gordon Hanovice for joinig me in bringing these guys back to life!!

Click on image to see clip.

It was a true  privilege to be part of Rik Cordero's film, Inside A Change as both Actor and Producer and see it all come to fruition from A to Z.

Below is the press release for winning Best Picture and a link to clip of me from the film. Enjoy!

August 2nd New York City, NY – Rik Cordero's coming of age drama Inside A Change won the 10th HBO New York International Latino Film Festival's (NYILFF) Best Film Award as the event drew to a close over the weekend. Lead Actor, Ephraim Benton, who accepted on behalf of Rik Cordero, was presented with prize money provided by HBO and the Best Picture trophy. "I'm shocked that we won, considering all of the amazing films on the roster this year.” said Cordero. “We created a simple heartfelt picture about the importance of family and I think it's something audiences strongly connect with during these tough economic times. Even if you strip away all the heavy grassroots promotion we did, the film follows the same basic principle: Tell a good story". Three/21 Films thanks HBO, the New York International Latino Film Festival and congratulates the entire cast and crew of Inside A Change for winning the Best Picture Award. For more information about the festival award winners please visit:  http://www.nylatinofilm.com

San Jaun Hill: The one time most Irish and Black. Upper West Side,Mnahttan  neighorhood that ran from Amsterdam Ave to the West End btwn 62nd and 66 street. 

That neighrhood is long gone and is nw the site of Lincoln Center.

"I was taken out of a saloon in Forsyth street.an officer pulled a pistol on me  and said the boss wanted to see me."

Monk Eastman - October,15th,1903

Have You ever walked by a New York city street and wondered what may have  happened there? Here is a letter from January 16 1904 in which New York District attorney, William Travers Jerome complains to the Police Commissioner, William Mcadoo with a address list of daily Disorderly Houses (whore houses)card parlors and other Havens of vice that need cleaning up.  DA Jerome's address grievance list  was sent on the daily and a majority of those locations are still around today.

So give some thought to where you are standing the next time you are in line at a East Vilalge Pink Berry!

In this episode we explore and a give a modern twist to a 1903 incident in which Monk and his band of toughs were hired by Wealthy Wall Street broker, David Lamar to assault his insubordinate coach driver. Needless to say the victim pressed charges and the case went to trial, becoming one of the most publicized events of that year.

Wall Street Scuffle features historical commentary from True Crime author aces, Patrick Downey and Rose Keefe and is directed by Rik Cordero and Nancy Mitchell.

A Big thank you to Rik Cordero, Nancy Mitchell, Mike Fox and the Three family 21Films family for making this episode come to fruition.
 
Click here to check out the scene.

Based on real events, Historical characters and Centered around New York circa 1903-04, Our Gotham Is a webisode series about legendary underworld figure,Monk Eastman,his loyal cronies,Joseph Brown and lollie Meyers and their daily grind of making ends meet, running the streets, family and staying out of Sing Sing. Here's the new logo for the show,specially and kindly designed, by pal, and Illustrator extrordinaire, Pat Hamou,Be on the look out for Pat's upcoming book of illustrations, Six for five and check his work on the accompanying blog site. www.sixforfive.blogspot.com

Ripped out of the  actual New York headlines of April,1904,The Congregation is based on a incident in which the Eastman's were hired by Synagogue officials to assault the the very own president of the congregation. Check out Monk, Joseph and Lollie as they give back to the community Click here to see the scene.

This ad along with a variety of others flaunting the finest in Men's habadashey of 1902 appeared in the New York herald sometime that fall.

Notice the snappy"Concave" Shoulder and that address where,tailor  W.M Vogel esided is presently day home of the New York's  Addidas shop. I'll take one of those snappy overcoats over a North Face any day.

This past weekend we opened up a can  of worms by filming  "Wall Street Shuffle",the first installment of the Our Gotham Webisode series.In this Episode we explore the possibly of what it would be like if Monk and Boys were hired by Wall street wolf ,David Lamar in 2008 New york rather than 1903 and that their victim was Personal trainer instead of a coach driver.

A Huge thank  you goes out to our friends Rik Cordero,Nancy Mitchell,Mike Fox and the whole Three 21 Films family for their part in  Directing and producing The episode. Much love to the entire cast for their role in bringing to life a important aspect of  Gotham History and blending it with modern day culture. Look for  "Wall Street Scuffle"to premiere in November. Here's a picture from set!

History was both made and honored earlier this summer when we used the setting of the National Landmarks and old New York haunts, The Ear Inn and keen's Chophouse to recreate a scene from 1912 in which a then washed up, straight out of jail, opium fiend, Monk Eastman approaches his one time Pick pocketing protégé and current, underworld boss, Jack Zelig about partnering up with him in the Opium & heroin trade. Regardless of their past history and relationship, Jack will not waiver his principles of having nothing to do with drugs and has no choice, but to reject his old mentor's proposal. This recreated scene is truly the first of it's time because the character of Jack Zelig was portrayed by his great great nephew, Jan Lefkowitz, who is a chiropractor by trade and had never previously acted. Also, included in the scene is background commentary on the event a by The starker author and historian, Rose Keefe. Watch the scene here