Anglins’ Alcatraz escape part of new History Channel series

ALBANY — They called Alcatraz Prison “The Rock.” They said it was inescapable, located as it was on an island in the San Francisco Bay, a mile and a quarter off the California coast.

That all changed, though, when two native southwest Georgia brothers — Clarence and John Anglin — and one other inmate, Frank Morris, carried out an elaborate plan that got them off the island and etched their names in American folklore. The escape was in June of 1962, and now, almost 60 years later, there is a seemingly unquenchable thirst to uncover all the details of the trio’s daring escape and to unlock the mystery of what happened to the escapees in the decades since they pulled off the impossible.

David Widner of Leesburg, whose mother, Marie, is one of the Anglin brothers’ 12 siblings, and, to something of a lesser degree, his brother, Ken, have become the de facto keepers of the Anglins’ legacy. The Widners have taken part in no less than four documentaries about the miraculous prison escape, and David Widner co-authored a book, “Escaping Alcatraz: The Untold Story of the Greatest Prison Break in American History,” with biographer Michael Esslinger. And Widner said he remains amazed at the interest in his uncles’ story.

“It’s crazy,” he said. “We hear from people from all over the world. People are just so fascinated by this story; they want to know everything they can about ‘these guys who did what they said was impossible.’”

David Widner took part in the recently released History Channel series “The Great Escapes,” which was created for the network by renowned actor Morgan Freeman’s production company. Freeman narrates the series that takes an inside look at eight of the greatest escapes in American history. The Anglins’ story was used to kick off the series.

“They did a really good job of telling the story,” Widner, who was interviewed for the series in Albany during the height of the COVID lockdown, said. “Morgan basically walks the audience through the escapes and talks about how they happened. It’s a good show, but it doesn’t really add anything new to the story.”

Indeed, pretty much all of the information used in the “Great Escapes” series has been extensively covered in an earlier History Channel documentary, “Alcatraz: The Search for the Truth,” and Widner’s book with Esslinger. There also have been another pair of documentaries: “The Lost Evidence,” which focused on San Francisco Police Department files, and a third hosted by William Shatner that attempted to add a paranormal twist. (“I wish we hadn’t done that one,” Widner said.)

“I think the new series is going to expand the audience and broaden the interest in my uncles’ (and Morris’) escape,” Widner said. “My brother and I are pitching a different type of project, maybe a series that tells the story from the brothers’ early days through the escape and looks into what happened afterward.”

What happened after the Anglins’ escape is another mystery that is clouded by rumor, speculation and the close-knit family’s refusal to divulge information that might put law enforcement on the escapees’ trail.

“No one in our family is going to say anything about what might have happened after the escape,” Widner said. “The last time I remember the FBI coming to our house — they used to come around all the time, hoping to get some information — my mom and I were raking up pine straw. Four guys in black suits got out of a black car and walked up to my mother. She said what she always said: ‘I haven’t heard from them, and if I had, I wouldn’t tell you.’

“My mom has always told us, ‘I’ll tell y’all what I know one day.’ Our Uncle Robert, John and Clarence’s brother, confessed on his death bed that he’d been in touch with them several times.”

Some eyewitnesses, most notably family friend Fred Brizzi, a known drug smuggler, said the Anglins had located in Brazil. Brizzi presented the family with a photograph that has been pored over by facial recognition experts who declared the photograph is indeed John and Clarence Anglin.

“That’s the kind of thing we’re looking into doing, going down to Brazil to determine if there is proof that my uncles have been living there since their escape,” Widner said. “There’s so much information that’s been released — and so many things that I’m really not ready to talk about right now — that keeps people interested in this story.

“I feel like it’s my duty to keep (the Anglins’) faces out there, to keep that interest through memorabilia. I also have some of the items associated with their escape: the wallets that Clarence made, two paintings, letters from (notorious mobster) James “Whitey” Bulger (who is said to have played a key role in the escape). If we can maintain interest, maybe we’ll be able to convince someone to take this story from the beginning and follow it to a point where we can prove what happened.”

Staff Photo: Carlton FletcherStaff Photo: Carlton Fletcher

Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher

Special Photo: Published with permission of David Widner