Episode description
What a CreepSeason 22, Episode 10
The Kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III
In 1973, at the age of 16, John Paul Getty III was kidnapped in Italy. The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of $17 million, but J. Paul Getty, the boy's grandfather and one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time, initially refused to pay. The kidnappers then sent a lock of the young Getty's hair and his severed right ear to a newspaper to pressure the family.
Eventually, J. Paul Getty agreed to pay a reduced ransom amount, and his grandson was released after being a captive for several months. This story inspired a feature film by Ridley Scott and a ten-part series featuring our favorite Hollywood comeback story--Brendan Fraser. This story has it all--miserable rich people, hippies, Italian mafiosos, and strained family relationships—trigger warning: addiction & kidnapping.
Sources for this episode:
- All That’s Interesting
- The Daily Beast
- Town & Country magazine
- New York Post
- New York Times
- Vanity Fair
- People magazine
- All the Money in the World, directed by Ridley Scott
- Painfully Rich by John Pearson
- People magazine 2
- J. Paul Getty Wikipedia
- The Gentleman’s Journal
- NPR
- Time
- Trust on FX
- Growing Up Getty: The Story of America’s Most Unconventional Dynasty by James Reginato
- Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CreepPod @CreepPod
- Facebook: Join the private group!
- Instagram @WhatACreepPodcast
- Visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/whatacreep
- Email: WhatACreepPodcast@gmail.com
- We’ve got merch here! https://whatacreeppodcast.threadless.com/#
- Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.com
- Our logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez. Follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud