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History Vs. The Movies – Capote and In Cold Blood
May 29, 2015 @ 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Registration required; contact the organizer.
Click Here To Read About “In Cold Blood”
On a quiet Monday in November 1969, Truman Capote was sitting his apartment in New York Reading page 39 of the New York Times where he found a 300 word account of brutal murder in an obscure corner of bar Western Kansas.
A wealthy wheat farmer, his wife, and their two young children were found shot to death today in their home. They had been killed by shotgun blasts at close range after being bound and gagged. The father, 48-year-old Herbert W. Clutter, was found in the basement with his son, Kenyon, 15. His wife Bonnie, 45, and a daughter, Nancy, 16, were in their beds. There were no signs of a struggle and nothing had been stolen. The telephone lines had been cut. “This is apparently the case of a psychopathic killer,” Sheriff Earl Robinson said. Mr. Clutter was founder of The Kansas Wheat Growers Association. […] Mr. Clutter, his wife and daughter were clad in pajamas. The boy was wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. The bodies were discovered by two of Nancy’s classmates, Susan Kidwell and Nancy Ewalt. Sheriff Robinson said the last reported communication with Mr. Clutter took place last night about 9:30 PM, when the victim called Gerald Van Vleet, his business partner, who lives near by. Mr. Van Vleet said the conversation had concerned the farm and ranch.
Capote became fascinated by how such a shocking crime would affect a small, close-knit community.
The Clutter Family
He immediately decided to visit the town. Aided by Harper Lee, he spent the next five years getting to know everyone in the town, the investigators, friends of the victims, and especially the killers. In 1966 he published what was called the first “nonfiction novel,” the blockbuster bestseller and later film, “In Cold Blood.” This same events have been retold into biographical movies, “Capote” starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and “Infamous” starring Toby Jones.
In this unique multimedia presentation, we will explore Capote’s life and his work on “In Cold Blood” and try and determine how historically accurate are the book and film.