Creator Reopens Capone’s Vault on Dwell Tv Forty Years Later And Finds Actuality TV
Creator William Elliott Hazelgrove opens a Vault at website of orignal Capones Vault and finds bottes, money, and a cellphone
“What Geraldo Rivera actually present in Capones Vault was Actuality TV.”
CHICAGO, IL, April 25, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ — On a chilly windy morning Creator William Elliott Hazelgrove stood in entrance of the positioning of the Lexington Lodge with a protected and opened it on reside tv. Forty years after Geraldo Rivera drew practically 30 million viewers to one of the crucial notorious reside broadcasts in tv historical past, Capone’s vault has been opened as soon as once more—this time by creator William Hazelgrove on the authentic website of the Lexington Lodge in Chicago.
In a reside anniversary recreation coated by native media together with WGN-TV, Hazelgrove reopened the vault on April 21, marking the fortieth anniversary of the unique broadcast that captivated the nation.
The end result: renewed nationwide curiosity in one in all tv’s most debated moments.
“What was as soon as known as a failure is clearly something however,” mentioned Hazelgrove, creator of Capone’s Vault. “Thirty million individuals watched. And 40 years later, we’re nonetheless speaking about it. That is not a catastrophe—that is a cultural milestone.”
The unique 1986 broadcast, hosted by Rivera, has lengthy been remembered for its lack of tangible discovery contained in the vault. But its legacy has solely grown, with many now viewing it as a precursor to fashionable actuality tv and live-event spectacle.
Rivera himself has lately revisited the second in nationwide interviews, describing it as a mixture of “embarrassment” and delight. Privately, after studying Hazelgrove’s new e-book on the occasion, Rivera praised it merely: “It is an amazing learn.”
The April 21 reenactment introduced the story full circle—returning to the positioning the place the nation as soon as gathered round their televisions in anticipation, and demonstrating that the intrigue surrounding Capone’s vault has not light.
Media protection surrounding the anniversary continues to bolster a shifting narrative: what was as soon as labeled a televised misfire is more and more seen as a defining second in media historical past.
Hazelgrove’s e-book, Capone’s Vault, explores the total story behind the printed, its cultural influence, and why it continues to resonate a long time later.
“Individuals did not tune in only for what was contained in the vault,” Hazelgrove added. “They tuned in for the expertise. That is the legacy—and that is why we’re nonetheless speaking about it right this moment. The protected contained the cash Geraldo was on the lookout for, the bottles he discovered, and a cellphone, which is what he actually discovered…the way forward for tv or actuality TV. “
William Elliott Hazelgrove is the Nationwide Bestselling Creator of 25 Books.
# # #
