The Confessionals - Wondery Presents: American Hostage

Episode Date: March 9, 2022

In the series premiere, radio DJ Fred Heckman (Jon Hamm) receives an unexpected call from a listener that turns his life upside down.Follow American Hostage on Amazon Music, to hear all 8 episodes right now: wondery.fm/TC_AmericanHostage

Hey, TC listeners, I just started listening to this new true crime podcast, American Hostage. And honestly, it's a great one and you can binge it, which is even better because it leaves you hanging. It's set in Indianapolis in 1977 American Hostage is a suspenseful true story starring John Hamm as Fred Heckman, a beloved local radio porter who is forced into the middle of a life or death crisis as a hostage taker. Tony Curtis's demands to be interviewed live on his popular radio news program. Through Heckman's radio show, Curtis's gradually becomes a media sensation. and an unexpected national hero during a nail-biting 63-hour police standoff. I'm about to play you a preview of American Hostage,

and while you're listening, follow American Hostage wherever you get your podcast or binge the entire season right now on Amazon Music or Wondry Plus. The seven-second delay for live television was introduced in 1975 by NBC so that Richard Pryor could host Saturday Night Live without the network getting fined for all of his obscenities. The delay would also be useful. we discovered if a man were to be shot point blank in the head, live on national television. This is 911 dispatch.

Is Lieutenant Collins there? Uh, no, sir. He's not on dispatch. Well, who you got there, who you got there, ranked high enough to take this call. I can help you, sir, if you can tell me what you're calling. Yes, you stand up. You think I won't do it, you stupid son of a bitch?

Sir. All right. All right, I'm going to tell you now, and you're going to listen good, and I don't repeat myself, so you listen up now. You understand? Yes, I'm listening, sir. All right, I've done a thing, a real serious thing, the kind of thing you aren't used to hearing about, I bet.

I've taken a prisoner, and I've got him here, a wired shotgun valve strap to the back of his head, and this ain't no crank call. You understand me? Yes, sir. Yes, sir, I understand, but you say you've got something wired up a shotgun,

I've got a real deal, 12-gauge shotgun wired up to the back of his head, and anything happens to me, it goes off, and if he moves, it goes off, and I got it so there's 100 ways it goes off, and only one way it don't, and that's keeping me alive and good. You understand?

I understand. And this ain't. no crank call. Yes, sir, this is not a crank call. I don't never have much for anyone to take. And these motherfuckers find some way to take it all. And I'm mad as hell. I swear to God, he's almost as good as dead.

He's never been closer to dead than he is right now. Sir, can you please, uh, talk to me and lower the gun, please if you're... I am talking to you, sir, and I ain't lowering the gun. Can you tell me how many people you've got with you over there? I just got one. One's all I wanted. Dick Hall is who I got. The son of a bitch.

Sir. Sir. Now I'm a mad, mean, motherfuckerbacker. I understand. And I'm the real deal. Yes, sir, I understand. The real deal. And I'm sorry, I got to bother you all like this, but it ain't right.

Can you please tell me where you are? 129 Canton Street. Canton, you said? 129 Canton Street on the fourth floor in Dick Hall's office. And I'm going to tell you again, the way you got this wired is, you kill me, you kill him. My hand goes back and my fingers go limp and he's eating shotgun shells out of the back of his head. I swear to God. I understand, sir.

We're going to send over some of our fellas and see what we can do for it. Well, please don't kill him. We're sending police on their way. You're goddamn fucking right. For me, there are three tenets of journalism. One, don't make it personal. Two, don't pick aside. And three, don't become the story.

I broke all three of those in the span of a single phone call. Follow American Hostage wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can binge all eight episodes right now on Amazon Music or Wondery Plus.