Alcatraz TV show and my 2009 post about my visit to the island

For the past four weeks I've been watching the new Fox TV series, "Alcatraz."

Here's the set up: When Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closed on March 23, 1963, the inmates were not transferred to other prisons. They vanished--along with most of the guards. And 49 years later they're returning. Where they have been and why they are coming back--sans culture shock--hasn't been explained. Yet.

If this sounds confusing, it's because several people tied to "Lost" are behind "Alcatraz."

The dock at Alcatraz

Fans of "Lost" will recognize Jorge Garcia, who played Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes on that show. In "Alcatraz" he plays a comic book store owner and comic author who has PhDs in criminology and Civil War history. And he was written four books about Alcatraz prison. His partner is Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones), a former San Francisco police detective. The pair were hired by Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) a former SFPD police officer who is now an FBI agent.

Beneath the former prison is Hauser's 'Bat Cave,' an advanced research center amidst the tourists, the National Park Service guards, and of course the returning "63s."

The narrative switches from the present day to the late 1950s and the early 1960s.

Prison yard

So far so good for the show. I give the writers a lot of credit for not falling back on the better-known inmates from that period such as Robert Stroud, the legendary Birdman of Alcatraz, James "Whitey" Bulger, who gained greater fame as a longtime fugitive, Barker gang member Alvin 'Creepy' Karpis, and the three possible escapees immortalized in the film "Escape from Alcatraz."

As you will read below, I visited Alcatraz Island in 2009. My overriding impression while there--it was July--was how cold it was. I learned that inmates felt the same way. Coupled with the isolation, the chilliness compounded the harshness of being imprisoned there. And when the wind was right--the prisoners could hear the sounds of San Francisco from their cells--which was torturous to them. But that tension is missing from the show--at least for now.

"Alcatraz" airs Monday nights at 9pm (8pm Central). If you want to catch up, you can view each episode right here.

The photographs in this post were taken by the author.

UPDATE February 19: In the last episode, chilly air, at the Presidio, was noted by a character who pointed out a villain's hiding spot.

Related post:

California Collision: Alcatraz

Technorati tags: California travel travel blog san francisco entertainment television alcatraz