Movies, Television and Books
In 1952, the jail was the subject of the first ever television news report on the CBC Television English network when the Boyd Gang, a notorious group of bank robbers, broke out of the facility for the second time. The news anchor was future Bonanza star, Lorne Greene.
For the movie Cocktail (1988), starring Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown, the rotunda in the old section of the jail was redressed as an upscale New York nightclub.
The jail was also a filming location for the episode So Shall Ye Reap, from the TV series War Of The Worlds in which it served as the hideout for the aliens.
The jail is featured in pivotal scenes in the novel Old City Hall, by Robert Rotenberg.
The jail is extensively featured in the 2009 documentary Hangman's Graveyard. The film details the recent archaeological investigation at the jail and tells the story of the executed inmates found in an abandoned cemetery beneath a parking lot behind the jail.
Scenes from Chicago were filmed in the old building.
Toronto artist and musician Andre Ethier wrote the song "Don River Jail" about the building.
Read more about this topic: Don Jail
Famous quotes containing the words television and/or books:
“There is no question but that if Jesus Christ, or a great prophet from another religion, were to come back today, he would find it virtually impossible to convince anyone of his credentials ... despite the fact that the vast evangelical machine on American television is predicated on His imminent return among us sinners.”
—Peter Ustinov (b. 1921)
“I do not hesitate to read ... all good books in translations. What is really best in any book is translatable—any real insight or broad human sentiment.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)