8 Intense Real-Life Stories Behind Famous Movies
1. Chicago
Based on the 1926 stageplay of the same name, Chicago is the cinematic imagining of a pair of women who have murdered their lovers, battling it out for stardom through their public trials in loud musical spectacle. Only, as crazy as Roxie Hart's story of showbiz and jazzy endeavours is, it's actually based on the real-life case of Beulah Annan.
Annan was far less vaudevillian inclined however, murdering her extra-marital lover not for his lies about his show business connections, but simply because she could. After a session of 'drinking wine' (or whatever the kids call it nowadays), Annan's partner Harry Kalstedt got into an argument with her, resulting in them both reaching for the gun. Annan was quicker however, and Kalstedt got a bullet in his back as he tried to leave.
Apparently, Annan then put "Hula Lou" for four hours whilst she let Kalstedt die on the floor whilst drinking cocktails and watching over the whole ordeal, then rang her husband to claim Kalstedt had tried to attack her and she'd killed him in self defence.
Annan got off then left her husband for 'being too slow'. There really was no other option than for this bizarre story to end up on screen.