Episodes

  • Introducing "The Grand Scheme: Snatching Sinatra"
    Jul 11 2021

    In 1963, Barry Keenan was broke, alone, and desperate to save his family from personal and financial ruin. In a final “Hail Mary” attempt to set things right, he rolled the dice on an elaborate scheme so bizarre it’s hard to believe it actually happened: He kidnapped Frank Sinatra Jr. For the first time, Barry Keenan tells his version of the story in his own words, from beginning to end, to host John Stamos.

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    2 mins
  • Snatching Sinatra | Dippy Dean and the Safe Deposit Box
    Jul 12 2021

    John talks to Dean Torrence, Barry Keenan’s high school buddy and fellow Baron. Dean tells the story of his harrowing visit from the FBI in the days after Barry’s arrest, and how he unwittingly helped them uncover a damning piece of evidence.


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    25 mins
  • Snatching Sinatra | Smoke One For Me, Johnny
    Jul 12 2021

    Series writer Sam Dingman joins John for a discussion about John’s early interactions with the legend of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, how working in his dad’s restaurant laid the groundwork for his long career in showbiz, and why Barry Keenan’s story matters.

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    29 mins
  • Snatching Sinatra | Chapter 1: God on the Radio
    Jul 27 2021

    A young Barry Keenan becomes obsessed with salvation after an angel appears to him in his mother’s basement. Convinced by the nuns at his Catholic elementary school that he’ll be doomed to an eternity of harsh penance if he doesn’t take drastic action, Barry starts looking for shortcuts to the promised land.

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    33 mins
  • Snatching Sinatra | Chapter 2: A Plan of Operation
    Jul 27 2021

    Bestowed by God with a divine prophecy for his salvation, Barry heads to a local bar to brainstorm his kidnapping. Deploying the business strategies he once relied on as a securities trader, he cobbles together what he considers to be an airtight plan: kidnap someone with rich parents, use the ransom money to invest in real estate, and pay everyone back with interest. Nothin’ to it. All he needs is a target, and some seed money to get things moving - both of which, he discovers, are hard to come by.

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    24 mins
  • Snatching Sinatra | Chapter 3: Just Play Along
    Aug 3 2021

    Having scraped together some cash and settled on Frank Sinatra, Jr. as his target, Barry assembles his rogues gallery of accomplices. In short order, he recruits his mom’s ex-boyfriend (and small-time mafioso) John Irwin, as well as an old friend he used to pull pranks with back in high school, Joe Amsler. But then, something unexpected happens: Barry falls in love with a woman named Pam. He’s certain she’ll dump him when she finds out about the kidnapping scheme, but much to his delight, Pam instead wants in on the caper. With his crew assembled, Barry heads for a state fair in Arizona to stake out Junior’s hotel…

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    32 mins
  • Snatching Sinatra | Chapter 4: The Pick-Up
    Aug 10 2021

    Junior’s about to head to Europe for a run of concerts, and there’s no way Barry can afford to follow him there. After multiple failed attempts at the kidnapping - not to mention the seismic upheaval of President Kennedy’s assassination - Barry has a dark night of the soul. He resolves to give up on the Plan of Operation, and decides to give the scheme a send-off by drinking a bottle of whiskey. But somewhere towards the bottom of the bottle, Barry realizes he can’t bear to abandon his vision. When he discovers Junior’s making a pit-stop in Lake Tahoe before heading overseas, Barry decides to roll the dice one more time.

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    35 mins
  • Snatching Sinatra | Chapter 5: Strangers in the Night
    Aug 17 2021

    With Junior successfully nabbed at last, Barry and Joe make a death-defying escape from Lake Tahoe in the middle of a blizzard. Junior proves surprisingly compliant - even lending Barry a hand in his attempts to evade the police. Convinced that Junior’s cooperation is evidence of the divine inspiration fueling the Plan of Operation, Barry arrives back in Los Angeles after an all-night road trip feeling exhausted but hopeful...until Junior abruptly stops cooperating and starts playing hardball.

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    27 mins