Al Hunter’s Story Archive

They Stole Charlie Chaplin’s Body! Part 2

On March 1 & 2, 1978, 24-year-old Polish refugee Roman Wardas, and his cohort, Bulgarian Gantscho Ganev, aged 38, entered a small country graveyard in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland to dig up Hollywood movie legend Charlie Chaplin, who had died on Christmas Day of 1977. The weather was right out of central … Read More

They Stole Charlie Chaplin’s Body!

Two score and six years ago, a pair of hapless unemployed European auto mechanics crept silently into a small country graveyard in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland under cover of darkness. On the night of Wednesday, March 1, 1978 (and into the early morning of March 2), a 24-year old Polish refugee named … Read More

The Breathalyzer

Recently, I found myself at an antique show rummaging through a small box of paper, not unfamiliar territory for me. Then my fingers danced past a small greenish-colored slip of paper with a frozen gauge chart numbered .00 to .40 and a pair of machine-cut holes in the corners. Titled … Read More

The Gun That Killed Vincent Van Gogh?

I have spent the past 12 years on a quest. A quest to discover a little-known Lincoln collector turned museum curator named Osborn H. Oldroyd. I have written about Oldroyd many times and, sometimes, the mere mention of his name elicits groans from family and friends whom I’ve forced to … Read More

Help Me Rhonda — The Real Story

On February 24, 1965, the Beach Boys recorded “Help Me, Rhonda.” The song, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, peaked at #1 on May 29, 1965, knocking the Beatles “Ticket to Ride” from the top spot before being displaced by the Supremes “Back In My Arms Again” two weeks … Read More