The True Story of Toledo's Hometown Hero...

 "Holy Toledo: Jack Kennedy's Story," is the never-been-told, true story of gangsters and bootleggers who dominated the city during Prohibition.  The film focuses on bootlegger Jack Kennedy, the only man brave enough to go up against the dreaded Licavoli Gang.

 

During the early 1930s, an amazing array of colorful characters lived in Toledo and contributed to its rich history.  Chalky Red, Firetop Sulkin, Wop English and Leo "Lips" Moceri were just a few names that caused Toledoans to shudder.

 

When Thomas "Yonnie" Licavoli brought his gang down from Detroit, they immediately began to take over Toledo's vices.  With inside help from Jacob "Firetop" Sulkin, they gained political connections and the transition was smooth.  They not only attempted to gain control of the gambling and illegal booze, but also began demanding protection money from local businesses.  If owners refused, their businesses were bombed.  Individual shop owners in the midst of the Depression couldn't absorb protection levies and when the gangsters started eliminating obstacles with guns, Toledo began to spin out of control.

 

Dashing bootlegger Jack Kennedy became the symbol of resistance to Licavoli.  His easy, outgoing personality won him many friends among the police, politicians and, most importantly, Toledo residents.  Using simple and non-violent actions, Kennedy repeatedly found ways to embarrass and foil the Licavoli Gang.  And, his real threat to Licavoli was his ability to sell beer for 15 cents a glass as opposed to Licavoli's 25 cents.

 

Then, everything changed when Jack's girlfriend Louise Bell was gunned down in a hail of bullets meant for him.  Jack vowed vengeance and Toledoans realized that the lawless Licavoli Gang needed to be stopped.

 

After several failed attempts to rid themselves of Kennedy, the Licavoli Gang finally succeeded.  On the night of July 7, 1933, Jack and his girlfriend Audrey Ralls were walking back to Jack's Point Place cottage when he was gunned down on Edgewater Drive.  Witnesses were too scared to step forward and no one would identify the killers which included Kennedy's boyhood friend Joseph "Wop" English.

 

It was the dogged persistence and belief of Lucas County Prosecutor Frazier Reams that without money to finance their activities, the gang wouldn't be able to function.  Reams ordered all illegal activity in the city to be suspended.  No gambling, no booze, no women.  With the lid on organized crime, it wasn't long before the Licavoli crime family began to crumble.  Then, when the Lucas County Grand Jury indicted the gang, witnesses finally began to step forward and arrests were made.  Reams was relentless and became Toledo's legal savior, eventually ridding Toledo of the Licavoli Gang.