The Eerie Truth Behind The Glitzy Murders Of "Chicago"

The modern retelling of the famous murder trials of 1924 showcases the scandal and corruption of Chicago during the Jazz age when everything was cast under a limelight.

The 2002 musical remake of the 1927 silent film of the same name, Chicago, kept many of the details from its original onscreen plot, but how much of this is true to life?

What's In A Name?

To begin with, the names were clearly written to sound more interesting. While Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart are great names for cabaret dancers, they are obviously not the real monikers of the women responsible for the murders in the roaring 20s.

The actual women who murdered their lovers and became celebrities were actually called Belva Gaertner and Beulah Annan.

Memory Loss

In the film, Velma Kelly shoots her husband after catching him in bed with her sister, but tells the authorities that she couldn't remember a thing after.

In actuality, Gaertner shot her lover in his car. The "most stylish woman on Murderess Row" told the world she had been drinking and that she had no memory of the event.

All In The Family

In the movie, Roxie Hart has the media spotlight taken away from her at the arrival of a new convict, so she claimed she was pregnant to get the attention back.

While Annan did claim to be with child, she did it the day after her fellow inmate was given the death sentence, likely out of fear than envy.

Happily Ever After

While the movie portrays the two giving a show stopping performance at the end, in reality their ending was not at all glamorous.

Annan was committed to a mental hospital after a breakdown from a failed relationship, and no one knows what became of Gaertner...

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