Just more than 100 years ago, two Chicago university students perpetrated a notorious child murder that became known at the time as “the crime of the century.”
Now, Peoria is playing a significant role in an independent feature film about the infamous Leopold and Loeb case that’s set to debut on streaming services early next month.
For writer/director Aaron Warr, who’s originally from Peoria, the city served as an ideal stand-in for 1920s Chicago in his movie, “American Criminals.”
“I would say over 70% of the film was shot in Peoria because Peoria’s landscape is ‘plug-and-play.’ Everything is there; the mansions on Moss Avenue – perfect,” said Warr, pointing out some advantages his hometown has over the big city when it comes to the filmmaking process.
“There’s a difference between shooting a film in Chicago versus Peoria. I love my city of Chicago; I love my city of Peoria. But Chicago is going to say, ‘there’s a fine, there’s a fee, there’s this person you have to pay, you need all these other things.’ In Peoria and then downstate Illinois, the only question is, ‘what do you need, how much do you need, and can we feed you?’”
Making the movie “American Criminals” has been Warr’s passion for more than a decade.
“I became interested in the Leopold and Loeb story after watching the History Channel years ago, and it’s been 12 years to get this project up and running – a crazy journey,” said Warr, who adapted his screenplay from the 1958 best-seller, “Life Plus 99 Years.”
“In the midst of writing the script, I found out that Nathan Leopold actually wrote a book. So then it took another six months to figure out where to find the heirs that own the rights to this book, and then make the narrative shift from not just the story of Leopold and Loeb, but to tell the story through the eyes of Nathan Leopold. So this would verbalize Nathan’s character and his truth.”
Leopold and his accomplice, Richard Loeb, kidnapped and murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood in 1924. With famed attorney Clarence Darrow leading their defense, the affluent killers were spared from the death penalty but sentenced to incarceration terms that became the title of Leopold’s autobiography.
Loeb was murdered in prison in 1936, and Leopold was paroled in 1958. He moved to Puerto Rico and died in 1971.
“With the framing of the script, I wanted to focus on the actual story of the two men, and then I would insert some horrible sufferings of very definite groups of people in Chicago at the time,” said Warr, specifically mentioning civil unrest and the plight of Black and Jewish families.
“The direction turned drastically when I added in the story of Nathan Leopold and the book, where he actually did apologize for the crime. All of these years and decades had gone past, and none of the families, nobody is actually speaking. But the book in itself was the only piece of evidence where there is remorse.”
Warr believes “American Criminals” is just the second major film shot in Peoria, following Richard Pryor's 1986 autobiographical “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling.”
He said filming in the Peoria area gave him the opportunity to include many performers and recognizable figures from Central Illinois, including former TV sports reporter Lee Hall.
“He did an extraordinary performance as the father of Richard Loeb, as Richard Loeb Sr.,” said Warr. “I don’t think he realizes just how good his performance was. It is just stellar, spot on.”
Coming from “a showbiz family,” Warr’s foray into the entertainment industry started when he appeared as an extra on the television show “Prison Break.” He got the chance to spend time with directors and producers, and developed the urge to try his hand at the filmmaking side of the business.
In addition to Peoria, Warr said some of the film was shot in Carlinville. He said both locations made it easier for what’s called “Greeking,” where modern elements are obscured to give the period piece more authenticity.
He also credited Peoria businesses such as Steve Spain’s Costume Trunk, the Illinois Vision Center, and Wendy’s Eyeglass Shack for assisting the production’s historical accuracy.
“Had it not been for those, we never would have had the actual replica of [Leopold’s] glasses, which was a key component of discovery of the crime,” he said.
The cast of “American Criminals” includes veteran Hollywood actor Robert Donovan, original Village People member Randy Jones, and Douglas Wilson from the TLC series “Trading Spaces.” Bing Brazeau plays Leopold and Jake Schory is Loeb.
Warr said a red carpet premiere is scheduled for Aug. 2 at Peoria’s AMC Grand Prairie theaters, with Donovan, Jones, Brazeau, Schory and Hall among those expected to attend. The movie will also be available starting the same day on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and UMAXX.
