Hello Friends,
I hope this newsletter finds you well. I am rather busy with the final edit of a 30-day devotional, a children’s books series, and another edit of my novel, Snake Oil. You should hear a word about all of those things in the coming months.
If you don’t know, I am almost a native Californian. My family and I moved here from New York when I was eight, and I’ve been here ever since. Notwithstanding the politics, one thing I like about the State is the museums. In Los Angeles, the most prominent is the Getty Center. A visit is always worthwhile for the lovely artwork and the featured exhibits.
The Getty Center is the product of J. Paul Getty Sr., who lived an exciting life by procuring oil leases in 1910. In time, Getty Sr. amassed $1.2 billion ($8.3 billion in 2022 standards) and earned the label of the world’s wealthiest private citizen. Yet, the admiration for his wealth did not consider Getty Sr.’s reputation as a penny-pincher. For example, close friends revealed Getty had a payphone installed in his home for his guests. When his son, Timmy, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, he forced his fifth wife, Teddy Getty Gaston, to cover all the medical expenses. Timmy died at age 12. Regardless of his age, his father snubbed the funeral.
Getty Sr. had five children. His son, J. Paul Getty Jr., also had five children. The most famous is J. Paul Getty III (aka Paul).
Getty Jr. divorced Paul’s mother, Gail, and moved to Rome to run the family business there. At 16, Paul’s private school expelled him and he moved to Rome to be closer to his father. He works as an extra in movies and soon sells jewelry and paintings. His wanderings led him to frequent clubs and lavish parties, which exposed him to activism and politics.
On July 10, 1973, Paul spends time with a gogo dancer near the Piazza Navona when the Italian mafia grabs him. The kidnappers’ demand included a letter in Paul’s writing and a demand for $17 million.
Yet, the family questions the validity of the story. When Paul had financial problems, he frequently joked about orchestrating his kidnapping. Paul’s mother, Gail, petitioned her father-in-law for the money. Getty Sr. refused, stating that an agreement to pay the ransom for one grandchild would lead to similar situations for his other grandchildren.
Despite warnings, Gail goes to the press with the letter, hoping to embarrass Getty Sr. and force him to pay up. But that didn’t happen. In November of that same year, a Roman newspaper received a package with a lock of red hair from Paul’s head and his right ear!
After several threatening phone calls, the kidnappers dropped their demand to $3.2 million. This time, Getty Sr. agreed to pay $2.2 million, the exact amount he could write off on his taxes. Then, he loaned the remaining amount to Getty Jr. at a four percent interest rate.
On a rainy day in December 1973, the kidnappers released Paul by the side of the road, where he accepted a ride from a trucker to a nearby town. During his ride, Paul informed the truck driver that the kidnappers frequently moved him and always made him wear a blindfold, which restricted his ability to keep track of his location.
Although Paul had only one ear, the doctors diagnosed him as stable. Yet, the years ahead would prove difficult for him, and the memories of his ordeal took a toll on his mental health. At 18, he married a photographer and returned to his addictions.
Months later, the authorities arrested nine men involved in the kidnapping. However, because of insufficient evidence, the authorities only charged two out of the nine men for the crime.
Getty Sr. dies in 1976 and leaves nothing to Paul and only $500 to Getty Jr. Paul suffers a stroke in 1981, stemming from an overdose. The stroke left him completely paralyzed, unable to speak, and partially blind. At 54, Paul dies.
After the release of a Hollywood movie about Paul’s ordeal, a nephew of one kidnapper, Michael Mammoliti, confesses to Variety Magazine that Paul had played a role in the kidnapping from the beginning. But when his grandfather refused to pay the ransom, things turned ugly, and Paul lost his ear.
So, what do you think? Did Paul allow the kidnappers to cut off his ear for the money? Or was he a victim of his grandfather’s greed? Send me an email and share your thoughts or any insights you might have about this story.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for reading my newsletter.
Harper Gale
HARPER GALE BOOKS 