#machinal

The Ruth Snyder/Judd Gray trial in April and May of 1927 was one of the biggest sensations of the time. They were tried for, and eventually convicted of, murdering Snyder's husband for the insurance money. Journalists fought for entrance to the courtroom in the Queens County Courthouse in Long Island City. One, Sophie Treadwell, used the story as the basis of her hit play, Machinal,* which played on Broadway the following year, with Zita Johann in the Snyder-inspired role and a young actor making his Broadway debut, Clark Gable, in the Gray role.

*Note: If you click on the link above, which discusses the trial and the play in more detail, be prepared for a shocking photo of Snyder in the electric chair. It ran on the front page of the Daily News on January 12, 1928.