President Trump has instructed his administration to work toward rebuilding and reopening the notorious maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island.

But why? One theory has it that it’s because the Clint Eastwood movie Escape from Alcatraz aired on South Florida’s PBS station, Mar-a-Lago’s PBS station, on the day the president announced the plan.

As ridiculous as that is or would be, it kind of illustrates a larger point: When Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closed in March, 1963, there were already more than a dozen movies about the prison. In the more than 60 years since it closed, Hollywood has made more than a dozen more.

Alcatraz, for pretty much its entire history, has held an outsized place in the American imagination and culture.

This hour: the past, present, and future (?) of Alcatraz.

GUESTS:
Shawna Chen: A reporter with Axios San Francisco
Jeff Himmelman: Author of Yours in Truth: A Personal Portrait of Ben Bradlee, Legendary Editor of The Washington Post; he is currently working on a book about Alcatraz

President Trump has instructed his administration to work toward&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2025/05/05/trump-reopen-alcatraz-sf">rebuilding and reopening the notorious maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island</a>.
But why? One theory has it that it&rsquo;s because the Clint Eastwood movie&nbsp;Escape from Alcatraz&nbsp;aired on South Florida&rsquo;s PBS station, Mar-a-Lago&rsquo;s PBS station,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-escape-from-alcatraz-pbs-b2745233.html">on the day the president announced the plan</a>.
As ridiculous as that is or would be, it kind of illustrates a larger point: When Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closed in March, 1963, there were already more than a dozen movies about the prison. In the more than 60 years since it closed, Hollywood has made more than a dozen more.
Alcatraz, for pretty much its entire history, has held&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/opinion/alcatraz-trump-prison-prohibition.html">an outsized place in the American imagination and culture</a>.
This hour: the past, present, and future (?) of Alcatraz.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Shawna Chen:&nbsp;A reporter with&nbsp;Axios San Francisco</li>
<li>Jeff Himmelman:&nbsp;Author of&nbsp;Yours in Truth: A Personal Portrait of Ben Bradlee, Legendary Editor of&nbsp;The Washington Post; he is currently working on a book about Alcatraz</li>
</ul>

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.