If you live in NYC, you may have passed the Petland Discounts store on W 8th Ave and 28th Street more than once. But did you know 85-years-ago the store was the site for the infamous machine gun murder of Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll? We knew it because that killing appears in Jitterbug! Coll, just 22 at the time, was in a phone booth inside the London Chemists (now Petland) talking to Owney "The Killer" Madden about his ransom demands for the safe return of Madden's Cotton Club manager and fellow gangster Big Frenchy Demange. You can learn more about the "setup" here. Just scroll down to the end of that page to read the whole story which includes archival photographs and a newsreel. That Jitterbug! website page has info and pictures (including current photos) devoted to all the sites found in the dancical. It also includes a map to make it easier for anyone wanting to visit the locations.
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