Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story is a 1980 American two-night TV movie about Clarence Carnes, the youngest inmate ever sent to Alcatraz Prison. It aired on NBC on July 10 and 11, 1980. The film was written by Ernest Tidyman and based on a story by Don DeNevi, and directed by Paul Krasny. The cast includes Michael Beck as Carnes, with Art Carney, Alex Karras, and Telly Savalas. Jerrold Immel composed the music. It was produced by Pierre Cossette Enterprises.
The story is told in two parts. Part 1 follows Carnes’s early life and his first imprisonment, ending with the Battle of Alcatraz. Part 2 tracks him as a veteran prisoner, his friendship with Robert Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz), and his involvement in the famous escape attempt by Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers.
Some filming was done on location at Alcatraz and in San Francisco. The running time is about 196 minutes.
Reception was mixed: The Los Angeles Times called it “the prison story to end all prison stories,” while The New York Times criticized its length and some performances.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:27 (CET).