About this episode

The episode explores the early life of Al Capone and his rise in organized crime under the influence of a Coney Island mentor.

Before he was Al Capone — the Scarface of popular myth — he was Alphonse Capone. In this inaugural episode of The Outfit’s first ever limited series, Dan and Alana take a trip back in time to dissect the man that made the man. Where a Brooklyn-born child of immigrants, under the tutelage of one very sinister Coney Island mentor, began his journey from a lowly shoeshiner to dominating the Jazz Age so thoroughly that he still remains synonymous with organized crime today. Sources: Historian Mario Gomes's excellent website, My Al Capone Museum ( https://www.myalcaponemuseum.com/ ) The Mammoth Book of Journalism  by Jon E. Lewis Al Capone’s Beer Wars: A Complete History of Organized Crime in Chicago During Prohibition  by John Binder Mr. Capone: The Real - and Complete - Story of Al Capone , by Robert J. Schoenberg Young Al Capone: The Untold Story of Scarface in New York, 1899-1925  by William and John Balsamo Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone  by John Kobler Capone: The Man and the Era  by Laurence Bergreen Newspapers including  The Brooklyn Daily Times ,  The New York Daily News, The New York Times ,  The New York Herald. --- The…

People in this episode

Hosts: Dan O’Sullivan, Alana Hope Levinson

Topics covered

• Al Capone
• organized crime
• Jazz Age
• history
• immigration
• Coney Island

Keywords

• Al Capone
• organized crime
• Coney Island
• Jazz Age
• history
• immigrants

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Brooklyn Daily Times, The New York Daily News, The New York Times, The New York Herald

Books & works: The Mammoth Book of Journalism, Al Capone’s Beer Wars: A Complete History of Organized Crime in Chicago During Prohibition, Mr. Capone: The Real - and Complete - Story of Al Capone, Young Al Capone: The Untold Story of Scarface in New York, 1899-1925, Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone, Capone: The Man and the Era, Bittersweet Defeat

More episodes of The Outfit

• Al Capone All-American: Downfall and the Feds · March 5, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Al Capone All-American: Jake Lingle and the Media · February 26, 2026 · 57 min
• Casino with Demi Adejuyigbe · February 19, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Al Capone All-American: The St. Valentine's Day Massacre · February 12, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Al Capone All-American: Cicero & Politics · February 5, 2026 · 59 min
• Al Capone All-American: The North Side Mob · January 29, 2026 · 1h 0m

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