Tying in to the upcoming Ken Burns documentary "Prohibition," which will air on KUAT, Arizona Public Media's Tom Kleespie produced the mini-documentary "The Dry Run: Prohibition in America."
The segment will air on "Arizona Illustrated" at 6:30 p.m. Friday. At 8 p.m. Oct. 2, "Prohibition" will start its three-night run on KUAT, ending Oct. 4.
Via interviews with historians and authors, Kleespie - whose past credits include "The Desert Speaks" and "Unforgettable: The Korean War" - points out some interesting facts about Arizona's place in Prohibition.
The state was ahead of the curve, voting in 1914 to ban alcohol sales and consumption. The ban went into effect five years before Prohibition became national law.
"Some of the early opponents to that law here in Tucson were scientists who could no longer get alcohol for their studies and the Catholic bishop whose priests could no longer 'properly' celebrate Communion," Kleespie said via email.
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University of Arizona faculty also opposed the law because scientists needed alcohol to conduct experiments.
Local actress makes a name for herself in horror films
The most prolific actress from Tucson working today is probably Tiffany Shepis. The 32-year-old New York native has made a name for herself on the horror circuit, becoming a regular at conventions and on fan sites.
Shepis' production is staggering. The Internet Movie Database lists her as starring in 14 films in 2010 and 15 slated for release this year or next.
Because many of the films Shepis stars in are low-budget indie films that can stay on the festival circuit for years looking for a distributor, not all of her movies are available on DVD.
Her two most recent films to hit Netflix are "The Violent Kind" - a story of bikers who battle ghostly rivals - and "Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer," in which she plays the mother of the killer.
Contact reporter Phil Villarreal at 573-4130 or pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
Historic bank vault now new Tucson speakeasy
