#Catch me if u can movie
#Catch me if u can professional

Abagnale's arrest led to him spending time in a French prison before being sent to a prison in Sweden, which was accurately depicted in the film.What if you could be anyone you wanted to be? Inspired by a maybe-true story, Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can follows the life and crimes of charming con-man and forger Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) and the dogged FBI agent tasked with tracking him down (festival mainstay Tom Hanks). However, it was French authorities that arrested Abagnale for theft and swindling after an airline stewardess recognized him and alerted Interpol that Abagnale was in France. He was briefly paroled in 1967 but then sent back until December 1968 (per Daily Mail).Īfter being arrested and jailed in Baton Rouge in February 1969, Abagnale was released on parole in June of the same year before absconding to Europe, where the film finally depicts Abagnale being arrested by FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) for the very first time. These arrests resulted in Abagnale being confined to the Great Meadow Correctional Institute starting in July 1965. As reported by The Herald Statesman, a month later the 17-year-old was arrested in Tuckahoe, New York, and charged with forgery of a $350 check he allegedly stole from a service station to pay for a trip to Florida. Considering how in the film, Abagnale's time in Louisiana is connected to his relationship with Brenda, who doesn't exist, suggests this entire interlude of the film is questionable despite having been inspired by the memoir.Ībagnale was arrested in Eureka, California with a stolen car in June 1965, making the local paper, Eureka Humboldt Standard. In the timeline from the book shared by Daily Mail, we see Abagnale was reportedly imprisoned in Comstock, New York when he was allegedly posing as a lawyer in Louisiana. 'The Greatest Hoax On Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can' also questions the veracity of Abagnale's claim that he was a lawyer in Louisiana.

#Catch me if u can professional

Perry suggests much of what Abagnale claims is used to 'bolster a million dollar business based on his professional knowledge as the king to tricksters.' And that just enabled and emboldened him more.' When the Daily Mail reached out to Abagnale for comment on Logan's book, Abagnale replied via email with the statement, 'I have not read the book, nor do I think it is worthy of a comment.'Ī takedown of Abagnale's outlandish claims by journalist Ira Perry for The Daily Oklahoman in 1978 says, 'The fifth floor of the Louisiana office building where Abagnale says he worked as an assistant state attorney general without a law degree has never housed the agency's offices.' This, like many other details, suggests the entire story was fabricated.

And the media weren't interested in veracity. Mark Zinder, Abagnale's former booking agent, told Daily Mail, 'No one wanted to ruin the story,' summarizing his statement from Logan's book where Zinder stated, 'The guy has no conscience, he was still telling bald-faced lies.

He was only paroled briefly in 1967, which was after the period he was allegedly posing as a doctor in Georgia. From this timeline, supported by public records and newspaper clippings, we can see that much of the period Abagnale was allegedly posing as a doctor in Georgia, he was reportedly serving time in the Great Meadow Correctional Institute in Comstock, New York. Logan developed a very persuasive timeline for his book, suggesting Abagnale couldn't have done everything in 'Catch Me If You Can' because he was in jail for most of the time he was allegedly on the run (via Daily Mail).

#Catch me if u can movie

The timeline was further altered and condensed by screenwriter Jeff Nathanson, who stated, 'I don't know if anyone will ever know the actual truth.' A sentiment echoed by Abagnale himself when he told the Los Angeles Times, 'Basically, I felt the movie was more accurate than the book, but in the final analysis only I really know.' Join us while we parse out everything 'Catch Me If You Can' doesn't tell you about the true story. To protect the right of those whose paths have crossed the author's, all of the characters and some of the events have been altered, and all names, dates and places have been changed.' Abagnale wrote on his website at the time of the film's release that he was only interviewed four times by Redding and that the story was dramatized in the manner the editor wanted. Abagnale's 1980 memoir was ghost-written by crime reporter Stan Redding and, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, contains a disclaimer, stating, 'This book is based on the true-life exploits of Frank Abagnale.