DOCUMENT: Crime

Roddy McDowall's Planet Of The Tapes

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Roddy McDowall's Planet Of The Tapes

In 1974, the FBI raided the Hollywood home of Roddy McDowall and seized the actor's large collection of pirated films. The search, conducted as part of a copyright infringement probe, turned up films agents valued at more than $5 million. McDowall, who was not charged, cooperated with the FBI, giving agents the names of those with whom he bought and sold pirated films, according to these FBI records obtained by The Smoking Gun. In a lengthy written statement, the "Planet of the Apes" star even fingered other entertainers who collected such films--actor Rock Hudson, singer Mel Torme,and comedian Dick Martin (of Rowan & Martin). Highlights of McDowall's FBI file include:

Page 1: The $5 million stash.

Pages 2-6: McDowall explains how it all started.

Pages 7-9: Naming his suppliers.

Page 10: Fingering some friends.

Page 11: Roddy's "terrible animal noise." Brilliant!

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