Big Boy Caprice

**Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice** is a villain from the *Dick Tracy* comic-strip series, and main-antagonist of the 1990 film Dick Tracy. He is loosely connected to the story of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Buena Vista Street.

## History

### Origins

Al Caprice was one of the many grotesque mobsters in the city of Homeville, U.S.A. in the 1930s. He had a mole over his left cheek, hunched back, and several disproportionately large physical features which lead to his nickname, "Big Boy". Caprice was tutored in crime by mobster "Lips" Manlis who worked out of the nightclub Club Ritz and taught Caprice the lesson that there are, "No pals in business".

Caprice would disappear for some time before reappearing in 1938. Big Boy had his lieutenant, "Flattop" murder various members of Lips' gang then had his enforcers pose as police-officers to arrest Manlis, only to kidnap him and his lover Breathless Mahoney to take to Caprice at the South Side Warehouse. Here, Big Boy forced Lips to sign over the Club Ritz, took Breathless Mahoney as his own girlfriend, and then disposed of Lips via a, "Bath", forcing him in a crate to be filled with wet cement and dumped into the waters below.

### Criminal Empire

Big Boy turned the Club Ritz into his headquarters for taking over the city to in an empire of racketeering, political bribery, and illegal gambling. Throughout this, his primary adversary was police-detective Dick Tracy who planted police-officer Bug Bailey in the crawl-space of the Club Ritz to listen in-on and transmit to Tracy Big Boys' schemes before they occur.

Throughout this, Tracy also received anonymous assistance from a seemingly faceless vigilante called, "The Blank", who was actually Breathless Mahoney in a plastic mask. Big Boy used the Club Ritz to hold a meeting of the city's various gang leaders to all work under him. When one of these gangsters refused, he had his car rigged with a bomb as a show to the other mobsters.

On New Year's Eve, Big Boy teamed-up with the Blank to have the Blank remove Dick Tracy as an opponent, not knowing this was a pretence for Mahoney to betray him. The Blank framed Dick Tracy for murder but also kidnapped his girlfriend Tess Truehart to plant in the Club Ritz before anonymously informing the police of the crime, pinned on Big Boy. The police used this as a pretence to raid the Club Ritz where a gun-fight occurred which had the police gunned down countless attendees of the Club Ritz. In this event, Mahoney was mortally injured and died in Dick Tracy's arms. Big Boy escaped, taking Tess as a hostage only to be confronted by Tracy and knocked off a bridge into massive gears which crushed him to death.

## Tower of Terror connections

### Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe

There is a poster in the Silver Lake Sisters' cafe advertising their performance at Big Boy's nightclub, the Club Ritz. The poster also shows multiple gangsters presumably working for Caprice, the most recognizable of whom being Flattop, and which may also include the silhouette of Big Boy.

### Other connections

#### Disney's Hollywood Studios

In the *Backlot Tour* there was a poster on the wall, promoting District Attorney Fletcher for mayor. In the film, Fletcher was a corrupt DA working for Big Boy Caprice while running for mayor only to be murdered by the Blank.

##### Sunset Boulevard

Big Boy and his men were antagonists in the *Theatre of the Stars* show, "Dick Tracy Starring in Diamond Double Cross" and made live appearances at Disney's Hollywood Studios around this time.

## Trivia

* Dick Tracy is connected to Tower of Terror history due to it having been planned for attractions and theming throughout Disney's Hollywood Studios and Sunset Boulevard.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.shyguysworld.com/index.php?topic=20947.0
2. ↑ http://ultimateorlando.blogspot.com/2014/01/dick-tracy-movie-tribute-in-backlot.html