Richard J. Alley

Feature story for The Commercial Appeal

Feb. 7, 2013

On a recent cold and rainy early morning, an Australian film crew worked setting up lights and testing microphone levels in Phillips Cottage at Elmwood Cemetery. They were in search not of ghosts, but of the story of Alma Theede, prostitute and notorious murderer of three men, also known as Vance Avenue Alma.

Alma Theede was married seven times to six different men in the early to mid-1900s, and was charged with the murder of three of them.

This photo of Alma Theede appeared with the 1970 obituary that ran in the Commercial Appeal. Theede died in a Millington nursing home at the age of 75.

Interviews were being recorded that day for a show called “Deadly Women” on the Investigation Discovery Channel. The show is produced by the Australian company Beyond Productions, which specializes in factual and documentary-style programs and is best known for the “Myth Busters” series. The Memphis segment is scheduled to air this fall.

“It explores the psychological motivation behind why some women commit homicide,” producer Dora Weekley said of the show. “We hope to create a greater awareness and understanding of the effects of such crimes, both on the individual and larger society.”

To tell their story, the team, which also included cameraman David Maguire and sound man Phillip Rossini, call on people involved in the cases, from police and prosecutors to journalists, historians and the victims’ families. The production crew went to Elmwood to see Theede’s final resting place and to interview staff historian Dale Schaefer, assistant cemetery director Jody Schmidt; and board president Dan Conaway.

“We do a mix of stories from way back in the late 1800s to last year,” Weekley said. “Anything where, obviously, the case is closed.”

Alma Herring came to Memphis from Mississippi with her sister, brother and mother, Nettie Green Herring, who worked for the American Snuff Co. By age 16, Alma was frequenting an area of Downtown known for its more lascivious businesses.

“South Main and Vance, it was known for the gambling, the brothels and the bars, and she appeared to be attracted to that,” Schaefer said. This proclivity garnered her the name “Vance Avenue Alma.”

At age 17, she married Charles Cox, only to divorce him and elope to Little Rock with Roy Calvert, Schaefer said. In 1919, she was charged with Calvert’s murder with a verdict of justifiable homicide returned. Back in Memphis, she remarried Cox, who later died in a car wreck … (read more)

Because I Said So column for The Commercial Appeal

Feb. 2, 2012

Aging is bittersweet, isn’t it? There’s the bitter: the aching joints and forgetfulness and … something else. And there’s the sweet: not needing anyone’s permission to eat ice cream for dinner while watching television in bed.

I have recently spent some evenings doing just that while catching up on last season’s episodes of “Sherlock” on PBS.

My oldest son has been eating meat and vegetables for dinner, and watching the “Masterpiece” series as well. He’s also read some of the Arthur Conan Doyle novels and short stories. I’ve read them all, and Sherlock Holmes, one of the great literary characters, is a fascinating subject for us to discuss.

In the past, my kids and I have had other interesting characters to discuss as their interests — near-obsessions with each at any given time — ranged from Dora to Big Bird to Caillou to Clifford the Big Red Dog.

While watching these shows in a seemingly infinite loop, first day-to-day as they aired, then on VHS, DVD and, finally, streaming through Netflix, can be trying on a parent, there is a certain melancholy that comes with leaving them behind, with flipping that switch on childhood … (read more)

Feature Lifestyle story for The Commercial Appeal

Jan. 22, 2012

There were scones, crumpets, volunteers dressed as butlers and tea galore for a recent screening of the second season of “Downton Abbey” at the WKNO-TV studios in Cordova.

Outside, fans of the British drama about the lives of Edwardian aristocrats lined up 100 strong for a day-early peek at their favorite new show.

“We were pretty blown away with the popularity of ‘Downton Abbey’ last year based on the national buzz we were hearing, but also local calls we were getting from viewers,” said Teri Sullivan, promotions manager for WKNO, adding that they wanted to know when it would air again, how they could get a video and when Season 2 was coming.

Many television aficionados these days are choosing carefully, not just what they watch, but how, when and where they watch it. With so many options available, the necessity to commit to time in front of a TV set is as passé as walking across the room to turn the dial. Whether watching alone or with a group of fellow fanatics, more of us are watching on our own terms instead of those of programming directors … (read more)