With cameras rolling, Rivera used explosives to breach the vault, hoping to uncover Prohibition-era secrets—cash, weapons or even human remains. (A medical examiner stood by.) Instead, the team found nothing but an empty whiskey bottle.
The broadcast quickly became a punchline, and “Al Capone’s Vault” soon became shorthand for an overhyped event.
CBS reporter John Drummond, who witnessed the blast, had earlier likened the dig to the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. Afterward, the letdown was unmistakable.
The special’s producer, John Joslyn, took it in stride. “Disappointment, of course, John,” he told Drummond. “But it’s been a terrific adventure. I wouldn’t have passed it up for anything.”
Rivera went on to host his talk show until 1998. He also hosted Rivera Live on CNBC starting in 1994 before joining Fox News in 2001. In 2024, he became a correspondent-at-large for NewsNation.
