New True Crime Film 'Danbury' Brings Shocking 1970 Story to Life

According to a story shared by Mike Allen on the Ethan and Lou Show, one of the wildest crime stories in Danbury history is now getting the movie treatment—and honestly, it sounds like something out of Hollywood, except it actually happened right here.

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Back in February of 1970, brothers John and James Pardue pulled off one of the most shocking crimes the city has ever seen. These weren’t small-time criminals either—they had already robbed banks across multiple states and were tied to several murders before they even made their way to Danbury.

On Friday, February 13th, they executed a plan that still feels unbelievable. They set off bombs at the Danbury Police Station as a diversion, then, just minutes later, robbed Union Savings Bank on Main Street. As they made their escape, they detonated another explosive inside the bank and even blew up a getaway car to cover their tracks.

Miraculously, no one was killed, but dozens of people were injured and the entire city was shaken.

The story didn’t end there. The brothers were eventually tracked down and arrested, and what followed only got darker—confessions, more violent crimes tied to their past, and a series of events that made this one of the most disturbing crime sprees connected to Connecticut. THE FULL STORY BELOW

Mike Allen

Now, more than 50 years later, that story is being turned into a film.

A new short film called Danbury is set to premiere at The Palace Theater, just blocks from where all of this actually happened. The 35-minute true-crime thriller will bring this unbelievable story to life, and there will even be a red-carpet event and a chance to meet the cast and filmmakers. The red-carpet premiere takes place Saturday night, June 20th.

It’s one of those stories that feels impossible until you realize it happened right here—and now it’s hitting the big screen.

In 1970, Two Men Robbed a Danbury Bank + Blew Up the Police Station

The story of the Pardue brothers, their connection to Danbury and what happened in the Hat City in February of 1970 came to us from Mike Allen. Every Tuesday Mike joins the Ethan and Lou Show on I-95 for a feature called "The Place You Live" and this week it was a local story unlike any I'd ever heard.

John Pardue was a 27-year-old man in 1970 who lived in Danbury, his brother James was 23, and living in Lusby, MD. Before the story finds its way to the Hat City, and the brothers rob the Union Savings Bank on Main Street, they had already racked up quite the list of astonishing crimes.

Prior to Danbury, they robbed banks in Lewisboro, NY, Georgetown, CT and Union, MO. They also killed their father, their grandmother, two other men who helped them pull off the robbery in Georgetown, CT and had, at minimum, a role in the death of an innocent Bridgeport man that they stole a car from. John and James Pardue were hardened criminals before their Danbury bank robbery.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Inside the Holding Cells and Grand Rooms of Danbury's Fairfield County Courthouse

One of Danbury's most significant buildings is the vacant courthouse on Main Street. I took a tour of it recently and captured images to share with you. This is a look at the judge's chambers, inside the holding cells and around the grand courtroom of the Fairfield County Courthouse.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Exploring Beyond the Rusty Gates of Danbury's Oldest Cemetery on Wooster Street

I live just down the block from the Wooster Street Cemetery and whenever I pass, I am always struck at how odd it is. You have this quiet, beautiful place that is dedicated to the people who were buried there, in the middle of a busy city and almost no one ever goes there. I decided to go take a deeper look around and see what was beyond the iron gates and stone walls.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

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