Im jamie colby, and today im headed to palm harbor, florida on the gulf coast, about 20 miles northwest of tampa. Yoknow, sotimes the strange things at peoplinherit on this show reflect timeless american values. Sometimes, though, they tell us how much times have changed. This is one of those stories where the heir is faced with a gorillasized challenge. My name is debbie cobb. My grandmother, Anna Mae Noell, passed away in october of 2000, leaving behind her 53 primates that i had to figure out how to care for. Debbie, im jamie. Nice to meet you. Glad to meet you. You know, i see theres a lot of retirees here in florida. Yours are a pretty wild bunch. Well, you havent seen the half of it. What a beautiful place. Its a 12acre primate sanctuary, full of irresistible characters. Like pongo, a 400pound male orangutan. He really, really likes you jamie, because he doesnt just purr for anybody. [ pongo vocalizing softly ] thats purring. Thats purring. I can tell hes a flirt. Oh, a big one. Pongos original home was a zoo in south carolina. But he didnt play well with the other orangutans. Bye, pongo. These guys dont get the option of being able to go to a zoo, so they would have had to be euthanized if they didnt come here. Theres somebody else i want to introduce you to, is blue is a spider monkey. Hes 57 years old. Whats special about blue . Well hes a critically endangered species, and the number one thing that makes him so special to me is hes actually the same age as i am and he was around when my grandparents were here. Debbies grandmother, Anna Mae Noell, is born into a North Carolina family of traveling performers in the vaudeville era. As a boy, her grandfather bob joins a troop of vaudevillians from virginia who raised him like a son. Anna mae reminisces about those early years in this recording decades later. In 1931 by chance or kismet, their traveling families wind up in the same town, pamplin, virginia at exactly the same time. They combine acts for a one week variety show. Your grandparents met pretty young. Oh yeah. They were really teenagers. And suddenly, theyre teenagers in love. Grandma would always tell me we werent supposed to be seeing each other, but we did. [ laughing ] thats funny. They had planned this big getaway and off they were. They eloped to new orleans and at first stick with what they know, vaudeville. Then one day bob goes to see a man about a car. He returns, instead, with a 90pound chimp named snookie. Grandpa actually put up 300 to get him, and back then that was a lot of money. He plans to make it all back, and more by taking a new act on the road featuring the worlds only athletic ape. So, they went from juggling and joking to Monkey Business . Absolutely. Yes. And part of this act was allowing people to go in the ring with a chimp. They said, how can we do an act, not get people hurt or killed, make sure the animals have fun. Grandpa would go talk to the Police Department and find out who was the biggest, baddest bully in the town. And then they would spread the word that this big, bad bully was gonna be there to box and wrestle with the chimpanzee. Did any man ever win . No people didnt know what a chimpanzee was. A 95pound chimp can pull 850 pounds in one arm, and when theyre mad 1250, so it didnt happen. You got to think if bob tried this today hed be the one getting the beatdown from a disapproving public. But in 1940, its a laugh riot. Nothing like a chimp humiliating you. He wasnt the big, bad bully anymore. Snookie is such a hit that bob and anna mae add more chimps to their show. They also add two kids velda mae, who would become debbies mom, and bobby jr. , her uncle who, years later, recalled the snookie routine fondly. For 14 years the troop follows the carnival circuit, not always to screams of delight. How many injuries have there been in your family as a result of dealing with exotic animals . Well, i dont know how many injuries, but you have to remember they have great teeth and they can hurt you. I remember that grandpa lost his fingers. Grandpa bob noell tells the story again and again through the years. At least he wasnt also losing an arm and a leg. In fact, by 1954 the noells have socked away enough to purchase 12 acres of Incorporated Land in florida, a place to call home in the winter months. This is where granddaughter debbie is born to velda mae in 1959. Howd your parents feel about you hanging out at the chimp farm . Well, my dad loved it. My dad was more like a son to my grandparents. My mom on the other hand, she was there, but, ill be honest, i think that was very hard for my mom. The noells certainly make for interesting neighbors. The animals had as much freedom as we did back in the day. Bill stanton, a kid on a farm a stones throw away, pals around with debbie and the chimps. Some of them didnt actually go into cages at all. They literally lived in the houses and the trailers with people. Was that smart . Maybe not, but when you have grandparents that arent normal. And youre playmates are gorillas, orangutans, and chimps it doesnt get better than that. Somewhere along the way the noells enterprise begins to shift. Theyre still entertainers, but with a growing focus on animal rescue. Grandma and grandpa were one of the first in the state of florida to have a great ape license, and thats how it all began, cause they went from chimps to orangutans to gorillas. Blue the spider monkey, arrives about that time. Then theres a young lowland gorilla named otto that her grandmother rescues in 1968. I was a child and i heard my grandmother was gonna go get this sick gorilla. He couldnt even stand up, and he had this septic arthritis and he had tb, so he had to be quarantined. The family nurses otto back to health, and he becomes almost a brother to debbie. You dont look afraid. Oh, not at all. I felt more secure with him than with anybody in the world. Was he dangerous . I never was afraid of him never. He grows up to be a fearsome sight though. So fearsome that American Tourister casts him as the 400pound suitcase abusing star in its famous luggage ads. By then debbies grandparents have quit the carnival circuit. But they dont retire in florida. Instead, they open their home to the public. They call it noells ark chimp farm. Theyre hoping all these lovable creatures can keep tourists entertained and support them and their rescue efforts. It doesnt quite work out that way. The attitude and the people changed. People would picket. They were being chastised. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question in 1953, j. Fred muggs becomes the first regular animal cast member on a Live Television show. Which show was it . The nfl on cbs, the price is right, or, the today show . The answer after the break. This is the silverado special edition. This is one gorgeous truck. Oh, did i say theres only one special edition . Because, actually theres five. Ooohh aaaahh uh hooooly mackerel. Wow. Nice. Strength and style. Its truck month. Get 0 financing for 60 months plus find your tag and get 5500 on select Chevy Silverado pickups when you finance with gm financial. it just feels like anything is possible here in upstate new york. at corning, i test smart glass that goes all over the world. But theres no place like home. Theres always Something Different to do like skiing in the winter, jet skiing in the summer. We can do everything. New york state is filled with bright minds like samanthas. To find the companies and talent of tomorrow, search for our page, jobsinnewyorkstate on linkedin. Search for our page, could save money on car insurance. Nce you know, the kind of driver who always buckles up. 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In 1971, bob and Anna Mae Noell turned the florida headquarters of their traveling animal show into a family compound and permanent roadside attraction. They call it noells ark chimp farm. Everybody would come and see grandpa play with the gorilla. Because that was very abnormal to see a 650pound gorilla playing with a 250pound man. Grandpa would go with a young gorilla on a motorcycle, go up to the 7eleven, go get a slurpee. There would be chimps, orangutans, gorillas sitting up on the front wall. Neither of anna mae and bobs kids, debbies mom and uncle, wants a career in the family business. Undeterred, anna mae devotes her golden years to the serious work of rescuing more apes. We have had practically no social life, because all our life is wrapped up in these animals. I dont go out to cocktail parties, i dont go to tea parties. Y of that uff. Not that theyre getting invited to a lot of parties down the block. With every passing year more and more neighbors complain the chimp farm is a smelly nuisance. New people come in, and suddenly instead of growing lettuce and tomatoes, theres a Housing Development that goes up. Steve fiske is chairman of the local chamber of commerce. He says some new residents find the chimps a little too close to home. If the winds in the right direction youre gonna realize it has odors. Odors . Debbie doesnt even notice. Throughout high school she helps care for the apes. She then studies nursing and Veterinary Technology in college. At 21, i decided to set off and go visit 21 zoos across the united states. And when she does, she keeps hearing something that makes her proud. Seems folks everywhere actually know of her grandmother. And they would say you know mae knoll . I had a job at the atlanta zoo just off of her name and her reputation. But by now, back in florida, grandmas reputation is under assault. Animal Rights Groups put the chimp farm on a black list. People would come from other places in the world and even stand there and picket the facility. How did grandma react when there would be protesters . It bothered her, but even then in her onlygrandma style would bring animals out to the picket line and say this is what youre picketing against. Things only get harder for Anna Mae Noell. In 1991, debbies grandpa bob falls into a diabetic coma and dies. Anna mae loses her lifelong companion of 60 years. If you knew anything about them two, they were a team. It was the hardest time in my life watching her go through that. It also leaves debbies grandma, now in her 80s, to run the chimp farm. So, debbie stays in florida to help keep it going. I thought i would just come to the chimp farm and work on the weekends and visit all my friends. And then my whole world changed. Because in 1999 state and federal authorities closed the chimp farm to the public citing its small cages with rusty or jagged edges. They can keep the animals for now, but they can no longer charge admission. Were they right in terms of condition . Maybe for the enclosures, but not in love, care, and consistency in the care of the animals. Authorities give the chimp farm three years to make the necessary improvements. 85yearold anna mae responds by taking in yet more primates. They can live for years, a lot longer than the increasingly frail anna mae can expect to. So what will happen to the place when shes gone . One day she gives debbie a sealed envelope with an explicit instruction. I was told dont open this envelope until i pass away. Then in october 2000, Anna Mae Noell dies at age 86. What would happen to the chimp farm without grandma . Mm. The answer is in that envelope. Debbie opens it after the break. Heres another quiz question for you. Where is americas mostvisited zoo . San diego, the bronx, or washington d. C. . The answer when we return. Cmon in, pop pop happy birthday i survived a heart attack. Im doing all i can to keep from having another one. And im taking brilinta. For people whove been hospitalized for a heart attack. I take brilinta with a baby aspirin. No more than one hundred milligrams as it affects how well it works. Brilinta helps keep my platelets from sticking together and forming a clot. Brilinta reduced the chance of another heart attack. Or dying from one. It worked better than plavix. Dont stop taking brilinta without talking to your doctor since stopping it too soon increases your risk of clots in your stent, heart attack, stroke, and even death. Brilinta m causeruising or bleeding more easily, or serious, sometimes fatal bleeding. Dont take brilinta if you have bleeding, like stomach ulcers, a history of bleeding in the brain, or severe liver problems. Tell your doctor about bleeding, new or unexpected shortness of breath, any planned surgery, and all medicines you take. Talk to your doctor about brilinta. Im doing all i can. That includes brilinta. If you cant afford your medication, astra zeneca may be able to help. So, which is americas mostvisited zoo . Its the San Diego Zoo where the lucky animals live within site of the Pacific Ocean and captivate more than 3 million visitors a year. In the fall of 2000, Anna Mae Noell dies leaving behind her lifes work the chimp farm she and her late husband created. Its home to more than 50 primates, and its sitting on some prime florida real estate. But if any of anna maes heirs have plans for that land, shes about to throw a Monkey Wrench into them. When grandma died. Mmhmm . There was a brown envelope. [ sighs ] tell me about it. An envelope changed my life. Inside that envelope is a document that names debbies uncle bob, her mother velda mae, and debbie as heirs and trustees, and instructs the three of them to hold the property jointly for the benefit of the animals. Grandma put a trust together for the animals, and its clearly stated that as long as there was one animal and one person that came back, then the animal park would be there. In other words, if one of the trustees wants to keep the chimp farm alive, the other two cannot shut it down and sell off the land. Anna mae must have known it wou be just one person debbie. That one thing she did changed my life forever. I had to either help the chimps or walk away. How much was the land worth when you inherited it . Somebody said that it was worth about 6 million. Heres the point where a strange inheritance splits a family apart. Debbies mother and uncle, she claims, push her to give up the chimp farm so they can sell the land. They told me why would you want it and ruin your life for a group of animals when you could have 2 million in the bank, and youd never have to work again . You could do it. Some would, but who are you going to sacrifice in that . Were you gonna lose otto . Were you gonna lose her oldest chimp that lived well into his 60s . Which animal was gonna be sacrificed for a dollar bill . It was two against one. I knew that some of those animals had been ones that they had grown up with. Could they really, at the end of the day, turn their back on them . Neither debbies uncle or mother would appear in this program. Both denied to us they wanted to see the chimp farm closed. Whoever said what to whom, theres no doubt debbie was only given two options put up or shut down. That sounds like an ultimatum. It was. Game on. Thats next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. Ostriches dont really stick their heads in the sand. A peanut is not a nut. And a real john deere is actually real affordable. You learn something new everyday. The surprisingly affordable john deere e series tractors. Now you can own americas tractor for just 99 a month. Learn more at your john deere dealer. Now, back to strange inheritance. In 2000 when Anna Mae Noell dies, she leaves behind a shuddered chimpanzee farm with dozens of apes, chimps, and critters. A trust provides that the sanctuary remain open so long as her son, daughter, or granddaughter debbie is willing to run it. Only when it closes can those three sell the land. The heirs do not see eye to eye. I had to be the person that said these animals needed someone. Debbie says the family dispute is so bitter it ends her relationship with both her mother and uncle. But in the end, Anna Mae Noells trust for the benefit of the animals prevails. Did the get anything out of the estate . They werent supposed to get anything in the beginning. Remember, it was a trust for the animals. It didnt say a trust for debbie, a trust for uncle, and a trust for mom. It said a trust for animals. But now what . The antiquated chimp farm is already on notice with authorities for its rundown enclosures. I already had planned on building a larger enclosure for the animals, because that was what my heart was. And if theres one thing ive learned about debbie, its that the first thing she inherited from her crazy family is heart. Anybody who wants to help come to the chimp farm. It will change your life. Its changed mine dramatically. It takes nearly a decade, but her big plans become reality. In 2008, she reopens the animal she to the public as the gleaming suncoast primate sanctuary. [ ragtime music plays ] and to think this all started with a chance meeting on the vaudeville circuit, a boxing chimp named snookie, and a madcap bunch of bike riding apes. But not everything changes aboard old noells ark. In fact, things come full circle when debbie marries and chooses to raise another generation. Thats my daughter. Say hi, brandi. Hi. Hey, brandi. Thank you, brandi. Amidst the gorillas and monkeys and birds and reptiles. Its a decision that affirms all that grandma anna mae worked for. Good job. So, this is sort of a refuge hoping that our greatgrandchildren will be able to see a live chimpanzee. This is the hardest journey ive ever been in in my life. All my blessings were restored by making sure i did the right thing for the right reason. Youre my buddy. Debbie tells me that parting with one of the primates is like losing an old friend. Remember otto, the lowland gorilla from the luggage ads who would carry debbie around on his back . Well, otto died shortly after his 42nd birthday party. But one of his fans couldnt bear never seeing him again, and so donated the funds to have him stuffed. Debbie says if otto can go on display some day hell continue the sanctuarys mission of wildlife conservation. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember you cant take it with you. One familys secret history buried in old boxes. I needed to know who i was, where our family came from. A fortune in precious art looted by the nazis. Renoir, degas, botticelli. Im sorry, the degas, the renoir . Oh, yeah. We didnt know until we started to read through these documents and discover what hed been looking for all his life. Two sons vow to keep their fathers search alive. Its about vindicating my father and my grandfather. We said, you cant sell this painting. Its ours. Its stolen. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby in los angeles, on my way to see two brothers and their surprise inheritance, works by some of the worlds greatest artists. The nazis stole these masterpieces, and the heirs fight to get them back uncovered something more their familys hidden history. My name is Simon Goodman, and this is my brother, nick. When our father died, we got some old cardboard boxes in the mail. Hi, simon. Im jamie. Simon goodman. Delighted to meet you, jamie. Simon invites me into his Beverly Hills home. Jamie, these are two pieces that im very proud of, a drawing and an engraving by renoir. Renoir . Yes, yes, the man himself, the great impressionist. You must have quite the collecting family. This is really just the beginning of a big story. It starts in london after world war ii. From an early age, simon and nick regard their dad as an often gloomy man of mystery. What did dad do for a living . Not really sure. He was a manufacturers agent, whatever that meant, but it allowed him to go to europe all the time. Did he ever take you on these trips . Yes, especially in the summer, but we would get parked on a beach, usually with our mother or a nanny, and dad would disappea somewhere. The boys learn that questions about their fathers past are off limits. Because, if you did, what would happen . He sunk into an even worse funk. There was something fuming in there, and it was all bottled up. The brothers know next to nothing about their dads family. Simon remembers having all sorts of questions about his grandparents. What were you told . They died. Thats it . Thats really it. They died during the war. I questioned my mother about it, and she said, i strongly recommend you not bring it up. His father does explain one thing, the reason that he, as a young immigrant from holland, changed his name on the eve of world war ii. Your dad is gutmann. Yes. Youre goodman. Howd that happen . He thought being called berhard eugen Friedrich Gutmann sounded a little too german, so he changed his name to Bernard Eugene goodman. Did you ever ask your parents if you were jewish . Yes, because my brother and i this is interesting have different experiences here because hes hes blond and blueeyed. Im oliveskinned. My name is Simon Goodman. Everybody assumed i was jewish. Did you practice judaism growing up . No, my mother had had me christened in the church of england. Did that seem odd . It did seem odd. As usual, my mother interceded. She said, well, yes, some of your family had been jewish originally. And thats about as much as i knew. In the early 70s, simon and nick, now in their 20s, both moved to los angeles to pursue careers in the music business. The distance between father and sons grows ever greater, especially after their parents divorce in 1973. As we got older, he actually shut down more, so it became harder and harder to get any information out of him. I grew up with this mostly silent father. He could talk to me about cricket and innocuous subjects. I needed to know who i was, where our family came from. Bernard goodman dies in 1994 at age 80 without providing an answer. But three months after their fathers death, the brothers receive a mysterious shipment of boxes filled with old papers that reveal their fathers secret history. My grandparents were murdered in concentration camps. The nazis took everything, not just the famous artworks, but everything. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. Which allied leader during world war ii was an accomplished painter . Winston churchill, franklin roosevelt, or josef stalin . The answer after the break. Dear predictable, theres no other way to say this. Its over. Ive found a permanent escape from monotony. Together, we are perfectly balanced. Our senses awake. Our hearts racing as one. I know this is sudden, but they say. If you love something set it free. See you around, giulia so which allied leader was an accomplished painter . Its british Prime Minister winston churchill. In fact, this churchill painting, which the Prime Minister gave to fdr, sold in 2011 for 3 million. In los angeles, brothers simon and nick goodman are sorting through boxes that came in the mail from the estate of their late father, bernard. All these old letters, and many more, were in those original boxes my brother and i received, yes, and these passports, old diaries. They uncover a secret Family History tracing back to their grandfather, fritz gutmann, who was born in germany in 1886 into a jewish banking dynasty. They learn that fritz was a passionate art collector. Extraordinary works of art by some of the great masters. For example . Well, guardi, botticelli, degas. Are you thinking this is unbelievable . This suddenly appeared as the tip of the iceberg. They find this photo of a 30room mansion near amsterdam, where their father grew up along with his little sister, lily. Then they uncover the horrifying facts that their father had kept from them. In 1940, bernard is 26 and serving in the british army after graduating from cambridge university. In april that year, hitler invades norway and denmark. Bernard fears the nazis will soon head west into holland, where his parents are still living. He sent a few cables back to holland, saying, please come to england. Bernards sister, lily, takes refuge in italy with her italian husband, but their parents refuse to leave. My grandfather was rather stubborn, and he had built a beautiful home full of wonderful things. He didnt just want to up and lee it and run. The german armies then swept over holland. In may 1940, the nazis cross the border into holland. As part of their conquest, they begin targeting jewish art collectors, including grandpa fritz. This is the last nazi inventory, room by room, of my grandparents home in holland. Oh, my goodness so this lists everything. So i see chippendale tables and paintings and yes, yes, yes. The nazis loot more than 1,200 items paintings, silver, jewelry, and antiques such as this rare 16thcentury clock given to fritz by his late father, eugen. The nazis took everything, not just the famous artworks, but everything. Nick and simon find records showing the nazis forced their grandfather to sell the items recorded on the list, worth many millions of dollars, for pennies. The germans, in their meticulousness, had paid my grandfather for the contents of the house. They didnt want to just take it. They want your signature on a piece of paper that says you sold it to them. [ dramatic music plays ] the nazis begin deporting dutch jews to concentration camps in the summer of 1942. In may 1943, ss agents arrive at the gutmann estate, arrest fritz and his wife, louise, and place them on a train bound for berlin. There, fritz is brought before nazi officials, who order him to sign over the gutmann familys massive silver collection. He refuses. So, after he refuses to sign, the train from berlin heads south, and theyre let out in the concentration camp of theresienstadt. My grandfather refused one last time to sign over the silver. Hes, by one eyewitness account, beaten to death by the wall outside the small fortress at the edge of the camp. What happened to your grandmother . Sadly, a month or two after my grandfather was murdered, she was put on a transport train to auschwitz, where i learned she was murdered the day she arrived. The brothers learn that, when the war in europe ends in may 1945, their dad returns to his childhood home in holland. He went to the house. Everything was gone. He grew up thinking he was going to inherit this fabulous estate, and the war comes along. He loses everything. His parents are murdered. And now i understand. It became his task in life to try and piece together what might be left of the family estate. The documents in those boxes show that in 1946, their father begins filing claims with various european governments, including the netherlands, to reclaim his familys stolen art. He also reaches out to the allies art recovery team, called the monuments men, whose story was told in the 2014 film starring George Clooney and matt damon. Nick and simon discover that their father had direct correspondence with a french woman named rose valland, the inspiration for cate blanchetts character in the film. What is all this . Peoples lives. She helped keep track of all the looted paintings that the nazis were stealing from the various collections, and at night, she would go and photograph all the paintings and make surreptitious lists of everything. This photo from the gutmann estate in holland shows a painting by swissfrench artist jeanetienne liotard. Bernard and rose track it down to austrian salt mines, where hitler stored stolen art. Bernard recovers this painting and othe, but then sells them to fund hioning operation. How devoted to the quest do you think he was, now that you know what you know . It was his lifetime mission. This is what he was all about, trying to find his family heritage. Bernard goodman continues the search until his death in 1994. He never tells his sons what he was doing. Never. Why not . Because, if hed really felt that hed achieved what he set out to achieve, he couldve told us and been proud about it. Instead, i think, he felt defeated. As the brothers discover where their fathers quest ended, they come across an envelope containing three crinkled photo negatives. This is an unusual landscape by edgar degas. The degas . The degas. Next thing they know, theyre following in their fathers footsteps on the trail of another masterpiece. Everybody just closed the doors in our faces all the time. Nobody knew anything about nazi looted art. Nobody wanted to know anything about it. Was it the money . No, its justice. Its about vindicating my father and my grandfather. Heres another quiz question for you. A Young Adolf Hitler failed the Entrance Exam at the Vienna Academy of fine arts. Why . He was colorblind . He failed at drawing the human form . Or his drawings were too violent . The answer when we return. When you have something you love, you want to protect it. At legalzoom, our network of attorneys can help you every step of the way. With an estate plan including wills or a living trust that grows along with you and your family. Legalzoom. Legal help is here. This is one gorgeous truck. Special edition. Oh, did i say theres only one special edition . Because, actually theres five. Ooohh aaaahh uh hooooly mackerel. Wow. Nice. Strength and style. Its truck month. Get 0 financing for 60 months plus find your tag and get 5500 on select Chevy Silverado pickups when you finance find new roads at your local chevy dealer. So why did hitler fail his art school Entrance Exam . Its b. He was told his drawings showed a lack of appreciation for the human form. From a box of documents left to them by their father, brothers simon and nick goodman are piecing together a secret Family History. Among their fathers papers, they find a list of paintings, looted by the nazis, that he was still searching for, along with three tattered photo negatives. Im afraid theyre a bit wrinkled. Theyve been around since world war ii. Why would that be in the file . It was an envelope of negatives, and there was a letter nearby that explained that rose valland had taken these photos during the nazi occupation of paris. One of them shows a painting listed as paysage, meaning landscape in french. It appears to be the work of edward degas, the 19thcentury impressionist master best known for depicting ballet dancers. What is is like looking at a negative of a degas. Mmhmm. And knowing that it belonged to your family . Well, it was huge, and then it became clear we had to do our homework. To find a match to that timeworn negative, the brothers pore through art books and auction catalogs. After, well, a month or two, i finally hit pay dirt. Whatd you find . I found this degas landscapes, and, lo and behold. Its in the book . There it is, in color. I nearly fell off my chair when i found this. Simon discovers that the painting had been on loan to the Art Institute of chicago. It listed who the current owner was. Who was it . It says here, mr. And mrs. Daniel searle. Records show that in 1987, Daniel Searle, a chicago pharmaceuticals magnate, bought the painting from a private collector for 850 grand, so the brothers inform searle that they want their familys painting back. They said, well, go away, you know, who are you . We bought this fair and square. Searles lawyers point out that simon and nicks grandfathers name, fritz gutmann, is absent from the paintings chain of custody. True, but the list of owners does include a german art dealer, hans wendland, who did business with the nazis. The degas was taken from my grandfathers storage unit in paris and smuggled to switzerland because the strange thing was, the nazis didnt like impressionist paintings, so what they would do is theyd send those to switzerland, and theyd either get old masters in return or actually hard currency. In 1998, facing a costly legal battle, the brothers settle out of court for about 250,000. As part of the deal, Daniel Searle donates the degas to the Art Institute of chicago. The Art Institute of chicago today lists it clearly as donated by Daniel Searle, but from the collection of fritz and louise gutmann. My grandfather didnt just die for nothing. He didnt just disappear. Its a landmark case, the first dispute over nazilooted art settled in the us. The case renewed hope to families who might not have recovered property after world war ii, that indeed they could recover property. And as youre about to see, the goodman brothers first victory makes them all the more eager to complete their fathers quest. We went, oh, my god theres, like, at least two dozen paintings, some serious pieces of art. I thought, this belongs to us. Well find it. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. Now, back to strange inheritance. Brothers nick and Simon Goodman are on a mission to recover their familys valuable Art Collection looted by the nazis. After reclaiming one of their grandfathers most soughtafter paintings, this degas landscape, theyre on the hunt for more. My did didnt give up for 40 or 50 years, so we were just carrying on the family tradition. Their next target, a painting by the italian renaissance master sandro botticelli, listed in their fathers records with the title portrait of a young man. As luck would have it, the botticelli almost appears out of thin air. We get a call from a friend who just said, i saw your botticelli. Its in a sothebys catalog coming up for sale in a couple of weeks. Where . In new york. They actually had my grandfathers name in the provenance, listed on the catalog. We said, you cant sell this painting. Its ours. Its stolen. After some negotiation, the seller agrees to pay the goodmans a little over 100,000, about onesixth the paintings value at the time. While not ideal, the settlement avoids a costly legal battle. The painting itself ends up at the denver art museum. Do you do it for the money, or to right a wrong . Oh, to right a wrong. I mean, moneys great, but its our family heritage. Then, in 2002, after decades of dispute, the dutch government finally returns more than 250 artworks and antiques to the goodmans that have been tangled up in red tape since world war ii. The heirlooms are stockpiled in a warehouse, where simon, nick, and their 83yearold aunt, lily, who escaped to italy during the war, are invited to visit. Theyd arranged our furniture as it might have been in a home. I led her to this old chaise longue. She said, oh, look i remember this and i said, well, its ours again. Oh sit. Relax for a minute. I helped her sit in her mothers chaise longue. We picked things out that we wanted, so simon has things in his house. I have things in my house, and lily and her family have stuff in italy. In 2003, the more than 160 remaining items from the collection go up for sale at christies in london and amsterdam. This flemish tapestry hammers in at 85,000. A silver gilt double cup goes for 600,000, and this 17thcentury silver gilt pitcher just over a million. The total, more than 4 million. Is there more, simon . Theres probably at least 12 important paintings and about 300 or more antiques. And, clearly, you wont quit. No, im very grateful that im able to uncover my real roots. Through this art, i get to know what my family was like, and i can touch something they touched. And remember this 16thcentury table clock looted by the nazis from the gutmann estate in holland . After simon tracked it down to a german museum, the museum agreed to pay his family about a Million Dollars for it, and simon got Something Else that you cant put a price tag on an apology. We regret what happened to your family, the Museum Director told simon. We are grateful, however, for the opportunity to set at least this matter straight. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember, you cant take it with you. Announcer the following program is a paid advertisement for the hd mirrorcam, brought to you by inventel products, llc. Yep, theyre out there, driving recklessly, causing accidents, and driving up your insurance rates this is a show about car accidents. Classic cars. And the hd mirrorcam, the personal Security Camera for your car. This is. Accidents caught on camera with the hd mirrorcam. Today, were going to hear from people who have been in accidents and used the hd mirrorcam to prove their case. Hear from Law Enforcement experts to hear the secret to protect yourself from tickets