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A thriving film career, a beautiful daughter, 39 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:53.400 and the kind of fame and fortune that most people 40 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:56.760 could only dream of. When the famous fem fetale began 41 00:01:56.840 --> 00:02:01.280 dating mobster Johnny Stopponado, thug for the infamous West Coast 42 00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:05.680 mob boss Mickey Cohen, her personal life became violent and unpredictable. 43 00:02:06.040 --> 00:02:10.199 Lana's teenage daughter, Cheryl, watched her beloved mother's life deteriorate 44 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:14.719 as Stoppinado's intense jealousy took over. Eventually, the physical and 45 00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:19.039 emotional abuse became too much to bear, and Lana attempted 46 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:22.800 to break it off with Johnny with disastrous consequences. The 47 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:26.280 details of what happened that faithful night remained foggy, but 48 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:29.319 it ended in a series of frantic phone calls and 49 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:33.800 Stoppinado dead on Lana's bedroom floor, with Cheryl claiming to 50 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:36.719 have plunged a knife into his abdomen in an attempt 51 00:02:36.759 --> 00:02:40.039 to protect her mother. The subsequent murder trial made for 52 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:43.840 the biggest headlines of the year, its drama eclipsing every 53 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:48.000 Hollywood movie. New York Times best selling author Casey Sherman 54 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:53.000 pulls back Tinseltown's velvet curtain to reveal the dark underbelly 55 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:57.879 of celebrity, rife with toxic masculinity and casual violence against women, 56 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:00.840 and tells the story of Lana Turner and her daughter, 57 00:03:00.919 --> 00:03:03.599 who finally stood up to the abuse that plagued their 58 00:03:03.639 --> 00:03:08.120 family for years. A Murder in Hollywood transports us back 59 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:11.120 to the golden age of film and illuminates one of 60 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:15.759 the twentieth century's most notorious true crime tales. The book 61 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:18.879 that we're featuring this evening is A Murder in Hollywood, 62 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:23.360 the untold story of Tinseltown's most shocking crime. With my 63 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:28.560 special guest, investigative journalist and author Ksey Sherman. Good evening, 64 00:03:28.599 --> 00:03:31.520 and welcome back to the program. Thank you very much 65 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:33.599 for this inding you, Casey Sherman. 66 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:35.280 Hey, good evening, thanks for having me. 67 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:39.039 Thank you so much, and congratulations on your latest book, 68 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:40.319 A Murder in Hollywood. 69 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:44.360 Well, I appreciate that this is my seventeenth book, so 70 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:46.719 been at this for a long time, for about twenty 71 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:50.120 years now. I'm very excited to launch this book out 72 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:50.719 into the world. 73 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:55.280 Fantastic. Let's get right to this incredible story as you 74 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:59.000 do in the right in the beginning, you introduce Virgil 75 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:03.960 Turner and Mildred Turner, and you talk about Virgil Turner 76 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:08.719 and in a hotel room is alias Ernie Johnson. Explain 77 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:10.719 this story as you do right in the beginning of 78 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:11.719 A Murder in Hollywood. 79 00:04:11.800 --> 00:04:13.680 I'll talk a little bit about it, so you know. 80 00:04:13.719 --> 00:04:16.439 The reason why I went so far back in Lana 81 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:20.680 Turner's life is because I think it really impacted our 82 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:22.959 decision making throughout the course of her life. Right, And 83 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:27.720 Alana was always attracted to dark men, and and I 84 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:31.000 think that goes back to her father, Virgil Turner, who 85 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:33.240 was a bit of a hustler. He was a World 86 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:36.639 War One veteran, kind of in and out of jobs, 87 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:40.600 move the family around a bit. Finally they get to 88 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:43.879 San Francisco and a little Onna Turner all she wants 89 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:47.040 for her birthday is a red bicycle, and Virgil really 90 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:49.120 doesn't have any money to pay for it, but he's 91 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:50.959 a gambler and he thinks he can make some quick 92 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:54.040 cash on the side, and he gets involved in an 93 00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:57.720 after hours card game that doesn't go well for Virgil. 94 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:01.319 He wins the card game, but is robbed and beaten 95 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.959 to death and it is a still an unsolved homicide. 96 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:07.639 In twenty twenty four, tell us. 97 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:11.120 About his wife Mildred and what happens after his death 98 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:15.879 and this foster care foster mother Julia islam. 99 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:19.240 Sure, well, I think that you know, Mildred is certainly 100 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:23.759 somebody that's struggling to raise young daughter on her own, 101 00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:26.800 gets in a bit of trouble and has to pass 102 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:30.800 her daughter off to a pretty domineering foster mother. Early 103 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:34.360 in Lana Turner's life, and Lana Turner isn't greeted with 104 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:39.399 adulation or love and affection. Instead, she's forced to work 105 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:42.959 for her foster family doing the laundry, kind of a 106 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:47.480 Cinderella type of situation there for Lana. So she's got 107 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:51.680 a very fragmented family life from the very beginning. Like 108 00:05:51.720 --> 00:05:53.920 I said, I think it leads to some of the 109 00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:56.759 decisions that she makes over the course of her life 110 00:05:56.759 --> 00:05:57.199 and career. 111 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:00.639 You write it's a dramatic scene that her stepmother that 112 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:04.120 would routinely beat her takes her to San Francisco, and 113 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:06.800 that's when she discovers that the person you write that 114 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:09.480 the only person that she ever loved and ever loved 115 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:12.319 her she found out about her her father's death. 116 00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:15.480 Correct. That was I had the benefit of a lot 117 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:18.160 of letters that Lana had written over the course of 118 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:21.399 her life. She also wrote her own autobiography where she 119 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:25.279 was I would say, very open to these experiences, and 120 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:28.680 especially those early on in her life. So you know, 121 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:31.199 I was able to paint a picture for the reader 122 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:36.319 about a very troubled young girl looking for love and 123 00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:39.839 safety and quite frankly never found. 124 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:45.319 Her name was Julia Jean Turner, and everyone called her Judy. 125 00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:50.600 Let's talk about now, Mickey Cohen Meyer, Harris, Mickey Cohen 126 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:55.040 and his turn in Brooklyn in Boyle Heights. 127 00:06:55.399 --> 00:06:57.639 Sure, and I'm glad you mentioned that, because you know, 128 00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:01.519 a murder in Hollywood really focuses on the ascension of 129 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:06.920 Hollywood movie star Banna Turner and a Hollywood gangster, Mickey Cohen, 130 00:07:07.319 --> 00:07:10.680 both were kind of rising through the ranks almost at 131 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:13.600 the same time. Mickey Cohen was born in Brooklyn, New York. 132 00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:18.879 His family immigrated from Ukraine. His father died very early on. 133 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:21.439 I think Mickey was still a toddler at the time, 134 00:07:21.839 --> 00:07:25.560 so his mother moved the family all the way to 135 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:29.360 the West Coast and ultimately settled in Boyle Heights, which 136 00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:31.920 was a Jewish enclave at the time in the early 137 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:36.480 nineteen twenties. So Mickey Cohen grows up working in his 138 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:41.319 mother's grocery store. His mother is making cash on the 139 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:44.839 side with an illegal still, so right there. Mickey is 140 00:07:44.839 --> 00:07:47.639 getting a taste of the criminal life very early on 141 00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:52.160 in his career and gets in some trouble, some skirmishes 142 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:55.759 as a young boy, ultimately gets thrown into reform school 143 00:07:56.319 --> 00:08:00.279 and makes a decision that he's never going to break right. Instead, 144 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:03.600 Mickey is going to try to build a career for 145 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:06.560 himself in organized crime, which is what he does. 146 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:09.160 He's a pretty small guy and he's on probation from 147 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:12.480 reform school you're right, and he has to meet with 148 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:15.319 a counselor once a week, and the person that's assigned 149 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:18.720 him is a person named Abe Roth, a boxing referee, 150 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:23.160 tell us about this influence on his early life. 151 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:28.279 Sure, Abe recognized right away that although Mickey was small, 152 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:33.480 he was vicious, intenacious, and incredibly tough. So Abe Roth 153 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:37.039 tried to change Mickey's life if you will, get him 154 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:40.159 into boxing. And Mickey was a flyweight at the time. 155 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:44.960 And Mickey fought in cigarette smoked halls throughout Los Angeles 156 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:47.279 and did pretty well in the rink. And you know, 157 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:50.879 the skills that he used sparring with sparring partners, he 158 00:08:50.919 --> 00:08:53.720 was able to utilize on the streets, taking over street 159 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:56.559 corners because the street corners of Los Angeles and I 160 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:00.799 think every major city at that time were very valuable 161 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:05.399 for newspaper hawkers. You know something we don't really understand today, 162 00:09:05.879 --> 00:09:07.960 but back in the day, there were you know, young 163 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:11.600 kids on every street corner selling copies of the daily 164 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:14.519 and evening news, and that's how they made their living. 165 00:09:14.559 --> 00:09:19.279 And Mickey certainly controlled great deal of property because he 166 00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:22.000 was so tough and was able to knock these kids 167 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:23.960 off of their their stoop a little bit. 168 00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:28.320 His reputation made it all the way to Al scarface 169 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:31.159 Capone hearing about him. How does he make it to 170 00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:36.759 meeting as you write, his charismatic, murderous father figure al Capone. 171 00:09:36.840 --> 00:09:40.360 Yeah, Mickey bounces around a little bit. He leaves Los Angeles, 172 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:44.120 he wants to He's furthering his education, right then, So 173 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:47.200 by doing that, he's learning from the best gangsters. And 174 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:50.960 quite frankly, Los Angeles wasn't very organized in terms of 175 00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:54.039 organized crime when Mickey was a young youngster and a teenager. 176 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:57.879 So he went to Cleveland, you know, became a ruffian 177 00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:01.039 and a bank robber, then migrated over to New York City, 178 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:05.600 was tutored and mentored by Onny Madden, for example, and 179 00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:08.679 then eventually, you know, gets to the big time, which 180 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:13.120 is Chicago, which is controlled by Al Capone, and Mickey 181 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:17.720 Cohen meets Al and really sees a father figure in 182 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:20.799 Al that he never had himself, and really tries to 183 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:24.759 mimic and copy Al's entire life, how he dresses, how 184 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:27.720 tough he is, how vicious he can be. And Mickey 185 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:29.639 learned a lot from al Capone. 186 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:32.759 You're right that. At the same time, Judy Turner and 187 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:36.360 Mildred moved from northern California because the doctor had told 188 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:40.120 her that she had contracted desert rheumatism, and so they 189 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:42.720 went to he recommended that they go to Los Angeles. 190 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:45.360 Or They moved to Los Angeles in nineteen thirty six, 191 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:48.480 and she had a friend there named Gladys Taylor the 192 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:50.440 place to stay while she looked for a job, and 193 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:52.879 soon Mildred found a job at a beauty Salon tell 194 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:56.840 us about their life in Los Angeles, Judy and Mildred, Well. 195 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:59.240 I mean it's a kind of a fairy tale come true. 196 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:03.080 Miller and Lana. They catch a ride to Los Angeles, 197 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:06.559 and I write about how arduous that journey was. And 198 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:10.399 they're really dumped out onto Hollywood Boulevard, and you know, 199 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:14.360 Banna is a child or you know, a preteen and 200 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:18.759 sees these big, big buildings, sees the Hollywood Land Sign 201 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:23.159 and really becomes odd and infatuated with the you know, 202 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:26.159 the city of make belief. And Mildred had a friend 203 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:29.639 who was able to provide them a place to stay. 204 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:34.080 So Mildred goes to work and enrolls Judy at Hollywood 205 00:11:34.120 --> 00:11:37.639 High School with some of the biggest young stars of 206 00:11:37.720 --> 00:11:40.759 the day. And Judy never thought she would have a 207 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:44.519 career in entertainment. She wanted to be a fashion designer. 208 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:46.759 She loved clothes, and I think she bonded with her 209 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:50.559 mother by pouring over these magazines that they couldn't afford, 210 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:54.039 looking at the latest styles of the day. And that 211 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:58.559 was really how Lana felt like her life was going 212 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:03.320 to go until she he just decided to take some change, 213 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:06.799 go across the street from Hollywood High School and find 214 00:12:06.799 --> 00:12:10.120 herself on a stool that Cherries ice cream parlor. 215 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:13.519 Yes you say, October nineteen thirty six, she made a 216 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:17.000 decision that would change your life forever. There was at 217 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:20.519 this ice cream parlor a man named mister Wilkerson, and 218 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:24.279 he was staring at her. What happens with the soda 219 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:27.919 jerk and mister Wilkinson and Judy. 220 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:31.480 Well, Wilkerson was the publisher of the Hollywood Reporter and 221 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:34.919 a real creepy guy. So the soda jerk sees Wilkinson 222 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:38.639 staring at this, you know, fifteen year old girl, pretty 223 00:12:38.679 --> 00:12:42.960 much sexualizing her. Judy's a little afraid of the attention, 224 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:46.000 but the soda jerk says, oh, it's okay. He's a 225 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:50.480 big wig in this town, and Wilkerson identifies himself and 226 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:55.159 hands Judy his business card. Now it's an encounter that 227 00:12:55.240 --> 00:12:59.480 not only changes Lana's life forever, but changes the lives 228 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:04.440 of hundreds, if not thousands, of young girls who later 229 00:13:04.519 --> 00:13:09.279 read about Judy's discovery, Lana Turner's discovery and cobbled together 230 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:12.159 what money they had got bus Fair got trained, Fair 231 00:13:12.519 --> 00:13:16.000 made it out to Los Angeles and sat on ice 232 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:20.080 cream parlor stools, hoping to be discovered like Lana Turner was. 233 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:22.840 What does he say to her and what is her 234 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:26.039 response for his initial interest in her? 235 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:29.320 Well, I think she you know, he obviously sees her 236 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:32.799 as somebody who's a little older than her years and 237 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:36.080 asks if she ever thought of acting before. She said no, 238 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:38.519 And but she did promise that she would give his 239 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:42.840 business card to her mother and their mother's friend roommate 240 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:45.120 at the time, And I don't think Judy really thought 241 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:48.440 much of it. She finished her Coca Cola and went 242 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:50.879 back to Hollywood High School. But later on in the 243 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:53.960 day she handed the business card to the woman that 244 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:57.080 was allowing them a place to stay, and the woman 245 00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:59.799 recognized the name right away and said, we've got to 246 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:02.080 we're going to meet this guy because it could be 247 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:05.240 your big break. You could be a Hollywood star, and 248 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:06.080 that's what happens. 249 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:09.639 Yeah, tell us what she hears immediately though from this 250 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:13.519 Henry Wilson a talent scout these he's a naive girl. 251 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:17.159 Again, you're talking about all these predators, Dan that were 252 00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:20.799 taking advantage of young women and men in Hollywood at 253 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:22.679 the time, And I think this is something I want 254 00:14:22.679 --> 00:14:24.600 the readers to take a look at when they read 255 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:26.759 the book. So I'm just going to summarize it this 256 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:31.440 way for you. That Judy felt incredibly sexualized. And I 257 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:33.879 think you know, when she was fifteen years old, before 258 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:37.320 she even lost her virginity, she really lost her innocence 259 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:38.679 to the Hollywood system. 260 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:41.759 Yeah, you talk about that. Initially she was asked that 261 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:46.559 she had any acting experience whatsoever, and she had absolutely none, 262 00:14:46.840 --> 00:14:49.559 but that was not really the point. And her very 263 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:55.039 first film work really capitalized on her physique and nothing 264 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:55.639 else didn't. 265 00:14:55.960 --> 00:14:58.320 Yeah, that's correct. I don't think they were you know, 266 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:01.039 the movie producers could care less you know what her 267 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:04.039 you know, acting chops were. This is the day of 268 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:07.519 the studio player in Hollywood, so they could teach her 269 00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:12.240 how to act, but the physicality they couldn't teach. You know, 270 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:15.159 she either had it or she didn't. And I would say, 271 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:19.399 fortunately for Lana, or maybe unfortunately for Lana, she was 272 00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:22.279 she had matured, you know, much earlier than in her 273 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:26.720 fifteen years. So in her first film, the director, you know, 274 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:30.600 puts her right in a tight fitting sweater and just 275 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:34.320 has her walk by the camera and sexualizes her with 276 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:38.279 a lens, and you know, she becomes the quote unquote 277 00:15:38.279 --> 00:15:41.919 sweater girl. That's how she is really discovered, and that's 278 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:46.360 what she's called. After her first very small film role, she. 279 00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:49.639 Meets the cream of the crop and Hollywood stars, and 280 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:53.080 you say, at the time a much different attitude. This 281 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:56.759 is fifty sixty years before the me Too movement even 282 00:15:57.080 --> 00:16:01.559 is born. But she ascends the the latter in Hollywood 283 00:16:01.799 --> 00:16:05.240 as a starlet very very quickly by virtue of meeting 284 00:16:05.559 --> 00:16:07.799 all of the Hollywood stars at that time. 285 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:10.919 Sure, and I think that when I was really startled 286 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:13.039 by when I researched the book, it was the double 287 00:16:13.080 --> 00:16:16.519 standard that was going on in Hollywood at that time 288 00:16:16.600 --> 00:16:19.840 in the thirties and forties, and certainly it still exists 289 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:23.639 to a degree today. But Lana and her, you know, 290 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:27.559 fellow young actors, you know, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, you know, 291 00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:32.279 they were all basically tortured by the movie studios, forced 292 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:36.039 to work seventy hour work weeks, fed amphetamines to keep 293 00:16:36.120 --> 00:16:39.519 them working, put on diets of chicken broth and cigarettes 294 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:42.639 to keep them slim. So people were you know, they 295 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:46.000 shake their head and wonder how Judy Garland really kind 296 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.799 of fell off the rails in her nineteen forties while 297 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:52.039 she was hooked on drugs by the studio producers when 298 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:55.279 she was a preteen, you know, working on Wizard of Oz. 299 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:57.480 So you know, there's blood on the hands of a 300 00:16:57.480 --> 00:17:02.279 lot of Hollywood executives that I certainly explore in the book. 301 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:04.799 And then you've got you know, these actors at the time, 302 00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:07.359 and we talk about the double standard. So one of 303 00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:10.200 many examples that I use in the book is a 304 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:12.759 young Ronald Reagan. When I say young, he's twenty seven, 305 00:17:12.839 --> 00:17:16.599 twenty eight years old, and he is just blossoming as 306 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:21.000 MGM's next big star, and in order to do that, 307 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:24.920 he has to be seen every red carpet in Hollywood. 308 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:28.559 So the studio fixes him up with fifteen year old 309 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:32.000 Lana Turner, and nobody beats an eye at the age difference. 310 00:17:32.319 --> 00:17:35.160 It was shocking to me that, you know, this adult 311 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:38.400 who would later become President of the United States was 312 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:40.599 seducing a child and nobody cared. 313 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:43.640 We didn't talk about that striking scene that relates to 314 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:48.319 that where she tells this very first agent that she 315 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:50.400 is only fifteen. He says, don't ever say that. 316 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:53.680 Don't ever say that again. Exactly. Age is not your 317 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:56.960 friend in Hollywood. You're always lying about it. You're always 318 00:17:57.160 --> 00:17:59.960 telling people you're older than you are or younger than 319 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:03.240 you are. And Lana learned that very early in her career. 320 00:18:03.559 --> 00:18:08.039 Now, despite not having any acting experience, she rises and 321 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:13.799 ascends in movie making in Hollywood and grabs some very 322 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:16.119 prestigious and serious roles. 323 00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:18.920 Yeah, you know, I mean she she had it. You know, 324 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:22.319 the acting certainly would come, but I think that she 325 00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:26.079 just really jumped out of a screen. And I think, 326 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:29.000 you know, young women wanted to be Lana Turner, and 327 00:18:29.079 --> 00:18:31.920 every young man wanted to, you know, ate or marry 328 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:36.599 Lana Turner. So she was certainly building a career while 329 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:41.079 the reigning Queen of MGM, Joan Crawford was looking over 330 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:45.039 her shoulder, wondering when her you know, young upstart rival 331 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:46.519 but try to take the throne. 332 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:50.359 You write about Lana and her active friends and Louis B. 333 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:56.119 Mayer from MGM, and also the role of the newspapers themselves, 334 00:18:56.200 --> 00:18:59.200 the gossip columnists. Tell us a little bit about all 335 00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:02.559 of these acts do is together and what Louie B. 336 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:05.440 Mayor would like to see and what the media is 337 00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:07.880 enjoying seeing from Lanta and their friends. 338 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:11.920 Yeah, well, you know, Louis B. Mayor was producing family 339 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:15.920 friendly entertainment, especially you know, the Mickey Rooney film series 340 00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:20.000 Andy Hardy, which you know, Lana had several different roles 341 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:23.160 over the course of that film. Theories about a young 342 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:26.920 kid in a very small town in America just going 343 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:30.319 through life and learning about love. But the reality of 344 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:33.839 growing up hard and fast than Hollywood was much different. 345 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:36.880 All these young actors had a lot of money. They 346 00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:40.480 purchased cars, They were partying non stop at all the 347 00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:44.160 nightclubs because they had to have some type of outlet. 348 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:47.799 They were working always seventy hours a week, so when 349 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:50.839 they had a break in that work schedule, they tried 350 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:53.240 to let loose and you know, and they were wild 351 00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:53.920 when they were young. 352 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:59.839 You write about this intersection between Hollywood glamour and gangsterism 353 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:00.640 as well. 354 00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:02.960 Yeah, well, I think that's something that you know, the 355 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:07.279 ecosystem in Hollywood depended on the movie industry and it 356 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:10.599 also depended on mobsters, and I think there was such 357 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:14.599 a real unique cross section between, you know, the two 358 00:20:14.680 --> 00:20:18.039 so called industries that you don't really see in other 359 00:20:18.200 --> 00:20:21.640 major cities Chicago, New York. You know, the business people 360 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:26.319 certainly didn't align themselves, at least publicly with organized crime. 361 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:30.000 But in Hollywood, you know, the mobsters were as famous 362 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:33.720 as the movie stars. And I think that these gangsters, 363 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:37.759 whether it be Mickey Cohen or his other mentor you know, 364 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:41.400 Benjamin Bugsy Siegel, you know, they ran the town. And 365 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:44.759 they did so because they were opening up nightclubs and 366 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:49.519 gambling dens, and the movie studio bosses were you know, 367 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:54.359 hardcore gamblers that were losing hundreds of thousands of dollars 368 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:57.839 at the betting tables, which meant that, you know, organized 369 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:01.440 crime was taking its control over the movie industry. 370 00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:06.119 Now, Bugsy is has aspirations in the movies as well, 371 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:10.000 not only with this casino, but he has serious movie 372 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:13.119 aspirations based on his looks. So tell us a little 373 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:15.559 bit about Bugsy Siegel and those aspirations. 374 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:19.119 Sure, you know, Bugsy Siegel was sent west by the 375 00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:24.559 outfit to gain control over a very loosely connected organized 376 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:28.559 crime landscape in Los Angeles, and Bugsy did that. He 377 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:32.240 was brutal and took over all the wiring services, built 378 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:36.400 up a nice, steady, major income for himself. But he 379 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:39.920 was seduced by Hollywood glamour. He was an attractive guy, 380 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:42.039 as you know. One of his best friends was the 381 00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:45.039 actor Frederick marsh and he saw that, you know, these 382 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:49.400 actors were playing gangsters on the big screen, and Bugsy said, 383 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:52.599 I can do that as well. So Bugsy was trying 384 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:56.039 to kind of move, you know, away from organized crime, 385 00:21:56.119 --> 00:22:00.160 legitimize himself and become a major player in Hollywood. He 386 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:04.839 had dalliances with Lana and several other actresses. As I said, 387 00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:07.400 they all were interconnected. You know. 388 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:13.200 During that time, you introduced a central figure, this Jerry Geisler, attorney. 389 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:16.759 He was known as a fixer to the stars. Tell 390 00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:20.400 us about this, how he intersects with all of these 391 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:21.880 characters in Hollywood. 392 00:22:21.880 --> 00:22:25.440 Giesler, Jerry Goesler, that's I pronounced it. Gesler was a 393 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:29.759 lawyer who represented people like Bugsy Siegel and other mobsters, 394 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:33.880 and also represented actress like Errol Flynn and Robert Mitcham 395 00:22:34.200 --> 00:22:39.039 who are getting constantly placed behind bars for cannabis use 396 00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:44.759 for statutory rape. In regard to Errol Flynn. So imagine 397 00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:49.200 you know Johnny Cochrane neoj Simpson days, Jerry Giesler was 398 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:52.359 the Johnny Cochrane of the forties and fifties, or I 399 00:22:52.359 --> 00:22:55.799 should say Johnny Cochran was the Jerry Geesler of the 400 00:22:55.880 --> 00:22:56.680 nineteen nineties. 401 00:22:57.480 --> 00:23:02.960