A murder in Hollywood : the untold story of Tinseltown's most shocking crime

A murder in Hollywood The untold story of Tinseltown's most shocking crime

Casey Sherman, 1969-

Book - 2024

"Hollywood starlet Lana Turner was one Tinseltown's most recognizable faces in the 1940s and 50s. But, when the Academy Award-winning actress began dating mobster Johnny Stompanato-a thug for west coast mob boss Mickey Cohen-all the lights and glamor of Hollywood did not brighten the darkness of her personal life. Johnny's intense jealousy over Lana ruled their relationship from the get-go and Lana's daughter, Cheryl, witnessed her mother's bruises and abuse first-hand. On an infamous night in 1958, Lana attempted to break it off with Johnny but he predictably turned violent and Cheryl tried to protect her mother with a knife, killing him. The subsequent murder trial made for the biggest headlines of the year, its d...rama eclipsing every Hollywood movie. In Murder in Hollywood, Casey Sherman pulls back Tinseltown's velvet curtain to reveal a dark underbelly of celebrity, rife with toxic masculinity and casual violence against women. But in this case, Lana Turner and her daughter finally stood up, which makes for one of the 20th century's most notorious true crime stories"--

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Location Call Number   Status
2nd Floor New Shelf 364.1523/Sherman (NEW SHELF) Checked In
Subjects
Crane, Cheryl.
Turner, Lana, > 1921-1995.
Stompanato, Johnny, > 1925-1958.
Victims of family violence > California > Los Angeles > History > 20th century.
Children of celebrities > California > Los Angeles > History > 20th century.
Justifiable homicide > California > Los Angeles > History > 20th century.
Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) > History > 20th century.
True crime stories.
Genres
True crime stories
Published
Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks [2024]
Language
English
Main Author
Casey Sherman, 1969- (author)
Physical Description
293 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9781728276502
Contents unavailable.
Review by Library Journal Review

Superfans of the Golden Age of Hollywood will know all about actress Lana Turner and the 1958 death of her mobster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato. Turner's 14-year-old daughter, Cheryl, confessed to stabbing Stompanato because of the abuse she witnessed when her mother tried to break up with him. Journalist/screenwriter Sherman (Helltown: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod) reopens this famous case and its subsequent trial, however, to examine whether Cheryl really did kill Stompanato and how much of a role Turner played in the case. What readers may not know is how entrenched the actress was in the Los Angeles gangland of the 1950s. Fans of Hollywood true crime will discover that mob boss Mickey Cohen shares star billing in this crime saga, and the book is as much about the history of the West Coast mob as it is about Turner. Sherman is clearly a Turner fan. He calls her a "feminist hero and pioneer" who managed to take back her own life in Hollywood, where masculine toxicity and violence against women were prevalent. VERDICT A well-researched and new take on one of Hollywood's most notorious mysteries. True-crime fans and celebrity mavens will enjoy.--Rosellen "Rosy" Brewer

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