Download or read book Satan s Playground written by Paul J Vanderwood and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 2010-04-09 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Satan’s Playground chronicles the rise and fall of the tumultuous and lucrative gambling industry that developed just south of the U.S.-Mexico border in the early twentieth century. As prohibitions against liquor, horse racing, gambling, and prostitution swept the United States, the vice industry flourished in and around Tijuana, to the extent that reformers came to call the town “Satan’s Playground,” unintentionally increasing its licentious allure. The area was dominated by Agua Caliente, a large, elegant gaming resort opened by four entrepreneurial Border Barons (three Americans and one Mexican) in 1928. Diplomats, royalty, film stars, sports celebrities, politicians, patricians, and nouveau-riche capitalists flocked to Agua Caliente’s luxurious complex of casinos, hotels, cabarets, and sports extravaganzas, and to its world-renowned thoroughbred racetrack. Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Louis B. Mayer, the Marx Brothers, Bing Crosby, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, and the boxer Jack Dempsey were among the regular visitors. So were mobsters such as Bugsy Siegel, who later cited Agua Caliente as his inspiration for building the first such resort on what became the Las Vegas Strip. Less than a year after Agua Caliente opened, gangsters held up its money-car in transit to a bank in San Diego, killing the courier and a guard and stealing the company money pouch. Paul J. Vanderwood weaves the story of this heist gone wrong, the search for the killers, and their sensational trial into the overall history of the often-chaotic development of Agua Caliente, Tijuana, and Southern California. Drawing on newspaper accounts, police files, court records, personal memoirs, oral histories, and “true detective” magazines, he presents a fascinating portrait of vice and society in the Jazz Age, and he makes a significant contribution to the history of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Download or read book Hollywood Godfather written by Gianni Russo and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2019-03-12 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hollywood Godfather is Gianni Russo's over-the-top memoir of a real-life mobster-turned-actor who helped make The Godfather a reality, and his story of life on the edge between danger and glamour. Gianni Russo was a handsome 25-year-old mobster with no acting experience when he walked onto the set of The Godfather and entered Hollywood history. He played Carlo Rizzi, the husband of Connie Corleone, who set her brother Sonny—played by James Caan—up for a hit. Russo didn't have to act—he knew the mob inside and out: from his childhood in Little Italy, where Mafia legend Frank Costello took him under his wing, to acting as a messenger for New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello during the Kennedy assassination, to having to go on the lam after shooting and killing a member of the Colombian drug cartel in his Vegas club. Along the way, Russo befriended Frank Sinatra, who became his son's godfather, and Marlon Brando, who mentored his career as an actor after trying to get Francis Ford Coppola to fire him from The Godfather. Russo had passionate affairs with Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minelli, and scores of other celebrities. He went on to become a producer and starred in The Godfather: Parts I and II, Seabiscuit, Any Given Sunday and Rush Hour 2, among many other films. Hollywood Godfather is a no-holds-barred account of a life filled with violence, glamour, sex—and fun.

Download or read book Of Mobsters and Movie Stars written by Joan Renner and published by . This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No Hollywood script can compare to the terror of the 37 true tales in OF MOBSTERS AND MOVIE STARS: The Bloody "Golden Age" of Hollywood! In this gripping historical account, expert crime historian Joan Renner explores the shadowy world of fame and crime during Hollywood's most glamorous era. As Los Angeles transformed into the epicenter of film, it also became a haven for notorious criminals and mobsters, weaving a complex tapestry of allure and danger that is sure to intrigue. Renner brings to life stories that are more thrilling than fiction, including harrowing LAPD showdowns, dark dealings behind the studio gates, and tragic fates of luminaries whose off-screen lives were as dramatic as their on-screen personas. She delves into infamous episodes, such as the shocking case of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, accused of "accidentally" crushing to death a young actress beneath his enormous weight as he raped her, and other lesser-known, but equally hair-raising stories of actors brought down by scandal and corruption. OF MOBSTERS AND MOVIE STARS offers a profound and enlightening look at Hollywood's dual nature, illustrating how its seductive glitter was deeply entangled with its sinister impulses. This book is essential for anyone fascinated by how America's "City of Dreams" became a stage for some of the most gripping dramas of the twentieth century. Step into the Prohibition Era with Joan Renner as she reveals the hidden crimes and undying ambition behind Hollywood's shimmering façade.

Download or read book Raised by the Stars written by Nick Thomas and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2011-10-14 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of interviews, all conducted by the author, focuses on the children of Hollywood legends. Each child (and, in one case, grandchild) talks about the joys and difficulties of growing up in the shadow of the Hollywood spotlight. While some were significantly influenced by their famous parents and chose a career in entertainment, others felt no attraction toward the glamour of Tinseltown fame. Among the interviewees are the offspring of such major stars as Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Jimmy Stewart and Rosalind Russell, as well as such prominent supporting players as Jack Elam, Gene Lockhart, Billy Barty and Jesse White. The collection also includes a list of books and/or websites published by the children of the actors featured.

Download or read book Class Struggle in Hollywood 1930 1950 written by Gerald Horne and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2001-02-15 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Fact Sheet This engrossing book probes the motives & actions of all the players in the Conference of Studio Unions Strike in 1946, tracing the far-reaching consequences of this strike & the ensuing lockout to the subsequent fury of Red-baiting & the encroachment of organized crime in Hollywood.

Download or read book Tinseltown Gangsters written by Jeffrey Sussman and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2024-03-05 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like sharks to blood in the water, the mob arrived in Hollywood greedy and ready to tear away huge chunks of cash. Opportunistic mobsters saw labor unions as the means for muscling into the movie industry and extorting millions of dollars from studio bosses. Control the unions to which projectionists, art directors, cinematographers, electricians, scene designers, stagehands, extras belong, and you control the whole industry. Painting colorful portraits of numerous mobsters, producers, actors, and directors, Tinseltown Gangsters tells the gripping, fast-paced, true story of corruption and greed in Hollywood throughout much of the twentieth century.

Download or read book Hollywood Stories written by Stephen Schochet and published by Hollywood Stories. This book was released on 2010 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just when you thought you've heard everything about Hollywood comes a totally original new book - a special blend of biography, history and lore. Hollywood Stories is packed with wild, wonderful short tales about famous stars, movies, directors and many others who have been part of the world's most fascinating, unpredictable industry! Full of funny moments and twist endings, Hollywood Stories features an amazing, icons and will keep you totally entertained!

Download or read book From the Mob to the Movies written by Richie Salerno and published by WildBlue Press. This book was released on 2020-09-08 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The veteran character actor recounts the epic adventure of his life from the NYC mob and prison life to making movies with Hollywood legends. You might know him as the character Tony Darvo in the movie Midnight Run, but before he played tough guys in the movies, Richie Salerno was born into the real-world Brooklyn Mafia. Some of New York’s most notorious gangsters were his uncles, aunts, cousins, and family friends. For a time, it looked like he was heading for a life in the family business. During a stint in prison for theft, Richie managed to turn his life around. Using the tailoring skills he learned from his father and butchering abilities he picked up from his father-in-law, he ingratiated himself with the warden and guards, and survived his 120 month sentence without a scratch. After his release, he scored an audition for the Sidney Lumet film Serpico starring Al Pacino. That audition turned into a long career as a character actor in major Hollywood films. In From the Mob to the Movies, Richie recounts his journey from the mean streets of Brooklyn and as a child of the mob to the silver screen.

Download or read book The Fixer written by Josh Young and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2024-04-16 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting tell-all biography that delves into the extraordinary life of Hollywood’s most infamous private detective and “fixer” to the stars, revealing newly discovered shocking revelations from his never-before-seen investigative files. During the height of Hollywood’s golden age, one man lorded over the city’s lurid underbelly of forbidden sin and celebrity scandal like no other: Fred Otash. An ex-Marine turned L.A.P.D. vice cop, Otash became the most sought-after private detective and fixer to the stars by specializing in the dark arts that would soon dominate the entertainment industry. Otash was notorious for bugging the homes, offices, and playpens of movie stars, kingmakers, and powerful politicians, employing then state-of-the-art methods of electronic surveillance and wiretapping for a who’s who list of clients for whom he’d do “anything short of murder.” He lied to federal authorities to protect Frank Sinatra from criminal liability; recorded Rock Hudson’s coming out confession to his estranged wife; moved in with Judy Garland to help her get sober; taped President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy’s tragic love affairs with the greatest sex symbol of all time, and he listened to Marilyn Monroe die. Based on Otash’s never-before-seen investigative files and personal archives, THE FIXER takes readers inside the sensational and nefarious world of the man whose art imitating life inspired the private eye characters portrayed by Jack Nicholson in Chinatown and Russell Crowe in LA Confidential.

Download or read book Hard Boiled Hollywood written by Jon Lewis and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2017-04-19 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two spectacular dead bodies—Elizabeth Short, known as the Black Dahlia, found dumped and posed in a vacant lot in January 1947, and Marilyn Monroe, found dead in her home in August 1962—bookend this new history of Hollywood’s postwar transition. Short’s murder called attention to the lives of the many disenfranchised in Los Angeles; she was, after all, one of them. Monroe’s death involved the entourage inhabiting her movie star orbit: quack doctors, gangsters, Hollywood celebrities, the FBI and the CIA, and, inevitably, the Kennedys. Hard-Boiled Hollywood focuses on the many lives lost at the crossroads of a dreamed-of Hollywood and the real thing following the collapse of the studio system as celebrities, moguls, mobsters, gossip mongers, and industry wannabes came into frequent contact and conflict.

Download or read book The Countess and the Mob written by Maureen Hughes and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2010-03-11 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maureen Hughes was first introduced to Countess Marajen Chinigo in the 1980s in a hospital room in Champaign, Illinois. Assigned to provide personal security to the Countess, Hughes knew few details about the woman she was protecting. Little did she know that Countess Chinigo was a woman connected to some of the most notorious and famousor infamouspeople of the twentieth century. Hughes did not see the Countess again until a few years later at a local art museum. Intrigued by the impeccably dressed woman who strolled through the crowd like a queen, Hughes vowed to find out all she could about the mysterious Countess. As Hughes shares the fascinating story she uncovered after conducting three years of research and in-depth conversations with friends of the Countess, she unveils a time period where mobsters, presidents, celebrities, and countesses all mingled among dark, captivating secrets. Hughes reveals details about the famous figures the Countess hobnobbed with like Frank Sinatra, Joan Crawford, and Lucky Luciano, her marriage to Johnny Rosselli, and her eventual entanglements with the Mafia. The Countess and the Mob paints a compelling portrait of the kaleidoscopic shapes and colors that made up the extraordinary and unforgettable life of Countess Marajen Stevick Chinigo.

Download or read book La mafia Hollywood written by Tim Adler and published by Nouveau Monde Editions. This book was released on 2009-03-12 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pour la première fois, un ouvrage dévoile les liaisons dangereuses entre l'industrie du cinéma américain et la Mafia. Dès la Prohibition, les gangs rackettent aussi bien les exploitants de salles que les studios. Après une résistance toute symbolique, les grands Moguls accueillent à bras ouverts les Al Capone, Lucky Luciano ou plus tard Sam Giancana dans la jet set hollywoodienne. Ainsi débute une fascination réciproque, qui va influencer le film «mafieux» nourri aux meilleures sources, de Scarface au Parrain. De Joe Kennedy, le père de JFK, amant de Gloria Swanson et propriétaire du studio RKO, aux stars du grand écran, ce livre révèle les amitiés des «parrains», parfois aventurés dans la production. On y apprend bien des «secrets de famille», tels que le meurtre par Lana Turner de son gangster d'amant ou le financement par une famille mafieuse du premier grand succès du porno, Gorge profonde... On croisera ici des acteurs dont la carrière a été soutenue par la Mafia : Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin ou Steven Seagal. Mais aussi des stars mêlées, malgré elles, à des agissements frauduleux, comme Kim Novak, maîtresse de Sammy Davis Jr, ou Marilyn Monroe surveillée par le FBI. Dans les années 1970 et 1980, plusieurs studios comme Warner ou Universal continuent à entretenir des liens avec la Mafia. Et, dans les années 1990, le financier Giancarlo Parretti rachète la MGM avec des fonds d'origine mafieuse et l'aide du Crédit lyonnais... Désormais plus discrète, la Mafia reste cinéphile ! Tim Adler est rédacteur en chef du magazine britannique Screen Finance et collabore au Financial Times, au Daily Telegraph ainsi qu'à The Independent. Ce livre est déjà traduit dans une dizaine de langues.

Download or read book The Official Book of Mob Humor written by Malcolm Kushner and published by Robert Reed Publishers. This book was released on 2012-02 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE OFFICIAL BOOK OF MOB HUMOR by Malcolm Kushner and Foreword by Henry Hill, Former Lucchese crime family associate immortalized in the movie GoodfellasTHIS IS MUCH MORE THAN A JOKE BOOK: Whether it's the Mafia, Russian Mob, Mexican Mob, or Yakuza, organized criminals have one thing in common; they are no laughing matter- until now. The Official Book of Mob Humor is the first time all their wit, gaffes, and goof-ups have been organized into one place. Forget about Omerta. You will be squealing- with laughter. Extensively researched, this book is packed with hilarious, hard-to-believe-but-true stories of mobster activity around the world, jokes, puns, mob proverbs, mob pick-up lines, original New-Yorker-style cartoons, plus much more including: Over 90 actual newspaper headlines making fun of mobsters Over 200 titles of mob-related comedy films from 1930 - 2011 with plot summaries and stars Over 100 funny quotes from mob movies, mobsters,and comedians

Download or read book Famous Gamblers Poker History and Texas Stories written by Johnny Hughes and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2012-08-21 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You have a great writing style, very credible, and entertaining. Those were dangerous times. Almost all of the guys are gone. A great book!... Doyle Brunson, Poker Hall of Fame, author. Hes as good a writer as he is a player. When it comes to poker tales...Johnny Hughes is your man.... Anthony Holden, London, President of the International Federation of Poker, author ... a captivating raconteur and avid historian...brings them to life with a unique flair and panache...(He) paints word pictures with witty, lush brush strokes reminiscent of Tom Wolfe... Paul Dr. Pauly McGuire, author ..the William Manchester of poker historians...a Hughes narrative is like lighting a lantern into the darkest recess of pokers subculture...provides the very best portrait of these unique real-life characters of anyone on record... Nolan Dalla, Media Director. World Series of Poker, author. ...the true story...of the beginnings of the phenomenon that poker has become... Crandell Addington, Poker Hall of Fame. Reading...is only paralleled by listening to him tell those stories in real time...like putting yourself in the same room as it all unfolded...when the mob ruled Las Vegas...the real stories... Ryan Sayer, OnTilt Radio, C.O.O.,and Host. www.JohnnyHughes.com

Download or read book Mob Girl written by Teresa Carpenter and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-12-13 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author of Missing Beauty comes a fascinating inside look at the mafia. Growing up among racketeers on the Lower East Side of New York City, Arlyne Brickman associated with mobsters. Drawn to the glamorous and flashy lifestyle, she was soon dating "wiseguys" and running errands for them; but after years as a mob girlfriend, Arlyne began to get in on the action herself—eventually becoming a police informant and major witness in the government's case against the Colombo crime family.

Download or read book The Actors written by Richard Schickel and published by New Word City. This book was released on 2016-10-12 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here, Time's legendary film critic Richard Schickel profiles seven extraordinary actors, reading between their well-spoken lines: Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, James Cagney, Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., and Sir Lawrence Olivier. All of their lives, Schickel writes, could be made into an epic film.

Download or read book The Accidental Gangster written by Ori Spado and published by WildBlue Press. This book was released on 2019-11-12 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The true story of a Hollywood fixer who wound up in the sights of the FBI. In this memoir, Orlando (Ori) Spado honestly recounts his humble beginnings from the small town of Rome in upstate New York, and his journey to becoming known as “The Mob Boss of Hollywood.” It is a candid account documenting his fall from a well-known Hollywood fixer mixing with A-list celebrities to serving 62 months in Federal prison, and ultimately making a determined comeback. “For nearly forty years Orlando ‘Ori’ Spado was a friend and associate of John ‘Sonny’ Franzese, underboss of the Colombo organized crime family. His relationship with Sonny brought him to the attention of the FBI, and eventually led to his being indicted with Sonny on federal RICO charges, and imprisoned. In The Accidental Gangster Ori provides the details of his time in ‘the life’ and his long battle with the FBI—whose overwhelming resources made it a fight that was impossible to win.”—Nick Pileggi, author of Wiseguy “Orlando ‘Ori’ Spado had been a thorn in the side of the Los Angeles field office of the FBI for almost two decades before they finally took him down. Accidentally or not, Ori was a quintessential Mob character, complete with a pinkie ring and a slow, steady deliberate voice whether speaking with friends or foes. But like so many other ‘Good Fellas,’ he was set up by a friend’s son. You will have to read the book to find out who set him up. Enjoy!”—John Connolly, New York Times-bestselling author of Filthy Rich