Mickey Cohen: The Gangster Squad and the Mob: The True Story of Vice in Los Angeles 1937-1950 - Softcover

Lewis, Brad

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1481870815 ISBN 13: 9781481870818

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012

Synopsis

Mickey Cohen, who died in 1976, was a colorful, feared West Coast gangster-gambler who knew the biggest names in Hollywood including the Rat Pack, was a confidant of Bugsy Siegel, a friend of Las Vegas' late Liz Renay and on first names with the biggest guys in the Mafia, plus Frank Sinatra, Richard Nixon and Billy Graham. Brad Lewis' book about Cohen draws from thousands of resources -- a virtual treasure trove of Mafia-related books, articles and interviews. Written by a tough and knowledgeable insider, Lewis tells the whole Mickey Cohen story during the period when he was tailed by the Gangster Squad, FBI, and Sheriff's Deputies. All the whispered anecdotes, the news items and the underside of the crime rackets where Mickey operated are in this book, open to scrutiny. From Bugsy Siegel to Lucky Luciano and Albert Anastasia to Meyer Lansky and Carlos Marcello, Mickey knew them well and worked closely with them for many years. This is Mickey Cohen! Inside and Out! (This book is an abridged version of Hollywood's Celebrity Gangster.)

About this title

From the Author

This is an abridged version of Hollywood's Celebrity Gangster, The Incredible Life and Times of Mickey Cohen, the first and only complete story of the infamous Los Angeles gangster. Cohen was a complicated character to tackle, whose life is a paradigm for the intermingling of Hollywood, organized crime, and Washington. Mickey Cohen was the first gangster to understand the power of the media, and use it to his advantage. His extensive contact with celebrities and politicians was groundbreaking. From Marilyn Monroe to Frank Sinatra, and Richard Nixon to Reverand Billy Graham, Cohen knew them all. The painstaking research for this book took over seven years. This book deals specifically with the period 1937-1950 and brings to life one of the most hectic and productive periods of Mickey's life, during the heyday of the notorious wild west, a time completely infiltrated by organized crime.

About the Author

Brad Lewis is a writer whose focus has ranged from the bizarre world of celebrity doctors to detailed histories of Jewish-American development, with particular interest to the entertainment industry. He co-wrote the bestselling biography of Milton Berle, My Father, Uncle Miltie, with the fabled comedian's son, a candid look at the irreplaceable American television icon. His Hollywood's Celebrity Gangster, The Incredible Life and Times of Mickey Cohen is the only biography of the charismatic and dangerous mobster whose life was a paradigm for the intermingling of Washington, Las Vegas, the entertainment business and the mob. Lewis' novel Great White Doctor is a scalpel thriller centered on the sordid lives and weird sexual habits of "celebrity doctors", exposing the seamy side of high profile specialists who perform unnecessary surgery on their female patients. The Bloomingdale Code is a well-researched page-turner about secret religious tenets, ancient medical ritual, conspiracies, and modern-day international politics. Lewis has written often about the Hollywood scene, and is no stranger to celebrities and celebrity doctors. Anonymous underworld "businessmen," often sent their lady friends for treatment in his offices. That experience with known mobsters contributed to Lewis' interest in how gangsters, Hollywood, and Washington somehow connect in the American landscape. As an actor, Lewis appeared on TV in As the World Turns, Love of Life, The Guiding Light, and trained at the prestigious H. B. Studios in Manhattan, with its founder Herbert Berghof and fabled acting teacher William Hickey. He appeared in many off and off-off Broadway productions. Lewis has advanced degrees from CUNY (Psychology) and New York University; a fellowship at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital. He is retired from clinical practice and has fought for the elimination of formaldehyde from pediatric medicaments. His research has been quoted in hundreds of professional journals. A popular talk show guest, he has appeared on numerous radio and television programs. Lewis is a native New Yorker.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1481870815
• ISBN 13: 9781481870818
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 289