'Gangster Squad,' About Mobster Cohen and the Cops Who Hunted Him
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LA gangster Mickey Cohen,circa 1940s. |
Crash actor Michael Pena has joined the all-star cast of Gangster Squad, a crime drama set in 1940s Los Angeles, writes the Hollywood Reporter, according to Reuters.
The Warner Bros. project centers on how, amid corruption and chaos, the LAPD created a unit called the Gangster Squad to keep the East Coast mafia out of the city. It is based on a seven-part Los Angeles Times article.
Josh Brolin stars as John O'Mara, one of the few cops not on the payroll of gangster Mickey Cohen, being portrayed by Sean Penn. Ryan Gosling, meanwhile, will play Sgt. Jerry Wooters, a good cop who loves the bachelor life.
Director: Ruben Fleischer; Writer: Will Beall (adaptation)Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen (born Sept. 4, 1913, in Brooklyn, New York City – died, July 29, 1976 in Los Angeles) was a gangster based in Los Angeles and part of the Jewish Mafia; he also had strong ties to the American Mafia from the 1930s through 1960s.
He also was instrumental in setting up the race wire, which was essential to Vegas betting, a Nevada attraction perhaps only second to the Hoover Dam. In 1947, the crime families ordered the murder of Siegel due to his mismanagement of the Flamingo Hotel, most likely because Siegel or his girlfriend Virginia Hill was skimming money. According to one account which does not appear in newspapers, Cohen reacted violently to Siegel's murder. Entering the Hotel Roosevelt, where he believed the killers were staying, Cohen fired rounds from his two .45 caliber semi-automatic handguns into the lobby ceiling and demanded that the assassins meet him outside in ten minutes. However, no one appeared and Cohen was forced to flee when the cops arrived.
Cohen's violent methods came to the attention of state and federal authorities investigating the Dragna operations. During this time, Cohen faced many attempts on his life, including the bombing of his home on posh Moreno Avenue in Brentwood. Cohen soon converted his house into a fortress, installing floodlights, alarm systems, and a well-equipped arsenal kept, as he often joked, next to his 200 tailor-made suits. Cohen also briefly hired bodyguard Johnny Stompanato before his killing by actress Lana Turner's daughter. Cohen bought a cheap coffin for Stompanato's funeral and then sold Lana Turner's love letters to Stompanato to the press.
Stompanato ran a sexual extortion ring as well as a jewelry store. He was one of the most popular playboys in Hollywood. Singer Frank Sinatra once visited Cohen at his home and begged him to tell Stompanato to stop dating Sinatra's friend and ex-wife, actress Ava Gardner.
Cohen's violent methods came to the attention of state and federal authorities investigating the Dragna operations. During this time, Cohen faced many attempts on his life, including the bombing of his home on posh Moreno Avenue in Brentwood. Cohen soon converted his house into a fortress, installing floodlights, alarm systems, and a well-equipped arsenal kept, as he often joked, next to his 200 tailor-made suits. Cohen also briefly hired bodyguard Johnny Stompanato before his killing by actress Lana Turner's daughter. Cohen bought a cheap coffin for Stompanato's funeral and then sold Lana Turner's love letters to Stompanato to the press.
Stompanato ran a sexual extortion ring as well as a jewelry store. He was one of the most popular playboys in Hollywood. Singer Frank Sinatra once visited Cohen at his home and begged him to tell Stompanato to stop dating Sinatra's friend and ex-wife, actress Ava Gardner.
Cohen's extended family number many cousins who today reside in New Jersey, New York, Florida, Washington and Vermont.