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 It reads like a film noir movie, but its more exciting, more detailed, with infinite story lines, and it's all true. Jan 26, 2010
As a native of Chicago and fan of film noir, I enjoy reading histories of prohibition era gangsters and period stories. This book was right on point.
The author, Brad Lewis, has, though obviously exhaustive research, uncovered facts of Mickey Cohen's life and presented them in a cradle to grave account of his rise and fall in the gangster and Hollywood communities. He provides overwhelming details of how Mickey Cohen rose to become someone who, inter alia, became a Nixon fundraiser and friend of Sinatra. Tying all of these facts together is the author's insightful interpretation of the facts, editorializing on the subject's actions, and speculating on his motives.
Intertwined with the story Mr. Lewis provides the reader with fascinating and unknown snippets about people, places and events in 38 pages of endnotes. I found the information provided in these notes to be more interesting than the main text. For example, did you know that David Bagleman who was Al Pachino's manager, committed suicide in the Century City Hotel after spending the night out with Sandi Bennett, Tony Bennett's former wife? Or that the straight laced Dorothy Kilgallen, who I used to watch on "What's My Line", died of an overdose of alcohol and barbiturates in 1965 soon after interviewing THE Jack Ruby. These and numerous other epitaphs may have little or nothing to do with Mickey Cohen but contributed to the dynamic flow of the book and captivated my attention.
I found the book to be entertaining, informative, interesting, and above all well written. The author has an astonishing command of the written word and uses it to present a gripping story of a noteworthy individual and people who crossed his path. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested crime novels, film noir, gangsters, biographies and just well written books.
0 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 40 pages of "notes"? Jan 02, 2010
I'm a bit disappointed with this book for a couple of reasons, the main one being the 40 pages of "notes" that instead should have been on the relevant pages as footnotes. It would have made for much easier reading. In some cases, the material in the notes should have just been in the book itself.
That said, the story about Mickey and his cronies was not that illuminating. I got tired of reading that he takes three hours to get dressed, or has x number of suits and shoes, etc. I never got a sense of what he really did; it was more name-dropping and gossip than anything else. I can tell you who his girlfriends were and what happened to his house when it got bombed, but that's not why I read the book.
I suggest skimming the book but reading the notes section. There are some interesting tales there.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Good Read Dec 28, 2009
I was with Mickey from 55 to 60. This was good but there was more going on. I needed to be interviewed.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Editorial Reviews Mar 18, 2009
Editorial Reviews
Review
Brad Lewis has penned a beauty titled Hollywood's Celebrity Gangster: The Incredible Life and Times of Mickey Cohen (396 pages, paperbound, $22).
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 bodyguard for Bugsy Siegel, a friend of Las Vegas' late Liz Renay and on first names with the biggest guys in the Mafia. Well-indexed and illustrated, Lewis book about Cohen draws from thousands of resources -- a virtual treasure trove of Mafia-related books, articles and interviews.
The book is divided into five parts: Cohen's early days from 1913 to 1938, from Brooklyn to Los Angeles; from 1938 to 1947 Headliners: Mickey and Bugsy; 1947 to 1955 Mickey, The Celebrity; 1955 to 1967, Mickey Redux; and 1967 to 1976, The Survivor.
Each section has something for everyone interested in the Mob with theories on who shot Bugsy in 1947; a look at the early days of Las Vegas and why Cohen liked certain hotels; and his connection with Hollywood and the entertainment industry.
Cohen was a survivor. Not a big man (he was five-five), he managed to survive gang wars; feuds; the federal government's attempts to put him away; and he had some of the biggest name lawyers representing him.
His real name was Meyer Harris (Michael) Cohen and there's some doubt to when he was born (1911, 1913 or 1914) "purportedly" in Brownsville's section of Brooklyn, but he grew up in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles. He'd get educated later on the streets of New York, Chicago and Detroit.
Cohen's life crossed the lives of many. The book's index includes the Mob's Albert Anastasia; stripper Candy Barr; Hollywood big shot Harry Cohn; Frank Costello; gangster Jack Dragna; Jimmy Fratianno; Momo Giancana; J. Edgar Hoover; racket investigator Estes Kefauver; Mob brain Meyer Lansky; actor George Raft; the dapper Johnny Rosselli; ; President John Kennedy and his brother Robert.
This is both a fascinating history of time gone by and a biography of a survivor and Lewis has written it with flash and substance. -- Howard Schwartz - Gambler's Book Club, Las Vegas
"I found Celebrity Gangster intense, dramatic, a real page turner." ----Irwin Winkler, Producer of Rocky, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Night and the City and The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. -- Irwin Winkler
"Never in my years of reading for pleasure, has such an infamous mobster as the late Mickey Cohen been written about with such insight, truthfulness and good humor as Brad Lewis has accomplished in this page-turning bio. For anyone into Jewish or even gentile folklore, this is a must read." ----Arthur Marx, author of Life With Groucho, The Nine Lives of Mickey Rooney, Goldwyn: A Biography of the Man Behind the Myth , Red Skelton, The Secret Life of Bob Hope , Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime (Especially Himself ) - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and the play, The Impossible Years. -- Arthur Marx
A colorful biography of the Mick, a nattily attired, 5-foot-5-inch L.A. gangster who declared he never killed anyone who ``didn't deserve killing" and who feared nothing but germs (hence, his habit of taking 2- to 3-hour showers). ``Hollywood's Celebrity Gangster" is a fascinating portrait of how a Boyle Heights newsboy grew up to cross paths with movie stars, religious leaders, jetsetters and newspaper folks when he wasn't dodging assassination attempts on Sunset Boulevard. Lewis' book shines a light on an often overlooked chapter of the history of crime, L.A.'s mid-20th century underworld (called the ``Vicecapades'' by one columnist). Mickey struck me as a guy I would have loved to dine with as long as it wasn't on Sunset Boulevard.
----Steve Harvey, "Only in LA", Los Angeles Times -- Steve Harvey, "Only in LA", Los Angeles Times
This is Mickey Cohen! Inside and Out! The most comprehensive biography ever written about Hollywood's bantam gangster. Bradley Lewis gives us the complete story of the most famous West Coast mobster in history, complete with his ties to the underworld hierarchy across the United States. Lewis shows us multiple sides of Cohen and for the first time gives us a clear understanding of his far-reaching influence, separating fact from fiction along the way. -- AmericanMafia.com - Allan R. May -- Allan R. May Americanmafia.com
"I found Celebrity Gangster intense, dramatic, a real page turner." ----Irwin Winkler, Producer of Rocky, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Night and the City and The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. "Never in my years of reading for pleasure, has such an infamous mobster as the late Mickey Cohen been written about with such insight, truthfulness and good humor as Brad Lewis has accomplished in this page-turning bio. For anyone into Jewish or even gentile folklore, this is a must read."
----Arthur Marx, author of Life With Groucho, The Nine Lives of Mickey Rooney, Goldwyn: A Biography of the Man Behind the Myth , Red Skelton, The Secret Life of Bob Hope , Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime (Especially Himself ) - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and the play, The Impossible Years. "This is Mickey Cohen! Inside and Out! The most comprehensive biography ever written about Hollywood's bantam gangster. Bradley Lewis gives us the complete story of the most famous West Coast mobster in history, complete with his ties to the underworld hierarchy across the United States. Lewis shows us multiple sides of Cohen and for the first time gives us a clear understanding of his far-reaching influence, separating fact from fiction along the way." -----Allan R. May, [..]
From the Author
Hollywood's Celebrity Gangster, The Incredible Life and Times of Mickey Cohen is the first complete story of the infamous Los Angeles gangster. Cohen is a complicated character, 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. See [..] for more details.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A Neon Life Jun 22, 2008
When most people hear the word "gangster", Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel or Meyer Lansky spring to mind. These were brilliant, charismatic, ruthless men who built financial empires on the backs of illegal activities, and often, other peoples misery.
I had never thought of Mickey Cohen as a first rate gangster of the magnitude of the aforementioned, but in reading this book, it is clear that he cut a wide swath through twentieth century American history.
The book is well written, although details of Cohen's life remain surprisingly sketchy. The author never does get a handle on where Cohen's opulent wealth comes from, although he does hint that prostitution and gambling are it's main source.
Cohen and Benny Siegel moved from East Coast to West to capture the vice at the request of Meyer Lansky, and each had a storied career. Siegel's has been told many times. Cohen's, normally as an adjunct to Siegel's.
This book makes clear that Cohen's life and influence far surpassed "Bugsy's". Cohen not only controlled much of the traditional vice along the West Coast, he had in's with Senators, Presidents, Hollywood icons, and even The Reverend Billy Graham.
Through it all he comes off as an upstanding, decent, and charismatic person.
He survived up to twelve attempted "hits", two extended prison stays, and not least, two marriages.
He is a piece of American folklore I would like to know more about, and for anyone who feels the same, this book is an excellent chronicle of a twentieth century enigma.
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