Mickey Cohen - The Life and Crimes of L.A.’s Notorious Mobster  

Tere Tereba    ECW Press  2012  323 pages

Mickey Cohen, Los Angeles’ homegrown gangster never achieved the status of other underworld figures on the national scale. In the volumes of books, documentaries and feature films chronicling organized crime in America, Los Angeles is usually regarded as an outpost and Cohen a footnote.  Of course the various  interests in L. A.  perpetuated the notion that organized crime never gained a foothold in the city.  Tere Tereba’s Mickey Cohen - The Life and Crimes of L.A.’s Notorious Mobster goes a long way in documenting the reality of the mobster influence in L.A., and the corruption of its politicians and police officials.   

Mickey Cohen’s reign as L.A.’s crime boss is a fascinating read.  Unlike the East Coast mobsters who shunned publicity, Cohen basked in it, even to the extent of counting journalist among his entourage.  And, being in Hollywood meant inevitable associations with various entertainment types, many who considered Cohen a friend - a strange phenomena considering that blackmail was one of Cohen’s lucrative enterprises. Despite the often misguided  perception of  Cohen as a benign  or even inept mobster, he was ruthless and and efficient in running his crime syndicate.  He ordered hits on his rivals as well as surviving numerous attempts on his own life.

So, what has this to do with film noir?  Cohen’s crime career coincided with the  evolution of film noir and Los Angeles was at the center of both developments.  Tereba captures the atmosphere of, murder, double-dealing, set-ups and gang warfare perpetuated by the assorted thugs, crooked cops, sleazy lawyers and bimbos that made up post WWII Los Angeles.  These are elements you find in much of film noir.  After reading her book you will have a different perspective when viewing films like The Racket, 711 Ocean Drive, Johnny O' Clock  or The Asphalt Jungle.