How the mob took Hollywood: the story of organized crime and the movies

When Gangsters Came to Tinseltown: Organized Crime’s Hollywood Takeover

Wanderstayfinder.com – Long before the glitz and glamour of modern Hollywood, shadowy figures from the criminal underworld were already weaving their influence through the film industry. This deep-rooted connection forms the centerpiece of a compelling new documentary series that traces how mobsters transformed the entertainment business from its very beginnings.

Tom Patterson, who serves as both producer and director of the three-part series titled Hollywood Crime Story: The Mob Takes Over the Movies, emphasizes that organized crime’s presence in the industry stretches back even further than most people realize. The relationship actually began during the birth of cinema itself, when inventor Thomas Edison deployed his hired enforcers against rival companies seeking to establish themselves in the emerging motion picture technology market.

Those Edison opponents—predominantly Jewish entrepreneurs from the eastern seaboard—fled westward to escape the industrialist’s grip. In doing so, they helped establish the studio system and the town that would eventually become synonymous with American filmmaking. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the nation, Prohibition created fertile ground for criminal organizations to flourish. Chicago’s The Outfit and New York’s Mafia both expanded their operations during this lucrative period of illegal alcohol trade.

Eventually, these two distinct worlds collided in spectacular fashion. Patterson’s documentary combines historical footage with contemporary interviews to map out this fascinating symbiotic relationship spanning from cinema’s inception through 1990. According to the filmmaker, that year marked a natural conclusion when The Godfather Part III and Goodfellas premiered simultaneously, effectively closing one chapter of Hollywood history.

The First Wave of Mob Influence

The opening episode chronicles events from the dawn of motion pictures through the 1960s, capturing the era when Chicago’s notorious Al Capone sent his lieutenant Johnny Roselli westward to scout promising business ventures. Roselli discovered a Hollywood landscape ripe for exploitation, quickly embedding himself among the industry’s most powerful figures. His most significant connection proved to be Harry Cohn, the formidable co-founder and president of Columbia Pictures.

A half-million-dollar loan from Roselli enabled Cohn to purchase his partners’ shares in Columbia, granting organized crime its first substantial ownership stake in a major studio. This financial arrangement opened doors that would remain open for decades.

The documentary also explores Capone’s brief but memorable visit to Hollywood and his surprisingly favorable reaction to Scarface, the 1932 biographical film depicting his life. Viewers meet several colorful characters who shaped this era, including the charismatic yet unpredictable Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, who arrived in California and immediately began mingling with entertainment elites.

Other notable figures include Mickey Cohen, who would eventually replace Siegel as Los Angeles’s vice crime boss. Cohen’s criminal career began remarkably early—at just nine years old, he held up a movie theater. His associate Johnny Stompanato, known for his brutal nature, married actress Lana Turner before meeting his demise at the hands of her teenage daughter. The mob also successfully placed corrupt representatives in leadership positions within both the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Teamsters union.

One particularly dramatic episode involved the mob attempting to eliminate Screen Actors Guild president James Cagney after he refused to surrender control of the organization. Cagney’s life was saved when Paul Muni, the star of Scarface, personally requested Capone’s intervention. In a lighter moment, the series recounts how Cohen once robbed actress Betty Grable, only for her to laugh off the encounter when they reunited years later.

Evolution Through Turbulent Times

While many of these violent personalities met violent ends, the entertainment industry adapted rather than collapsed. New figures emerged to fill the void left by departed gangsters, ensuring that organized crime’s influence continued to grow.

The second episode focuses on the period from the late 1960s through the early 1980s, demonstrating how mob connections became even more deeply embedded in Hollywood’s mainstream operations. Former Universal Studios president Tom Mount provides valuable insight during one of the series’ most memorable segments, describing a meeting chaired by director Alfred Hitchcock alongside super-agent Lew Wasserman, former mobster and Las Vegas entrepreneur Mo Dalitz, and lawyer Sidney Korshak.

Wasserman’s powerful agency MCA had achieved prominence through direct financial support from Capone, while Korshak—often considered one of Hollywood’s most influential figures—maintained extensive mob connections. Mount recalls watching these men “carve out” their respective territories within the entertainment industry.

Wasserman and Korshak emerged as central figures in what became known as the Supermob, or alternatively “the Kosher Nostra.” This coalition of Jewish gangsters and businessmen controlled virtually every aspect of Hollywood operations, from casting decisions to financial backing to union negotiations. They also handled off-the-books arrangements, including the successful negotiation for the release of Frank Sinatra’s kidnapped son.

As series narrator Jeff Rechner observes, the mob’s methods evolved significantly over time. Where earlier generations relied heavily on intimidation and force, subsequent decades saw organized crime figures operating through legitimate business structures and political connections. This transformation allowed them to maintain influence even as traditional mob power waned across America.

The documentary effectively demonstrates how Hollywood’s golden age and the mob’s expansion occurred simultaneously, creating a unique cultural moment where gangsters and movie stars shared the same social spaces, business dealings, and sometimes even the same fates. Their intertwined histories continue to fascinate audiences today, proving that the relationship between organized crime and entertainment remains as compelling now as it was during its peak decades.