Lana Turner, 1921–1995
One of the busiest leading ladies in Hollywood, Turner enjoyed a nearly 60 year career.
Marketed as a sex symbol, Turner was dubbed by the studio “The Sweater Girl.” They had her always wear a form fitting sweater, and her press releases usually didn’t use her name, just “The Sweater Girl.”
Turner hated the moniker and was glad when it was passed on to younger actresses.
A long standing Hollywood legend was that Turner was discovered while enjoying a malted milk at the Hollywood landmark Schwab’s Drugstore. According to the story she was sitting with her friends after school when she was discovered.
It made for a great only in America story, and Schwab’s was used because it was well known to the public in the day when Hollywood was the Dream Factory and everyone knew the sites.
In reality she was playing hooky, and having a malt at a reasonably priced shop, a reporter happened to be there and hit on her, he later used his connections to make Turner a star. (She was underaged at the time.)
By all accounts a kind and generous person, she worked tirelessly supporting our troops, her personal life was marked with scandal.
She was married 8 times and unfortunately dated a man who was very much bad news.
Johnny Stompanato, 1925–1958
Stompanato was a Marine veteran, he served in the South Pacific during WW2, and after his service briefly owned a gift shop. He worked very hard however to ingratiate himself to the underworld, his dream was to be a top mob boss.
He fulfilled this dream when he became bodyguard and later an enforcer for Mickey Cohen.
Cohen who had various enterprises in Los Angeles was a part of local society often attending parties, film premieres and he considered many celebrities to be his friends.
His handsome bodyguard Stompanato became well known among the Hollywood beauties and soon was more popular than his boss.
Stompanato fancied himself a shrewd businessman and eventually left Cohen. He became a rather unsuccessful talent agent. He didn’t make any of his clients stars but apparently bedded dozens of young actresses promising them the moon.
He eventually met Turner who was by all accounts gaga over the handsome bad boy.
They began a stormy relationship punctuated with shouting, and abuse. Stompanato was insanely jealous of Turner. At one point he threatened her costar Sean Connery. The future Bond actor proved his mettle admirably when he beat up the gangster.
Stompanato moved in to Turner’s mansion, where he reportedly enjoyed the amenities and spent her money hand over fist.
On April 4, 1958 the police were called. They found Stompanato dead, he had been stabbed in the stomach.
The next day, Turner’s 14 year old daughter Cheryl Crane turned herself into the police. She admitted to killing him, but said that she was trying to protect her mother whom Stompanato was beating.
Two hearings were held, the first Turner tried to have her daughter released into the custody of her grandmother, the second named Crane a ward of the court pending the outcome of the coroner’s inquest.
While not a trial, the coroner’s inquest was still described by the several hundred reporters who covered it as “the trial of the century.”
The death was ruled a justifiable homicide. Turner seemed to enjoy putting on a show during her testimony, she spoke dramatically and collapsed. Critics accused her of turning the serious matter of her daughter’s fate into a publicity stunt (which she did whether it was intentional or not.)
Although the death was ruled a justifiable homicide, Stampanato’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Civil Court. Turner paid them $20,000.
Turner did suffer some blacklisting for a time, but like all scandals it was soon forgotten and she remained a busy actress for decades thereafter.
Crane became famous in her own right, she became a model, a businesswoman and one of the first people in Hollywood to “come out” as a lesbian.
Crane, now an author has talked about the aftermath of the trial, she was made a ward of the state and was the victim of sexual abuse.
She is disdainful of the plethora of scandalous books and pseudo documentaries that have tried to turn the case into a coverup for the mob, politicians etc.
It should be noted that many police officers at the time felt that Turner actually killed Stompanato and coerced her daughter into taking the blame.
Images source: 2plustv.com
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