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Detour: A Hollywood Story

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"Detour: A Hollywood Story" is the deeply personal account of Cheryl Crane's life as a 'star baby'. She is the daughter of Lana Turner. Her life was privileged, sheltered, and yet emotionally chaotic. She grew up playing only with other 'star babies'(that is, when she got to play at all). Her mother's best friend was Judy Garland, she called Frank Sinatra, 'Uncle Frank'. Cared for mostly by Nannies, and her 'Gran", Lana Turner's daughter did not even realize what a huge celebrity her mother was, and wasnt even allowed to view her films(or any films) for most of her childhood. She viewed her mother as two separate people...Mommy and "that Lana Turner person", the latter of which could make people appear or disappear on a whim.

Cheryl Crane saw a steady stream of step parents and "uncles". Lana's love life, kept her as busy as her career, and spending time with her mother, was a real treat for Cheryl. She digs down deep as she describes her longing for her mother's affections, a young girl's admiration of her father, the sexual abuse she(Cheryl) suffered at the hands of Lex Barker(from the Tarzan movies),and the stormy relationship of Lana and Johnny Stompanato, who she would kill by her own hands(she was only 14 at the time), in defense of her mother.

Her life goes on a downward spiral afterwards, being sent to Juvenile Hall, schools for troubled girls, and even a santitarium, where she is kept heavily sedated for most of her incarceration there. And this all before she even turned 18.

Lana is not painted as Joan Crawford was, in "Mommy Dearest", but it seemed to be more about the lifestyle of the rich and famous in the 1940's and 50's that goes on trial here. Cheryl Crane must have had to summon up quite a bit of courage to tell this story. It could not have been easy reliving many of the events. She describes in remarkable details, her life as a child, her "detour" through life, and how she finally found peace with herself.

It is a compelling and inspiring story that evoked quite a bit of emotion throughout the read, as she sets the record straight for us and for herself.

Thank you and enjoy the read....Laurie

I have read dozens of non-fiction books, many in the True Crime and Hollywood genres, but no book left me more stunned that the spectacular, horrifying, amazing story of screen siren Lana Turner's daughter Cheryl Crane. Cheryl grew up during the heyday of movie gods and goddesses, and, as a bona fide Hollywood princess herself, saw first-hand the over-the-top lifestyle of excess and spoilage the industry wrought. The heart of the book is about one of the most talked-about scandals in Hollywood history--the murder of reputed mob soldier Johnny Stampanato. It was 14-year-old Cheryl, overhearing a fierce argument between her mother and then-boyfriend Stampanato, that compelled her to rush into the boudiour and stab the man to death. What followed is a well-documented, horrific life that only the softspoken and well-mannered Cheryl Crane could live to tell--the true detour of this forceful and harrowing story. Throughout the book are tales of growing up abused, rich, spoiled and sheltered in the demanding world of Old Hollywood. Ms. Crane's story is sure to shake awake the demons of yesteryear with her unblinking portrayal of her mother, Ms. Turner, and the situations that led up to her betrayal by the Juvenile Courts and her own family. If the classic Mommie Dearest was about murder, you'd have Detour. An amazing read that deserves a space on your shelf.

Maybe I am the wrong person to ask since Lana Turner is my all time favorite hollywood star but her daughter's book "Detour" is the best hollywood book I have ever read. She tells what it was like to be a Hollywood Princess, back when the word really ment something. The tells what it was like to be pampered and spoiled. She tells about having one of the most famous stars in the world as her mother. She lived next door to Judy Garland and across the street from Humphry Boogart. Ava Gardner gossiped in her mother's room and Tarzan star Lex Barker became her step father-later sexually abusing her for years. But mostly, she tells the story that only Cheryl Crane can tell-what it was like to be the key player in one of the great Hollywood scandals of all time; the murder of Johnny Stompanato. Cheryl lived an amazing life under amazing situations and now lives quietly in a loving, stable relationship of love and respect. She writes a true Hollywood story, un! like anyone else could write.

Lana Turner (1920-1995) came from the mining camps of Idaho to win fame as the inimitable sweater girl of the golden era of

Hollywood. She wed seven times; engaged in numerous affairs and

was a party animal who loved men, clothes, glamour and movie-

making.

Her only child was Cheryl Crane the daughter of Turner and her

her Hoosier entrepeneur husband Stephen Crane. Cheryl grew up in

a strict household being forced to dress like a little girl into her teens. Cheryl was sent to several boarding schools; had a

complex relationship with her wild mama and her devoted grandmother. She saw many unsavory events in the life of her

mother. The most notablle incident in her life was being charged with murder in a Good Friday 1958 stabbing of mobster Johnny

Stampanato her mother's infamous lover. Crane was aquitted but spent years in juvenile detention and tough Catholic school

environments. She also spent nine months in a Connecticut mental institution fo the rich.

Cheryl Crane reveals that she was cruelly raped countless times by the loathsome Lex Barker (Tarzan) who had wed her mother.

Crane details Lana's fastlane life in Europe and the states

as the wife of such notables as Bob Topping and Mr. Crane.

Lana Turner was an immature woman who loved the high life.

She was not innately cruel but her mothering skills were nil.

Crane's book was published in 1988. She has grown in maturity and has had a longterm lesbian relationship with a

talented woman.

If you want a quick read that is fascinating on the Hollywood life of the rich and famous then this well written

autobiography is worth your time.

Lana Turner, gorgeous platinum blonde bombshell from Hollywood's glory days, had a daughter with her second husband, a girl she named Cheryl Christina Crane, who is the author of this book. Interestingly enough, Cheryl wrote it while her mother was still alive, a rarity with the child-of-a-star-tell-all- books. I don't know how she had the nerve to do that, since she paints a rather unflattering portrait of Ms. Turner. Cheryl writes from (in my mind) the perspective of a baffled, hurt child, who can't understand how to get close to her beautiful Mommy. She maintains that Lana was so busy climbing the Hollywood ladder and pursuing a whirl-wind social/romantic life, that she left her only child in harm's way quite often, and as a result Cheryl suffered various forms of abuse, the most serious charge being that Lana's fourth or fifth husband, Tarzan portrayer Lex Barker, forced himself on Cheryl, numerous times for more than two years. I personally think the pain of that experience has shaped the author of this book into who she is today. Happily, Cheryl and her mother reconciled and had years of unequaled tranquility and friendship, and were able to slay all their dragons. Today, Cheryl writes that she is a successful business woman in a loving relationship with her female partner of more than a quarter century, Josh Leroy. You have to admire her honesty. And, oh yes! "The BIG Event" concerning the fatal stabbing of Lana's gangster boyfriend is chronicled here with unflinching honesty and in vivid detail.

...of the hell of growing up as the child of a movie star, circa 1950's. From Crane's terribly lonely girlhood, in which she was subjected to the casual cruelty of a self-absorbed mother (Lana Turner) and just plain mean nannies, to an adolescence based upon keeping her mother's image pure and classy, in which Crane had to deal with repeated rape by one of her stepfathers (Lex Barker), and her mother's violent, mobster boyfriend (Johnny Stompanato), the reader goes on a nightmarish ride with a girl whose only crime is being born to the wrong parents.

When Crane accidently kills Stompnato, while investigating her mother's screams for help, her nightmare really intensifies with a trial, literal incarceration at a boarding school worthy of Charlotte Bronte's macabre imagination, and her efforts to escape her mother's control and self-interest, which never takes Crane's interests into account. Despite the fact that Lana Turner must have been the world's worst mother, Crane's tone is not one of revenge, resentment. or hatred. She really did and does love her abominable mother. This forgiving attitude makes the book readable, and believable. It is not a "Mommie Dearest" expose, but rather a straightening out of the record.

An interesting, but very sad story. I hope Crane is a happy woman at last.

We like to think that movie stars and their families have perfect lives - that because fame, riches and power is at their disposal, that nothing can ever go wrong. Cheryl Crane bravely rips down this glossy facade and tells what it was really like growing up as the daughter of Lana Turner, a "star baby" who appeared to have it all. But in reality, her childhood years were full of confusion, longing for love and acceptance, and unspeakable horrors. From her yearning for her mother's love and affection, her father's distance, the horrific sexual abuse by one of her stepfathers, actor Lex Barker, to the fatal Good Friday when she stabbed mobster Johnny Stompanato to protect her mother, Crane tells it all in candid detail. Here too is her struggle to find an identity away from her mother's fame, her own noteriety and the glare of Hollywood. Through it all, Cheryl has made peace with her past, her parents, and found an unconditional love that she always sought. And her touching comments on how children should always be heard, that abused kids should not have to be silent, accused of dishonesty, or continue to suffer the pangs for years because what happened to them was not acknowledged. She also gives some interesting ancedotes of quite a few Tinsletown personalities. A moving and
inspiring book, and above all, a darn good read.

Cheryl Crane's autobiography is one of the most candid books written about Hollywood. The only child of screen legend Lana Turner, Cheryl writes about her upbringing in Tinsletown as the daugher of a hard-working actress who had terrible luck with the men in her life. In "Detour: A Hollywood Story" Crane writes how her mother's relationships with these men left a terrible mark on her child with one man ending up murdered and the other molesting Cheryl at a young age.

Johnny Stompanato was killed by Cheryl when she was 14 because she believed the man was going to hurt her mother. He had a history of violence and eventually the killing was ruled as justified. Lex Barker, Lana's good-looking boy-toy and eventual husband (known to audiences as Tarzan in the "Tarzan The Ape" films) regularly raped Cheryl unbeknownst to Lana. Cheryl would reveal what Barker did to her with Lana throwing him out, but not without Cheryl suffering scars from the molestations for life.

A breathtaking book, I have always believed "Detour" would have made an excellent film the same way Christina Crawford's book "Mommie Dearest" was. Honest, candid, and raw, "Detour" is one woman's account of her struggles in being not only the daughter of a famous actress, but a child growing up in the fast lane that was her mother's life, a life that had dire consequences for her child.

Forget soap operas and melodramas; this story has all the glamour, sex, drugs, and crime you can imagine and then some, and it really happened. I remember when Cheryl Crane was the most famous 14-year old in the country; she had just murdered her mother's sleazy boyfriend. Since her mother was Lana Turner, that was Big News.

Cheryl's autobiography discusses that night and she reflects in detail on her privileged, but unhappy, childhood, her alienation from her too-busy mother, terrifying abuse, and a long road to eventual happiness. It's sad, shocking, and a real page-turner. Highly recommended.

I found Cheryl's book to be truthful and very revealing. After all she had gone through in her life, I feel that she should be commended for her forthcoming and honest portrayal of her life with Lana. I have read every account of Lana's life and found her to be a selfish, egocentric person who was more concerned about how she looked than what kind of life she was giving her daughter, however,....out of respect for her mother, Cheryl has eliminated some of the intense drama surrounding Lana's life but to do her justice I must say that she did an excellent job! It is not an easy story to tell and she has told it in a methodical and truthful way.