King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' with Mickey Cohen and the Hollywood Mob [Hardcover]

Steve Stevens Dfc Dfc (Author), Craig Lockwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

Who would have thought that an acting career that began as a teenage star in the Annette" series on the "The Mickey Mouse Club," Walt Disney's "Zorro," "The Roy Rogers Show," and "That's My Mom" would lead to the role of confidante and assistant to Southern California crime-boss Mickey Cohen? "King of the Sunset Strip" is a pistol-to-the-side-of-your-head Hollywood story. Beginning with the parties, boozing, and sex and the "good-time" macho whoring and gambling of the mob, the story covers the action in Sunset Boulevard penthouses, Beverly Hills mansions, Brentwood estates, and across state lines to Las Vegas. Steve Stevens takes readers down the palm-lined streets of Hollywood to meet film and entertainment giants like Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Louis Prima, Robert Mitchum, and many more.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stevens traded Mickey Mouse for Mickey Cohen in 1959, after the mob mogul saw him play a "tuff guy" onscreen and sent a fan letter. Only 19, Stevens, who'd worked with Annette Funicello on The Mickey Mouse Club, was making the transition from child to adult actor, and under the tutelage of Cohen, he grew up fast in a world of guns, gambling, strippers and celebrities. Though the story is the familiar "innocent lured to the dark side by money, glamour and charisma" arc, Stevens and Lockwood's narrative chugs along after a slow start thanks to some snappy patter ("I was producing enough testosterone to make a major deposit in the Federal Sperm Bank") and the lure of the Hollywood mob-Ricky Nelson, Dean Martin and, of course, Frank Sinatra have cameos. The authors don't flinch from depicting the brutality Stevens endured at the hands of both Cohen and the cops, nor do they hesitate to bestow credit on the mob king when his men aid Stevens's father after a beating by thugs. Contrary to the title, however, this is Stevens's story. Cohen may have ruled the strip, but he's a supporting character in this memoir.
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Review

This is one story that you shouldn't miss! -- Reader Views, August 2006

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 295 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581825072
• ISBN-13: 978-1581825077
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't start it late at night . . ., May 29, 2006

By 

W. C. Doohan (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' with Mickey Cohen and the Hollywood Mob (Hardcover)

. . . unless you want to lose sleep. Once I started reading, I found I didn't want to put it down until I was done. With all the famous names connected with the story, I felt like I was watching a movie while I read it. A totally different view of Hollywood Glamour meeting Hollywood Mob. Everybody loves a celebrity, and if they can't be one, they want to know one, or know somebody who knows one - and Mickey Cohen was no different. It was easy to see how and why a young man could get seduced by the power surrounding someone like Cohen, and, knowing he was bad, still find it hard to break away. Lucky for Stevens, he lived through it, and was able to tell his story.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading, May 24, 2006

By 

A. Hall (florida USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' with Mickey Cohen and the Hollywood Mob (Hardcover)

It is nice to read a Crime book with a fresh approach. A new cast of characters, not the old rehash of Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bugs Moran etc. Stevens and Lockwood take us into a world that very few of us have experienced, intertwining the Hollywood Mob and Show Business. This is a scary and sexy tale of a teenager's journey into the world of public enemy number one Mickey Cohen and his 'boys'. I enjoyed this read, and it would make a great movie.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing, May 30, 2006

By 

T. Jenkins "Serious" (West of Medical Center, South of Highland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' with Mickey Cohen and the Hollywood Mob (Hardcover)

In an era of overhyped mobfathers, Stevens takes us back to a bygone era when the underworld meant mystery and intrigue. For anyone not expecting earth shattering revelations such as who shot Kennedy or where Jimmy Hoffa was buried are in for a real treat. A most entertaining trip down memory lane via the mind and imagination of Steve Stevens. One of the most endearing qualities of this book is the ability of the author to paint a vivid picture of each characters unique personality. You almost get a feeling that you are reading a film script instead of a non-fiction crime story. I highly recommend this title for its entertainment value and readability. If you want specifics you'd be better off reading one of the older titles on Cohen but this one is by far the most entertaining and unique.