Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

. . . 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.

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.

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.

Funny, frightening, and for real, KING OF THE SUNSET STRIP is a whirlwind tour through Hollywood fame and infamy in the early 1960s and a great read. I've always wanted to plant a time machine on the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights and travel back through time to see the comings and goings at Schwab's and elsewhere on the Sunset Strip. Stevens and Lockwood made the time machine unnecessary. What starts out as an irreverent teen star bio morphs rapidly into a darkly terrifying nightmare for Stevens in which the blood and violence is very real. Fortunately the journey is lightened by Stevens' self-deprecating humorous asides. The book is a true story that shows that the more innocent times we sometimes long for were not as innocent as they seemed.

KING OF THE SUNSET STRIP is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time. A coming of age story of a young man with so much going for him, winds up in the Hollywood Mob and hanging out with public enemy number one - Mickey Cohen. It is written with humor, but the threat of death for this young man is always just around the corner. I also liked the history of Hollywood and it's hangouts in the late 50's and early 60's. It put me right there on the Sunset Strip with this young man and Mickey Cohen. A fascinating journey back in time and history.

This book gives us an unprecedented and rarified view at close-range of how it must have been for a handsome young Hollywood heart-throb trying to make his way in the movies. An eager young actor gets much more than he expected when he answers a fateful casting call. Instead of a Disney soundstage this story takes place on the sordid backstreets of some of Hollywood's more lurid locales. It is an intriguing, albeit frightening tell-all. A real page turner, that would make an equally fine screenplay. Clearly retired doctor "Bennie" is jealous of Mr. Stevens and his movie career, and most likely of the author's extraordinary luck with America's # 1 sweetheart Annette. Out of spite, he gives the actor,and not the book, a poor review. Proof that retired doctors should stick to reviewing medical journals.

Foist tings foist...so lissen up youse guy'z....and dis means youse !

Wassamatta youse?
Aint'cha never hoid 'bout da TROOF bein' stranger dan fiction ?
Here's da straight poop:

Dis is da REAL deal.
Dese dudes Lockwood and Stevens wuz dere, ya dig?
Dis dude Stevens real life adventure was scarier den any "reel" life Disney adventure !
Dis dude Stevens coulda been sleepin wif da fishes....but he wuz da one what got away...
Dis wuz no "aud call"...dis wuz a real CLOSE CALL !

Dead men don't wear no plaid, and dey don't live ta dish-da-doit and write no kiss'n'tell books, yanno?

Hey...lemme clue ya....DAT pretty much s'plains why youse ain't never read "nothing published before" nowheres 'bout Stevens and Cohen and da inside dope on dis kinda stuff neither....till NOW.


CAPEESH !!!!

Dis book's on fire...'s too HOT to handle, 'ceptin' you jus' can't put it down !


Dese dudes Lockwood and Stevens oughtta knock out da screenplay of dis book....and den mebbe dat Stevens bambino gonna hafta star innit. Mebbe dat Stevens oughtta get even wif da mob and gonna hafta play Uncle Mickey.

Mebbe da movie's gonna be one helluva blockbuster, 'cuz if it's anyting like dis here book it's gonna be jus' like youse wuz bein' dere !

Tanx for one HELLUVA ticket ta ride !

Hollywood Blonde

I loved reading this book and I don't read! This book was suggested to me by a friend who knows both of the authors and I am an avid fan of the Original Mickey Mouse Club and have seen the Annette serial many times. Having these interests, I bought the book and couldn't put it down. I really, really, really enjoyed it and I want to thank both Steve and Craig for the great ride hanging wit' da mob. Whatta great book and I give it 5 stars. Cherry from da Valley

This is an extremely interesting book, knowing Steve helps and made it even more meaningful to me. Also knowing Steve I can tell the one (only one) poor review that he, the reviewer, doesn't know what he's talking about. If Steve says this happened, trust me it happened and just this way. Steve's a real straight shooter. Love it and would highly recommend it. I just got my copy today and have already read several chapters. Its habit forming reading. Great job Steve and Craig.

Whether everything's on the level here or not I have no idea but in the neverland of Hollywood it doesn't surprise me that an ex-Mouseketeer could be drawn into the shadowy and dangerous circle of colorful mobster Mickey Cohen. It is a vastly entertaining read, however, and would make a cool movie.