An investigative reporter journeys into the dark side of Hollywood glitter, describing the serpentine schemes of conman Jon Emr; the deception that involved marginal wannabes, shady bankers, and Hollywood hangers-on; and his brutal murder. 20,000 first printing. $20,000 ad/promo.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In July 1991 Jon Emr, self-styled movie producer, and his son, Roger, were killed in a drive-by shooting in Culver City, Calif. Also in the car were Jon's mother, Renee, and his girlfriend, Sue Fellows. Renee identified the shooter as Robert Suggs, Jon's bodyguard. A few days before, Suggs had murdered Jon's father, Arthur, in Paradise Valley, Arizona. He had also killed his own girlfriend somewhere in the desert. Suggs's body and that of the girlfriend were found together in December 1992, and the police verdict was murder and suicide. But this book's appeal is not due to the true-crime case; rather, it is the portrait of marginal players and film-industry hangers-on. According to L.A. radio talk-show host Lurie, Emr realized that "the access to Hollywood glamour could be used as a bear trap." He also saw that pretending a close association with famous names was the perfect lure, which he used to con the gullible and strip them of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This riveting Hollywood expose focuses on charming grifter Jon Emr, who practiced his big con posing as a Hollywood producer until his untimely demise. Detailing Emr's notorious cons, journalist and film critic Lurie fleshes out headlines and police reports in a book seething with ambitious grotesques-would-be producers, actors, and scriptwriters-who populate the underbelly of Hollywood. While bordering on the lurid, he vividly etches a morality tale of how Hollywood dreams quickly turn into nightmares. (Tied up in litigation over allegations that Joel Douglas, son of actor Kirk and brother of actor-producer Michael, was involved in Emr's shady goings-on, Lurie had to wait four years to publish this book.) Recommended for entertainment collections.
Jayne Plymale-Jackson, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Jayne Plymale-Jackson, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Slander, lies and over all badly written by the worst kind of "cling-on",
By Truth Finder "Truthfinder" (California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD: Moviemaking, Con Games, and Murder in Glitter City (Hardcover)
Research how many celebrities Rod Lurie has nearly ruined with his no-talent bottom-feeder, BORING work and flops they innocently got involved with him on. Why did the Douglas's fight this guy in court not to publish this for years? Why have others sued him for his lies? What is the first sentence in this book--"To hell with the truth!" Do the math--who is the fraud here? Suggs was a mentally ill maniac who killed five people, which includes himself, women, children and he destroyed so many other innocent lives and valid careers in the wake of his twisted destruction of greed and delusion. Dare I mention all of the other innocent family members of the people in and out of this book who suffered severely for over a year while they thought Suggs was still out there hunting them, and them became persona non-grata from fear that anyone who Suggs might be after or those people knew was also a target.
Lurie COMPLETELY missed this point altogether that the detective and Renee Emr conspired to keep the fact Suggs was an "at large" suspect, not telling anyone they suspected him, while they suffered in terror and pain at the loss of family and friends not knowing who did it for DAYS! AND then had to stay in hiding because Suggs wasn't found until over a year later! Everyone in Hollywood, Scottsdale, Culver City, Malibu, etc. lived in fear for YEARS! And what does Lurie do, capitalize on it! Don't you wonder if this was such a GREAT story, why any of the legitimate people in the industry didn't jump on it? Think about that one long and hard. All Lurie did was add to all that misery. There was a contract on The Last POW that was intially a documentary and later a TV Movie of the week (which Renee and Jon Emr stole, yet again from his brother Art), which Suggs was a bodyguard for in Florida, and a "real" contract in place for the James Dean story. This was eventually done, but not by R. Jon Emr --but, badly, even after Roland (Jon's) death. The real culprit and architect of this story was still alive and in Scottsdale, AZ (other than Suggs or his cohorts) until recently--Renee (Josset) Emr. She nearly starved her husband to death and essentially got him murdered. These families, the Douglas's and Emr's are legitimate, successful families in the industry who had rouge, members. They are not their brother's keepers. J. Roland Emr and his mother were responsible for their own actions, disgraceful cling-on's to those who earned their stripes, degrees, friends and colleagues--and yes awards for it and in the industry. It does take money to make money, but it also takes talent. Lurie has proven that by shinning the light on his lack of it and padding his book with information and meaningless tripe no one cares about, is not true, racist, bias and in outright bad taste gore. At what point does a corner think it is exciting to cut open an old man's head during an autopsy when he knows what killed the man? Seriously. All of Hollywood was scared out of its wits this guy was running around free and going to strike next, and this is it? On that point, the other guy convicted in this crime went to Disneyland the next day, never warning anyone that Suggs was coming to California to kill more people--and is now out of prison and free to do it again to someone else after only 7 years! If you are calling the innocent people, like the senior Mr. Emr (an old builder/grandfather from NJ who had nothing to do with film industry--e.g., likely his name had been forged as had Kirk Douglas's) in this story con's take a lonnnngggg look at the writer first--but before you waste your time and money on this out-of-print piece of junk. If you like gore, lies and bad research, enjoy this read. "A Chance to Live" was made into a movie of the week called the Last POW with Sheen and others! You want a really interesting back-story to this, research the Bobby Garwood real story. Judge for yourself who gets the last laugh and con. And the James Dean story was made into a movie, albeit bad, it was legit. For all the things he did do, nonetheless, Jon Emr did attend college back east in Chicago and classes with Jack Garfein (now in France), even if he was an ass. At LEAST Lurie gives Douglas's and Emr's other family members credit for being legitimate. Identity theft and blacksheep are a common problem then and now. Hell, look at LL on the news every other day. We just hear about it more with today's media.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
SLANDEROUS,
By MARK JOHNSON "MARK" (FLORIDA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD: Moviemaking, Con Games, and Murder in Glitter City (Hardcover)
THE MANS NAME IS ROLAND EMR AND NOT JON AND IS SLANDEROUS TO ALL THE JON EMRS IN THE US. ALSO, HE HAD A VALID CONTRACT WITH NBC AND FRIES ENTERTAINMENT THAT WAS NO CON AT ALL. AND SUGGS WAS NOT A BODYGUARD A FRIEND OF HIS GIRLFRIENDS GIRLFRIEND.
ROD LURIE HAS BEEN SUED BEFORE AND WROTE SLANDER ABOUT CLINTON AS WELL. HE MAY WELL FIND HIMSELF BACK IN COURT AGAIN.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Rod's the fraud,
By Sandii Barsky (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD: Moviemaking, Con Games, and Murder in Glitter City (Hardcover)
A serious disappointment. Not worth even the few dollars it costs to obtain a copy of this now out of print novel. The con game is Mr. Lurie attempting to cash in on the life of a valuable man who is no longer living and who's life ended in tragedy. He seems to attempt to convince the reader that the information told in the pathetic work of fiction comes from reliable sources, I think not. Who's the real fraud?
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