Hollywood & Crime: Johnny Stompanato, the Gangster Killed By Lana Turner's Daughter

When I was doing my Master’s degree in film studies, I took a course on the literature of Hollywood. We read books such as They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, The Day of the Locust, and Play It As It Lays, and talked about how literary narratives of the American film industry shaped and were shaped by such stories. This is a city built on myth, after all. During one class, we discussed Inside Daisy Clover, a thinly-veiled fictionalisation of Judy Garland that served as a pastiche on many a “star is born” legend from classic Hollywood. We got onto the subject of Lana Turner, and my teacher, a lovely American woman who seemed unflappable, went on a brief rant about how Turner 100% killed her boyfriend. It was an unexpected tangent, but one that reminded me of a legendary true crime case from Hollywood’s golden age that continues to inspire speculation. How could it not? It involves a glamorous blonde bombshell, a sadistic gangster, and a knife.

The discovery of Lana Turner is one of the most legendary parts of Hollywood lore. The story goes that Julia Jean “Lana” Turner, a teenage girl from Idaho who moved to California to help with her mother’s poor health, was drinking a Coca-Cola at Schwab’s Pharmacy when a talent scout spotted her and asked if she’d like to be in pictures. It’s mostly true, although Lana herself said it happened at Top Har Malt Shop while she was skipping school. She was spotted by William R. Wilkerson, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter, who asked her if she’d be interested in a job on the big screen. Lana responded, “I’ll have to ask my mother first.”

Mrs. Turner said it was okay, and soon, Turner was signed to a contract with Warner Bros. It didn’t take long for her to become a very big deal. She was nicknamed the Sweater Girl thanks to a form-fitting outfit she wore in her film debut, They Won’t Forget. After relocating to MGM, she became one of their biggest stars, sold as a gorgeous love interest to Mickey Rooney (and the aesthetic opposite of Judy Garland) in Love Finds Andy Hardy. Louis B. Mayer knew he could turn her into their top-of-the-bill sex symbol, the next Jean Harlow (who had just died at a tragically young age following an unexpected illness.) Lana Turner was a very big deal, and she was also a tabloid magnet. She got married four times to three men during the ‘40s, and her romantic exploits were covered religiously by fan magazines.