L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City

At the end of: Kennedy, The Enemy Within, 8.

One day in the: Author interview with Harold Sullivan, July 26, 2007.

The turning point came: Author interview with Joe Parker, December 1213, 2004.

Chapter Twenty: The Mike Wallace Interview

“I killed no men …”: Mickey Cohen to Mike Wallace, May 19, 1957; Wallace and Gates, Close Encounters, 49.

When Mickey Cohen: In 1950, Graham switched from describing his revivals as “Campaigns” to calling them “Crusades.” Graham, Just As I Am, 163.

Richardson responded by saying: Graham, Just As I Am, 150, 162, 174-75, 190-92.

Graham and Cohen had: See Jennings, “The Private Life of a Hood,” conclusion, October 11, 1958, for an admission from “Picked for Cohen Role in Film, Skelton Says,” Los Angeles Times, May 25, 1961, 2. W. C. Jones admitted to only about $18,000 in gifts.

“He’s invited me …”: “Mickey Cohen Sees Billy Graham, Talks on Religion, Former Mobster Goes to N.Y. for Conference,” Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1957, B1.

In the summer of: Adams, “Mike Wallace Puts Out Dragnet to Line Up ‘Talent’ for His New Show,” New York Times, April 21, 1957, 105; Wallace and Gates, Close Encounters, 21-24, 32-33.

That fall: Wallace and Gates, Close Encounters, 45.

Wallace’s interviews: Author interview with Al Ramrus, March 18, 2008; Wallace and Gates, Close Encounters, 31-32.

When Ramrus contacted Mickey: Cohen, In My Own Words, 171. The claim that Billy Graham pushed Cohen to talk to Mike Wallace should be viewed with a certain degree of skepticism since Mickey himself is the sole source for this claim. Jennings, “Private Life of a Hood, Part III,” October 4, 1958, reports that Cohen also received $1,800 for expenses.

When Cohen flew: Author inteview with Al Ramrus, March 18, 2008, provides most of the account that follows. See also Wallace and Gates, Close Encounters, 48-53. Wallace recalled another companion named Arlene—presumably the nightclub dancer Arlene Stevens—and places Mickey in the Hampshire House. Wallace, Between You and Me, 160-67.

“I have a police chief”: Wallace and Gates, Close Encounters, 50; Wallace, Between You and Me, 161-63.

“Well, Mickey, you’re a …”: “Important Story,” Time, June 3, 1957; “Parker Seeks Grand Jury Action Over Cohen Blast,” Los Angeles Times, May 21, 1957, B1.

Mickey Cohen wasn’t: See Harnisch, “Cohen Talks,” for an interesting discussion of the controversy about whether to air the episode on the West Coast and an explanation of kinescope technology. Harnish, Daily Mirror blog (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2007/05/cohen-talks.html).

The Mike Wallace Interview: Wallace and Gates, Close Encounters, 50-51; Wallace, Between You and Me, 163-64.

Cohen was enraged by: “A.B.C.-TV Retracts Remarks by Cohen,” New York Times, May 27, 1957, 44.

Cohen, meanwhile, was dealing: “Cohen Attends Graham Rally in New York,” Los Angeles Times, May 22, 1957, 10. See also Jennings, “The Private Life of a Hood,” conclusion, October 11, 1958. Brad Lewis, Hollywood’s Celebrity Gangster, says Cohen was paid $15,000 to attend the rally (206). There are no further records of direct encounters between the two men, although evidently Graham’s father-in-law, Dr. Nelson Bell, himself a distinguished preacher, stayed in touch.

“They can’t get away …”: “Cohen Booked for Not Signing Traffic Ticket,” Los Angeles Times, May 26, 1957, 1; “Mickey Cohen’s Traffic Trial Off to Salty Start, Policemen Who Made Arrest Testify That Defendant Delayed Autos at Intersection,” Los Angeles Times, July 11, 1957, 5.

Los Angeles-area: “Cohen Found Guilty, Gets $11 Traffic Fine,” Los Angeles Times, November 12, 1957, 5; “Cohen Jailed for Failure to Register,” Los Angeles Mirror, September 26, 1957, accessed October 12, 2008, via Larry Harnisch’s Daily Mirror blog (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/mickey_cohen/index.html); “Jury Acquits Mickey Cohen on Disturbing Peace Charge, Ex-Convict Ruling May Affect Case,” Los Angeles Times, December 17, 1957, 2.

“I didn’t know a…”: Lewis, Hollywood’s Celebrity Gangster, 208. The profitability of the greenhouse business is somewhat unclear. For a positive assessment of its cash flow, see Salazar, “Violence Marks Cohen’s History,” Los Angeles Times, July 2, 1961.

Henceforth, Mickey would focus: “Chicago Attorney Glad to Stake Mickey Cohen, Admits $22,500 Loan; Says Ex-Gambler Stands to Make Fortune on Life Story,” Los Angeles Times, June 9, 1958, 19.