Lana Turner was Hollywood's biggest female star in the 1940s. She was possessed of a "...lustrous mane of blond hair (and) dirigible-sized breasts..." despite which (because of which?) her love life was problematic. By 1957 Lana had been married and divorced four times.
A man called John Steele began chasing Miss Turner in April 1957. He sent her flowers and love notes, and phoned her constantly. Ignoring this stranger's approaches at first, the man's taste in music, his apparent refinement and debonair style began to pique Lana's interest.
John Steele was on a mission to win the intoxicating movie star, spending a lot of time discovering her likes and dislikes, whatever made her tick. Eventually they met, and when they did so, she was "...pleased and titillated to discover that he was tall, husky, dark-haired and handsome."
So began a year-long relationship of passion and violence. John Steele was a nom de lust - the man's real name was Johnny Stompanato, a Mafia thug who worked for Mickey Cohen. Johnny was possessive and jealous, and stated more than once that he would never let Lana be with another man.
Matters came to a head in April of 1958, when Turner's daughter, Cheryl, decided to put an end to Stompanato's consistent beating of her mother. With a carving knife, Cheryl stabbed Johnny Stompanato to death in her Beverly Hills home, an act the courts called 'justifiable homicide'.
I can't decide which of the following truths applies:
If you commit murder, be a minor.
Over-the-top men are too good to be true.
Ownership of a large bosom doesn't guarantee a happy life.
Green Lights Part One, Green Lights Part Two, Green Lights Part Three, Green Lights Part Four.
All quotes from 'Among the Mansions of Eden' by David Weddle.
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