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

How could anything be more unlikely but true? To go from a member of the Mickey Mouse Club to being an errand boy for Mickey Cohen is pretty unique stuff and turned out to be quite hilarious as I soon discovered upon reading this highly entertaining book! The ultra-serious forward by the investigator from the District Attorney's office suggests this book is a warning of the terrible results which come from affiliating with gangsters. But Steve clearly enjoyed himself in what was clearly a fun adventure instead of a tragedy. The only thing "bad" that happened is that Ozzie and Harriet would not allow him on their show any longer because of his unusual affiliations. Truly, this would make a fantastic and riveting movie with a slant into Mickey Cohen's singular personality which may not be found elsewhere.

Steve Stevens was a young teen in the fifties trying to be a movie star. Mickey Cohen was a famous gangster at the time and befriended Steve because he was a teen actor and because he knew Annette Funiciello. It seems that everyone wanted a signed photo of Annette and Steve was accommodating Mickey's gang members with these requests. Steve called him his Uncle Mickey. However, you would not want an Uncle like this. Steve became involved in the crime part of Mickey's life in an almost too innocent way and barely escaped with his life. Steve was John Ashley's roommate for a time and both were lucky that they did not get killed. This is a great fifties story and the best part is that it is a true and scary inside look at just what kind of sociopath Mickey Cohan really was.

But where does one draw the line? There is an enlightening disclaimer in the opening Authors Note: It states that "sequences of events... have gone through memory's filter". That is the perfect focus through which to view "King of the Sunset Strip". A young actor, Steve Stevens, somehow falls into the circle of LA mobster Mickey Cohen. Stevens never rises above the rank of gopher but that low level affiliation is dangerous enough. This is starkly obvious when Mickey's Boys brutally rough up a neighbor who was hassling the author's Dad. Readers will get a whirlwind tour of late 50s and early 60s LA: The Brown Derby, Schwab's Pharmacy, Dino's, among others. There is no doubt the author hung in those establishments. Capos Phil Packer, Fred and Joe Sica are authentic enough and the author's friendship with Annette Funicello was genuine. Yet, one strains to take KSS at face value: Some of the characters are probably composites. The events do not seem to follow a straight sequence. One suspects Stevens has compressed multiple incidents into a manageable few. The 4 star review is a compromise between the 3 it rates as a believable story and the 5 it deserves as entertaining fiction. KSS is definitely quick reading. This very slow reading reviewer finished it is one sluggish day at work. Previous reviewers have stated that they "couldn't put KSS down". Readers won't have to, since the pages will fly by. For pure entertainment, KSS will satisfy. Other reviewers have mentioned movie possibilities. That is a winning concept, though the studio would have to take pains to recreate the LA of the era-a "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" with real people.

If the seedy, underside of Hollywood is what you're craving, look no further than this book. Set in the late 50's, when class was something that couldn't be bought, this story tells the way Hollywood used to be. When people actually did SOMETHING to get recognition and the prices they paid for that recognition. Stevens has a way of making you understand the seduction of being associated with the mob. From first class restaraunts, to all star treatment, to money, to power... It's all there.This book is written with a great sense of humor and honesty that's hard to come by, in this day and age. No sugar coated memories here... The good, the bad and the ugly all come out to play in this page turner. This was a terrific read!!

My Mama always said that truth was stranger than fiction and this personal memoir certainly offers a riveting ride through the mean streets of Tinseltown circa 1959 as no work of fiction could possibly do.Because the events and characters are real and not fiction, the reader feels true chills and thrills as the authors take us through the highs and lows experienced by a very young and impressionable 19 year-old actor trying to keep his balance through the surreal and sometimes violent events that he unexpectedly gets caught up in. Especially interesting are his descriptions of how he innocently became involved with top mobster Mickey Cohen and how Cohen drew him into his world, bit by bit.This book reads like a Sam Spade thriller and would make for a great film noir.