Princess Fuzzypants here: Gangsters have been a rich vein of material for Hollywood over the decades. The tough guys on screen had nothing on the tough guys who looked at the movie business as a bottomless pit of money from all sorts of angles, scams to violent crime. This book is an interesting collection of shady characters who had their hooks in Tinseltown. Some were in front of the camera. Some were behind the camera and others were just welcome or unwelcome participants in the movie biz.

The Mob or Mafia saw the potential and before long they were pulling many of the strings. Anyone who dared to challenge them did not end well. Some had a veneer of civility, others were just thugs. If you enjoy stories about some of the characters in the early days of film, this will be an interesting and informative read. Five purrs and two paws up.

This is an enjoyable read about all the famous and infamous gangsters who ruled Hollywood. Starting with Joseph Kennedy and how he completely took advantage of Gloria Swanson, leaving her in debt. Other notable gangsters include Bugsy Siegel (I had forgotten George Raft, who had gone on to fame playing gangsters, was friends with them). We learn about Harry Cohen, another notorious man who hung out with the gangsters and also was a bully and predator when he headed Columbia Pictures from 1919-1958 and made or broke careers. I really liked the chapter on Thelma Todd, who died under mysterious circumstances (still unsolved). She married a mobster who was abusive - Pat DiCicco, who went on to marry Gloria Vanderbilt! A fascinating read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

An intriguing look at the mob and their ties in Hollywood. The book was packed full of gangsters, stars, and what happened behind the scenes. The stories were full of first-hand accounts of the events, making it even more interesting. A great read!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was very interested in the premise of this book, but I realized very quickly that I am not a non-fiction reader. It was hard to keep up with all the different characters, and I ultimately ended up DNF-ing this one.

Tinseltown Gangsters is and interesting story of the the influence that organized crime had on the Hollywood. The author rounds up the usual subjects Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, and the "Outfit" in Chicago all play a starring role in the rampant greed and murder that held sway over the entertainment industry.
The gangsters saw an opportunity to get their hands on the millions of dollars that were being made in the movie business, and did not hesitate to muscle their way to the table.
The author provides significant background to some familiar famous mobster/celebrity connections.
The book also details the pervasive sexual harassment casting couch culture that existed in Tinseltown.
To really enjoy this book, skip the introduction which provides a Cliff Note worthy description of each chapter.

Thankyou NetGallery and Rowan & Littirfield Publishers for allowing me to read the e-book “Tinseltown Gangsters” by Jeffrey Sussman.Jeffrey Sussman’s “Tinseltown Gangsters” is an enjoyable tour of the major gangsters who muscled-into the film industry early on and wielded, not only great influence, but earned vast sums intimidating the studios.
Taking over production unions and demanding monthly payments a long cast of colorful underworld figures found Hollywood as lucrative “a hunting ground for payoffs and ‘kickbacks’ as gambling and prostitution.
Each chapter brings to life the colorful characters and periods with far more detail and irony than most of us ever imagined. From bigger-than-life men like “Bugsy Siegel” to incredibly influential and powerful figures like Sidney Kruckshank Sussman delivers a vast picture of corruption, power, death threats, criminal takeovers and star-studded relationships that formed a “giant behind-the-scenes world” of Hollywood from the 1930s thru the 1980s.