Born in an Idaho mining town as Julia Jean, Lana Turner's nickname growing up was Judy. Her father was murdered in a game of crap's - so her mom brought her to Hollywood.
She attended Hollywood High School, and was ambitious even then. She reportedly skippeed school to work at a cafe in hopes of hooking up with one of the agents that frequented the place.
And it was at this cafe, The Top Hat, not Schwab's as the legend goes, she met Zeppo Marx, Groucho's younger brother. He got her a small part in They Won't Forget.
A small part was all the Sweater Girl would need to get going. She became a pinup queen, and it was off to the races.
Joey In Hollywood - First The High Life, Then The Low
Life
Her personal life was tumultuous. She eventually had seven marriages - including Artie Shaw, Stephen Crane (the restaurant guy, not the poet), and Lex Barker.
She screwed around with a helluva lot more guys than she married - including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Richard Burton, and Kirk Douglas.
There was some talent in there too, and with a little age came some performances notable not only for how her tits appeared beneath a sweater, but for how she acted - most notably in The Postman Always Rings Twice and Peyton Place.
Cheryl Crane All Grown Up
But it would be her affair with small-time gangster Johnny Stompanato that many would remember her for.
Stompanato had worked for Mickey Cohen, who had taken over for Bugsy Siegel. Stompanto, like all good gangsters, had a quick temper - and it often got him into trouble - one time famously with Sean Connery, who ended up knocking Johnny out...literally.
For whatever reason, on Good Friday in 1958 - Johnny was feeling desperate, and went to Lana's looking for money - he was in debt. She refused - and he threatened to cut up her gorgeous face.
Enter Cheryl. Lana's daughter - who intervened and with a butcher knife ended all the debate that evening, but not the speculation.
It was ruled a "Justifiable Homicide". But questions linger.
730 N. Bedford Dr. - Beverly Hills, CA - The Scene of
the Crime
Lana's best performance ever quite possibly could have been the emotional testimony she gave on her daughter's behalf. It worked in that Cheryl got off the legal hook, but she was also sent to live with Lana's mother.
Scandal always means money it seems. From Paris Hilton on back, the scandal actually increased Lana's box office drawing power.
Imitation Of Life, the Douglas Sirk melodrama, was actually her biggest cinematic venture.
Eventually, however, Cheryl ended up in a mental ward for about a year.
After Lana passed away, her servants whispered that Lana had confessed that she was the one who had killed Johnny that night.
Did she? Cheryl Crane won't say. Everyone involved wrote books - and when there's a buck to be made, there is scarcely truth....
And Just For Fun
A List of All of Lana's Husbands
#1: Artie Shaw/bandleader/musician
#2: Josef Stephen Crane/restauranteur
(she actually married this guy again, 2 months after she divorced him!)
#3: Bob Topping/millionaire
#4: Lex Barker/actor
#5: Fred May/rancher
#6: Robert Eaton/businessman
#7: Ronald Dante/nightclub hypnotist
Lana Turner Filmography
Thwarted (1991) .... Margo Lane
"Falcon Crest" (1981) TV Series .... Jacqueline Perrault (1982-1983)
Witches' Brew (1980) .... Vivian Cross
Bittersweet Love (1976) .... Claire
Persecution (1974) .... Carrie Masters
Last of the Powerseekers, The (1971) (TV) .... Tracy Carlyle Hastings
"Survivors, The" (1969) TV Series .... Tracy Carlyle Hastings
Big Cube, The (1969) .... Adriana Roman
Madame X (1966) .... Holly Parker
Love Has Many Faces (1965/I) .... Kit Jordan
Who's Got the Action? (1962) .... Melanie Flood
Bachelor in Paradise (1961) .... Rosemary Howard
By Love Possessed (1961) .... Marjorie Penrose
Portrait in Black (1960) .... Sheila Cabot
Imitation of Life (1959) .... Lora Meredith
Another Time, Another Place (1958) .... Sara Scott
Lady Takes a Flyer, The (1958) .... Maggie Colby
Peyton Place (1957) .... Constance MacKenzie
Diane (1956) .... Diane de Poitiers
Rains of Ranchipur, The (1955) .... Edwina Esketh
Sea Chase, The (1955) .... Elsa Keller
Prodigal, The (1955) .... Samarra
Betrayed (1954) .... Carla Van Oven/Miss Fran Sailors
Flame and the Flesh, The (1954) .... Madeline
Latin Lovers (1953) .... Nora Taylor
Bad and the Beautiful, The (1952) .... Georgia Lorrison
Merry Widow, The (1952) .... Crystal Radek
Mr. Imperium (1951) .... Fredda Barlo
Life of Her Own, A (1950) .... Lily Brannel James
Three Musketeers, The (1948) .... Lady de Winter
Homecoming (1948) .... Lt. Jane 'Snapshot' McCall
Cass Timberlane (1947) .... Virginia Marshland
Green Dolphin Street (1947) .... Marianne Patourel
Postman Always Rings Twice, The (1946) .... Cora Smith
Week-End at the Waldorf (1945) .... Bunny Smith
Keep Your Powder Dry (1945) .... Valerie 'Val' Parks
Marriage Is a Private Affair (1944) .... Theo Scofield West
Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) (uncredited) .... Cameo appearance
Slightly Dangerous (1943) .... Peggy Evans/Carol Burden
Youngest Profession, The (1943) .... Cameo appearance
Somewhere I'll Find You (1942) .... Paula Lane
Johnny Eager (1942) .... Lisbeth 'Liz' Bard
Honky Tonk (1941) .... Elizabeth Cotton
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) .... Beatrix Emery
Ziegfeld Girl (1941) .... Sheila 'Red'/'Flatbush' Regan
We Who Are Young (1940) .... Marjorie 'Margy' White Brooks
Two Girls on Broadway (1940) .... Patricia 'Pat' Mahoney
Dancing Co-Ed (1939) .... Patty Marlow
These Glamour Girls (1939) .... Jane Thomas
Calling Dr. Kildare (1939) .... Rosalie Lewett
Dramatic School (1938) .... Mado
Four's a Crowd (1938) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938) .... Helen Thayer
Chaser, The (1938) (scenes deleted) .... Miss Rutherford
Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) .... Cynthia Potter
Adventures of Marco Polo, The (1938) .... Nazama's Maid
Great Garrick, The (1937) .... Mlle. Auber
They Won't Forget (1937) .... Mary Clay
Topper (1937) (uncredited) .... Extra
Star Is Born, A (1937) (scenes deleted) .... Extra (Santa Anita)
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