Tinseltown : murder, morphine, and madness at the dawn of Hollywood

New York Times Bestseller • Edgar Award winner for Best Fact CrimeThe Day of the Locust meets The Devil in the White City & Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true tale of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, & the creation of the modern film industry.By 1920, the movies had suddenly become America’s new favorite pastime, & one of the nation’s largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence. Yet Hollywood’s glittering ascendency was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies—including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now.In a fiendishly involving narrative, bestselling Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse cast that surrounded him—including three beautiful, ambitious actresses; a grasping stage mother; a devoted valet; & a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet. And overseeing this entire landscape of intrigue was Adolph Zukor, the brilliant & ruthless founder of Paramount, locked in a struggle for control of the industry & desperate to conceal the truth about the crime. Along the way, Mann brings to life Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties: a sparkling yet schizophrenic town filled with party girls, drug dealers, religious zealots, newly-minted legends & starlets already past their prime—a dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate.A true story recreated with the suspense of a novel, Tinseltown is the work of a storyteller at the peak of his powers—and the solution to a crime that has stumped det Hollywood Chronicler William J. Mann Draws On A Rich Host Of Sources, Including Recently Released Fbi Files, To Unpack The Story Of The Enigmatic William Desmond Taylor, The Popular President Of The Motion Picture Directors Association, And The Diverse Cast That Surrounded Him Before He Was Murdered In 1922-- Including Three Beautiful, Ambitious Actresses, The Ruthless Founder Of Paramount Locked In A Struggle For Control Of The Film Industry, A Grasping Stage Mother, A Devoted Valet, And A Gang Of Two-bit Thugs, Any Of Whom Might Have Fired The Fatal Bullet. Preamble To Intrigue -- A Cold Morning In Southern California -- Suspects, Motives, And Circumstances. A Man Called Creepy ; Babylon ; Three Desperate Dames ; The Orator ; A Race To The Top ; Mabel ; Gibby ; Mary ; Rivals And Threats ; Good-time Girl ; Locusts ; The Maddest Woman ; Impudent Things ; Dope Fiends ; Greater Than Love ; The Sex Thrill ; Prying Eyes ; So This Is What Is Going On ; Five Thousand Feel Of Immorality ; Bunco Babe ; Among The Lions ; Depravity ; Questions Of Loyalty ; A Cluster Of Calamities ; A Product Of The Gutters ; Riding For A Fall ; Bad Checks ; The Highest Possible Standards ; On Edge ; A Work So Important ; A Ghastly Strain ; A House In The Hills ; Last Day ; A Shot -- Hunting, Hustling, And Hiding. The Dead Man On The Floor ; Reactions ; King Of The Cops ; The Moral Failures Of One Concern ; ; Do You Think That I Killed Mr. Taylor? ; Powder Burns ; Evidence Found ; Dames Even More Desperate ; The Need For Vigilance ; Taking Him For A Fool ; Mr. Hays Goes To Work ; The Morbidly Curious ; Her Own Boss ; No Time To Talk ; A Great Injustice Has Been Done ; A Question Of Motives ; A Company Of Outlaws ; The Savior ; The Sky's The Limit ; The Spirits Speak ; Last Chance ; Evidence Missing ; Trigger Happy ; A Cold-blooded Business ; No Happy Endings ; Raising Capital ; A New Man On The Job ; Unfair Competition ; Trapped Like Rats ; Coming Out Of Hiding ; The End Of The Road ; Readjustments ; Unexpected Developments ; Manhunt -- Closing The Case. Three Dames No Longer So Desperate ; End Of An Era ; We Are Making Real Progress -- A Confession -- What Happened To Everyone Else. William J. Mann. Includes Bibliographical References (pages [429]-463). The Day of the Locust meets The Devil in the White City and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true tale of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, and the creation of the modern film industry By 1920, the movies had suddenly become Americas new favorite pastime, and one of the nations largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence. Yet Hollywoods glittering ascendency was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragediesincluding the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now. In a fiendishly involving narrative, bestselling Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse cast that surrounded himincluding three beautiful, ambitious actresses; a grasping stage mother; a devoted valet; and a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet. And overseeing this entire landscape of intrigue was Adolph Zukor, the brilliant and ruthless founder of Paramount, locked in a struggle for control of the industry and desperate to conceal the truth about the crime. Along the way, Mann brings to life Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties: a sparkling yet schizophrenic town filled with party girls, drug dealers, religious zealots, newly-minted legends and starlets already past their primea dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate. A true story recreated with the suspense of a novel, Tinseltown is the work of a storyteller at the peak of his powersand the solution to a crime that has stumped detectives and historians for nearly a century. "New York Times Bestseller Edgar Award winner for Best Fact Crime The Day of the Locust meets The Devil in the White City and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true tale of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, and the creation of the modern film industry. By 1920, the movies had suddenly become America's new favorite pastime, and one of the nation's largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence. Yet Hollywood's glittering ascendency was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies-including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now. In a fiendishly involving narrative, bestselling Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse cast that surrounded him-including three beautiful, ambitious actresses; a grasping stage mother; a devoted valet; and a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet. And overseeing this entire landscape of intrigue was Adolph Zukor, the brilliant and ruthless founder of Paramount, locked in a struggle for control of the industry and desperate to conceal the truth about the crime."--Publisher's description