Mob's Grip on Hollywood: A Century of Crime and Cinema

The documentary series 'Hollywood Crime Story: The Mob Takes Over the Movies' chronicles the extensive infiltration of organized crime into the film industry.

This criminal influence began with early cinema's pioneers and escalated with Prohibition-era syndicates like Chicago's Outfit and New York's Mafia. Figures such as Johnny Roselli, under Al Capone's direction, secured mob interests by funding Columbia Pictures co-founder Harry Cohn in the 1930s.

Subsequent decades saw mobsters like Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel and Mickey Cohen mingling with Hollywood elite, corrupting unions, and even influencing actor's guilds. Their violent methods eventually gave way to more sophisticated control.

By the late 1960s, the 'Supermob,' including figures like Lew Wasserman and Sidney Korshak, leveraged their power through business acumen rather than brute force. This cadre influenced casting, funding, and unionization, reshaping the industry's economic landscape.

The Supermob's influence extended to the production of 'The Godfather,' which inadvertently inspired increased mob emulation of cinematic lifestyles. This period ultimately paved the way for the modern blockbuster era.

Later, mob-affiliated individuals like Louis 'Butchie' Peraino funded legitimate films and independent productions through profits from pornography and cocaine trafficking. This era also saw the downfall of figures like Robert Evans, tied to a cocaine cartel funding disaster.

While concentrated mob power in Hollywood has diffused, organized crime continues to impact the industry through streaming service takeovers and piracy, maintaining a symbiotic relationship with cinema.