Saturday Memory

October 19, 2024

My father had a regular job as foreman at Arden Milk Company in Los Angeles. He also had a sideline. He was a bookie. He had a sizeable clientele consisting of police, firemen, and local political figures. A year after I was born (1939), Mickey Cohen moved to Los Angeles and began to develop an organized crime family. He was mentored by Bugsy Seigel, the head of the National Crime Syndicate. During the ensuing years, Mickey began to organize all bookies in the Los Angeles area. It was in 1949 when Mickey pressured my dad to join the “family.” My dad said no. At that point, Mikey threatened my dad and our entire family. His threats were not idle, as he had killed or ordered the killing of many. My dad talked to the police, and they ordered full protection for us. The police would take us to and from school and at home there were always two detectives. We were never harmed. The police taught me how to play poker and how to bet and how to read “tells.” I loved this!

In 1950, Mickey Cohen was investigated by the US Senate’s Kefauver Commission and was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to prison for four years. The police protection ended. I followed Cohen’s news after he was released. He became a celebrity and traveled in high circles. Several movies were made in later years featuring Micky Cohen (Bugsy, L.A. Confidential, Gangster Squad, The Lincoln Lawyer.)

Pretty heady times for a kid not yet a teen.