Hollywood Godfather: The Life and Crimes of Billy Wilkerson

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eBay item number:255705676077
Last updated on Jan 23, 2025 07:09:22 PSTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Brand New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See the ...
Artist
Wilkerson III, W. R.
ISBN
9781613736609
Book Title
Hollywood Godfather : the Life and Crimes of Billy Wilkerson
Publisher
Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Item Length
9 in
Publication Year
2018
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Illustrator
Yes
Item Height
1.1 in
Author
W. R. Wilkerson III
Genre
Language Arts & Disciplines, Biography & Autobiography
Topic
Publishing, Entertainment & Performing Arts, Business
Item Weight
22.9 Oz
Item Width
6 in
Number of Pages
352 Pages
Category

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
ISBN-10
1613736606
ISBN-13
9781613736609
eBay Product ID (ePID)
236653609

Product Key Features

Book Title
Hollywood Godfather : the Life and Crimes of Billy Wilkerson
Number of Pages
352 Pages
Language
English
Topic
Publishing, Entertainment & Performing Arts, Business
Publication Year
2018
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Language Arts & Disciplines, Biography & Autobiography
Author
W. R. Wilkerson III
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
1.1 in
Item Weight
22.9 Oz
Item Length
9 in
Item Width
6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2018-021889
Dewey Edition
23
Reviews
"Scandal at the Dream Factory! Based on unique and original research, Willie Wilkerson's sparkling new book provides devastating insight into the history of organized crime in Hollywood." --ROBERT LACEY, historical consultant, The Crown , and author of The Year 1000 , Great Tales from English History , Inside the Kingdom , and Monarch, "Billy Wilkerson's lawyer called him a 'desperado'--bold and reckless. Willie Wilkerson's poignant telling of his father's story reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of one of the twentieth century's most influential publishers. Like a Mississippi riverboat captain, Billy Wilkerson held high society in one hand and organized crime in the other. This is a masterfully written must-read for anyone who wants to know the truth about what happened behind the velvet ropes of Hollywood's golden age."-- B. JAMES GLADSTONE, author of The Man Who Seduced Hollywood, "Willie Wilkerson's biography of his father fascinatingly illuminates the life of one of Hollywood's most important, dashing, but unsavory historical figures. Read it and encounter a storybook raconteur--and be transported to a magical time when America's western outposts, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, were turning from orange tree pastures and deserts to the centers of the dark side of American culture." -- SHEILA WELLER, author of Girls Like Us and Dancing at Ciro's, "Mr. Wilkerson's fascinating book, with its marvelous anecdotes and pause-giving speculations, reads like the wind."-- The Wall Street Journal, "Payoffs provided a generous living for gangsters like "Handsome Johnny" Rosselli, who with his Chicago allies orchestrated the treaty, with the help of Wilkerson, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter , who provided his own mob contacts as well as friendly press coverage. Wilkerson's son, W.R. Wilkerson III, details this curious alliance in his candid and well researched book, Hollywood Godfather ." -- Deadline
Dewey Decimal
647.95793135092
Synopsis
Billy Wilkerson was the most powerful man in Hollywood during the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. He was owner and publisher of the Hollywood Reporter, the film industry newspaper that became known as "Hollywood's bible," and he built the Café Trocadero and other legendary nightspots of the Sunset Strip. In thirty years as Tinseltown's premier behind-the-scenes power broker, Wilkerson introduced Clark Gable and Lana Turner to the world, brought the Mafia to Hollywood, engineered the shakedown of the Hollywood studios by Willie Bioff and his mob-run unions, helped invent Las Vegas, tangled with Bugsy Siegel (and possibly was involved with his murder), touched off the Hollywood blacklist, and conspired to cripple the studio system. Perhaps nobody in Hollywood history has ever ruined so many careers or done so much to reshape the movie industry as Billy Wilkerson, yet there has never been a solid biography of the man. Billy's son, William R. Wilkerson III, has done tremendous research on his father, interviewing over decades everyone who knew him best, and portrays him beautifully--and damningly--in this book., Billy Wilkerson was the most powerful man in Hollywood during the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. He was owner and publisher of the Hollywood Reporter, the film industry newspaper that became known as "Hollywood's bible," and he built the Caf Trocadero and other legendary nightspots of the Sunset Strip. In thirty years as Tinseltown's premier behind-the-scenes power broker, Wilkerson introduced Clark Gable and Lana Turner to the world, brought the Mafia to Hollywood, engineered the shakedown of the Hollywood studios by Willie Bioff and his mob-run unions, helped invent Las Vegas, tangled with Bugsy Siegel (and possibly was involved with his murder), touched off the Hollywood blacklist, and conspired to cripple the studio system. Perhaps nobody in Hollywood history has ever ruined so many careers or done so much to reshape the movie industry as Billy Wilkerson, yet there has never been a solid biography of the man. Billy's son, William R. Wilkerson III, has done tremendous research on his father, interviewing over decades everyone who knew him best, and portrays him beautifully--and damningly--in this book.
LC Classification Number
HC102.5.W544A3 2018

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4.8
4 product ratings
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  • by stemy_9234
    Sep 16, 2025

    Compelling story of Hollywood luminary and creation of Las Vegas.

    Original publisher of The Hollywood Reporter rubbed elbows with the mob and was instrumental in creation of Las Vegas!

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: second.sale

  • by patwarnock2011
    Jan 22, 2019

    Hooray for Hollywood

    great book about Billy Wilkerson

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: NewSold by: greatbookprices2

  • by momndad3
    Nov 03, 2020

    INTERESTING BOOK I HIGHLY RECOMMEND

    Excellent book on a fascinating man!

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: NewSold by: duckrivermkt

  • by radiomango
    Jun 05, 2025

    Usual wholesome deliciousness. Happy fee...

    Usual wholesome deliciousness. Happy feet.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: goodwillminnesota

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