After Crane turned herself in to police in the early morning hours of April 5, she was interred in a juvenile hall. After serving in World War II, Stompanato returned home with a wife and settled down in Illinois. Crane and Turner alleged that the former had stabbed Stompanato in the stomach when Turner was ushering him out of her bedroom during a violent argument. [55], Depositions in the wrongful death suit began in June 1958. She was the ur-Sweater Girl, a Hollywood sex symbol who was also given the sobriquet “Queen of the Nightclubs” for the rounds she would make to all of the hottest spots in L.A. "He screamed and asked what I was doing. [123] She discovered she was pregnant with Power's child in the fall of 1947, but chose to have an abortion. [339], Turner has been depicted and referenced in numerous works across literature, film, music and art. [183] She also received critical acclaim, with Variety noting that "Turner looks elegant" and "registers strongly,"[184] and, for the first and only time, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. [268] Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times wrote that the film served "as a reminder that Miss Turner was never one of our subtler actresses. [19] Ibrahim contested that Turner's testimony was "all lies" and that she "could have got an Academy Award," to which Crane responded: She was not acting. But mystery still surrounds one of Hollywood’s greatest scandals. [219] In the film, she portrayed Lora Meredith, a struggling stage actress who makes personal sacrifices to further her career. [84] Meanwhile, the press continued to fuel rumors that Turner and Gable were romantic offscreen, which Turner vehemently denied. Deliberations were short and the verdict final: Stompanato’s killing was a justified homicide. "[56] Other publications intimated that Turner's testimony at the inquest was a performance; Life magazine published a photo of Turner testifying in court with stills of her in courtroom scenes from three films she had starred in. "[129], In August 1947, immediately upon completion of Cass Timberlane, Turner agreed to appear as the female lead in the World War II-set romantic drama Homecoming (1948), in which she was again paired with Clark Gable, portraying a female army lieutenant who falls in love with an American surgeon (Gable). She told Donahue that her parents never discussed the murder with her, and that it wasn’t until years later that she and her mother spoke about what happened and became a tight-knit pair. In 2007, Time magazine deemed the case one of the most notorious crimes of the 20th century. [37][34] During the ruling, it was noted by press that Crane took the decision "without any show of emotion. "[321], According to her daughter, Turner's obsessive attention to detail often resulted in dressmakers storming out during dress fittings. In 2012, 48 Hours presented a special profiling the case, which featured conversation between several historians, Crane, and John Ibrahim, Stompanato's son. [61], The suit was submitted to the court of Walter Allen,[61] and was eventually settled out of court for a reported $20,000 in May 1962. [64][65] Though they had only briefly known each other, Turner recalled being "stirred by his eloquence," and after their first date the two spontaneously decided to get married. [256] According to Turner, Pellar (also known as Ronald Dante or Dr. Dante)[257] falsely claimed to have been raised in Singapore and to have a Ph.D. in psychology. When he approached Lana Turner, he did so using an alias, as was his style. For the fashion stylist and collector, see. And if I can’t do it, I have friends who will. "[50] When Turner took the stand, a "hush fell over the crowd as the famous actress sat down, removed one white glove, and filled her lungs with a deep, steady intake of air. On April 4, 1958, Turner's 14 year old daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed to death small-time gangster Johnny Stompanato, Turner's current lover, after overhearing him make threats towards her mother. I have always believed that Turner was the one who stabbed him. In the intervening years, Stompanato's homicide has been subject of conspiracy theories that Turner had in fact stabbed him, and that Crane had taken the blame to protect her mother, though Crane has denied this. I didn’t want anybody to know my predicament, how foolish I’d been, how I’d taken him at face value and been completely duped. [116] Reviews of the film, including Turner's performance, were glowing, with Bosley Crowther of The New York Times writing it was "the role of her career. One of the prevailing conspiracy theories holds that Lana Turner was the one holding the knife that night, and that Crane took the blame knowing that the punishment wouldn’t be as severe. When he set his sights on Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra appealed to Cohen, who allegedly responded, “I don’t mix in with no guys and their broads, Frank.”. Stompanato’s family, in particular, always believed that there was more to the story. [295] At the urging of her daughter, Turner underwent radiation therapy,[292] and in February 1993, announced that she was in full remission. [48] Several law enforcement officials, as well as Turner, Stephen Crane, and their attorney, Giesler, were present, and Borders attested that the version of events as told by Cheryl was consistent upon repeated questioning. During the shoot, Turner began an affair with her co-star Fernando Lamas, which ended after Lamas physically assaulted her; the incident also caused Lamas to lose his MGM contract upon the production's completion. [19], A 1962 novel by Harold Robbins entitled Where Love Has Gone was inspired by Stompanato's death, followed by a 1964 film adaptation starring Susan Hayward and Bette Davis. Crane heard the commotion and came to check on her mother, who told her to go to her bedroom. [224][230] Worried she was still suffering from the trauma of Stompanato's death, Turner sent Cheryl to the Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut. Lana Turner testifies at the inquest into the death of Johnny Stompanato. TURNER DIED AT 75. “[H]is neck veins stood out and he breathed from one side of his mouth. And he said, 'My God, Cheryl, what have you done? She was born on February 8, 1921 at Wallace, Idaho, United States. [317], Historians have cited Turner as one of the most glamorous film stars of all time, an association that was made both during her lifetime[318][319][320] and after her death. [323] Turner often purchased her favorite styles of shoes in every available color, at one time accumulating 698 pairs. "[213] She was ultimately released to the care of her grandmother, and was ordered to regularly visit a psychiatrist alongside her parents. [241] The same year, she starred in By Love Possessed (1961), based on James Gould Cozzens' novel, playing a woman who has an affair with a lawyer. Lamas was replaced by Ricardo Montalbán upon being dismissed by MGM. [346] Turner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard. [185] Though grateful for the nomination, Turner would later state that she felt it was not "one of my better roles. And they were treated like stars. The movie star Lana Turner had been trying to break up with her abusive mafioso boyfriend for some time. "[330], Defenders of Turner's acting ability, such as Jessica Hope Jordan[331] and James Robert Parish,[332] cite her performance in The Postman Always Rings Twice as an argument for the value of her work. Some of the stars are magnetic dazzlers on celluloid and ordinary, practical, polo-coated little things in private life. “[H]is neck veins stood out and he breathed from one side of his mouth. by Allison McNearney, Daily Beast Updated Sep. 07, 2020 5:00AM ET / Published Sep. 05, 2020 12:43AM ET The movie star Lana Turner had been trying to break up with her abusive mafioso boyfriend for some … [91] Arriving to sell bonds in her hometown of Wallace, Idaho, she was greeted with a banner that read "Welcome home, Lana," followed by a large celebration during which the mayor declared a holiday in her honor. Confidential (1990). [62], Stompanato's homicide has had an enduring presence in true crime popular culture and mythology,[63] and was named one of the "crimes of the century" by Time magazine in 2007. She was released in late April, and placed under the guardianship of her grandmother. [6], Over the following months, Turner and Stompanato carried on a tempestuous relationship filled with violent arguments, physical abuse inflicted upon her by him, and repeated reconciliations. [158] She began filming Latin Lovers, a romantic musical in which Lamas had originally been cast. [177] In July 1957,[95] she filed for divorce from Barker after her daughter Cheryl alleged that he had regularly molested and raped her over the course of their marriage. On the April evening of Good Friday 1958, she decided to end things once and for all. [142] A Life of Her Own was among the least successful of Cukor's films, receiving unfavorable reviews and low box-office sales. She studied with a dramatic coach and soon co-starred successfully with such leading M-G-M actors as Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable and Robert Taylor. bringing up Stompanato's lie about his age. She wrote that she had also been sexually abused by Stompanato. [112] The film was a box-office hit.[112][113]. [196], In September 1957, Stompanato visited Turner in London, where she was filming Another Time, Another Place, co-starring Sean Connery. The encounter led to her first film role, in "They Won't Forget." [163], In 1955, MGM's new studio head Dore Schary had Turner star as a pagan temptress in the Biblical epic The Prodigal (1955), her first CinemaScope feature. Because of said doubt, plaintiff allege[d] that both of said defendants did inflict the said stab wound in the body of John Stompanato. "[144] Though she was unenthusiastic about the screenplay, Turner agreed to appear in the film after executives promised her suspension would be lifted upon doing so. She exuded a sensuality and glamour whose allure was only matched by her real life antics. Her romantic entanglements fed the Hollywood press, and she would marry eight times to seven husbands throughout her life. [85] "I adored Mr. Gable, but we were [just] friends," she later recalled. "[249] Kaspar Monahan of the Pittsburgh Press lauded her performance, writing: "Her performance, I think, is far and away her very best, even rating Oscar consideration in next year's Academy Award race, unless the culture snobs gang up against her. [197] Their meeting was initially happy, but they soon began fighting. But Turner had something even better than talent, as far as the Golden Age of Hollywood was concerned. As is to be expected of one of the biggest scandals to ever hit Hollywood, a veil of doubt still lingers around the affair. [276] During rehearsals, a stagehand told reporters that Turner was "the hardest working broad I've known.