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Photo of the Week: Shooting a Gangster

May 7, 2012 09:00AM
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The producers at BIO.com review hundreds of photos of famous figures each week, from award-winning actors and popular singers, to headliners and scandal-makers. While we're digging through these archives, we often come across amazing photos that we're just dying to share. So, without further ado, here's the one image that stands out to us this week:

 

Organized crime leader Mickey Cohen, Los Angeles, California, 1953 (Photo by Ed Clark/ Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

 

One can only guess the circumstances surrounding the photoshoot from which this picture was produced, where Mickey Cohen is set against headlines relating to his colorful reign as crime boss of the West Coast. The target of both law enforcement (" 'I'll Run Cohen Out,' - Sheriff") and fellow gangsters ("Mob Slugs Rip Cohen, 3 Pals"), Cohen never shied away from the spotlight, but he did make sure to bulletproof his Cadillac and install floodlights and alarm systems at his Brentwood home after it got bombed. Maybe he felt safer out in the open where everyone could see him?

Starting May 9th, BIO will be running Mobsters Marathons on Wednesday nights in prime time.

also in this article

Mickey Cohen

Boxer, Murderer, Organized Crime Boss / 1913 - 1976

Mickey Cohen became the West Coast racket boss in 1947, after his mentor and predecessor, Bugsy Siegel, was assassinated.

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