Sean Connery and Johnny Stompanato

Today is Sean Connery's 76th birthday and I had toyed with the idea of posting the "Penis Mightier" spoof from SNL in his honor. However, while reading about Connery over lunch (taking a break from calls and emails) - I came across this nugget in Connery's Wikipedia entry:

While filming "Another Time, Another Place" with Lana Turner, her lover, a hoodlum named Johnny Stompanato, arrived at the studio in response to rumors that she was having an affair with Connery. He waved a gun in Connery's face, and Connery delivered an effective beating. Later, a jury would decide Turner's 14-year old daughter had acted in self-defense when she stabbed the abusive Stompanato to death; according to a forthcoming biography by Robert Sellers, the gangster Mickey Cohen thought Connery was in some way responsible for the death, and Connery spent some time in hiding.

I knew the name of Johnny Stompanato from the great movie LA Confidential but I never realized he was a real-life character. Looking into it a little further it turns out that the death of the LA gangster is being made into a movie starring Keanu Reeves in the title role.

I have long wanted to read some of James Ellroy's books and I think this is just the reminder for me to pick up one of his books this weekend.