Lana Turner was a classic movie star of the studio system. She is best known for her work in The Postman Always Rings Twice and Madame X. She also had a very colorful private life.
One of the biggest scandals occurred in 1958. Her then-14-year-old daughter Cheryl Crane killed Johnny Stompanato. Johnny was Lana’s abusive boyfriend. He also had ties to the gangster Mickey Cohen.
Lana Turner was born Julia Jean Turner on February 8, 1921, in Wallace, Idaho. Her childhood was not easy. Her father was murdered in 1930 and the case was never solved. Her single mother tried to support her as a hairdresser, but money was tight. Sometimes Lana would be sent to live with family friends. One of these families abused her.
Lana and her mother moved to Los Angeles. There are many different versions of the story on how she was discovered, but Lana claimed it happened at the Top Hat Café. She caught the eye of Billy Wilkerson, founder of The Hollywood Reporter. Her big break was as a murder victim in the 1937 film They Won’t Forget. She became known as “the sweater girl.”
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Lana dated many famous and powerful men. These included Tyrone Power, Artie Shaw, Howard Hughes, and Frank Sinatra. Her second husband was Joseph Stephen Crane, an actor. Lana and Joseph welcomed Cheryl into the world on July 25, 1943.
Cheryl was mainly raised by nannies. “Both of my parents were driven personalities — vain, gifted, selfish, and wild,” she wrote in her 1988 autobiography Detour: A Hollywood Story. “I was enthralled by them, but I lived at a distance, their princess in a tower.” Cheryl’s childhood was not easy because this neglect left her open to abuse.
Flash forward to April 4, 1958. Lana had been dating Johnny but finally had enough of his abuse. She was attempting to break up with him. He was not taking it well. Cheryl was listening to this from the other side of the door.
This is what happened in Cheryl’s own words: “I picked the knife up off the floor. The door flew open. Mother stood there, her hand on the knob. He was coming at her from behind, his arm raised to strike. I took a step forward and lifted the weapon. He ran on the blade. It went in. In! For three ghastly heartbeats, our bodies fused. He looked straight at me, unblinking. 'My God, Cheryl, what have you done?'”
After lengthy and very public legal proceedings, Johnny’s death was eventually ruled a justifiable homicide. Cheryl was forever changed. She tried to run away. She was sent to multiple reformatories and even a psychiatric hospital. She had a horrible relationship with her mother.
Thankfully, she was able to find peace later in life. At age 21 she began working for her dad, eventually becoming vice president of his hospitality company. She fell in love with Joyce “Josh” LeRoy and married her.
In 1980, Lana visited her daughter in Hawaii and mended their relationship. “We became a real family that summer, Mom, Gran, Josh and I,” Cheryl recalled. “Not only did I fall in love with her all over again, but she took to calling Josh her ‘second daughter.’” Lana even thanked her for rescuing her from Johnny.
