Gangster Squad , a star-studded noir crime drama set in 1940s Los Angeles, opens in theaters today. The film is based on the true story of an undercover “Magnificent Seven“-style crew assembled by the LAPD to hunt down and kill celebrity mob king Mickey Cohen, who’s played by Sean Penn. A confidant of Bugsy Siegel, and a friend to everyone from Frank Sinatra to Richard Nixon, Cohen was a fixture on a then swanky Sunset Strip scene, home to now infamous nightclubs like Slapsy Maxie’s and Ciro’s that drew the likes of Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, and Marilyn Monroe. From the world-famous Coconut Grove night club in the since demolished Ambassador Hotel to Tony Duquette’s Latin American-themed interiors for The Mocambo featuring glass cages holding live cockatoos, pigeons, and parrots, click through to check out the haunts of the rich and the infamous in a time when gangsters ran our cities.
Ciro’s at 8433 West Sunset Boulevard – Los Angeles, California
Image credit: Dear Old Hollywood; lumame; Hollywood Photograph Collection; marilynette lounge
The Mocambo at 8588 Sunset Boulevard – Los Angeles, California
Image credit: Iconic Hollywood; Tony Duquette
Florentine Gardens at 5951 Hollywood Boulevard – Hollywood, California
Image credit: Nostalgic Finds!; gorilla men
Angelus Temple at 1100 Glendale Boulevard – Echo Park, California
Image credit: Beguiling Hollywood
Coconut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel – Los Angeles, California
Image credit: The 908 Kid; calisphere; Watson Archives
Slapsy Maxie’s at 5665 Wilshire Boulevard – Los Angeles, California
Image credit: 24 Frames; ilovedinomartin
Café Trocadero at Sunset Plaza Drive – West Hollywood, California
Image credit: Water and Power Associates
Earl Carroll Theatre – Hollywood, California
Image credit: vintagecollectorshop; calisphere
Palladium at Sunset and Gower – Hollywood, California
Image credit: GlamAmor; Pop & Hiss
Sebastian’s Cotton Club – Culver City, California
Image credit: Street Swing; Red Hot Jazz