The Fixer

There’s nothing quite like a happy Hollywood ending, but a darker side to the movie capital of America certainly existed during the Golden Age of Hollywood, as Josh Young and Manfred Westphal discuss in The Fixer: Moguls, Mobster, Movie Stars, and Marilyn.

This book delves into the story of Fred Otash, a private detective and “fixer to the stars.” It relies upon Otash’s investigative files and personal archives to inform and entertain readers. Otash’s story would go on to inspire private eye film characters portrayed in Chinatown (1974) and L.A. Confidential (1997). Among other Hollywood elites, Otash had personal connections to Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and more.


The Fixer: Moguls, Mobster, Movie Stars, and Marilyn is available for purchase via Grand Central Publishing starting on April 16, 2024.

About Annette Bochenek

Dr. Annette Bochenek of Chicago, Illinois, is an avid scholar of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She manages the Hometowns to Hollywood blog, in which she writes about her trips exploring the legacies and hometowns of Golden Age stars. Annette also hosts the “Hometowns to Hollywood” film series throughout the Chicago area. She has been featured on Turner Classic Movies and is the president of TCM Backlot’s Chicago chapter. In addition to writing for TCM Backlot, she also writes for Classic Movie Hub, Silent Film Quarterly, Nostalgia Digest, and Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine.
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