The Projection Racket

The 1930s were a golden age for Hollywood and its gangster films. But behind the screen, the Mob was turning a small-time protection racket targeting projectionists into a million-dollar shakedown. What began as extortion soon became a mutually beneficial arrangement. Timewatch went to Hollywood and Chicago to uncover the story of how movie moguls and Mobsters joined forces to keep the dream factory going, whatever the cost.