What if the world of the old New York waterfront was as violent and mob-controlled as it appears in Hollywood movies? Well, it really was, and the story of its downfall, told here in high style by Nathan Ward, is the original New York mob story. New York Sun reporter Malcolm Mike Johnson was sent to cover the murder of a West Side boss stevedore and discovered a waterfront jungle, set against a background of New Yorks magnificent skyscrapers and providing rich pickings for criminal gangs. Racketeers ran their territories while doubling as union officers, from the West Sides Cockeye Dunn, whod kill for any amount of dock space, to Jersey Citys Charlie Yanowsky, who controlled rackets and hiring until he was ice-picked to death. Johnsons hard-hitting investigative series won a Pulitzer Prize, inspired a screenplay by Arthur Miller, and prompted Elia Kazans Oscar-winning film On the Waterfront.
