Skip to content
Owney Madden and the Mafia’s Hollywood Empire episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 8, 2026 · 14 MIN

Owney Madden and the Mafia’s Hollywood Empire

from A History of the American Mafia Podcast: Organized Crime, Mob Families, Bosses, Gangsters, Prohibition, Criminal Trials, and the Rise of La Cosa Nostra · host Podily & Josh Linsk

Explore how New York mobster Owney Madden turned the legendary Cotton Club into a cash machine, using its jazz crowds to launder bootleg money, fund early Hollywood studios, and bankroll casino ventures in Los Angeles. The episode traces the network of film financiers, union bribery schemes, and legal front companies that connected the Chicago Outfit, New York families, and L.A.’s burgeoning entertainment industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 8, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Owney Madden and the Mafia’s Hollywood Empire

0:00 14:03

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of A History of the American Mafia Podcast: Organized Crime, Mob Families, Bosses, Gangsters, Prohibition, Criminal Trials, and the Rise of La Cosa Nostra?

This episode is 14 minutes long.

When was this A History of the American Mafia Podcast: Organized Crime, Mob Families, Bosses, Gangsters, Prohibition, Criminal Trials, and the Rise of La Cosa Nostra episode published?

This episode was published on September 8, 2026.

Can I download this A History of the American Mafia Podcast: Organized Crime, Mob Families, Bosses, Gangsters, Prohibition, Criminal Trials, and the Rise of La Cosa Nostra episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!