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The George Raft File: The Unauthorized Biography
The George Raft the unauthorized biography,
279 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1973
5 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
James Robert Parish
116 books16 followersJames Robert Parish, a former entertainment reporter, publicist, and book series editor, is the author of many published major biographies and reference books on the entertainment industry including Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You; The Hollywood Book of Extravagance; It’s Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks; The Hollywood Book of Breakups; Fiascos: Hollywood’s Iconic Flops; The Hollywood Book of Love; Jet Li; The Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Hollywood; The Hollywood Book of Death; Gus Van Sant; Whoopi Goldberg; Rosie O’Donnell’s Story; The Unofficial “Murder, She Wrote” Casebook; Today’s Black Hollywood; Let’s Talk! America’s Favorite TV Talk Show Hosts; Prison Pictures from Hollywood; Prostitution in Hollywood Films; The Great Cop Pictures; Ghosts and Angels in Hollywood Films; Pirates and Seafaring Swashbucklers on the Hollywood Screen; Gays and Lesbians in Mainstream Cinema; Hollywood’s Great Love Teams; and The Fox Girls. Mr. Parish is a frequent oncamera interviewee on cable and network TV for documentaries on the performing arts. The author resides in Studio City, California.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 20, 2019
Back when George Raft was still alive in 1973 film historian James Robert Parrish published this book
on his career and films. Although there is a lot of biographical information in the book you don't
get any closer to the real George Raft. This was a man who kept secrets even about himself.
Make no mistake as a reference book for his work it can't be beat. It more properly belonged as a
coffee table volume in the Citadel Film series. Raft was a product of the old studio system, I doubt
he could make it today.
George Raft was New York City born and bred in the Hell's Kitchen area of the city. A childhood friend
of his was gangster Owney Madden famous for engineering the heavyweight title takeover of Primo
Carnera. One of his best friends was Benjamin Siegel who people only called Bugsy at their own risk.
Raft came into his own as did organized crime in the era of Prohibition. Most amazing of all is that
Raft his whole life was a teetotaler. He saw the effects of what the worst kind of liquor did to people. He was a tango dancer and a good one. See him dance in films like Bolero and Rumba and
you'll know it.
Emotions were not easy for him in real life and on the screen. He was so good in gangster and
noir films because he really lived the life. He flitted in and out of the underworld in real life as
well. When he was cast in Scarface as Paul Muni's chief torpedo his star was made. Although he
did other kinds of films occasionally even giving good performances in non-gangster roles like in
Souls At Sea it was always the gangster film he came back to. It was real to him and he was not
ashamed of palling around with Madden, Siegel, Lucky Luciano and others. He said that in that
world people never lied to him, in Hollywood they always did.
Raft never managed his money well. As he put it he spent it on horses, gambling, and women and
the rest he frittered away foolishly. When he died in 1980 he had a cheap apartment and his only
steady income was Social Security. He didn't manage his career well either. Can you imagine that
he turned down the leads in High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca. Of course these all
became part of the Humphrey Bogart legend. No one would argue that Bogey was not a better
actor than Raft. But it was all an act, Bogey came from a very upper class background in New York
City as well. Raft really lived his roles. Yet something like Casablanca would probably have been
just a routine action/adventure film in his hands. There's a film that Raft did with Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre called Background To Danger. It's the best proof of what I contend a
good but routine action/adventure film.
Spend his money he did, foolishly or otherwise. Frank Sinatra got him a part in Ocean's 11 and
Jerry Lewis put him in two of his films, The Patsy and The Ladies Man. In the last 25 years or
so Raft did a lot of these bit parts on film and occasionally television to get by.
His personal life? He married a woman named Grayce Mulrooney in the 20s. She was a good
Catholic and would never give him a divorce. But the columns of Hedda, Louella, et al linked him
with a lot of Hollywood beauties of the day like Virginia Pine, Norma Shearer, and Betty Grable.
When Grayce died in 1971 it was way too late for Raft to consider marrying he did.
Raft would never have considered writing memoirs. The gangster code of Omerta and his own
discretion would have not permitted that. They would have been the best if he had.
Parrish's book is great one for film reference. As for biography I still await reading the real
George Raft story.
on his career and films. Although there is a lot of biographical information in the book you don't
get any closer to the real George Raft. This was a man who kept secrets even about himself.
Make no mistake as a reference book for his work it can't be beat. It more properly belonged as a
coffee table volume in the Citadel Film series. Raft was a product of the old studio system, I doubt
he could make it today.
George Raft was New York City born and bred in the Hell's Kitchen area of the city. A childhood friend
of his was gangster Owney Madden famous for engineering the heavyweight title takeover of Primo
Carnera. One of his best friends was Benjamin Siegel who people only called Bugsy at their own risk.
Raft came into his own as did organized crime in the era of Prohibition. Most amazing of all is that
Raft his whole life was a teetotaler. He saw the effects of what the worst kind of liquor did to people. He was a tango dancer and a good one. See him dance in films like Bolero and Rumba and
you'll know it.
Emotions were not easy for him in real life and on the screen. He was so good in gangster and
noir films because he really lived the life. He flitted in and out of the underworld in real life as
well. When he was cast in Scarface as Paul Muni's chief torpedo his star was made. Although he
did other kinds of films occasionally even giving good performances in non-gangster roles like in
Souls At Sea it was always the gangster film he came back to. It was real to him and he was not
ashamed of palling around with Madden, Siegel, Lucky Luciano and others. He said that in that
world people never lied to him, in Hollywood they always did.
Raft never managed his money well. As he put it he spent it on horses, gambling, and women and
the rest he frittered away foolishly. When he died in 1980 he had a cheap apartment and his only
steady income was Social Security. He didn't manage his career well either. Can you imagine that
he turned down the leads in High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca. Of course these all
became part of the Humphrey Bogart legend. No one would argue that Bogey was not a better
actor than Raft. But it was all an act, Bogey came from a very upper class background in New York
City as well. Raft really lived his roles. Yet something like Casablanca would probably have been
just a routine action/adventure film in his hands. There's a film that Raft did with Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre called Background To Danger. It's the best proof of what I contend a
good but routine action/adventure film.
Spend his money he did, foolishly or otherwise. Frank Sinatra got him a part in Ocean's 11 and
Jerry Lewis put him in two of his films, The Patsy and The Ladies Man. In the last 25 years or
so Raft did a lot of these bit parts on film and occasionally television to get by.
His personal life? He married a woman named Grayce Mulrooney in the 20s. She was a good
Catholic and would never give him a divorce. But the columns of Hedda, Louella, et al linked him
with a lot of Hollywood beauties of the day like Virginia Pine, Norma Shearer, and Betty Grable.
When Grayce died in 1971 it was way too late for Raft to consider marrying he did.
Raft would never have considered writing memoirs. The gangster code of Omerta and his own
discretion would have not permitted that. They would have been the best if he had.
Parrish's book is great one for film reference. As for biography I still await reading the real
George Raft story.
August 22, 2025
As a child growing up in the 50’s I watched a lot of gangster movies on television, George Raft’s persona as a gangster was always a fascination to watch. ‘’The George Raft File: The Unauthorized Biography” by James Robert and Steven Whitney was an informative and easy read about Raft’s rise and fall in the movie business.
The authors prose made it a page turner and brought George Raft to life for me.
It’s made me want to go back and watch the old movies again.
The authors prose made it a page turner and brought George Raft to life for me.
It’s made me want to go back and watch the old movies again.
January 24, 2018
I like this book enough to keep it, but it is the weakest of three George Raft biographies that I have read because it fails to fully capture the star's personality or charisma.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews