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Johnny showered Lana and Cheryl, whose relationship was rocky, with
gifts ranging from jewelry to a full-length portrait to a horse. Lana
said she wore the jewels on screen in Peyton Place and that
every time she saw the film after Johnny's death, chills ran down her
spine.
It wasn't long after their relationship became public that one of
Lana's close friends broke the news that John Steele was actually John
Stompanato. Lana said she had mixed feelings about dating a man who
was a known gangster. To her he was dangerous and yet appealing.
"Call it forbidden fruit or whatever," she wrote.
"This attraction was very deep -- maybe something sick within me
-- and my dangerous captivation went far beyond lovemaking."
Lana was in England filming Another Time, Another Place with
Sean Connery and she had hoped that when she said goodbye to Johnny in
Los Angeles, that he would move on to another woman. Instead, Lana
found herself lonely and asked Johnny to join her.
It was in England that Lana said Johnny became physically violent
for the first time. He was bored and complaining bitterly about Lana's
reluctance to be seen in public with him when the argument escalated
into a shoving match.
"I reached for the phone, but he knocked it away and lunged
for my throat," she wrote. "As his grip closed around my
larynx, I managed to let out a loud scream, though I could feel the
strain on my vocal chords."
Since Johnny had entered England illegally (he used a passport with
the name John Steele), Lana was able to get him deported. Eventually
she would have to return to the United States, where Johnny Stompanato
would be waiting.
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