“Blood’s A Rover”

James Ellroy

     I met James Ellroy several years ago at the Starlight Book Store in Hollywood.  He was promoting his book, “My Dark Places.”  I was familiar with his works, “The Black Dahlia”, “LA Confidential” and “American Tabloid”.  I thought right away, James Ellroy was a great crime novelist.  I liked the way he conducted his research.  I experienced and lived some of those stories he wrote about.  For instance, “My Dark Places”, Detective Stoner worked the Cotton Club murders.  I knew the principals as they were body guards for Larry Flynt who had been my client since 1980.  I was intrigued by the fact that he used Hollywood P.I. Fred Otash in “American Tabloid”.  Fred Otash was a contemporary of the man I used to work for, Clyde Duber.  Both individuals appear in “Blood’s A Rover”.  Otash was known in the business as a shake down artist.  He worked divorce “gigs”.  He was caught fixing a horse race, lost his investigator’s license, was sentenced to prison.  Duber arranged to have his sentence suspended.

     On the evening I went to the Starlight Book Store to meet James Ellroy, I took a copy of the book I had written, “Confessions Of A Hollywood P.I.”  He signed his book, “LA Confidential” to me and I signed a copy of my book to him.  I wrote, “I not only loved your book, I lived it.”  We started a conversation about what that meant.  I showed him the chapter in my book, titled, “Wheel Men.”  That chapter is about the private detectives that did surveillance on divorce cases in Los Angles before “No Fault” became a law.  We called ourselves “Wheel Men”.  I was the baby of the group.  These men were Damon Ruynon type characters who had hot cars and were experts at surveillance.  I made my bones with a souped up 1966 GTO.  We came in daily contact with the police, celebrities and the mob.  The chapter ends with the famous  Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Frank Sinatra, Wrong Door Raid which changed the law with regard to private investigators in the state of California.  We enjoyed talking that evening. I found that James and I had many ideas and experiences in common.  I left that evening thinking it would be great to work with James and be in one of his novels.

     About eight years ago, I read an article in the Los Angeles Times about James Ellroy on a book tour with “The Cold Six Thousand”.  (Follow up book to “American Tabloid”).  After reading the article, I again thought it would be great to be in a James Ellroy novel.  I left my office that morning for an appointment and when I returned was told that James Ellroy had called expressing an interest in me and the Wheel Men idea to use in his next novel which was to be the third book in the Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy.

     The following December, my wife Theral and I made a trip to Missouri to celebrate Christmas with her family.  James Ellroy was living in Kansas City with his wife Helen Knode at this time.  While we were there we  spent a couple of days with James and Helen.  We discussed his planned novel.  This was the beginning of a great friendship.

     The time period of “Blood’s A Rover” is 1968 – 1972.  I am a 23 year old Hollywood P.I. working for Clyde Duber, running with his son Buzz Duber and the Wheel Men.  I stumbled into one of the most historic eras of our time.  AND THE ADVENTURE BEGAN……….

From “Blood’s A Rover”:

America:

          I window-peeped four years of our History.  It was one long mobile stakeout and kick-the-door-in shakedown.  I had a license to steal and a ticket to ride.

          I followed people.  I bugged and tapped and caught big events in ellipses.  I remained unknown.  My surveillance links the Then to the Now in a never-before-revealed manner.  I was there.  My reportage is buttressed by credible hearsay and insider tattle.   Massive paper trails provide verification.  This book derives from stolen  public files and usurped private journals it is the sum of personal adventure and forty years of scholarship.  I am a literary executor and an agent provocateur.  I did what I did and saw what I saw and learned my way through to the rest of the story.

          Scripture-pure veracity and scandal-rag content.  That conjunction gives it its sizzle.  You carry the seed of belief within you already.  You recall the time this narrative captures and sense conspiracy.  I am here to tell you that it is all true and not at all what you think.

          You will read with some reluctance and capitulate in the end.  The following pages will force you to succumb.

          I am going to tell you everything.

Don Crutchfield 2009

A blogger wrote:

I read a book called Confessions of a Hollywood P.I..  The book was an expose of the celebrity clients the private eye worked for, including Michael Jackson, O.J., and others.  It was a fun read.

Now on the eve of the publication of James Ellroy’s Blood’s A rover, I made the connexion.  I knew Don Crutchfield was a character in the book, but until I visited his website (www.pi4stars.com) I didn’t realize

That Crutchfield had written Confessions of a Hollywood P.I.  Ellroy had gotten Crutchfield’s permission to turn him into a main character in his book. 

In other words, the private dick who spent years investigating Eddie Murphy’s transsexual hooker fetish and Elvis’s possible reincarnation as a thirteen year old boy, has been transformed into a character in the underworld U.S.A. trilogy.  How badass is that? 

Check out Crutchfield’s zany website: www.pi4stars.com.  The scenarios for the “Crutch Tv Series” are the best.

His clients included Marlon Brando, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Charles Bronson (not that he would need it).  Subjects of investigation include Michael Jackson, Lisa Marie Presley, Tim Allen, Donald Trump, Roseanne, and O.J. Simpson. 

The dude IS a James Ellroy novel.

Dear Mr. Crutchfield:

My name is Stephan Mueller and I am a New York City-based producer for German TV ZDF/3sat. ZDF/3sat is the largest public broadcaster in Europe (together with the BBC).
In connection with the release of James Ellroy’s book „Blood’s a Rover“ in Germany Mr. Ellroy has agreed to spent some time with us for a TV project about him and the Underworld USA Trilogy. Mr. Ellroy explained to us your important role in writing Blood’s a Rover and how your invalualuable insights helped to make the book the success it is today and undoubtedly will be in Germany. We would love to interview you for our project and are wondering if you could make some time available in December in Los Angeles.
I would be thrilled if we could interest you in our project. Please do not hesitate to call me for any further questions.

Thank you very much,
Stephan Mueller
 

Your book, “Confessions of a Hollywood P.I.”

I don't know if your remember me - I was at the signing you and James Ellroy did at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood a couple weeks ago. I was the author who gave James a copy of my novel, BOULEVARD, which had just made the LA Times Bestseller List.
Saying that, just so you would remember who I am. What I'm writing to say is that I DEVOURED your book. I loved it. I had come that day to see Ellroy and get his book, Blood’s A Rover, but I picked up yours as well, and I had the best time reading it. What a life you've had! Great stories! Your book was the thing that kept me sane for the past couple weeks. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to meet you.

Stephen Jay Schwartz