Named for bootlegger turned builder Lewis Astin Crank (1904-1990). A Texas transplant, Crank first made local news in 1927 for stealing tires in Hollywood. Later that year, he married Esther Cornero (1905-1990), whose brother Tony was, at the height of Prohibition, L.A.’s biggest rum runner. Crank himself was busted for smuggling booze and in 1931 he was sentenced to two years but never served time. Weeks later, his little brother Paul was gunned down by rival gangsters; Crank denied that they were related. After Prohibition, as Tony Cornero turned legit by running casinos (including the Stardust in Las Vegas), so too did Lou Crank by operating a Culver City business that distilled industrial alcohol(!). His smuggling experiences also led to a taste for speedboat racing. His wealth attained both legally and less-than-legally, Crank purchased this hilltop c. 1945 for subdivision. Cranks Road was named in 1952; Esterina Way, in honor of Crank’s boat, in 1953. The Cranks then divorced and Lou married Alungalelei Fifita (1937-?), a Tongan national, in 1960. He named Linda Way the next year after their baby daughter. Crank died in Tonga.
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