Monthly Archives: August 2011

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

Here’s another mystery photo courtesy of Steven Bibb! Interesting pose. Look how she’s got her feet. [Update: This is Rosita Diaz, who was reportedly executed by firing squad “for using her Latin charms as a spy.”] About these ads

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Smithsonian Plans Exhibit on Paradox of Jefferson and Slavery

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

Photo: “New Native Photography”; “Shiprock Fair, 2009.” Credit: Jinniibaah Manuelito Jacqueline Trescott of the Washington Post writes that the Smithsonian Institution and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello are collaborating on a new exhibit about Jefferson and slavery. “Jefferson and … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Books and Authors, History, Medicine, Museums, Native Americans, Photography | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

James Curtis: L.A. Voices – Dick Lane, Part 7

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

Photo: Spade Cooley, named the honorary mayor of Encino, gives dictation to secretary Gloria Murphy, who is riding his stallion, Golden Nugget, 1954. This is Part 7 of James Curtis’ 1975 interview with Dick Lane. In this segment, Lane discusses … Continue reading →

Posted in 1982, Film, Hollywood, James Curtis, L.A. Voices, Obituaries, Television | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Found on EBay – Hartsook Portrait

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

This Hartsook photo of Anita King as a gypsy girl, possibly from the 1915 film “Carmen” starring Geraldine Farrar and Wallace Reid, has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $24.97.

Posted in 1915, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

[Update: This is Carrie Finnell. Please congratulate Dewey Webb for identifying her. Finnell (d. 1963) was a famous stripteuse of the 1920s and ‘30s who invented the art of tassel twirling with her “educated muscles,” shown here in repose. ] … Continue reading →

Posted in Mystery Photo, Photography, Stage | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Tenor Salvatore Licitra in Coma, Fights Lung Inflammation

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

Tenor Salvatore Licitra remains in a coma after an accident Saturday night in which he crashed his Vespa, sustaining injuries to his head and chest.  According to Italian news reports, doctors at Garibaldi Hospital say Licitra is on a ventilator … Continue reading →

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Rosa Parks Archives Off-Limits to Scholars

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

Photo: The Rosa Parks archive. Credit: Guernsey’s Auctioneers.   Julian Bond and Jeanne Theoharis have a piece in the Washington Post’s opinion pages tracing the troubled history of Rosa Parks’ archives. Parks’ papers and other items have been caught in … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, History, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 7

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

Photo: June 8, 1943 — A mob of servicemen stop a streetcar on Main Street to remove a passenger wearing a zoot suit. Here’s a second radio address by Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron, delivered June 16, 1943, on the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Radio, San Francisco, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Found on EBay – Witzel Photo of Dorothy Dalton

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

This Witzel portrait of actress Dorothy Dalton has been listed on EBay. That’s some fur coat she is wearing! The photo is listed as Buy It Now for $14.99.

Posted in Fashion, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Photography, Witzel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

[Update: No one identified mystery woman Ruth Clifford (d. 1998) in “Hollywood Boulevard” which featured former mystery folks Esther Ralston, Jack Mulhall, Betty Compson and Creighton Hale!]. Here’s today’s mystery woman, courtesy of Steven Bibb!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Tenor Salvatore Licitra ‘Struggling Valiantly’ After Crash

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

  Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra is in serious but stable condition, according to Sergio Pintaudi of Garibaldi Hospital in Catania, where the singer is being treated for head and chest injuries after crashing on his Vespa Saturday night. Pintaudi said … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – A Perfect Villain

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

Photo: “Rasputin and the Empress,” with Gustav von Seyffertitz, center, with Ethel Barrymore, Edward Arnold, John Barrymore, Tad Alexander and Lionel Barrymore. Photo listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $9.99. One of the best villains of the silent screen also … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Obituaries, Stage | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

Photo: 2001 Chevy Suburban hearse for sale on EBay. Bidding starts at $7,000. Queen of the Dead – dateline August 29, 2011 • When songwriting great Jerry Leiber (“Hound Dog,” “Ready to Begin Again,” “Yakety Yak,” “Stand By Me,” “On … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Tenor Salvatore Licitra in Critical Condition After Crash [Updated]

Posted on August 28, 2011 by

Tenor Salvatore Licitra is hospitalized in critical condition with head and chest injuries at an Italian hospital after a Vespa accident on Saturday night near Modica, in the province of Ragusa, while he was en route to receive the Premio … Continue reading →

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New Light on the Death of Joe Hill

Posted on August 28, 2011 by

Nov. 20, 1915: The Times publishes the account of the execution of Joe Hill (Joe Hillstrom)  by firing squad.   The New York Times has two terrific stories that are well worth your time. The first is Rachel Donadio’s feature … Continue reading →

Posted in 1915, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Labor, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Tenor Salvatore Licitra Injured in Vespa Accident [Updated]

Posted on August 28, 2011 by

Websites are reporting that tenor Salvatore Licitra, who first gained fame as a last-minute cover for Luciano Pavarotti at the Met, was badly injured in a Vespa accident. [Update: According to Google translations of Italian websites, Licitra was on his … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Coming Attractions: This Week in the Daily Mirror

Posted on August 28, 2011 by

Photo: Dick Lane in a publicity still listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $9.99. This week on the L.A. Daily Mirror: On Monday, Eve Golden has a roundup of recent notable obituaries in Queen of the Dead; and Mary Mallory … Continue reading →

Posted in Coming Attractions, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, James Curtis, L.A. Voices, Marion Eisenmann, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Mystery of the Crimean Cannonballs

Posted on August 27, 2011 by

I was so intrigued by Roger Fenton’s 1855 photo from the Crimean War that I thought I’d do a little experimentation. Image: With cannonballs. Credit: Gernsheim Collection, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. Image: Without cannonballs. Credit: … Continue reading →

Posted in 1855, Another Good Story Ruined, Photography | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated++]

Posted on August 27, 2011 by

Here’s another mystery photo, courtesy of Steven Bibb! [Update: Nobody has even attempted to identify our mystery lady. I guess I'll leave her as an unknown for now. ] [Update 2: I stand corrected, thanks Dewey! There were two guesses. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

An Inquiry Into Photographic Truth

Posted on August 27, 2011 by

Image: The Las Vegas Mob Experience. Nancy Trejos of the Washington Post visits the Las Vegas Mob Experience, an interactive museum/theme park,  (tickets $30) at the Tropicana. As I bought my ticket, the young lady behind the counter said, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, History, Museums, Photography | Tagged , | Leave a comment