Monthly Archives: January 2012

U.S. Urged to Evacuate Japanese Immediately

Posted on January 31, 2012 by

Jan. 31, 1942: Members of Congress from the West Coast call on the U.S. to expedite the evacuation of “enemy aliens,” a term that includes native-born people of Japanese ancestry. Officials concede that some of them may be loyal – … Continue reading →

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Posted in 1942, African Americans, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Politics, Richard Nixon, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

Here’s another photo from the collection of Steven Bibb! [Update: This is Emlyn Williams. Please congratulate former Mystery Photo star B.J. Merholz, Mike Hawks and Mary Mallory for identifying him! ]

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – ‘Convention City’

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

Jan. 11, 1934: “Convention City” opens at the Warner Bros. Hollywood and Downtown. The early days of the talkie film industry saw plenty of life situations covered realistically and explicitly on celluloid, ranging from nudity, extramarital or sexual relations, addictions, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

Photo: A 1986 Pontiac Bonneville hearse listed on EBay with bids starting at $3,350. Queen of the Dead – dateline January 30, 2012 •  I was never a Star Trek fan—so pompous so serious. I preferred the high-camp vaudeville antics … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Television | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Live Blogging ‘-30-’ on TCM

Posted on January 29, 2012 by

Dewey Webb gets into the “-30-” spirit with a 1959 ad from Variety. Thanks, Dewey! (I swear, the guy in the travelogue called it Aloe Vera Street.) And that’s “-30-” Ready to go home, Lady? Gosh, genuine ugly 1950s layout. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Coming Tonight: Live Blogging ‘-30-’

Posted on January 29, 2012 by

Photo: Jack Webb, William Conrad and James Bell in “-30-” TCM is airing Jack Webb’s “-30-” at 7 tonight Pacific time. I’m going to try live blogging just to see how it goes. Tune in for the fun and/or mayhem.

Posted in 1959, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated +]

Posted on January 29, 2012 by

Here’s another photo from the incredible collection of Steven Bibb!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

FBI Smashes Nazi Spy Ring in Beverly Hills: 3 Sent Coded Letters to Third Reich

Posted on January 29, 2012 by

Jan. 29, 1942: The FBI accuses Dr. Hans Helmut Gros, his wife, Frances, and Albrecht Rudolf Curt Reuter of belonging to a Nazi spy ring. According to allegations, Gros, of 328 N. Maple Drive, sent letters to purported relatives that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, LAPD, Streetcars, Theaters, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

L.A. County, City Fire All Japanese Workers!

Posted on January 28, 2012 by

Jan. 28, 1942: Buried on the jump of this story is the news that the city of Los Angeles urged all Japanese employees to take a leave of absence “for the duration.” Those who refused to quit were suspended. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, City Hall, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Mob Slaying of ‘Big Greenie’ Greenberg Retold in Bugsy Siegel Trial

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

Jan. 27, 1942: Ida Greenberg testifies in the trial of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (d. 1947) and Frank “Frankie” Carbo (d. 1972) in the killing of her husband, Harry “Big Greenie” Greenberg, who was shot to death in his driveway at … Continue reading →

Posted in 1939, 1942, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Music, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated +]

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

Look what I found! And this movie would be? [Update: This is “On Our Merry Way,” a curious film in which Burgess Meredith plays a classified ad salesman who masquerades as a reporter. At first glance, I assumed this was … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , | 37 Comments

More 1940s Kitsch From the Abbotwares Studio

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

I’m frustrated because I couldn’t find anything really useful about Abbotwares in the clips after yesterday’s post. Apparently The Times didn’t consider its oeuvre worthy of coverage. Tsk tsk. The company is so obscure that there isn’t even an entry … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Interior Design | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Found on EBay: Atwater Kent’s Love Child From a Drunken Night in a Trophy Shop

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

There isn’t much that shocks me anymore when it comes to 1940s kitsch. I grew up with a lot of it and saw even more when I prowled thrift stores. And there’s this … well, it looks like a drunken … Continue reading →

Posted in Found on EBay, Interior Design, Radio | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

Here’s a mystery photo from the incredible collection of Steven Bibb! [Update: This is Sam Wanamaker in “My Girl Tisa.” The man on the left is unidentified in the caption information, but Don Danard and Mike Hawks identify him as … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Molestation Suspect Questioned in Killing of Girl, 9

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

Jan. 25, 1942: Detectives Harry Fremont and Jack Dwight are questioning Leo M. King, accused of molesting a 5-year-old girl, in the death of Dorothy Lee Gordon. The case of Dorothy Gordon, an African American child who was kidnapped and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Architecture, Art & Artists, Cold Cases, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Nuestro Pueblo, World War II | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

How to Wear a Hat – Rod Steiger Edition

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

We have explored how newsboy caps were worn by several men in “Monkey Business” and by Lee Marvin in “King of the North,” by Henry Fonda in “The Grapes of Wrath” and by Marc Chevalier in real life. Here’s Rod … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Chicago, Crime and Courts, Fashion, Fashions, Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Photography | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated +]

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

And this movie would be?

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , | 22 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – United Artists Theatre

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

Los Angeles and Hollywood have been the Mecca and Medina of movies, where their acolytes came to worship, work and learn in the teens and 1920s.  After making movies, reverent places of worship were required to view them in style. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, 1927, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation, Religion, Theaters | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

Photo: An April 15, 1882, issue of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, with an etching of a coffin, is listed on EBay at $375. Queen of the Dead – dateline January 23, 2012 •  Lindsay Masters, the sales and marketing genius … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Fashion, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Queen of the Dead, Religion, Television | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Hoaxer Fakes Obama Laughing Over Gingrich’s Primary Victory

Posted on January 22, 2012 by

The alleged Jan. 22, 2012, Washington Post Page 1 at left has been circulating on Facebook, and who knows where else, since Newt Gingrich took the South Carolina primary. It is, of course, a fake. As is obvious from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Front Pages, Politics | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments