Category Archives: 1943

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: David O. Selznick and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek

Madame Chiang in a film clip at the Hollywood Bowl, beginning at the 4:22 mark on a newsreel posted on YouTube. Seventy years ago, film producer David O. Selznick staged an over-the-top extravaganza April 4, 1943, at the Hollywood Bowl … Continue reading

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Posted in 1943, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Berserk Negro Kills Two Men on Ranch With Ax

April 18, 1943:  Robert Earl Lee, 61, a worker at ranch in the Malibu Hills, surrenders to authorities after killing his employer, Nelson Ross Wolfe, and another ranch hand, Albert Everett Miller, with an ax. Lee, described by The Times … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Animals, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Japanese Lieutenant Killed at Guadalcanal Went to USC

April 11, 1943: And here begins one of my favorite “Li’l Abner” episodes: Zoot Suit Yokum. The Times reports a strange encounter on Guadalcanal in which an unidentified Marine took a rifle from a wounded Japanese lieutenant. According to Torrance … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Comics, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Human Fly Flees Hall of Justice

April 4, 1943: Col. Darryl F. Zanuck comes under criticism for trying to return to civilian life. (Zanuck said there wasn’t much chance that he would make more movies of combat.) Sen. Harry Truman (D-Mo.) of the Senate War Program … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Broadway, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Immigration, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mobs Storm Butchers Trying to Beat Ration Deadline

People line up outside a meat market at 2100 N. Broadway. 2100 N. Broadway via Google Street View. March 28, 1943: And did the “Greatest Generation” meekly, humbly and patriotically accept meat rationing for the war effort? They did not. … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Books and Authors, Broadway, Comics, Downtown, Food and Drink, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

AFSCME Seeks to Organize LAPD

March 20, 1943: The AFSCME sets up a local for LAPD officers, an action opposed by Police Chief Clemence “C.B.” Horrall and Deputy Chief Joe Reed.  The Los Angeles Police Protective League, established in the 1920s, began bargaining on behalf … Continue reading

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LAPD Officer Kicks News Photographer, Delays Beebe Inquest

Jan. 13, 1943: The inquest in the death of Stanley H. Beebe, who was fatally injured in a beating by LAPD officers, is halted when Officer John Yates kicks Herald-Express photographer Edward Phillips in the groin. Recall that it was … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Crime and Courts, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Deadly LAPD Beating: Officer Describes Arrest

Jan. 17, 1943: District attorney’s investigators question Police Sgt. James F. Martin about the arrest of Stanley H. Beebe, who died after being beaten by LAPD officers. Martin said that he got a bloody nose and two broken ribs in … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hill Street, LAPD, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

LAPD the ‘Storm Troopers’ of L.A., Lawmaker Says of Police Brutality

Jan. 1, 1943: This is the beginning of the Stanley H. Beebe case, in which LAPD officers were accused of beating a suspect who died of his injuries.  Beebe, an accountant, was arrested on a streetcar at 1st and Hill … Continue reading

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Found on EBay – The Florentine Gardens

A photo of a group of happy people at the Florentine Gardens on Sept. 18, 1943, has been listed on EBay. It’s listed as Buy It Now for $8.99. The Florentine Gardens has a connection to the Black Dahlia case … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs, World War II | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 14

Image: Cover letter on the June 22, 1943, report on the Zoot Suit Riots. Credit: National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Theaters, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 13

May 4, 1995: Portions of the June 10, 1943, report on the Zoot Suit Riots have been redacted and placed in a parallel file. This is due to privacy concerns because the individuals may still be alive, an archivist explained. … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Fashion, Film, LAPD, Latinos, Stage, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 12

To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer in the Last Remaining Seats series.  The Times ignored the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots for several days, in what … Continue reading

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‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 10

Image: Racial incidents between servicemen and African Americans in San Diego.   Credit: The National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer in the … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, 1943, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

This Week on the L.A. Daily Mirror

Photo: The Hollywoodland Sign. Credit:Hope Anderson @www.underthehollywoodsign.com  On Monday, we have Eve Golden’s roundup of unusual obituaries in Queen of the Dead and Mary Mallory looks at the history of the Hollywood Sign in Hollywood Heights. On Tuesday, join author … Continue reading

Posted in 1927, 1941, 1943, Cold Cases, Coming Attractions, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, LAPD, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 9

Image: Isadore Bernstein’s name appears on a list of  undesirables.  Credit: The National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer in the Last … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, 1943, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Fashion, Film, History, Hollywood, Latinos, Libraries, Stage, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Navy Reports

Feb. 6, 1942: Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox warns against “loose talk.” Credit: National Archives. I returned from Saturday’s trip to the National Archives in Riverside with more than 200 images of historic documents. It’s going to take some … Continue reading

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Zoot Suit: A Trip to the National Archives

Photo: House, Perris, Calif. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com This house is at the turnoff to the National Archives in Perris, Calif., where I spent the day researching the Zoot Suit Riots. It was great: Photo: The city of Los Angeles is … Continue reading

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‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 7

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

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – A Perfect Villain

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