Category Archives: Books and Authors

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – The Cahuenga Building

Posted on November 12, 2012 by

From its days as an elegant bank building to its abandoned and forgotten existence in the 1980s and 1990s, the former Security Trust and Savings Bank at Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard has served as both a local institution and … Continue reading →

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Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Lon Chaney’s Ghost Haunts Hollywood and Vine!

Posted on October 26, 2012 by

Oct. 26, 1942: Rosetta (D. 1958) and Vivian (D. 1986) Duncan appear in “Topsy and Eva,” a musical version of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” a musical comedy in which they first appeared in San Francisco in the 1920s. The Duncan sisters … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – 1880 History of Los Angeles County

Posted on October 14, 2012 by

A copy of the 1959 reprint of the 1880 “History of Los Angeles County” has been listed on EBay. The book was compiled over five months from newspapers, books, magazines public records and interviews, producing “three large grain sacks” filled … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Erich von Stroheim’s ‘Paprika’

Posted on October 8, 2012 by

A copy of Erich von Stroheim’s “Paprika” inscribed to Hugo Balin has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $1,250. Famed director/actor Erich von Stroheim faced financial disaster in the mid-1930s. After directing such visual powerhouses as “Foolish … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Victor Segno: Success Wave!

Posted on October 2, 2012 by

Prof. A. Victor Segno and a success wave (artist’s concept). My latest column for The Times deals with my favorite L.A. con man, Prof. A Victor Segno.

Posted in Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, History | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Reading Los Angeles: Glen Creason

Posted on September 26, 2012 by

Photo: “Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon” by Eduardo Obregón Pagán. In interviewing Los Angeles Public Library map librarian Glen Creason, I asked about his favorite books on Los Angeles. There wasn’t space to include the list with the story, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, History, Libraries, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Gypsy Rose Lee and ‘The G-String Murders’

Posted on September 24, 2012 by

Photo: Barbara Stanwyck in “Lady of Burlesque.” This post has been corrected. See note below for details. While being tops in your field can be exciting, an ambitious or intellectually curious person always looks for new ways to grow. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Bert Longworth and ‘Hold Still, Hollywood’

Posted on September 17, 2012 by

In the last forty years, movie collectors and photography connoisseurs have recognized the art and value of Hollywood still photography, most particularly in the gloriously lit and composed portraits of glamorous stars. For decades, however, many people, including industryites, failed … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | 7 Comments

Playwright Clifford Odets Held for DUI

Posted on September 8, 2012 by

Sept. 8, 1942:Playwright Clifford Odets of 8729 Lookout Mountain Ave. is arrested on charges of drunk driving and speeding on Roosevelt Highway (Pacific Coast Highway) at Topanga Canyon.  CHP officers say Odets refused to stop until they forced him off … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on August 20, 2012 by

This horse-drawn hearse has been listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $2,500 . Queen of the Dead – dateline August 20, 2012 •  Cosmo Girl Helen Gurley Brown—who died at 90 on August 13—was not a heroine of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Talking About the Onion Field

Posted on August 15, 2012 by

I was in a video chat yesterday with Joseph Wambaugh and Times City Editor Shelby Grad to talk about the the Onion Field case and the recent death of Gregory Powell.

Posted in 1963, Books and Authors, LAPD | 2 Comments

Mary Holland Kinkaid – Early Newspaperwoman

Posted on August 14, 2012 by

“The Man of Yesterday” by Mary Holland Kinkaid, has been listed on EBay. Kinkaid, who died in 1948, is forgotten today, but was city editor of the Herald and is probably the first woman city editor of a Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1948, Books and Authors, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on August 6, 2012 by

This photo of a horse-drawn hearse has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $8.99. Queen of the Dead – dateline August 6, 2012 •  Good gosh I am feeling old—fifty years on August 4/5 since Marilyn Monroe died, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Mickey Cohen on the Record – Talking With Author Tere Tereba

Posted on July 26, 2012 by

Photo: Tere Tereba’s “Mickey Cohen: The Life and Crimes of L.A.’s Notorious Mobster.”   Note: I have been talking with author Tere Tereba about her book “Mickey Cohen: The Life and Crimes of L.A.’s Notorious Mobster.” Was he nothing more  … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, History, Hollywood, LAPD, Mickey Cohen | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on July 23, 2012 by

A customized 1973 Oldsmobile hearse, listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $13,500. Queen of the Dead – dateline July 23, 2012 •   I adored Celeste Holm (who died on July 15, at 95) as an actress—she was warm … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Hollywood, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Patience Abbe

Posted on July 2, 2012 by

Patience Abbeand her brothers John and Richard parlayed their adventures globetrotting with their famous photographer father James Abbe and mother Polly, a former Ziegfeld dancer, into three books in the 1930s. Patience, the oldest, “did most of the actual writing” … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Man Held as ‘Orchid Bandit’

Posted on June 27, 2012 by

June 27, 1942: James D. Hannah liked orchids. He liked them so much that he usually gave several of them to his girlfriends to put in their hair, a habit that led to his arrest when robbery victim  Elva Sieburg … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Coming Attractions: Mary Mallory Signs ‘Hollywoodland’

Posted on June 14, 2012 by

Mary Mallory, who writes Hollywood Heights for the L.A. Daily Mirror, will be signing copies of her book “Hollywoodland” on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Costco at 1051 Burbank Blvd. in Burbank. All profits from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Young Author Ray Bradbury Publishes ‘Dark Carnival,’ 1947

Posted on June 6, 2012 by

June 27, 1947: Young Ray Bradbury publishes a book of short stories titled “Dark Carnival.” Notice that he used to sell newspapers at Norton Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. Yes, that’s the same Norton Avenue where the Black Dahlia was found, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

Photo: A 2003 Cadillac hearse listed on EBay, with bids starting at $18,900. Queen of the Dead – dateline May 21, 2012 •   Restaurateur (The Forge and The Glen in Tulsa), racecar driver, military historian and coffee heir (McLaughlin’s Coffee … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Music, Nightclubs, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | 5 Comments