Category Archives: Zoot Suit

Japanese Lieutenant Killed at Guadalcanal Went to USC

Posted on April 11, 2013 by

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 →

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

Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Posted on January 4, 2013 by

Jan. 4, 1942: A rather drunk William Kollomick, who gave his address as “Pearl Harbor,” is in jail after getting into a brawl with four unidentified Mexican youths outside a cafe at 1st and Broadway. The youths walked out of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Women Truck Drivers Replace Men at Ft. MacArthur

Posted on November 2, 2012 by

Nov. 2, 1942: The Army hires 10 women to serve as truck drivers at Ft. MacArthur so that men who have been doing the job can be released to field positions. “The women drivers will work an eight-hour day and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Transportation, World War II, Zoot Suit | 3 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

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

32 Taverns and Bars Declared Off-Limits

Posted on June 7, 2012 by

June 7, 1942: The Navy declares 32 bars and taverns off limits in Los Angeles. Most of them are on Main Street and East 5th with a few in Hollywood. The posts on the Zoot Suit Riots have more information … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Food and Drink, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Pearl Harbor and the Rose-Colored Rearview Mirror

Posted on December 9, 2011 by

  Aug. 10, 1942: Politics is politics, war or not. My distinguished colleague George Skelton, who understands Sacramento like a watchmaker knows the inner workings of a precision timepiece,   has gazed rather fondly into the rose-colored rearview mirror with a … Continue reading →

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Japan Ready to Reject U.S. Terms

Posted on December 5, 2011 by

Dec. 5, 1941: There’s almost too much interesting news on Pearl Harbor Day minus 2. Josephine Trout Barnes is reunited with her baby girl Camelia/Camellia/Carmelia (newspapers in the Linotype era sometimes had a fluid sense of spelling when it came … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Books and Authors, City Hall, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Peace Talks Between U.S., Japan on Verge of Collapse

Posted on December 4, 2011 by

Dec. 4, 1941:Dr. Richard A. Carter, head of the Carter Neurological Clinic in Garden Grove, is accused of negligence in administering a fatal dose during insulin shock treatments for Virginia Lamb, 22, of Anaheim for dementia praecox. It’s unclear from … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Medicine, Tom Treanor, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

L.A. County Pays Immigrants on Welfare to Go Back to Mexico

Posted on December 3, 2011 by

Dec. 3, 1941: Here’s how Los Angeles County once handled immigration. Officials paid families on welfare $100 ($1,464.25 USD 2010) over 10 months to go back to Mexico. Since 1930-31, more than 4,000 families had gone back to Mexico under … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Immigration, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

When Hollywood Goes Wrong — ‘The Black Dahlia’

Posted on November 15, 2011 by

There are so many things that Brian De Palma got wrong in “The Black Dahlia” that a list of mistakes would fill a long book. I had forgotten that the movie starts out with what is purportedly the Zoot Suit … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 14

Posted on October 20, 2011 by

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

Posted on October 19, 2011 by

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

Posted on October 18, 2011 by

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 11

Posted on October 11, 2011 by

Image: Harry Arnheim of the Hollywood Tropics, 1525 N. Vine St., protests being placed off-limits by the Navy. Credit: National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Crime and Courts, Fashion, Film, Food and Drink, History, Hollywood, Stage, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Coming Attractions: This Week on the L.A. Daily Mirror

Posted on October 9, 2011 by

On Monday, Eve Golden has a roundup of unusual obituaries in Queen of the Dead, and in Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory takes a look at the Clover Club, a 1930s casino on Sunset Boulevard. On Tuesday, there’s another installment of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1931, 1942, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, Mary Mallory, Queen of the Dead, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 10

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

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

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 9

Posted on September 20, 2011 by

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 Files: Intelligence Report on Subversives

Posted on September 11, 2011 by

Sept. 24, 1942: Intelligence officer B.L. Canaga compiles a report on subversives that might be active in the 11th Naval District. His list includes communists, Japanese, Falangists, Sinarchists, Italians, Germans and acts of sabotage: “Many prominent and wealthy motion picture … Continue reading →

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Zoot Suit: A Trip to the National Archives

Posted on September 3, 2011 by

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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