Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: TCM Classic Film Festival’s ‘The World Comes to Hollywood’

Posted on April 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

Joan Crawford backlit in a white dress in a scene from Letty Lynton.
The world premiere of the restored 1932 Joan Crawford film Letty Lynton, unseen for decades except in bootleg copies, will be Friday at the Egyptian Theatre.

The TCM Classic Film Festival returns to Hollywood April 30 through May 3 to celebrate “The World Comes to Hollywood,” honoring the pioneers and immigrants who helped infuse the fledgling California studios with fresh ideas, innovations, and creativity, transforming family style businesses into giant dream factories. Cineastes as well as film neophytes will enjoy rare and restored films, star appearances, introductions by TCM hosts Ben Mankiewicz, Eddie Muller, Dave Karger, Alicia Malone, and Jacqueline Stewart, and the opportunity to meet fellow film lovers from all over the world for four film-filled days of fun, film, and sun curated as only TCM knows how.

Special events will highlight the festival, including a hand and footprint ceremony for actress Glenn Close, the presentation of the Robert Osborne Award to Bruce Goldstein, Founding Repertory Artistic Director of New York Film Forum and longtime Turner Classic Movies supporter. and tributes to director Rob Reiner, actress Barbara Hershey, and composer Paul Williams.

Passes can be purchased online exclusively at TCM.com/festival, allowing the best chance to attend the festival. They come in four levels, offering distinct levels of benefits to fit every need. They can be picked up at the Roosevelt Hotel beginning Wednesday, April 29. Pass prices are $449 to $2,649.  The festival schedule is here. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated)

Posted on April 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

Two men sitting in chairs with their feet up, looking at a view of the ocean with a city in the distance.
For Monday, we have two Back of the Head Guys in a mysterious foreign film. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for April 2026

Posted on April 21, 2026 by lmharnisch


Welcome to the fourth session of the Black Dahlia Book Club!

I finally got tired of talking about George Hodel and Steve Hodel (at this point, I know Steve’s monologues from memory) so I decided to spend some time looking at portrayals of the murder and the investigation. I consider myself first and foremost a historian of the Black Dahlia case, and think it’s important to examine the source material in detail to emphasize the challenges of researching the murder.

In this episode, I looked at the treatment of the Black Dahlia case in early crime anthologies leading up to Jack Webb’s The Badge in 1958. Books I discussed (none of which is especially accurate):

—Problems of Modern American Crime (1923), by Veronica King. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet…. –
–Terror in the Streets (1951), by Howard Whitman, adapted from articles in Collier’s magazine.
https://archive.org/details/terrorins…
—My Favorite True Mystery (1954), article by Craig Rice, adapted from articles in Hearst’s The American Weekly Magazine. https://archive.org/details/myfavorit…
—Ten Perfect Crimes (1954), by Hank Serling, with an extremely downbeat portrayal of Elizabeth Short. https://archive.org/details/tenperfec…

I also discussed: Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, books, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2026

Posted on April 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this session of the Black Dahlia Ask Me Anything, I addressed some of the claims made in Michael Connelly’s 10-part podcast, Killer in the Code.

The Black Dahlia Book Club will be Tuesday, April 21, at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube. The next Black Dahlia Ask Me Anything will be May 5 at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube.

Can’t make the live session? Email me your questions and I’ll answer them! I’ll also get to the backlog of questions from previous sessions.

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April 27, 1907: Man Badly Injured in Attack by Mule

Posted on April 27, 2026 by lmharnisch


Note: This is an encore post from 2006.

W.S. Stanton of N. 117½ E. First St. was attacked by a vicious mule at the California Truck Company’s stables, No. 337 Aliso St., last night and seriously injured. When he attempted to take the harness off the animal it leaped to one side and kicked him on the thigh, knocking him down. Before he could regain his feet, the mule walked over him, cutting and lacerating the calves of his legs. Stanton was treated at the Receiving Hospital and later taken to his room.

Continue reading →

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Voices — Christine Collins, April 23, 1931

Posted on April 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1931: Report on Walter Collins. "In good condition."

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April 23, 1908: Whiskey Is a Health Tonic

Posted on April 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1908: Whiskey is a health drink

Note: This is an encore post from 2008.

You may remember yesterday that Schlitz declared beer a health drink. And I’ve noted elsewhere that brewers marketed beer as “liquid bread” (a mere 3 1/2 percent alcohol). But calling whiskey a health tonic is new to me. Do you think this fooled temperance workers for even a minute? Probably not. Continue reading →

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April 16, 1938: Child Molested, Killed

Posted on April 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 16, 1938-Sept. 16, 1939


Note: This is an encore post from 2008.

How about that? The tracks are still here, a block south of Firestone on Myrtle. I think that’s where they found her body in the weeds.

Poor little kid. Her name was Jenny — Jenny Moreno. She was 7 when she was killed. One of the neighbors was molesting her and hit her in the head with a hammer to stop her screaming, then waited until dark and hid the body. Her relatives and the other folks who were looking for her saw him handcuffed to a deputy and nearly lynched him. The guards at San Quentin said he went to the gas chamber bellowing like a bull; it took him 7 1/2 minutes to die.

His name was Charles A. McLachlan, a “wrinkle-faced, 55-year-old, wine-soaked Irish-Mexican,” The Times said. He and his wife had come to Downey from El Paso about 15 years earlier and bought five shacks at Firestone and Myrtle. He had lived alone since his wife died three years ago and made a little money renting out the other shacks. One was leased to his son Joe and daughter-in-law Carmen. Another was leased to the Morenos: John, his wife, and their six children.  A woman identified as Mrs. Perra, the children’s grandmother, also lived there. Continue reading →

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April 22, 1908: Beer Is a Health Drink

Posted on April 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 22, 1908: Beer is a health drink!

Email me

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April 21, 1908: Dispute Over Black and White Children Playing Together Turns Deadly

Posted on April 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 21, 1908: In Memphis, a quarrel between women over Black and white children playing together leads to a fight and then a shooting.

Note: This is an encore post from 2008.

Below, an update in the saga of some “Hearstlings” who stole pictures of the Great White Fleet to be published in the Examiner … Note the story about the 1906 Brownsville, Texas, incident in which African American troops of the 25th Infantry were charged with going on a deadly rampage. I haven’t touched on this case (so many stories, only one Larry Harnisch), but reports on the congressional hearings crop up regularly in 1908 editions of The Times … Also note the article about the U.S. postmaster taking action against alleged abortionists who used the mail to provide birth control information. Well into the 1950s, The Times was squeamish about using the term “abortion,” preferring “illegal operation,” “criminal operation” or something similar. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Abortion, African Americans, Countdown to Watts, Front Pages, health, Homicide, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

April 20, 2008: Club Mecca Firebombing Victims Remembered

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 5, 1957: Club Mecca bombing
April 20, 2008

April 20, 2008: In memoriam for victims of the Club Mecca firebombingSomeone asked me if I placed this notice in today’s issues of The Times. No, I didn’t. But I’m glad these people are remembered.  Read my original Club Mecca post here.

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April 20, 1959: It’s a Woman’s World — Auto Mechanic

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 20, 1959: Mrs. Roy Harper, an expert auto mechanic specializing in carburetors.
April 20, 1959: Meet Mrs. Roy Harper, a trained auto mechanic who helps run her husband’s auto garage, where she is apparently a service writer and specializes in carburetors. But the Los Angeles Times assures readers that she’s still ladylike and prefers “high heels and chic clothes” to dirty coveralls and tools in the hip pockets.

Continue reading →

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April 20, 1908: Great White Fleet Draws Huge Crowds, Overwhelming Capacity

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 20, 1908: Train service to see the Great White Fleet

Recall from yesterday that crowds hoping to see the Great White Fleet overwhelmed the city’s transportation systems. Those who managed to get to the wharves at Long Beach, San Pedro, Redondo Beach and Venice overtaxed the ability of boats to take them out to see the ships, The Times said. Even after 5 p.m., when the ships stopped letting visitors aboard, the crowd bought boat tickets merely to a closer look at the fleet. Because it was Easter Sunday in 1908, the fleet’s Rear Adm. Charles M. Thomas, an Episcopalian, attends services at St. Paul’s Pro-Cathedral in Los Angeles and takes Communion at the rail. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

Main Title: Lettering over nighttime shot of busy street with buildings in the background.

This week’s mystery movie was the 1973 film Coffy, with Pam Grier, Booker Bradshaw, Robert DoQui, William Elliott, Allan Arbus, Barry Cahill, Lee De Broux, Ruben Moreno, Lisa Farringer, Carol Lawson, Ray Young and Sid Haig. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood by Sidney Skolsky, April 15, 1944

Posted on April 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

image

April 15, 1944

Some quotations from the Motion Picture Herald, including this about “Princess O’Rourke.”

I played this fine picture on Sunday-Monday to just fair business and had more raves about it than anything I played in years. Maybe  it was the title that kept them away. I really exploit my pictures, using four weekly newspapers, 100 tack cards and 1,000 heralds; plus a public address system. If the preview had a hillbilly chirping “Coming Round the Mountain” or something, maybe that would have got them. My patrons like corn, green, ripe, in muffins, cans or jugs, and I simply have got to give it to them and that’s what they are going to get from now on. This picture business is getting me, or has it got me?

From the Miami News.

Continue reading →

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April 15, 1908: Accused Wife Killer Says ‘Everything Went Black’

Posted on April 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 15, 1908: Ad for the Columbia Graphphone Talking MachineNote: This is an encore post from 2008.

Below, an old-fashioned lunatic–really crazy–is on trial in the killing of his ex-wife, who used to sleep with a knife under her pillow. He uses the “everything went black” defense … The Police Board appoints a committee to study scam artists who specialize in the occult: “slate writers, trance mediums,” etc. … Quong Wai, who is fighting a deportation order, says he is an American born in San Francisco. He says immigration officers arrested him at a streetcar station without reason. Continue reading →

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April 11, 1958: Johnny Stompanato inquest

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch


April 11, 1958
Los Angeles

Note: This is an encore post from 2008.

The Mirror published excerpts of the coroner’s inquest in the death of Johnny Stompanato. Several crucial paragraphs about the stabbing are, unfortunately, illegible in my scan of the first runover page. I’ll try to get a lighter image soon. It is evident that, just as Stompanto’s brother, Carmine, alleged, there was some delay in contacting medical personnel and a further delay in dealing with the dispatcher. Lana Turner’s account of her relationship with Stompanto makes him sound brutal and ugly.

April 11, 1958: Opening paragraphs of the Johnny Stompanato inquest

Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

Main title. Zooming letters over image of an off-world planet.

This week’s mystery movie was the 1950 film Rocketship X-M, with Lloyd Bridges, Osa Massen, John Emery, Noah Beery Jr., Hugh O’Brian, Morris Ankrum, Patrick Ahern, Sherry Moreland, John Dutra and Katherine Marlowe. Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

April 13, 1908: Dr. Hoffman’s Nerve Syrup Cures ‘Fits’

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 13, 1908: Nerve syrup cures fits! Ad for "nerve syrup" a treatment for epilepsy and "falling sickness" and St. Vitus Dance. What's in it? No telling!

Note: This is an encore post from 2008.

Above, wouldn’t it be fun to know what exactly is in Dr. Hoffman’s Nerve Syrup? Below, the sad tale of a woman believed to be Mrs. W.I. Roberts, who died after collapsing in line at the Pacific Electric Depot, 6th Street and Main. Unfortunately, I can’t find any further stories on whether she was conclusively identified … The Times reports the death of Lt. C.A.L. Totten, who upset his colleagues on the Yale faculty by issuing predictions of such events as the Russo-Japanese War, the San Francisco earthquake (he was apparently correct on those two) and the end of the world (we’re still waiting on that one) … And be sure to see Los Angeles Hay Storage, 1620 E. 7th, for the finest in equine comestibles.

Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood’s Salute to Atmosphere – The Afton Arms

Posted on April 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

Afton Arms Exterior Hollywood Citizen 1-25-25

A photo of the Afton Arms from the Hollywood Citizen, Jan. 25, 1925.

Note: This is an encore post from 2019.

Built in 1925 and advertising itself as modern and up-to-date, filled with every convenience, the aristocratic Afton Arms offered stylish living for aspiring entertainers and striving businessmen. Located a few blocks away from motion picture studios, the Afton Arms appeared as a luscious fantasy designed for cinematic dreams.

During the 1920s, striking apartment complexes sprang up all over Hollywood and Los Angeles, offering gorgeous designs and and comfortable living to a growing middle class. They represented attainment of financial or career success, or at least the illusion of having it all. For those trying to achieve stardom in Hollywood, these residences suggested that they too, had arrived.

Mary Mallory’s latest book,  on Grace Kelly, “Living With Grace.”

Continue reading →

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