Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on February 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

Older man with messy hair. Asleep at a table.

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, February 2026

Posted on February 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

In the February 2026 Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, I gave an update on my work in progress, Heaven Is Here!

I discussed — yet again — the absurdity of trying to link the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Here’s a link to Elon Green’s January 23, 2026, article in Defector. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: William J. Mann’s ‘Murders, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood’ — Not a Better Answer in the Dahlia Case, Just a Different One

Posted on September 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

Book cover: Lettering over mug shot of Elizabeth Short.
Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood, by William J. Mann, Simon & Schuster, 464 pages, January 27, 2026, $31.

 

Like a game of Clue with an actual cold case to solve, a well-worn list of suspects in the 1947 Black Dahlia killing released 22 years ago continues to provide the “true” crime community and the multimillion-dollar industry that feeds it with endless possibilities for speculation and, occasionally, another book.

Was it the murderous Dr. George Hodel at the Sowden House in a gruesome attempt at surrealist art? Mob nightclub owner Mark Hansen at the Florentine Gardens hiring morgue-trained assassin Leslie Dillon to take care of a troublesome dame? Army butcher Carl Balsiger in a fit of violence?

All of them are fakery and fraud by writers Steve Hodel (the ongoing Black Dahlia Avenger franchise launched in 2003), Piu Eatwell (Black Dahlia, Red Rose, 2017) and Eli Frankel (Sisters in Death, forthcoming in October 2025) who, if they read all of their source material, knew their suspect wasn’t the killer and proceeded anyway. Truth is the first victim for a “true” crime author with hopes of making The New York Times bestseller list and everything that goes with it. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, books, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mabel Fairbanks, Wonder Girl of the Ice

Posted on February 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

California Eagle, Nov. 8, 1945
Mabel Fairbanks in the California Eagle, Nov. 8, 1945.

Note: This is an encore post from 2022.

Knockout African American ice skater Mabel Fairbanks wowed audiences from the 1940s through the 1960s. A true natural, she exuded joy and happiness twirling and gliding upon the ice. While extremely talented, Fairbanks was never able to develop her talents to the fullest because of prejudices of the period that prevented her from belonging to skating clubs, trying out for the United States Olympics team, or performing in major ice shows.

Fairbanks was born November 14, 1923, (per Social Security Records) in Jacksonville Florida, to a large family that struggled. By the age of eight, she was an orphan, losing her African American father and her Native American mother. Fairbanks endured racism and poverty in Florida before following an older sister to New York City in 1939 and taking a business course.

Continue reading →

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February 8, 1920: Police Arrest Men in Girls’ Garb

Posted on February 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 8, 1920: Comic panels of Somebody's Always Taking the Joy out of Life. A man lying in bed thinking of women as his wife nags him about the furnace and whether the pipes are frozen

 

February 1, 1920: Police end stag party, say men in girls' garb

February 1, 1920: The purity squad raids a party at the home of former Mayor Arthur Harper. Continue reading →

Posted in #gays and lesbians, Comics, LAPD | 1 Comment

February 8, 1907: Peace Returns to Buena Vista Street

Posted on February 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore from 2007.
February 8, 1907
Los Angeles

About 1903, Charles E. Donnatin, former Pacific Electric Railway superintendent, apparently said something about the young woman across the street at the Stewart home, Savoy Street and Buena Vista (now 1301 N. Broadway).

The woman’s mother was furious and soon a 5-gallon oil can appeared in the Stewart’s yard saying “C.E.D. has been” with the implication that Donnatin had been “canned” from his job.

Continue reading →

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1944 on the Radio — ‘His Butler’s Sister,’ February 7, 1944

Posted on February 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

radio_dial_1944

February 7, 1944

It’s Monday in 1944 and today we have:

— Hop Harrigan refuses to leave Tank behind in escaping from Berlin with the secret plans in “Hop Harrigan.” Courtesy of Archive.org.

— “His Butler’s Sister”   with Deanna Durbin, Pat O’Brien and Robert Paige on “Lux Radio Theater.” Courtesy of Archive.org.

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February 7, 1907: Cop Killer’s Widow Arrested in Liquor Raid

Posted on February 7, 2026 by lmharnisch


Note: This is an encore post from 2007.

February 7, 1907
Los Angeles

 

A Child’s Testimony

Charles Babbitt is sentenced to 30 days in jail on charges of domestic violence after the testimony of his 6-year-old son. “Papa hit me with a whip and it cut my head,” the boy said. “Then he hit mama.” “The man blinked his eyes and said that he did it because he was drunk” The Times says.

Continue reading →

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February 7, 1863: Smallpox Epidemic – Los Angeles

Posted on February 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

image

Read the entire Feb. 7, 1863, edition of the Los Angeles Star from the Huntington Library, scanned by USC.

Feb. 7 1863: The coroner holds an inquest in the killing of Christian Hutt. George Wright, the father of accused killer Reason Wright, said Hutt began shooting when he was “geeing” the plow oxen to get out of his way. “Gee” is the word used to tell oxen, mules, etc., to turn to the right. “Haw” means to turn to the left.

The newly created Board of Health reports on the smallpox cases in Los Angeles. Inspectors found a total of 128 cases of smallpox, found 170 people who had not been vaccinated and vaccinated 146 people.

Mr. Mott, Allen and Hubbard competed against Mr. Vandenburg, Phillips and Wiley in a pigeon shoot south of town. And yes, they were using real pigeons, not clay targets.

In an editorial, The Star says that the state Legislature is corrupt.

Continue reading →

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February 5, 2009: Burbank Time Capsule Revisited

Posted on February 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

Cinda Cates, Burbank public information specialist, passes along the images that were recovered from the 1959 time capsule placed in the Magnolia Boulevard Bridge. The anonymous photographer recorded the city’s civic buildings (City Hall, a fire station, etc.) and took quite a few pictures of the new bridge.

Spend a moment on the predictions of Kenneth E. Norwood of Burbank’s Planning Department. He envisioned a city where only 12% of the people lived in single-family homes, with 88% in multi-unit garden apartments made of plastic that were incorporated in commercial complexes. “These complexes are supposed to be the ultimate in urban living, combining offices, hotels, apartments, shops, restaurants, etc., in one continuous complex of buildings, malls and arcades,” he wrote. Continue reading →

Posted in @news, Architecture, City Hall, Education, Environment, Film, Freeways, Real Estate, San Fernando Valley, Science, Transportation | Leave a comment

February 5, 1959: Burbank Finds 1959 Time Capsule

Posted on February 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 5, 2009: The time capsule placed in the Magnolia Boulevard bridge in 1959.Photograph by Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
The 50-year-old time capsule about to be freed from the Magnolia Boulevard Bridge.

Jia-Rui Chong
Times Staff Writer
With a hammer and a chisel, a Burbank city worker this morning carved out a tiny silver time capsule 50 years after it was first tucked into the base of the Magnolia Bridge.

“It was there — we found it,” said deputy city manager Joy Forbes, excitement and relief bubbling through her voice. Continue reading →

Posted in @news, Film, San Fernando Valley | Leave a comment

February 5, 2009: Burbank to Open Time Capsule!

Posted on February 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 1, 1959: Burbank Time Capsule

A representative from the city of Burbank says:

On Thursday, February 5, 2009, at 10:30 a.m., the city of Burbank will be opening a time capsule that was placed in the Magnolia Boulevard bridge when it was built in 1959. There will not be a big ceremony, but the press is invited to attend.

Posted in San Fernando Valley, Science, Transportation | Leave a comment

February 4, 1907: Architectural Ramblings — South Pasadena

Posted on February 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2007.
February 4, 2007
South Pasadena

The Times publishes three architectural drawings of “artistic bungalows” prepared by the firm of Wilson and Barnes. One is being built by W.E. Fox on Columbia near Sunset Boulevard, the second by Dr. T.H. Lowers on Main Street in Alhambra and the third by A.J. Padau on Marengo in South Pasadena “near the Monrovia car line.”

The Times says of Padau’s home: “This, perhaps, is the best located of the three houses, as from its windows can be seen the entire panorama of mountain and valley to the north and east. It is strictly modern in its design. A feature of the exterior is the broad span from corner to corner of the porch, affording an unobstructed view from the large living room in the front of the house. There are five rooms in the little structure. The cost was $2,500 ($51,308.93 USD 2005).”

Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Pasadena, Streetcars | Tagged | Leave a comment

February 3, 1939: Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on February 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 3, 1939: Nuestro PuebloNotice the item about the police psychiatrist. This post will eventually be filled by Dr. Joseph Paul De River.

Posted in Homicide, LAPD, Nuestro Pueblo | Leave a comment

February 3, 1959: Rock Stars Die in Plane Crash

Posted on February 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

Ritchie Valens’ Roots

Los Angeles Times, July 19, 1987

By GREGG BARRIOS
WATSONVILLE, Calif. — “I still remember the first time we heard Ritchie sing on the
radio,” the mother of the late Latino rock ‘n’ roller Ritchie Valens recalled about that distant day, almost 30 years ago.

“I told his brother Bob, come on, let’s go to Saugus. I had some business there. I had a 1950 Olds then. The body wasn’t too good, but I paid $50 for each tire and I bought five. I pulled over to the side of the road
when ‘Come On, Let’s Go’ came on the radio. We just sat there looking at each other amazed.”

In those days, before son Ritchie became
a star, the family lived in the San Fernando Valley. Mrs. Consuelo (Connie) Valenzuela would often take her kids to the Spanish-language movies, especially to the Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los Angeles where they would see master comic Cantinflas and Mexican charro/singer Tito Guizar. “I always thought you had really arrived when a film made it to that theater,” she remembered. Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Film, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries, Rock 'n' Roll, San Fernando Valley, Television, Transportation | Leave a comment

February 2, 1938: Jelousy slaying

Posted on February 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

 

February 2, 1938: Movie ad for Mannequin

Feb. 2, 1938
Los Angeles

After watching The Times twist and turn to avoid saying exactly what the victims in the Paul Wright case were doing when they were shot, we finally get around to it–sort of. Here’s the setup: After a night of heavy drinking by everyone involved, Wright has gone to bed, leaving his wife, Evelyn, and best friend Johnny Kimmel in the living room.

Wright said he was awakened by the sound of the piano and went to investigate, although it was claimed that he merely hid in the bedroom and watched the couple using a full-length mirror on the bedroom door. Continue reading →

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February 2, 1932: Voices — Christine Collins

Posted on February 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 2, 1932: Walter Collins asks to be put on a road crew until he can be paroled. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Changeling, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Leave a comment

February 2, 1907: A Trip to the Zoo

Posted on February 2, 2026 by lmharnisch


February 2, 1907
Los Angeles

Conditions at Chutes Park are so bad that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is making a second inspection to see whether operator J.B. Lehigh has made any improvements before his Feb. 20 trial on charges of abuse and neglect.

Chutes is nothing more than a mud-filled stockyards of suffering animals, The Times says. “The ‘park’ is a long puddle of filth, reeking with slime and mud. In the pen where three little does are confined, one of them so emaciated that it is literally hidebound, a thick green scum has formed over the stagnant pool of slime that occupies a good share of the particular part of the ‘park’ where these poor little animals are shut up.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars | Leave a comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

Main Title: Lettering over gears of a clock.

This week’s mystery movie was the 1994 Universal film The Paper, with Michael Keaton, Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, Randy Quaid, Robert Duvall, Jason Alexander, Spalding Gray, Catherine O’Hara, Lynne Thigpen, Jack Kehoe, Roma Maffia, Clint Howard, Geoffrey Owens, Amelia Campbell, Jill Hennessy, William Prince, Augusta Dabney, Bruce Altman, Jack McGee, Bobo Lewis and Edward Hibbert. Continue reading →

Posted in 1994, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

January 31, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

Dash Dashes Dreams

Matt WeinstockAmong those who went along on American Airlines’ first jet flight to New York a few days ago was this paper’s Bill Thomas. His colleagues felt the event should be commemorated, and as the hour for departure neared they gathered solemnly around the city desk and each contributed 25 cents for a $25,000 insurance policy on his life.

It is hardly necessary to mention that newspapermen are lacking somehow in reverence for the things most people hold dear. Doubtless this comes from seeing
civilization at its worst.

“As the plane goes down,” one said, “it should be comforting for you to know you are doing a nice thing for your friends.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Transportation | Leave a comment

January 31, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

CONFIDENTIAL FILE

Junks ‘Junk’; Grads Applaud

Paul Coates, in coat and tieIt’s commencement week, but the proudest graduate in Southern California today isn’t from any institution of learning.

He went through his ceremony in a shabby Ocean Park store-front dwelling crowded with friends whose combined arrest records could overflow the filing cabinets of any middle-sized town in the country.

Most of the guests, like the graduate, were former gutter dope addicts.

A couple of months ago I wrote about their experiment in “communal kicking” of the habit.

The group calls itself Synanon. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1959, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Paul Coates | Leave a comment