Monthly Archives: July 2007

Branding

July 14, 1957Los Angeles The very name connotes elegance in home electronics: The Granada Hills. Really. And an early American TV at that, back in the days when television sets were supposedly to look like fine furniture instead of big … Continue reading

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The Nina mystery

July 11, 1957 Los Angeles Here’s a vintage Al Hirschfeld drawing done for “The Pride and the Passion,” starring Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren and Cary Grant. Hirschfeld is famous not only for being a fabulous artist but for hiding the … Continue reading

Posted in art and artists, Film | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

One for the books

  July 14, 1957 Los Angeles At 95, Mary Foy has the formula for longevity: Watch your health, keep mentally active and be Irish.  The Times catches up with Foy and her "double cousin," Ella Foy O'Gorman, as the women … Continue reading

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Time warp to 1910

Dec. 10, 1910Los Angeles I came across this article in looking for something else and found it too fascinating not to share. That’s why I love research. Email me

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Sea bag murder

  July 12-13, 1957 Los Angeles Two men from the Harbor Department were picking trash out of the main channel at Terminal Island when they saw the big canvas bag–twice the size of a Navy sea bag–drifting against the pier … Continue reading

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A bill of goods

  July 12, 1957 Los Angeles Harold D. Jensen was apparently quite a salesman, because he certainly sold his fiancee a bill of goods. Before marrying Barbara Jean Burton, 26, 8343 Clarence Ave., Jensen wrote a prenuptial agreement promising her … Continue reading

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Matt Weinstock

July 11, 1957 There was a traffic tie-up at the Harbor turnoff the other day as Inspectors Ed Walker and Bob Houghton were traveling inbound on the Hollywood Freeway. They threaded their way through it and came upon a woman … Continue reading

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Another plan for the Ambassador

July 11, 1957Los Angeles Yes, it’s another architectural plan, this one for the site of the Ambassador Hotel. And no, it never got built, either. Somewhere in Los Angeles, there’s a small library of designs that were shelved over the … Continue reading

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We get queries

Someone keeps landing on the blog because they’re trying to find out when the palm trees were planted on Sherman Way. Luckily, I have Proquest at hand, so let’s see. Hm. Someone apparently didn’t like the palms because they were … Continue reading

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Paul Weeks, in memoriam

I am informed that Paul Weeks, whose stories appear on the Daily Mirror blog, notably his profile of Police Chief William H. Parker, has passed away at the age of 86 due to liver cancer. Services are pending. He leaves … Continue reading

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Bar brawl

  July 10-11, 1957Los Angeles There isn’t much in doubt about what happened that night in NorthHollywood; the only mystery comes much later. That night, Frank “Puggy”Sica, 40, and Salvatore Di Giovanni, 39, were having a few drinks withRonnie Kopp … Continue reading

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Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

July 10, 1957 Since my boyhood days in the wheat fields of Manhattan I have steadfastly held Hollywood in veneration. I feigned interest in Lou Gehrig and Carl Hubbell and Hank Greenberg and the rest of their sweaty ilk to … Continue reading

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A few golden hours

July 10, 1957 Los Angeles Let’s suppose you are a famous comedian with a hit TV show. Fame and wealth are yours–more than you could have ever imagined. You are recognized wherever you go. Now let’s suppose that the doctors … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Forest Lawn, Hollywood, Mickey Cohen, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Driving Survey–Route 6

Here’s my jaunt down Route 6: Arcadia to the Auto Club on South Figueroa. Note that I had to alter the route since Figueroa is a one-way street north of Olympic. Also note that I made the trip on a … Continue reading

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Hipperson suspect

  July 9, 1957 Los Angeles Detectives investigating the killing of nurse Marjorie Hipperson are questioning a con artist with ulcers who was an orderly at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, where Hipperson and her fiance, Dr. Walter Deike, worked. Monte Melvin … Continue reading

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Matt Weinstock

July 8, 1957 Readers may have noticed that, except when vital to the story, this paper no longer uses the names of victims of rapists. The policy was prompted by the editors’ opinion that printing these names only added to … Continue reading

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Literary diversions

Detective Sgt. Joe Wambaugh gets in trouble for writing a book. Nov. 18, 1970. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

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Ronnie Quillan update

Here’s the August 1955 article from Whisper magazine referred to in my earlier post on Ronnie Quillan (thank you, EBay). Quillan actually provided the information for this story, so we have to assume it was at least somewhat accurate. In … Continue reading

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Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

July 6, 1957 Teenagers’ magazines are a comparatively new fad. But in spite of their recent arrival, they have already grabbed a strong position of influence. And respect. Yesterday, I printed some letters written to Lilly Cooper, Dig magazine’s problem … Continue reading

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Ouch!

  July 6, 1957 Los Angeles Oh this is a painful moment on the Mirror’s comics page. I was always a big fan of Gus Arriola and "Gordo," which I read for many years. The strips are beautifully drawn and … Continue reading

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