Monthly Archives: November 2010

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on November 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   Here’s our weekend mystery guest. Last week’s guest was Polly Walters! There’s a new photo on the jump!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 13 Comments

Dorothy Stratten — ‘Galaxina’

Posted on November 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

          Nov. 22, 1980: “Galaxina” is released to movie theaters three months after one of the stars, former Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, died in a murder-suicide. “Since Stratten plays a robot in the title … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Obituaries, Suicide | 1 Comment

From the Vaults: ‘Metropolis’ (1927)

Posted on November 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

I am just about the last person on earth to see Fritz Lang's "Metropolis." And I chose to break my fast with a nice long incarnation of it: the newly restored 145-minute version, recently shown for the third time by … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, From the Vaults, Hollywood | 3 Comments

Matt Weinstock, Nov. 21, 1960

Posted on November 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

       Nov. 21, 1960: Matt Weinstock notes that the fire hydrant outside the new state building at 2nd and Hill streets is in the gutter because the street was widened during construction and nobody can agree on who … Continue reading →

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Paul Coates, Nov. 21, 1960

Posted on November 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

       Nov. 21, 1960: Paul Coates writes about the “strange passivity” in the Soviet citizen. He quotes another reporter: "There's no city in the world where I'd feel safer for my wife and kids than Moscow. They can … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo — Updated

Posted on November 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Update: This is Polly Walters! Congratulations to Mike Hawks and Mary Mallory (who not only identified Polly, but even named the photographer. Very impressive!) And thanks to Eve for suggesting her! Here’s our mystery guest. Last week’s mystery … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 15 Comments

Death in Miami

Posted on November 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

One magazine, October 1954 In August 1954, a couple parking at a North Miami “lovers lane” found the body of a 27-year-old man in a pool of blood.  About 500 yards away, police located a 1950 convertible with blood spatters … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #gays and lesbians, 1954, Crime and Courts, Homicide | 6 Comments

Matt Weinstock, Nov. 19, 1960

Posted on November 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Nov. 19, 1960: Parallels between the bus system and the Owens Valley aqueduct? Matt Weinstock has the story. DEAR ABBY: Please advise me if I was right or wrong for accepting a diamond ring from a man who, … Continue reading →

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Paul Coates, Nov. 19, 1960

Posted on November 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Nov. 19, 1960: Paul Coates writes about his encounter with a con man in the Soviet Union. And Marilyn Monroe takes up modeling in Part 6 of Maurice Zolotow’s "The Real Marilyn Monroe."

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates, Nov. 19, 1960

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 19, 1940

Posted on November 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

           Nov. 19, 1940: CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNIQUE to Vivien Leigh: Be smart and quit giving out interviews about your great love. Three are people who disapprove, Jimmie Fidler says.

Posted in Columnists, Fashion, Food and Drink | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 19, 1940

November 19, 1960: Gene Autry a Contender in American League Expansion Team

Posted on November 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

Nov. 19, 1960: Hank Greenberg, former baseball star who was part owner of the Chicago White Sox, was out as the potential bidder for the American League baseball team hoping to start play in Los Angeles in 1961. So who … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Downtown, Sports | 1 Comment

Ritchie Valens and ‘Donna’

Posted on November 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

Feb. 5, 1959, Donna Ludwig. Feb. 5, 1959: Here’s a story I neglected to post in my original coverage of “The Day the Music Died,” an interview with Donna Ludwig of Granada Hills, the subject of Ritchie Valens’ song “Donna.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Obituaries, Rock 'n' Roll | Comments Off on Ritchie Valens and ‘Donna’

Matt Weinstock, Nov. 18, 1960

Posted on November 18, 2010 by lmharnisch

       Nov. 18, 1960: A woman who missed a court date arrives with a note from her doctor saying that she’s ready to “resume her occupation,” and that, of course, is why she was in court, Matt Weinstock … Continue reading →

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Paul Coates, Nov. 18, 1960

Posted on November 18, 2010 by lmharnisch

       Nov. 18, 1960: One glance at the front page shows the Mirror was nothing like The Times — but all of that is going to change in a little more than a year…. Paul Coates writes about … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 18, 1940

Posted on November 18, 2010 by lmharnisch

          Nov. 18, 1940: Note to Realtors: The Basil Rathbone house is NOT for sale! Jimmie Fidler says. [Note: This is how errors were often handled at one time. Rather than publish a correction, The Times … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 18, 1940

Former Mirror Writer Beaten to Death – Update

Posted on November 18, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Roby Heard, 1921 – 1960   This is something I wrote in 2002 at the request of Det. Rick Jackson of the LAPD’s cold case unit. Jackson said that the “murder book” for 1960 was missing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries | 4 Comments

Matt Weinstock, Nov. 17, 1960

Posted on November 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Nov. 17, 1960: Matt Weinstock discovers “2,000 Years With Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks.” “A wildly creative ad-libber who wrote for Sid Caesar for 10 years, Brooks could well become the hottest satirist in town,” Weinstock says. DEAR … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock, Nightclubs, Obituaries | 1 Comment

Paul Coates, Nov. 17, 1960

Posted on November 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

        Nov. 17, 1960: Clark Gable dies in Room 209 of Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital at the age of 59… Paul Coates reports on impressions of President-elect Kennedy in the Soviet Union … and the Mirror publishes Part … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates, Nov. 17, 1960

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 17, 1941

Posted on November 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

           Nov. 17, 1941: Fibber and Molly McGee are at Palm Springs. Molly hasn't been feeling well, Jimmie Fidler says.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 17, 1941

Wildfire Destroys 61 Homes in Bradbury

Posted on November 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

           Nov. 17, 1980: A brush fire roars through Bradbury. On the jump, a story by the master, Eric Malnic, who notes that race car driver Mickey Thompson lost six vehicles but saved his house. (Thompson … Continue reading →

Posted in Fire Department, Homicide | Comments Off on Wildfire Destroys 61 Homes in Bradbury