Monthly Archives: March 2011

Matt Weinstock, March 31, 1961, Matt Weinstock

       March 31, 1961: KNX radio personality Bob Crane is looking for a word that rhymes with orange, Matt Weinstock says. CONFIDENTIAL TO "MODERN MOTHER": Granted, your daughter CAN be trusted, but why place such temptations in the … Continue reading

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Paul Coates, March 31, 1961

         March 31, 1961: Paul Weeks files a story from Washington saying that the John Birch Society has become a "matter of concern to the attorney general.” Although Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy made no direct statement, … Continue reading

Posted in 1961, Columnists | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 31, 1941

        March 31, 1941: Everybody has ideas about making movies – even the window washers, Lee Shippey says. EVER SINCE RETURNING from Europe I have been pestered by one question to which I could give no satisfactory … Continue reading

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Jim Murray, March 31, 1961

        March 31, 1961: Lakers coach Fred Schaus has a few things to say about ref Jim Duffy after a 114-113 loss to the St. Louis Hawks and doesn't care if it gets in print — even … Continue reading

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Private Investigator Held in Extortion

        Private investigator Charles R. Chase decided to make a little extra money by squeezing an extra $900 out of a teenager who stole $100 from the  drugstore where he worked. The police set a trap and … Continue reading

Posted in #courts, 1931, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Leave a comment

Matt Weinstock, March 30, 1961

    March 30, 1961: The Scottish Daily Express quotes Caltech seismologist Hugo Benioff (d. 1968) as saying that a devastating earthquake is set to hit Los Angeles.  The reporter apparently misquoted or distorted what Benioff said, according to Matt … Continue reading

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Paul Coates, March 30, 1961

    March 30, 1961: I had a terrible time scanning Paul Coates’ column for today, which is on the jump but barely legible. The ones in April are better.

Posted in 1961, Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates | 2 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 30, 1941

           March 30, 1941: In a classic example of one its attempts to meddle in local politics, The Times publishes a Page 1 editorial about the mayor’s race, sharply criticizing the incumbent, Fletcher Bowron, and advocating … Continue reading

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Jim Murray, March 30, 1961

        March 30, 1961: Jim Murray takes a look at the names for horses in harness racing and  thoroughbred racing, and throws in auto racing for good measure.   Thoroughbred racing, I am glad to say, is a … Continue reading

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Kennedy Mystery Photo

Robert F. Kennedy at the Ambassador, June 5, 1968, photo courtesy of Howard Decker Robert F. Kennedy in an undated photo by Paul Jacobs L.A. Observed recently posted a photo – from Chip Jacobs’ blog — of Robert F. Kennedy … Continue reading

Posted in 1968, Mystery Photo, Photography, Politics, RFK | 4 Comments

Matt Weinstock, March 29, 1961

      March 29, 1961: Brendan Behan’s play “The Hostage” is opening in Los Angeles and Matt Weinstock has a few lines about the playwright …  The gagged-up menu at the Writers Guild awards dinner included "Great Impasta," "Aspartacus … Continue reading

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Paul Coates, March 29, 1961

    March 29, 1961: A fellow gives  up his charitable pastime after going for a walk in Beverly Hills. Irving Iscoe used to carry a pocket full of pennies when he went for a walk and would feed a … Continue reading

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 29, 1941

           March 29, 1941: Jan Valtin (Richard Krebs), the author of the controversial book “Out of the Night,” is arrested on charges of being an illegal immigrant. I’m almost 100 pages into “Out of the Night” … Continue reading

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Jim Murray, March 29, 1961

Jim Murray on Otto Graham: Crazy Otto is still bucking a trend. Where Bob Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin and other of his contemporaries in the NFL have chosen glamour jobs in the pro game, Crazy Otto has picked the head coaching job and athletic directorship at the Coast Guard Academy, a football power about on a par with the Harvard Frosh, which is to say they could give Glendale High a good game.
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What’s Troubling Today’s Young Women, Part 4

          March 29, 1961: College as a finishing school that makes women the perfect accessory for their ambitious, upwardly mobile husbands – but many can’t take the pressure.   ALSOWhat’s Troubling Today’s Young Women, Part 1 … Continue reading

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Matt Weinstock, March 28, 1961

    March 28, 1961: Matt Weinstock has the story of a young fellow getting the best of a police officer who cited him for having a car that was too close to the ground.  DEAR FEELS: Marriage isn't — … Continue reading

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Paul Coates, March 28, 1961

      March 28, 1961: Memphis Harry Lee Ward, one of Paul Coates’ regular correspondents, sends a copy of “Highways of Literature.”  Coates pages through the book and finds some interesting items….

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 28, 1941

        March 28, 1941 — Lee Shippey has a letter from England: “My daughter is nursing at a hospital. Among others they are caring for wounded German airmen. But that didn't prevent six bombs being aimed at … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: Yes, this is Portland Hoffa, the wife of radio comedian Fred Allen. I discovered Allen’s radio shows after his death in 1956 and always wondered about the women named Portland … Continue reading

Posted in broadcasting, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography, Stage | 32 Comments

Jim Murray, March 28, 1961

        March 28, 1961:  Here’s a lesson from the great Jim Murray in how to take down a major sports figure (Sonny Liston) with style and class:  The big point about Sonny is that he got in … Continue reading

Posted in #Jim Murray, 1961 | 1 Comment