Monthly Archives: March 2011

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 15, 1941

Posted on March 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

             March 15, 1941: Tom Treanor writes about two articles on Los Angeles, one in Fortune magazine and the other in Western Advertising, by Ramsey Oppenheim. Treanor says: “In trying to interpret Los Angeles, Mr. … Continue reading →

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Jim Murray, March 15, 1961

Posted on March 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

             March 15, 1961: Jim Murray watches a broadcast of the Floyd Patterson – Ingemar Johansson fight at the Orpheum Theatre on Broadway.  

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Another Good Story Ruined — The Black Dahlia

Posted on March 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

I received a news alert the other day about an upcoming play titled “The Chanteuse and the Devil’s Muse” in which Daniele Watts will portray Mady Comfort, at left, purportedly “Elizabeth Short's best friend.” I honestly don’t know how such … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Coming Attractions, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Stage | 6 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo Fan — Eve Golden

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Eve Golden, a regular Daily Mirror reader and Mystery Photo fan, is a photo archivist in New York and has written several show business biographies, including “Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara” and “Platinum Girl: The Life … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Mystery Photo, Photography | 2 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 14, 1941

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

           March 14, 1941: Some time ago, this column told of the work of Ruby Berkley Goodwin, the Fullerton Negro poetess whose work has attracted national attention. Wendell Malliet & Co., New York, have just announced … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1961, art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Obituaries, Tom Treanor | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This is Sally Marr, Lenny Bruce's mother. She is conferring with Frankie Ray ("Dracula's Dog") Perelli on the set of the film "Cinderella." Please congratulate RJ, Dewey Webb and Mary … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 5 Comments

Jim Murray, Feb. 27, March 14, 1961

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

            Feb. 27, 1961: Jim Murray takes his wife and two other women to see boxing at the Olympic. One question: The best way to wash blood out of boxers’ trunks. Murray writes a nice … Continue reading →

Posted in #Jim Murray, 1961, broadcasting, Columnists, Film, Sports, Television | 1 Comment

In Walter (Cronkite) We Trust, March 14, 1981

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

             March 14, 1981: Howard Rosenberg, The Times Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic, watches Dan Rather’s debut in taking over from Walter Cronkite on the “CBS Evening News” and he is not a happy man. Art … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, @news, art and artists, Art Seidenbaum, Blues, broadcasting, Columnists, Comics, Howard Rosenberg, Television, Walter Cronkite | 2 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined: Saucers Over L.A.! — Part 7

Posted on March 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

        These days, many of The Times photos and negatives are held at UCLA. Here’s one of two negatives that Scott Harrison of our photo department got from the archives. As I said at the beginning, the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Another Good Story Ruined, Photography, UFOs | 4 Comments

Jim Murray, March 13, 1961

Posted on March 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

            March 13, 1961: Jim Murray writes from Palm Springs about a game between the Angels and the Cubs. “The opposition was the Chicago Cubs, not formidable under the best of circumstances, but this was … Continue reading →

Posted in #Jim Murray, 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Sports | 2 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined: Saucers Over L.A.! — Part 6

Posted on March 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

        July 8, 1947: The first links between the searchlight photo, the Battle of Los Angeles and flying saucers seem to have emerged in the late 1940s.  A Times editorial dismissing UFOs compared them to the mystery … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay — Rube Wolf

Posted on March 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

This poster from the 1935 showing of “The President Vanishes” at the Paramount Theatre has been listed on EBay. Fans of vintage typography (you know who you are) this is for you! Bidding starts at $400, which is too rich … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Downtown, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Music | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Rube Wolf

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 12, 1941

Posted on March 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

           March 12, 1941: The first 100 pages of James Hilton’s “Random Harvest” are disappointing but the rest of the novel more than makes up for it, Lee Shippey says. Tom Treanor talks to some watchmakers … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on March 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo           [Update 2: Here’s our mystery stalker!] [Update: This is Francis X. Bushman Jr. and Alma Rayford in “Away in the Lead.” Evidently this is a lost film … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 27 Comments

Jim Murray, March 12, 1961

Posted on March 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

        March 12, 1961: After a month of writing six columns a week, Jim Murray wonders what hit him! He dips into the mailbag for readers’ comments. But even when answering readers’ quibbles, Murray is entertaining.

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Another Good Story Ruined: Saucers Over L.A.! — Part 5 [Updated]

Posted on March 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

    [Update: The Times published this photo with a story about the Battle of Los Angeles, but the photo was actually taken another time and used in error, according to Scott Harrison, who researched it for The Times'  Framework … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Another Good Story Ruined, Photography, UFOs | 1 Comment

Death Toll Exceeds 100,000 in Japan’s Holocaust, Sept. 3, 1923

Posted on March 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

               Sept. 3, 1923: This is the earliest map I’ve ever seen by our old friend Charles Owens, who later worked on Nuestro Pueblo with Joe Seewerker. I have been selective in posting stories … Continue reading →

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All Tokio in Flames; Death Toll Staggering, Sept. 2, 1923

Posted on March 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

           Sept. 2, 1923: Tokio is afire, many of the buildings of the city have collapsed, the water system is destroyed, the loss of life is heavy, all traffic has been suspended and the flames are … Continue reading →

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Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, March 11, 1961

Posted on March 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

        March 11, 1961: The unemployed man who turned in $240,000 that fell from a Brink’s armored car gets a job offer! An overturned propane trailer causes a five-hour jam on the Hollywood Freeway, Matt Weinstock says, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Matt Weinstock, Paul Coates, Transportation | Comments Off on Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, March 11, 1961

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 11, 1941

Posted on March 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

           March 11, 1941: Lee Shippey publishes an interesting, detailed letter about conditions in Germany by a woman who fled to Switzerland. Los Angeles needs more factories, but getting money is difficult because everyone is worried … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 11, 1941