Monthly Archives: October 2011

The Chinese Massacre: Oct. 24, 1871 – Part 2

Posted on October 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s the San Francisco Bulletin’s Oct. 25, 1871, coverage of the massacre, as republished in the Carroll (Iowa) Herald on Nov. 22, 1871. [This link works now but it may be broken eventually as Google tinkers with its newspaper archives]. … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – ‘For the Life of Me’

Posted on October 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

A copy of Jim Richardson’s flawed autobiography “For the Life of Me” has been listed on EBay. Richardson was the notorious city editor of the Examiner who orchestrated its coverage of the Black Dahlia case. He was legendary for his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Searching for Baseball History – and USC’s Bovard Field

Posted on October 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo:  Tom Phelps scores for USC in a 1946 game against UCLA at Bovard Field. Credit: El Rodeo, 1946 Jane Leavy of the New York Times examines the search for historic baseball diamonds, including USC’s Bovard Field, where Mickey Mantle … Continue reading →

Posted in 1951, Baseball, Preservation | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on October 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: This is George Barbier (d. 1945). Please congratulate Eve Golden, Mary Mallory,  Mike Hawks, Don Danard, “Maltese Falcon” fan Floyd Thursby, and Megan Lee and Thom for identifying him. Here’s another mystery photo, courtesy of Steven Bibb.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on October 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

Horse-drawn hearse for sale on EBay – listed as Buy It Now for $8,000. Queen of the Dead—dateline October 24, 2011 •  A 68-year-old literary scholar and media theorist died on Oct. 18, which is very sad, of course, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

The Chinese Massacre: Oct. 24, 1871 — Part 1

Posted on October 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

I hadn’t planned to get into the Chinese Massacre until I wrapped up the Zoot Suit Riots, but Google’s recent changes in its news archives pressed me to get the material online before the newspapers disappear. For decades, the average … Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, Chinese Massacre, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Pasadena’s ‘Fork in the Road’ Returns

Posted on October 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Pasadena’s famous “Fork in the Road” has returned!

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Suspect in After-Hours Sex at Museum: ‘I Get Around’

Posted on October 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: The Charleston Museum, where Michael L. Miller was arrested on charge of having sex at 3 a.m. Neale Gulley of Reuters reports that the Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum in Buffalo, N.Y., is building Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1927 design … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Museums, Music, Native Americans, Preservation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Suspect in After-Hours Sex at Museum: ‘I Get Around’

Next Week on the L.A. Daily Mirror

Posted on October 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 24, 1871: Riot and Massacre of Chinese in Los Angeles. Daily Southern Cross of Auckland, New Zealand, Dec. 9, 1871 Coming up this week on the Daily Mirror: On Monday,  Eve Golden has a roundup of unusual obituaries in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, Chinese Massacre, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

An EBay Lesson – Part 2

Posted on October 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: A happy couple in the Zanzibar Room of the Florentine Gardens, Sept. 6, 1944. In case you’re wondering, I contacted the vendor of the bogus EBay picture I recently acquired. He said he got it from an estate in … Continue reading →

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Occvpy Mvsevms? (How’s that for a non-SEO hed?)

Posted on October 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Maura Judkis of the Washington Post writes about a new trend in the Occupy movement: Occupy Museums. Protesters had planned demonstrations Thursday at the Museum of Modern Art, the Frick Collection and New Museum. Philip Boroff and Katya Kazakina of … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo – Witzel Edition

Posted on October 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

This unidentified Witzel photo has been listed on EBay. The vendor has no idea who this actress is, which makes it a perfect mystery photo. Bidding, by the way, starts at $9.99.

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Witzel | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – 1910 Times Bombing

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

W.W. Robinson is probably my favorite Los Angeles historian. He isn’t as flashy as some writers but he is scrupulously accurate – and that counts for a lot. “Bombs and Bribery” is a small volume on the 1910 Times bombing … Continue reading →

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Coming Attractions: ‘Of Scrap and Steel’

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1949: “Of Scrap and Steel” is shown at the Union Rescue Mission. Aug. 2, 1952: “Of Scrap and Steel” is shown at San Gabriel Union Church. March 26, 1960: “Of Scrap and Steel” is shown at the Church … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, Coming Attractions, Downtown, Film | Tagged , | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: ‘Of Scrap and Steel’

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: This is Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance and Rob Wagner (d. 1942) in Hawaii in 1918, courtesy of …. Rob Wagner, who provided us with this photograph of his great-grandfather, who was Chaplin’s publicist. He was later the publisher of … Continue reading →

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

Court Dispute Highlights Kevorkian’s Artwork

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Johann Sebastian Bach by Dr. Jack Kevorkian, in one of his paintings that doesn’t involve death and – apparently — wasn’t painted with his own blood. Washington Post education writer and columnist Jay Mathews has an interesting piece on … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Education, Museums, Suicide | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Librarian Glen Creason Gives a Research Lesson

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s a fun video showing Los Angeles Public Library map expert Glen Creason giving some assistance to a patron. This is particularly useful to dispel the view – held by certain termed-out law ‘n’ order city councilmen – that all … Continue reading →

Posted in Genealogy, Libraries | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Former Mystery Guest Barbara Kent Dies at 103

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Former mystery guest Barbara Kent has died at the age of 103. Los Angeles Times | New York Times

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Obituaries | Tagged , | 2 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 14

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Cover letter on the June 22, 1943, report on the Zoot Suit Riots. Credit: National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Theaters, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Times to Reopen Globe Lobby!

Posted on October 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Hugo Ballin mural in Los Angeles Times Globe Lobby. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com The Times has announced that it will reopen the Globe Lobby on Oct. 24, weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Very cool news.

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown | Tagged , | 2 Comments