Monthly Archives: January 2013

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on January 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s a mystery chap courtesy of Mary Mallory. Thanks, Mary!! This is Felix Knight. Please congratulate Mike Hawks and Bob Hansen for identifying him!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Jerry Giesler, Miracle Man

Posted on January 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

Photo: Walter Wanger, left, and Jerry Giesler. Courtesy of Mary Mallory. Long before Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., Richard “Racehorse” Haynes, or F. Lee Bailey hit the scene, soft-spoken, circumspect Jerry Giesler iced his competition as Los Angeles’ top criminal defense … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

‘Gangster Squad’: Fail – Part 1

Posted on January 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Uh-oh. Nobody should be surprised — least of all Warner Bros. — that  “Gangster Squad” is a terrible movie. Anyone who saw the trailers or heard the industry gossip knew that it was going to be dreadful. It was a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, Fashion, Fashions, Film, History, Hollywood, LAPD, Mickey Cohen | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

How Not to Wear a Hat, Gangster Squad Edition

Posted on January 12, 2013 by lmharnisch

How to look like a hayseed just off the farm in really expensive clothes, as demonstrated by Sean Penn in “Gangster Squad,” costume design by Mary Zophres. Why does Hollywood have such a difficult time with men’s hats?

Posted in Fashion, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

‘Gangster Squad’ a Thumbnail Review

Posted on January 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

“Gangster Squad” is bad. It’s very bad. It’s even very, very bad. I laughed several times in fact, despite my best efforts not to. I’ll write more later but here’s a start: I should say something about a spoiler alert … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Pray for Me, I’m Going to See ‘Gangster Squad’

Posted on January 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

I am heading  off to see “Gangster Squad” this morning, not because I expect it to be good, but because I expect it to be very, very bad, as already reflected by the first reviews and the trailers. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Black Dahlia, City Hall, Downtown, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Punk Rock Riot on Sunset Boulevard!

Posted on January 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

  How about this retro artwork on the ad for “Nicholas Nickleby?” Sort of Peter Max via “Yellow Submarine.” Jan. 10, 1983: A riot breaks out among an estimated 2,000 punk rockers during a concert at Studio Instrument Rentals at … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Hollywood, Music, Spring Street, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

LAPD the ‘Storm Troopers’ of L.A., Lawmaker Says of Police Brutality

Posted on January 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 1, 1943: This is the beginning of the Stanley H. Beebe case, in which LAPD officers were accused of beating a suspect who died of his injuries.  Beebe, an accountant, was arrested on a streetcar at 1st and Hill … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, 1943, Crime and Courts, Downtown, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on LAPD the ‘Storm Troopers’ of L.A., Lawmaker Says of Police Brutality

The Black Dahlia: Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on January 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Black Dahlia: 5 Songs for a Famous Murder Victim by “Jef With One F.” The anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s 1947 disappearance from the Biltmore has provoked the usual outpouring of mistakes and nonsense, much of it swiped from Wikipedia (see: … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | 6 Comments

Los Angeles Editor Was Ahead of His Time

Posted on January 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

My latest column is about Paul Bryan Gray and his new book “A Clamor for Equality,” the biography of Francisco P. Ramirez, the youthful editor of El Clamor Público, the first entirely Spanish-language newspaper published in Los Angeles. The entire … Continue reading →

Posted in 1855, Books and Authors, Downtown, History, Latinos | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Day’s News – Pestilence and Starvation, Jan. 9, 1913

Posted on January 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 9, 1913: We like to think that the past was a kinder, simpler time — when life moved at a slower pace. But no. The Times publishes a Page 1 news map “as an aid to the busy reader … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, A Kinder, Simpler Time, Broadway, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Latinos | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Confederate Ship Alabama Captures Ariel, Jan. 10, 1863

Posted on January 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

Read the complete Jan. 10, 1863, edition of the Los Angeles Star. Jan. 10, 1863:  Reflecting its strong sympathies for the Confederacy, the Star publishes a poem by Stonewall Jackson and an account of the capture of the Vanderbilt  steamship … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Broadway, Civil War, Downtown | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Confederate Ship Alabama Captures Ariel, Jan. 10, 1863

C.C. Pierce – Found on EBay

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

A photo of Angels Flight listed on EBay with bids starting at $2.50. This image Angels Flight is one of several C.C. Pierce photos up for auction on EBay. To me, one of the most interesting things about the Pierce … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Found on EBay, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery photo (Updated +++)

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s a mystery chap for Monday.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 36 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: There Is a Lake in Toluca Lake

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

Photo: Janet Blair sits on the little platform off the banks of the Lakeside Golf Club. Courtesy of Mary Mallory Surrounded by homes and the Lakeside Golf Club, Toluca Lake is all but obscured from view by the public. Like … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Posted on January 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 4, 1942: A rather drunk William Kollomick, who gave his address as “Pearl Harbor,” is in jail after getting into a brawl with four unidentified Mexican youths outside a cafe at 1st and Broadway. The youths walked out of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Wikipedia Hoax Exposed

Posted on January 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

As longtime readers know, I am not a fan of Wikipedia, which I consider a sinkhole of rumors and errors run by coding tweakers, factoid zealots and folks with tinfoil hats. This week, in fact, a Daily Mirror reader questioned … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Witzel Photographs Charlie Chaplin – Found on EBay

Posted on January 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

This postcard featuring a Witzel portrait of Charlie Chaplin has been listed on EBay with bids starting at GBP  4.99.

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

China Bans Traditional Clothing for Western Fashions

Posted on January 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 3, 1913: The Chinese government issues an edict against traditional clothing in favor of Western fashions. Women were called upon “to abandon their trousers for the occidental skirt and men to give up their comfortable loose clothes for the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Crime and Courts, Education, Fashion, Film, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on China Bans Traditional Clothing for Western Fashions

Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln’s Outrage!

Posted on January 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Read all of the Jan. 3, 1863, Los Angeles Star at USC’s digital library. Jan. 3, 1863: Of all that you may know about the Emancipation Proclamation, I doubt you have read anything negative (unless you’re a historian), so the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Education, Los Angeles Star, Medicine, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment