Monthly Archives: April 2013

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth – Part 5

Posted on April 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I am using the Wikipedia entry on Wallace Beery – alleging that he was involved in the death of Ted Healy – as a way to explore Wikipedia’s fundamental problems with accuracy and delve … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, History, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

Posted on April 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

For Monday, a mystery couple.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 61 Comments

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth — A Note on Sources

Posted on April 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I am using the Wikipedia entry on Wallace Beery — alleging that he was involved in the death of Ted Healy — as a way to explore Wikipedia’s fundamental problems with accuracy and delve … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, History, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Organist C. Sharp Minor, Major Talent

Posted on April 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Music was an integral part of silent films, giving emotional texture or humorous voice to the films’ precious images. Different types of music and musicians accompanied them: orchestras, bands, photoplayers, pianists and organists. Leading the pack as one of Los … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wikipedia Watch: Yuri Gadyukin Hoax

Posted on April 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

An elaborate Wikipedia hoax involves a purported Soviet film director — who never existed. Among his alleged works is “Where the Tractors Roam.”

Posted in Film, History, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Wikipedia Watch: Novelist Amanda Filipacchi Feels the Sting of ‘Citizen Scholars’

Posted on April 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

A world without Wikipedia? Not such a bad idea. Novelist Amanda Filipacchi, writing in the New York Times, notes that the “citizen scholars” at Wikipedia have been moving women from the category of “American Novelists” to “American Women Novelists.” She … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, History | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Parkey Sharkey — Found on EBay

Posted on April 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

Our old friend Parkey Sharkey appears in a photo that has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $19.99.  

Posted in Books and Authors, Found on EBay, Radio | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: Soil Test Results From Dr. George ‘Evil Genius’ Hodel’s Purported Murder HQ

Posted on April 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

And in case anyone thinks that we have forgotten: No, nothing has been announced about the purported tests performed on soil from Dr. George “Evil Genius” Hodel’s purported murder HQ. I think it’s safe to say there are no results … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

‘Bad Charleston Charlie’

Posted on April 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Several years ago, in a previous incarnation of the blog, I wrote about the film “Bad Charleston Charlie.” Someone emailed me in hopes of getting a VHS copy. They are rare, but one has finally surfaced on EBay. It’s included … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth – Part 4

Posted on April 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I am using the Wikipedia entry on Wallace Beery – alleging that he was involved in the death of Ted Healy – as a way to explore Wikipedia’s fundamental problems with accuracy and delve … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, History, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth – Part 3

Posted on April 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I am using the Wikipedia entry on Wallace Beery – alleging that he was involved in the death of Ted Healy – as a way to explore Wikipedia’s fundamental problems with accuracy and delve … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth — Part 2

Posted on April 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m using the alleged beating of Ted Healy by Wallace Beery et al to examine Wikipedia’s accuracy. So far, it hasn’t been good. Yesterday, I looked at the eight different accounts in Wikipedia and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Coming Attractions: ‘Cinerama Holiday’

Posted on April 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

“Cinerama Holiday” is being presented this weekend during TCM’s Classic Film Festival. The film will be shown Sunday at 9 a.m. at the Cinerama Dome. Here’s Mary Mallory’s post on Philippe de Lacy and ‘Cinerama Holiday’ from last October

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth – Part 1

Posted on April 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

As longtime readers know, the L.A. Daily Mirror is usually a Wikipedia-free zone. I consider it a sinkhole of myth, mistakes, rumors and folklore that is created and maintained by “citizen scholars,” crackpots, coding tweakers, factoid zealots and folks in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, History, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 26 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

Posted on April 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

And for Monday, a mystery gent.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 65 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: David O. Selznick and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek

Posted on April 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

Madame Chiang in a film clip at the Hollywood Bowl, beginning at the 4:22 mark on a newsreel posted on YouTube. Seventy years ago, film producer David O. Selznick staged an over-the-top extravaganza April 4, 1943, at the Hollywood Bowl … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth, Coming Next week

Posted on April 19, 2013 by lmharnisch

A world without Wikipedia – not such a bad idea. Regular readers of the L.A. Daily Mirror know that I consider Wikipedia a sinkhole of mistakes and folklore that is created and maintained by “citizen scholars,” coding tweakers, crackpots and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, History, Libraries | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Real L.A. Noir – Tomorrow at The Times Festival of Books

Posted on April 19, 2013 by lmharnisch

Among the events scheduled for this weekend’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, you may especially enjoy a panel moderated by Patt Morrison titled “The Real L.A. Noir,” featuring reporters Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton — and me. The panel … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, LAPD | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Berserk Negro Kills Two Men on Ranch With Ax

Posted on April 18, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 18, 1943:  Robert Earl Lee, 61, a worker at ranch in the Malibu Hills, surrenders to authorities after killing his employer, Nelson Ross Wolfe, and another ranch hand, Albert Everett Miller, with an ax. Lee, described by The Times … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Animals, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Random Shot – DTLA

Posted on April 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

The things you see in downtown Los Angeles.

Posted in Architecture, Broadway, Downtown | Tagged , | 1 Comment