Monthly Archives: April 2013

Who Was California’s First Woman Judge? A Puzzlement

Posted on April 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 17, 1913: Clara Jess, described as the first woman in California to be appointed as a judge, resigns after a year. She was the recorder of Daly City and functioned like a justice of the peace, according to an … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Crime and Courts, Immigration | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

What Cheer Saloon

Posted on April 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

The entire issue of the Los Angeles Star is available via USC, scanned from a copy at the Huntington. April 11, 1863: Very slim pickings for local news this week as nearly the entire issue of the Los Angeles Star … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Animals, Civil War, Food and Drink, Main Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

And here’s a mystery chap for Monday. Note his interesting choice of headwear. Update: Yes, this is “Riding High,” which is one of the strangest movies I have ever seen. Entire sequences (not just a shot here or there)  were … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 58 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mack Sennett and Studio City’s Central Motion Picture District

Posted on April 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

  Eighty-five years ago, the Mack Sennett Studio opened at 4024 N. Radford in Studio City. The studio functioned as a magnet in hopes of drawing other film production companies and studios to the surrounding land owned by Central Motion … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Film Noir Fest Kapows Gangsters

Posted on April 12, 2013 by lmharnisch

“City Across the River” with a young Tony Curtis, left. Shady dames and slick gunsels are now on screen during the 15th Annual Film Noir Festival spooling at American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Usual suspects like “Sunset Boulevard” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Millennial Moment: Animator in Jail After Oscar Awards Attack on Officers

Posted on April 12, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 12, 1983: Oscar-winning animator Zbigniew Rybczyński, 34, is in custody on charges of battery after he allegedly kicked a security guard in the groin outside the Academy Awards ceremony at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion — and then kicked a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1983, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Millennial Moments | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Japanese Lieutenant Killed at Guadalcanal Went to USC

Posted on April 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 11, 1943: And here begins one of my favorite “Li’l Abner” episodes: Zoot Suit Yokum. The Times reports a strange encounter on Guadalcanal in which an unidentified Marine took a rifle from a wounded Japanese lieutenant. According to Torrance … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Comics, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bill Would Bar Japanese From Owning Land

Posted on April 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 10, 1913: The Times seems to be featuring a woman artist, but it’s difficult to make out her elaborate signature. Is it N. Tanaga? V. Tanaga? V. Kanaga? Aha! she was Neva Kanaga. Further research indicates she was Neva … Continue reading →

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Noir Fans, Mark Your Calendars

Posted on April 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Among the events scheduled for the upcoming Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (April 20-21), 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. … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Board of Supervisors Plan Toll Road to San Fernando Valley

Posted on April 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Read the entire April 4, 1863, issue, from the Huntington Library, scanned by USC. April 4, 1863: Most of this issue of the Star is devoted to the Civil War and virulent criticism of the North, Abolitionists, President Lincoln, etc. … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo – Grant Lockhart Memorial Edition (Updated +++)

Posted on April 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

This is a special shout-out to one of our regular readers, Grant Lockhart. Enjoy, Grant! Sorry about the fuzzy quality. It’s the best I can do. Update: Dear friends, I regret to report the loss of one of our regulars, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 50 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Nell Brinkley, Queen of Early American Comics

Posted on April 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

When Americans think of classic illustrators from the early 20th century, names such as Charles Dana Gibson, Harrison Fisher, Haskell Coffin, James Montgomery Flagg, and John Held Jr. spring to mind. Forgotten by almost everyone, but in every way these … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Comics, Fashions, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Roger Ebert, Jerry Lewis and Me

Posted on April 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

My Rolodex card for Roger Ebert, c. 1982. In the outpouring of appreciations and reminiscences after the death of film critic Roger Ebert, my little tale is really not much. I am adding it because I believe that even a … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

Talking With Eve Golden About John Gilbert

Posted on April 5, 2013 by lmharnisch

Eve Golden has given a couple of interviews about her new book on John Gilbert: The first is with Michael G. Ankerich and the second is with Mel Neuhaus. Congrats, Eve!

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Human Fly Flees Hall of Justice

Posted on April 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 4, 1943: Col. Darryl F. Zanuck comes under criticism for trying to return to civilian life. (Zanuck said there wasn’t much chance that he would make more movies of combat.) Sen. Harry Truman (D-Mo.) of the Senate War Program … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Broadway, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Immigration, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

LAPD Chief Wants More Police; Terrible Traffic – 1913

Posted on April 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 3, 1913: That is author L. Frank Baum and composer Louis F. Gottschalk, the team behind “The Tik-Tok Man of Oz,” which was a blockbuster in Los Angeles. The Times said it “is the reigning sensation of the local … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Books and Authors, City Hall, LAPD, Stage, Streetcars, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Land Bargain in L.A.: 50 Cents an Acre!

Posted on April 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Read the entire edition online at USC, scanned from a copy at the Huntington Library. March 28, 1863: The city of Los Angeles is selling 2,000 acres “within the eastern boundary of the city” at a minimum price of 50 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, City Hall, Civil War, Native Americans | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated ++++)

Posted on April 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

And for Monday, a mystery woman.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 55 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywoodland Opens

Posted on April 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

By the early 1920s, real estate development was booming all around Los Angeles. For decades, the city had boldly advertised itself as a mecca in which average citizens could earn their share of the American dream under glorious sunshine and … Continue reading →

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