Monthly Archives: August 2013

Man Held in Killing of Ex-Marine

On the afternoon of July 23, 1953, Michael Timothy Cavanaugh was drinking beer at Thompson’s Cafe in Chula Vista. Earlier that year, he had himself committed to Patton State Hospital, claiming that he suffered “blackouts” in which he wrote fraudulent … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition XI (Updated +++)

Here we have a cute tyke with … a newsboy cap! How to Wear a Hat — Newsboy Cap Edition How to Wear a Hat — ‘Grapes of Wrath’ Edition Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition I Movieland Mystery … Continue reading

Posted in Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 28 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Albert Witzel, Early Glamour Photography Pioneer

Albert Witzel, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Deadwood, S.D.-born Albert Walter Witzel possessed a dead-on knack for capturing the public’s eye with his vibrant, elegant portrait photographs. Witzel became one of the premier portraitists in the teens and early 1920s, influencing … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography, Witzel | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Black Dahlia: Still Waiting for Test Results on Soil From George ‘Evil Genius’ Hodel’s Murder HQ

Feb. 3, 2013: “Soil samples were taken and results are expected next week,” according to Christine Pelisek in the Daily Beast. We’re still waiting.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Rose Parade Encounter Leads to Killing of Arcadia Woman

Aug. 9, 1963: “In Saigon, 400 miles to the south, police geared for trouble as a young, unidentified monk announced plans to burn himself to death in the continuing Buddhist struggle for what they consider their civil rights and religious … Continue reading

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Religion, Vietnam | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

L.A. Welcomes Harbor Freeway Extension With Four-Block Traffic Jam

Aug. 8, 1953: An extension of the Harbor Freeway carrying traffic into downtown Los Angeles opens — and is jammed immediately. Traffic engineers say the backup was caused by the timing of the signals at 6th Street and Figueroa. Movie … Continue reading

Posted in 1953, African Americans, Comics, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, LAPD, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Officer Kills Two, Wounds Two in Brawl at Shipyard Workers’ Party

Aug. 7, 1943: A zoot suit with a drape shape, reet pleat and stuff cuff in the comics! This is a story that, as presented in The Times, seems straightforward: A Palos Verdes police officer responding to a rowdy party … Continue reading

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California Politics: Democratic Candidate for Governor Seeks to Bar Blacks

The entire Aug. 1, 1863, issue of the Los Angeles Star is available online via the California Digital Newspaper Collection.   Buckley shoots Francisco Cruz. Aug. 1, 1863: The Star publishes the campaign speech of former Gov. John G. Downey … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

And for Monday, two mystery guests.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 51 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The First Motion Picture Electrical Parade

Harold Lloyd’s float in the electrical parade, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Long before the Walt Disney Co. began presenting an electrical parade at its parks, Los Angeles offered electrical parades as part of the city’s grand La Fiesta de las … Continue reading

Posted in 1931, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Millennial Moment: Prison Escapee Slaughters Family

Aug. 2, 1983: Terry Atkinson reviews the L.A. debut of the Eurythmics at the Palace, saying: “Move over, Chrissie Hynde and Martha Davis, and make room for Annie Lennox.” Kevin Cooper is arraigned in an attack that killed four people … Continue reading

Posted in 1983, Comics, Crime and Courts, Millennial Moments, Music, Sports | 1 Comment

‘Mysterious Objects’ in Skies Over L.A.

Comics characters of the 1950s got to drive MGs! Edward Irving Foote was born June 29, 1861, in Michigan. Someone by that name attended the University of Michigan at Lansing, class of 1877-78, and was described as a “farmer, miner, … Continue reading

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