Monthly Archives: December 2013

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files — Mystery Guest No. 1

Posted on December 18, 2013 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I was given a box of material cleaned out of the press room at Parker Center that was crammed with photos, artist sketches, press releases and some tattered maps. I have organized the material … Continue reading →

Posted in LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files, Photography | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on December 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

And for Tuesday, a mystery woman, courtesy of writer Christopher McPherson.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles — Tortilleria Jalisco

Posted on December 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner did a weekly series on some of the old landmarks in Los Angeles, many of them doomed by the impending construction of Union Station. Unlike the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Food and Drink, Main Street, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s a little stocking stuffer: A 1929 Duesenberg Model J. Dual Cowl Phaeton, which is being auctioned next year in Scottsdale, Ariz. The estimated sale price, according to Gooding & Co. is $2 million to $2.3 million.

Posted in 1929, Transportation | Tagged | 2 Comments

‘Ann Dvorak’ — Talking With Author Christina Rice

Posted on December 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

Several weeks ago, the L.A. Daily Mirror had lunch with Christina Rice, author of the new book “Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel” and it’s always fun when two ardent researchers get together to talk shop. We chatted about various archives, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on December 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery fellow, courtesy of author Christopher McPherson.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Henry Armetta, Excitable Support

Posted on December 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

Henry Armetta, courtesy of Mary Mallory. In many films of the 1930s and 1940s, what audiences remember most are the one-of-a-kind supporting players, with vibrant personalities, colorful ways of talking, recognizable tics and dramatic looks. Many of these people came … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Bonnie and Clyde — The FBI Files

Posted on December 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Speaking of FBI files, here’s an image of Clyde Barrow’s funeral found in his FBI file. Bonnie and Clyde’s FBI files are also online in seven sections.

Posted in 1934, Crime and Courts, Television | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Mob City: Bugsy Siegel’s FBI Files

Posted on December 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

“Bugs” Siegel refers to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover “in a most degrading and insulting manner.” As long as we’re on the subject of Bugsy Siegel (d. 1947), fans of “Mob City” might consider perusing his FBI files, which are … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, 1947, Television | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Mob City: Bugsy Siegel’s FBI Files

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide: A Brief History of the Tom and Jerry

Posted on December 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

A recipe for the Tom and Jerry from the San Francisco Call, June 30, 1912. Over on Facebook, Christopher McPherson asked whether the Tom and Jerry was named for the MGM cartoon characters. I said I suspected the opposite was … Continue reading →

Posted in 1862, Books and Authors, Food and Drink | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A Relic of the Past: Horse Flop Found in Downtown Los Angeles!

Posted on December 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

In the 21st century, one can still find horse flop on Spring Street near City Hall in downtown Los Angeles. So much for the predictions of yesteryear,  in which we would be living in domed cities, get our power from … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, City Hall, Downtown, History, Spring Street | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Christmas in Los Angeles, 1913

Posted on December 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 13, 1913: Santa Claus visits the 400 students at Castelar Street School and “spoke six languages,” according to The Times. Several little girls who had never possessed dollies before in their short lives were the recipients of lovely ones, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Downtown, Education, Hill Street | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Christmas in Los Angeles, 1913

The L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide

Posted on December 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

A set of five Tom and Jerry mugs listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $20. We don’t keep a bottle of Scotch in our desk in the city room of the L.A. Daily Mirror. In fact, we are … Continue reading →

Posted in 1945, Food and Drink | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Millennial Moment: Man Killed in Toilet Tank Murder

Posted on December 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Starting tomorrow: “Silkwood.” At 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11, 1983, a maid cleaning rooms at the Inn at Laguna on Coast Highway found the body of Ronald Jay Murphy. Murphy, 22, who worked for an oil company in Santa … Continue reading →

Posted in 1983, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Millennial Moments | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Millennial Moment: Man Killed in Toilet Tank Murder

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer Tells of Fighting on Tarawa

Posted on December 12, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 12, 1943: Times columnist Tom Treanor, who will be killed in August 1944 covering the liberation of France, files a story about fighting between U.S. and Nazi troops around Filignano, Italy, about 100 miles southeast of Rome.   Crawling in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Animals, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Photography, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

Glen Creason’s book on maps of Los Angeles shows the many ways people have viewed the city over the years. I interviewed him for The Times in 2012 and fortunately for all concerned, the column was seen by a real … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Books and Authors, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files

Posted on December 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

In going through the jumbled mass of pictures, press releases, artist sketches and tattered maps of the LAPD Parker Center Cop Shop Files, I found this photograph. And then a few more. And a few more. Was she a city … Continue reading →

Posted in 1980, Film, Homicide, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files, Television | 10 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

You might have to hunt a bit for Don Normark’s 1999 book “Chavez Ravine, 1949,” but your search will be rewarded. The photos are terrific and the residents’ recollections make the book even better. Copies can be found via bookfinder.com.

Posted in 1949, Books and Authors | Tagged , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Rediscovering Los Angeles — The Hopperstead House

Posted on December 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 27, 1936: Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit the Hopperstead home, which was built at Hill and Court streets in 1880. When Turner wrote this column, family members were still living in a portion of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1880, 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Rediscovering Los Angeles — The Hopperstead House

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

In 1989, Billy Wilder sold much of his art collection. The works are gone, but the auction catalog lives on. If you’re a hard-core Billy Wilder fan (and I am) it’s fun looking through the catalog – I was fortunate … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide