Monthly Archives: August 2014

RIP Chuck Bowden

Posted on August 31, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sad to read that Chuck Bowden died Saturday in Las Cruces, N.M. We overlapped at the local newspapers in Tucson in the early 1980s and for a few years he lived around the corner from me, between Broadway and Sixth … Continue reading →

Posted in 2014, Books and Authors, Obituaries | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

James Ellroy and ‘Perfidia’: A First Look

Posted on August 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

  Following on its exclusive that James Ellroy was scripting a remake of “Laura,” The Hollywood Reporter posted an excerpt of Chapter 2 from Ellroy’s upcoming novel “Perfidia.” It’s a brief selection, and it may not reflect the entire book, … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Aug. 29, 1944

Posted on August 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

Aug. 29, 1944 You can never tell what our unpredictable movie heads are going to do when they decide they want a play. Jack Warner, for instance, has purchased the film rights to “The Visitor” before it even opened on … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, Aug. 28, 1944

Posted on August 28, 2014 by lmharnisch

At a fashion show of fall college styles held about a fortnight ago at B. Altman & Co., New York, most startling among the novelties shown were the “pedal pushers,” in which Anne Scott appears on Life’s cover. These are … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 25

Posted on August 28, 2014 by lmharnisch

Ann Treadwell (played by Judith Anderson) is questioned by Detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) in “Laura.” In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944, item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as the director of “Laura” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Aug. 28, 1944

Posted on August 28, 2014 by lmharnisch

Aug. 28, 1944 I had just put down “The History of Rome Hanks and Kindred Matters” when — flash! — came the word that MGM had bought the Lt. Joseph Stanley Pennell novel for $60,000. Here, my friends, is a … Continue reading →

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James Ellroy and the Remake of ‘Laura’: Doomed From the Start

Posted on August 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

  Imagine my surprise yesterday when the Hollywood Reporter announced that my onetime friend James Ellroy would be doing a remake of “Laura,” the subject of a meandering series of posts over the last few weeks. Perhaps my little project … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 24

Posted on August 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

  Dorothy Adams as Bessie Clary, Laura Hunt’s maid, in “Laura.” In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944, item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as the director of “Laura” to take a meandering look … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Aug. 27, 1944

Posted on August 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

Aug. 27, 1944 Hollywood’s divorces and nightclub battles always manage to get on the front pages. It’s just too bad the public doesn’t get an equal chance to learn about the topic of conversation that really interests the stars. Go … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 23

Posted on August 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

  Lee Tung Foo, left, and Clifton Webb as Waldo Lydecker in a scene from “Laura.” In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944, item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as the director of “Laura” … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Aug. 26, 1944

Posted on August 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

Aug. 26, 1944 When William Bendix was broke and didn’t have a nickel to his name, his father-in-law, Henry Stafanotty, loaned him money to support his wife and child. Bill isn’t the kind who forgets and now he has opened … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo ( Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 25, 2014 by lmharnisch

This is the 1957 Warner Bros. film, directed by Howard W. Koch and starring Mamie Van Doren. It’s a rare exception to imdb’s practice of giving six or seven stars to every movie ever made.

Posted in 2014, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 55 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: The Masquers Laugh to Win, Part II: Giving Support To Others

Posted on August 25, 2014 by lmharnisch

“The Bride’ “The Bride’s Bereavement or the Snake in the Grass” and “Stolen by Gypsies,” two Masquers presentations. Organized in 1925, the Masquers Club was a social/fraternal organization founded by actors but open to others in the entertainment industry. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

1944 in Music — Oscar Levant and Leonard Bernstein at the Hollywood Bowl, Aug. 22, 1944

Posted on August 22, 2014 by lmharnisch

Aug. 22, 1944 The Times encourages readers to save copies of the paper for reuse in the war effort. Let’s hear it for recycling! Keith Hallock gets a kiss from Warner Bros.’ Joyce Reynolds for being the first to volunteer … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Aug. 22, 1944

Posted on August 22, 2014 by lmharnisch

Aug. 22, 1944 Danton Walker writes: High on a hilltop in Beverly Hills at the end of the Tower Road, a tortuous lane overlooking Benedict Canyon, is a hobgoblin castle straight out of a Walt Disney film; an edifice of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Horoscope | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Dalia Negra Comix

Posted on August 21, 2014 by lmharnisch

I thought I had seen just about all the Black Dahlia-related items that existed, including the Living Dead Dolls, the Black Dahlia snow globe, etc. But this is a new one on me. Dalia Negra was a series of comic … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 22

Posted on August 21, 2014 by lmharnisch

“Antique Shop,” Third Avenue near 57th Street, New York, Oct. 8, 1936, by Berenice Abbott, part of the Federal Art Project, via the New York Public Library. ”From where I stood, the shop looked like a dark cavern. The antique … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, Aug. 21, 1944

Posted on August 21, 2014 by lmharnisch

The churning craft on the cover are amphibious tractors, sometimes called “alligators.” The alligator, armed with machine guns, is designed to carry small loads of troops through the water to an enemy beach and, if possible, to carry them through … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Photography, Politics, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Aug. 21, 1944

Posted on August 21, 2014 by lmharnisch

Aug. 21, 1944 Today, we stumbled across a columnist named Danton Walker (d. 1960). We don’t know his name, but his prose is so familiar that we can recite by heart the stale, snide New Yorker’s boilerplate on Los Angeles. … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 21

Posted on August 20, 2014 by lmharnisch

828 Fifth Avenue, New York, via Google Street View. Susan Treadwell (renamed Ann Treadwell and played by Judith Anderson in the film) lives in a mansion on upper Fifth Avenue (Page 22). In case you just tuned in, I’m using … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, New York | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments