Monthly Archives: November 2014

The New Rapper: Li’l Fatty Alias DJ Roscoe

Dear ProQuest: No, I did not. Perhaps you are thinking of Nipsey Hussle.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Libraries, Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Black Friday Special — An Aluminum Christmas Tree From 1959!

To all who long for a “kinder simpler time” and say that today’s retailers start their Christmas sales too early, here is the May Co. ad for aluminum Christmas trees, which was published Oct. 11, 1959, well before Halloween. (You … Continue reading

Posted in 1959 | Tagged , | 2 Comments

An 1890s Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

Note: This is a repost from 2011. Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s a traditional roast turkey recipe from the “Every-Day Cook-Book and Family Compendium,” written about 1890 by Miss E. Neill. Be sure your fire is bright and clear and watch out … Continue reading

Posted in 1890, Food and Drink, From the Stacks | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 28

Garner Brown and John Schilling examine the Bauerdorf car for fingerprints, courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library. So far we have been looking at the behavior of the man who killed Georgette Bauerdorf to see if we can distill … Continue reading

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 27

Oct. 20, 1944: Garner Brown examines the piece of crepe tetra used to kill Georgette Bauerdorf, Daily News. In an attempt to distill the character traits of the man who killed Georgette Bauerdorf, we have been looking at his unusual … Continue reading

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Helpful Holiday Gift Suggestions From the L.A. Daily Mirror (Updated)

Fatty Arbuckle’s 1919 Pierce Arrow, via Hemmings Motor News. As the countdown to the holidays begins, the L.A. Daily Mirror will offer occasional gift suggestions. Here’s an item that is sure to surprise your favorite car buff or vintage film … Continue reading

Posted in 1919, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1934 Universal film “One More River,” starring Diana Wynyard, Frank Lawton, Colin Clive and Mrs. Patrick Campbell. It was directed by James Whale with a script by R.C. Sherriff, adapted from the novel … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 44 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: George Ali, World’s Greatest Animal Impersonator

  George Ali in “Peter Pan.” Best remembered for portraying Nana the dog in Herbert Brenon’s 1924 film adaptation of “Peter Pan,” George Ali excelled at playing all types of animal characters in vaudeville and the stage for over thirty … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

World War II Militaria — Who Can Spot the Mistake?

  This Army uniform has been listed by an EBay vendor as being from the 1st Infantry Division. Have you spotted the mistake yet?

Posted in Fashion, Found on EBay, World War II | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Nov. 22, 1963: Remembering JFK, That Day in Dallas and Baby Boomer Nostalgia

Nov. 22, 1963: The Times publishes an extra. Note: In case you are wondering, this is a repost from 2013. I recently attended graduation exercises for a local college and the commencement speaker spent quite a while talking about how … Continue reading

Posted in 1963, History | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

On the Frontiers of Costume Design — ‘Twentieth Century’

I watched “Twentieth Century” for the first time the other night and was more than a bit surprised to see Carole Lombard clearly braless in this scene. It’s not as apparent in a frame grab as it is in the … Continue reading

Posted in 1934, Fashion, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 26

We don’t know much about the man who killed Georgette Bauerdorf, but let’s see what we can infer. The way he killed her was quite unusual (more about that later) and his behavior after the killing was also somewhat unusual. … Continue reading

Posted in 1940, 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 25

Oct. 19, 1944: Los Angeles Herald-Express Before trying to theorize about what might have happened on the night of the killing, let’s sum up everything we know about our victim, Georgette Bauerdorf, and then take a look at what little … Continue reading

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 24

The front door of the Bauerdorf apartment, photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library. In the previous post, we examined the scenario about the light fixture in the entryway to the Bauerdorf apartment. At the time of the killing, … Continue reading

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Found on EBay — Oviatt’s Overcoat

This overcoat, size 46, from Oviatt’s has been listed on EBay with bids starting at $4.99. There appears to be some moth damage and some less than expert repairs. Oviatt’s was among the leading men’s stores in Los Angeles its … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1935 Fox film “Black Sheep,” starring Edmund Lowe and Claire Trevor (Friday’s mystery guests), Tom Brown (Wednesday’s mystery guest), Eugene Pallette (not shown), Adrienne Ames (Monday’s mystery guest), Herbert Mundin (Thursday’s mystery guest) … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 33 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Bryson Apartments ‘The Finest Apartment Building West of New York City’

The Bryson Apartments, via Google Street View. Considered by many to be one of the most attractive apartment buildings in Los Angeles, the regal Bryson Apartment Building at 2701 Wilshire Blvd. stands as a lovely example of 1910s high end … Continue reading

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

Just in Time for Christmas — Amazon Price Checker

Here’s a fun toy I just discovered. CamelCamelCamel.com tracks price fluctuations on Amazon (in case you haven’t noticed – and I hadn’t —  the hardcover price of James Ellroy’s “Perfidia” has been dropping slightly every day). Handy for the holidays, … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Authors | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

L.A. Becomes New York: ‘Three on a Match’ (1932)

After I posted a photo of Ann Dvorak’s Duesenberg in the 1932 film “Three on a Match,” John Bengtson noted that the school scenes were filmed at Los Angeles High School on Fort Moore Hill. “Three on a Match” is, … Continue reading

Posted in 1932, Architecture, Downtown, Education, Film, Hollywood, Location Sleuth, New York | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 23

A photo (possibly hand-tinted)  of Georgette Bauerdorf, National Police Gazette, August 1946, courtesy of Steven Bibb.  And now we enter the realm of speculation in the Georgette Bauerdorf case. We have looked at all the evidence as it was reported … Continue reading

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 36 Comments