Monthly Archives: December 2018

Dec. 18, 1947: Jacobowicz Brothers, Orphaned in Holocaust, Arrive in L.A. (Also Turkey Stuffing With Fritos)

Posted on December 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The Jacobowicz brothers—Karl, 16, Joseph, 13, and Rudolph, 10—stood on the metal ramp leading from the gleaming airliner that carried them on the final leg of … Continue reading →

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Dec. 18, 1907: County Coroner Dead Drunk at Bordello

Posted on December 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 18, 1907 Los Angeles Los Angeles County Coroner Roy S. Lanterman was arrested on charges of being drunk and disorderly at the Navajo, a bordello run by Ida Hastings, 309 Ord … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 2004 film “A Belated Premiere” on the amazing work of Alexander Shiryaev, written and directed by Viktor Bocharov, photographed by Inna Tiktinskaya, artwork by Yury Solovev and music by Sergei Banevich.  It’s on YouTube … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Cafe Montmartre Ushers in Hollywood Nightlife

Posted on December 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

  6757 Hollywood Blvd., former location of the Cafe Montmartre, via Google Street View. Constructed in 1922 as part of the expanding restaurant empire of impresario Adolph “Eddie” Brandstatter, the Cafe Montmartre ushered in Hollywood nightlife as its first swanky … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dec. 17, 1947: Frightening Food From the 1940s — ‘Unusual’ Fruitcake

Posted on December 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project..   Bonus factoid: The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a $2,500 fine against Hollywood book dealer Marcell Rodd for selling the obscene book “Call House … Continue reading →

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Dec. 16, 1947: Back Broken and Skull Fractured, Girl, 2 Dies of Abuse; Mother Gets 10 Years in Prison

Posted on December 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Somewhere, there’s 57-year-old man; maybe his name is Steven, or maybe his foster parents changed it. He doesn’t know much about himself except that his birthday … Continue reading →

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Dec. 16, 1907: A Headline for Steve Horn — L.A. Times Sports Covers a Cat Show

Posted on December 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 16, 1907 Los Angeles And what ran on the sports pages in 1907? We certainly didn’t have the Lakers. How about a cat show at Chutes Park at Grand and Washington? … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

“Angel’s Flight” by Leo Politi. Note: This is an encore post from 2014. Another of my favorite books about Los Angeles is Leo Politi’s “Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Reminiscences of Bygone Days,” published in 1964. Copies are listed on Bookfinder … Continue reading →

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Dec. 15, 1947: St. Bernard Plays Santa to Dogs at Shelter

Posted on December 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Curiously, The Times apparently never published another story about Chad A. Schultz, despite his considerable generosity ($1,000 = $9,464.19 USD 2005). However, the South L.A. animal … Continue reading →

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Dec. 15, 1907: Architectural Rambling to South Pasadena

Posted on December 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 15, 1907 Los Angeles Anybody who sets out to study the development of the city’s neighborhoods can expect to do lots of driving. My recent travels have taken me to an … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Architecture, Pasadena | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: “Little Shoes,” about the murders of three little girls, may not be everybody’s idea of an appropriate holiday gift, but it is more than a “true crime” book. In “Little Shoes” Pamela Everett explores her family’s tragic history in … Continue reading →

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Dec. 14, 1947: Chess Columnist Seeks Help for Ailing Grand Master Geza Maroczy

Posted on December 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. It’s hard to reduce so many important stories to three-bullet items … like blood flowing in the streets of Jerusalem and Jaffa … Earl E. Kynette … Continue reading →

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Dec. 14, 1907: L.A. Schools Ban Mention of Christ at Christmas (Uh-Oh)

Posted on December 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 14, 1907 Los Angeles The madman who calls himself the superintendent of the Los Angeles schools has touched off an absolute firestorm of anger by ordering teachers not to mention Christ … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Education, Music, Religion | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Paul Bryan Gray was recently mentioned in the Los Angeles Times as the author of “A Clamor for Equality,” the biography of Francisco Ramirez, who published Los Angeles’ first entirely Spanish-language newspaper, … Continue reading →

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Al Martinez, a Dying Boy and Some Peaches — A (Non) Christmas Story

Posted on December 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2015. Jim Romenesko, for those who aren’t in the news business, runs an essential blog that serves as a clearing house for information, gossip, bad headlines and assorted gaffes. A Jan. 6 post … Continue reading →

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An Early Christmas for Children With Terminal Illnesses

Posted on December 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. One of the tragic staples in The Times is stories of young cancer patients who received their presents early because they weren’t expected to live until … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Medicine | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

December 13, 1907: The Annual Rite of ‘Messiah’ at Cold, Drafty Shrine Auditorium

Posted on December 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Los AngelesDecember 13, 1907What do we find in music criticism of another era? Let’s take a good look.“ ‘The Messiah’ was presented at Shrine Auditorium by the Apollo Club last night, and … Continue reading →

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December 1947: ‘Half of Police Work Caused by Drunks!’

Posted on December 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Quote of the day: “The atomic bomb was characterized yesterday as ‘the greatest blessing ever to befall the Japanese.’ ” Col. Herbert L. Herberts, making the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, LAPD | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Dec. 12, 1907: Recreation Center to Be Built in Heart of Industrial District

Posted on December 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec.12, 1907 Los Angeles In the gritty, industrial heart of the 8th Ward at Holly Street and St. John, officials are planning a large recreation facility “as an oasis in the wilderness,” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1910, Architecture, Downtown | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

December 1947: Igor Stravinsky at Work on ‘The Rake’s Progress’

Posted on December 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. In late November, composer Igor Stravinsky had a guest at his home in the Hollywood Hills (The Times is elusive as to its exact location). His … Continue reading →

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