Monthly Archives: May 2023

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie was the 1955 picture The Desperate Hours, with Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March, Arthur Kennedy, Martha Scott, Dewey Martin, Gig Young, Mary Murphy, Richard Eyer, Robert Middleton, Alan Reed, Bert Freed, Ray Collins, Whit Bissel and Ray … Continue reading

Posted in 1955, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 41 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie was the 1953 MGM picture The Clown, with Red Skelton, Tim Considine, Jane Greer, Loring Smith, Philip Ober, Lou Lubin, Fay Roope, Walter Reed, Edward Marr, Jonathan Cott, Don Beddoe and Steve Forrest.  

Posted in 1953, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 43 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Patience Abbe

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Patience Abbe and her brothers John and Richard parlayed their adventures globetrotting with their famous photographer father James Abbe and mother Polly, a former Ziegfeld dancer, into three books in the 1930s. … Continue reading

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Fine Chinese Dining and Asian American Celebrities’ Restaurants

Willie Fung opened the New Moon cafe. Americans fell in love with Chinese food over the decades, drawn to it originally by cheap prices and chop suey, before growing to love more exotic and elegant dishes. At the same time, … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie was the 1946 MGM picture No Leave, No Love, with Van Johnson, Keenan Wynn, Pat Kirkwood, Guy Lombardo and his Orchestra, Edward Arnold, Marie Wilson, Leon Ames, Marina Koshetz, Selena Royle, Wilson Wood, Vince Barnett and … Continue reading

Posted in 1946, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Remembering Newsman Tony Valdez | 1945-2023

We’re remembering veteran Fox 11 newsman Tony Valdez, who died last week at 78. Tony loved Los Angeles and he loved Los Angeles history; for Tony, the city was a profession and an avocation. When he wasn’t reporting on Los … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie was the 1939 Universal picture First Love, with Deanna Durbin, Robert Stack, Eugene Pallette, Helen Parrish, Lewis Howard, Leatrice Joy, June Storey, Frank Jenks, Charles Coleman, Mary Treen and Kathleen Howard.

Posted in 1939, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Two Chinese Restaurants in Studio City

A matchbook cover for Rickshaw Boy, Courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2016. Graphics, films, advertisements, music – all demonstrate values and cultures of the time and place in which they were created. Words, phrases, … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything – May 2023

Here’s my latest Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie was the 1939 Warner Bros. short Old Hickory, with Hugh Sothern, Nana Bryant, Victor Kilian, Frank Wilcox, Irving Pichel, Natalie Moorhead, George Renevant and John Hamilton.

Posted in 1939, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood’s First Studio Librarian, Elizabeth McGaffey

In a field that prides itself on accuracy in production, it took a woman to recognize the importance of organizing and conducting research to verify facts and figures. Forgotten today, Elizabeth McGaffey established the Lasky Feature Play Company’s library with … Continue reading

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