Monthly Archives: October 2024

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Dr. Caligari and the Rise of American Nationalism

Note: This is an encore post from 2022. Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, described by film critic Roger Ebert as the “first true horror film,” still wows audiences more than 100 years after creation due to its high … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie was the 1938 Twentieth Century-Fox film Happy Landing, with Sonja Henie, Don Ameche, Ethel Merman, Cesar Romero, Jean Hersholt, Billy Gilbert, Raymond Scott Quintet, Wally Vernon and Leah Ray.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie was the 1949 film Lost Boundaries, with Beatrice Pearson, Mel Ferrer, Susan Douglas, the Rev Robert H. Dunn, Richard Hylton, Grace Coppin, Carleton Carpenter, Seth Arnold, Wendell Holmes, Parker Fennelly, Ralph Riggs, William Greaves, Rai Saunders, … Continue reading

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Henry Armetta, Excitable Support

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

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Black Dahlia: Michael Connelly and ‘The Waiting’ (Spoiler Alert)

Executive summary: Michael Connelly’s latest novel, The Waiting, uses the Black Dahlia case as a device in his secondary plot involving Maddie Bosch. The treatment in the novel perpetuates mistakes and contributes to the folklore about the case, doubly unfortunate … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie was the 1924 Pathe Picture Girl Shy, with Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Richard Daniels and Carlton Griffin.

Posted in 1924, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Vice Raid and Early TV in Hollywood’s Biggest Storehouse

The Hollywood Storage Building as seen in Google Earth. Note: This is an encore post from 2021. Originally Los Angeles’ tallest building when opened in 1926, the Hollywood Storage Building at the southwest corner of Highland Avenue and Santa Monica … Continue reading

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Fiesta de las Flores

President William McKinley and First Lady Ida McKinley at La Fiesta de las Flores, 1901. Though founded September 4, 1781 the tiny pueblo of Los Angeles featured little assets to lure large numbers of migrants westward looking to call it … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie was the 1953 Paramount film Sangaree, with Fernando Lamas, Arlene Dahl, Patricia Medina, Francis L. Sullivan, Charles Korvin, Tom Drake, John Sutton, Willard Parker, Charles Evans, Lester Mathews, Roy Gordon, Lewis L. Russell, Russell Gaige and … Continue reading

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Black Dahlia: Michael Connelly and ‘The Waiting’ Edition: A Quick Guide to the Murder of Elizabeth Short

Michael Connelly’s latest book, The Waiting, being released October 15, uses the murder of Elizabeth Short as a plot element. In a YouTube video, Mike says Renée Ballard and Maddie Bosch “really do a deep dive” into the Black Dahlia … Continue reading

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, October 2024

In the October 2024 Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, I talk about my work in progress, Heaven Is HERE! and my current focus on the crime scene. At this point, I’m writing about lead detectives Finis Brown … Continue reading

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