Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is February 3

Posted on January 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

Boxie and I will be doing a live “Ask Me Anything” on the Black Dahlia case Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 10 a.m. Pacific time, on YouTube.

*Note, I bloopered at one point saying “next Thursday.” It’s “next Tuesday.”

Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Coming Attractions | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia Book Club for January 2026

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

Welcome to the first session of the Black Dahlia Book Club! I finally got tired of talking about George Hodel and Steve Hodel (at this point, I know Steve’s monologues from memory) so I decided to spend some time looking at the portrayals of the Black Dahlia case, starting with the October 1948 issue of True Detective, which touched off the Leslie Dillion debacle. I consider myself first and foremost a historian of the Black Dahlia case, and think it’s important to examine the source material in detail to emphasize the challenges of researching the murder of Elizabeth Short.

The next Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case is February 3. The next Black Dahlia Book Club session will be February 17. I’ll announce the subject a week before.

In this session, I discussed: Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1948, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, books, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: William J. Mann’s ‘Murders, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood’ — Not a Better Answer in the Dahlia Case, Just a Different One

Posted on September 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

Book cover: Lettering over mug shot of Elizabeth Short.
Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood, by William J. Mann, Simon & Schuster, 464 pages, January 27, 2026, $31.

 

Like a game of Clue with an actual cold case to solve, a well-worn list of suspects in the 1947 Black Dahlia killing released 22 years ago continues to provide the “true” crime community and the multimillion-dollar industry that feeds it with endless possibilities for speculation and, occasionally, another book.

Was it the murderous Dr. George Hodel at the Sowden House in a gruesome attempt at surrealist art? Mob nightclub owner Mark Hansen at the Florentine Gardens hiring morgue-trained assassin Leslie Dillon to take care of a troublesome dame? Army butcher Carl Balsiger in a fit of violence?

All of them are fakery and fraud by writers Steve Hodel (the ongoing Black Dahlia Avenger franchise launched in 2003), Piu Eatwell (Black Dahlia, Red Rose, 2017) and Eli Frankel (Sisters in Death, forthcoming in October 2025) who, if they read all of their source material, knew their suspect wasn’t the killer and proceeded anyway. Truth is the first victim for a “true” crime author with hopes of making The New York Times bestseller list and everything that goes with it. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, books, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

January 31, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

Dash Dashes Dreams

Matt WeinstockAmong those who went along on American Airlines’ first jet flight to New York a few days ago was this paper’s Bill Thomas. His colleagues felt the event should be commemorated, and as the hour for departure neared they gathered solemnly around the city desk and each contributed 25 cents for a $25,000 insurance policy on his life.

It is hardly necessary to mention that newspapermen are lacking somehow in reverence for the things most people hold dear. Doubtless this comes from seeing
civilization at its worst.

“As the plane goes down,” one said, “it should be comforting for you to know you are doing a nice thing for your friends.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Transportation | Leave a comment

January 31, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

CONFIDENTIAL FILE

Junks ‘Junk’; Grads Applaud

Paul Coates, in coat and tieIt’s commencement week, but the proudest graduate in Southern California today isn’t from any institution of learning.

He went through his ceremony in a shabby Ocean Park store-front dwelling crowded with friends whose combined arrest records could overflow the filing cabinets of any middle-sized town in the country.

Most of the guests, like the graduate, were former gutter dope addicts.

A couple of months ago I wrote about their experiment in “communal kicking” of the habit.

The group calls itself Synanon. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1959, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Paul Coates | Leave a comment

January 31, 1947: Herald-Express Publishes Name and Address of Rape Victim

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

Jan. 31, 1947, Comics

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project.

It is difficult to believe that there was a time when newspapers published rape victims’ names and addresses, but the Herald-Express had no misgivings about it. Aggie Underwood, Herald reporter and eventually the city editor of the Herald Examiner, said she once had to go out eight weeks in a row and interview rape victims. Since this woman may still be alive, I’ve deleted her name and address.

Attacker
Masked Man Assaults
Girl at Gun Point

A young masked gunman early today attacked an attractive 18-year-old girl in the Hawthorne district after forcing her to enter his automobile on 161st Street near Hawthorne Boulevard.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

1944 on the Radio — ‘Random Harvest’ on ‘Lux Radio Theater,’ Jan. 31, 1944

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

radio_dial_1944

January 31, 1944

Today we have:

—“Random Harvest” with Ronald Colman and Greer Garson on Lux Radio Theater. Courtesy of Archive.org.

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Radio, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

January 31, 1907: L.A. Health Officials Fight Legislature’s Bid to Repeal Mandatory Smallpox Shots

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2007.
January 31, 1907
Los Angeles

Showing once again that Los Angeles is out of touch with Sacramento, local health officials are fighting an education bill that would lift mandatory smallpox vaccinations for schoolchildren.

Vaccinations were opposed for several reasons in the Legislature. Assemblyman Sackett objected to placing the burden of enforcement on schools. Assemblyman Percival, a Christian Scientist, apparently objected to the measure on religious grounds. Other opponents said the only reason health officials supported the shots is to protect their jobs.
Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Education, LAPD, Religion, Streetcars | Leave a comment

January 1, 1907: Alive!

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007.

Dec. 7, 1906-Dec. 22, 1906,
Bakersfield

January 1, 1907
Los Angeles

For 15 days, miner Lindsay P. Hicks lay trapped by a cave-in that killed his five companions tunneling in a mountain above the Kern River for an Edison hydroelectric project. On the 16th day, crews finally cut through the last of the steel and scraped away rocks and debris to free the man who had been kept alive with gallons of milk poured down a 60-foot iron pipe.

At first, Edison officials assumed that no one survived the collapse of the tunnel. Then someone heard the faint signal tapped on one of the steel rails for the mining cars: the code for “trapped miner.” The iron pipe was driven through the side of the mountain to provide air and food as Hicks lay either under a rail car or next to it, sheltered by a pile of collapsed timbers that prevented him from being crushed. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Food and Drink, LAPD, Pasadena, Streetcars, Theaters | Leave a comment

1944 on the Radio — ‘Nick Carter, Master Detective,’ January 29, 1944

Posted on January 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

radio_dial_1944

January 29, 1944

It’s Saturday in 1944 and today we have

— “The Unwilling Accomplice” on “Nick Carter, Master Detective.” Courtesy of Archive.org

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Radio, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

January 29, 1947: Thief Steals Box of Rattlers From Snake Expert’s Car

Posted on January 29, 2026 by lmharnisch


Jan. 29, 1947, comics

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project.

Wanted: Thief Who
Took 3 Snakes

SAN GABRIEL, Jan. 28—Chief Frank L. Carpenter sent out a police broadcast tonight for capture of the boldest and most daring thief in San Gabriel’s history.

The suspect is wanted for stealing three rattlesnakes.

The reptiles were taken from the automobile of Joseph Gerle, snake authority of North Hollywood. Gerle was lecturing at the Town House, 900 W. Santa Anita Ave. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Animals, Comics, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

January 29, 1934: Did Ancient Lizard Cult Hide Gold Tablets in Tunnels Under L.A.?

Posted on January 29, 2026 by lmharnisch


Jan. 29, 1934: Gold hidden in network of tunnels under downtown Los Angeles! Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown | 1 Comment

January 28, 1907: Meet Gen. Homer Lea, L.A.’s Gift to China

Posted on January 28, 2026 by lmharnisch


Note: This is an encore post from 2007.
January 28, 1907
Los Angeles

“If my career seems strange to you, it seems stranger and more incredible to me,” Gen. Homer Lea once said. And indeed it was, for Lea’s life was the tale of a poor and badly handicapped boy’s adventures as a leader in an exotic foreign land.

His 1912 obituary in The Times begins: “His great work finished, the pitiful, wasted little body of the American boy who overthrew the tattered old Chinese empire lies silent in his home in Ocean Park. Gen. Homer Lea died yesterday.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1912, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Education, LAPD, Obituaries, Religion, Streetcars | Leave a comment

Shirley Temple’s Tempest — Celebs Tee Off on Golf Course Over Star

Posted on January 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

image
Jan. 27, 1950: It’s difficult to figure out exactly what happened at the Riviera Country Club between actor/golfer Joe Kirkwood Jr. and singer Johnny Johnston. At one time the men and their wives were very chummy, apparently. Then Shirley Temple divorced actor John Agar and there were rumors. Kirkwood and Johnston encountered each other at the Riviera, words were exchanged, etc., etc. Tracked down at a beauty parlor, Temple said she knew nothing about the incident and didn’t care.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

January 27, 1928: Voices — Christine Collins

Posted on January 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 27, 1928: Christine Collins letter, first page.
From the California State Archives

  Los Angeles, Calif.
Jan. 27, 1928

Mr. Myron Clark,
Assistant Clerk,
Reprisa, Calif.

Dear Sir,

I want to thank you for the nice letter you sent me in answer to the
letter I forwarded Mr. C.S. Neumiller in regard to my husband Walter J.
Collins (#12824).

It pleases me to know that Mr. Collins’ conduct has been so good and
that it is to his credit. You know, Mr. Clark, my husband is not a
criminal but he just made a great big mistake due to financial worries
and the prolonged illness of his dear mother. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1928, Changeling, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Leave a comment

January 27, 1907: L.A. Studies Elevated Trolley Line to Ease Traffic

Posted on January 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007.
Jan. 27, 1907
Los Angeles

One thing you can say about Angelenos: We love to talk about traffic. The only thing we love more is to commission studies and draft plans to deal with the problem, and then ignore them.

“With the wonderful growth of Los Angeles as a great city has come to it many problems to be solved. The Owens River and the system of storm drains underway are the solutions of two important ones,” The Times says.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Downtown, Freeways, Hollywood, LAPD, Streetcars | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Don’t Be a Sucker’ Promotes American Values

Posted on January 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

Aug. 21, 2017, Don't Be a Sucker
“Don’t Be a Sucker” is on YouTube.

Note: This is an encore post from 2017.

Still as relevant today as when it was first produced over 70 years ago, the United States Army Signal Corps’ short “Don’t Be a Sucker” describes the founding principles of the United States’ Declaration of Independence and Constitution, that all people are created equal and should share in the bounties and freedom that they and all parts of our melting pot have created. From its beginnings, our country has welcomed people from around the world, blending voices and lives to create a wonderful smorgasbord of culture. Without all those beautiful grace notes, America would not be the country it is.

The Signal Corps created all types of films for the Army during World War II: training and instructional films, propaganda, rallying, and patriotic pieces, all aimed to get soldiers to devote their all in fighting our enemies to preserve our way of life. Most were never intended to be viewed by the general public, aimed strictly at the boys going overseas, both during the fight and then to prepare them for returning home and demonstrating these honorable values to others.

Hollywood at Play, by Donovan Brandt, Mary Mallory and Stephen X. Sylvester is now on sale.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

Blurred background with main title in red letters.

This week’s mystery movie was the 1990 Paramount picture The Two Jakes, with Jack Nicholson, Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe, Eli Wallach, Ruben Blades, Frederic Forrest, Joe Mantell, Perry Lopez, David Keith, Tracey Walter, James Hong and Richard Farnsworth. Continue reading →

Posted in 1990, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

January 24, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 24, 1959: The body of Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer remains in the morgue because of a fight between his ex-wife and his parents.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Paul Coates, Television | Leave a comment

January 24, 1947: Electrical Engineer Seeks to Unlock Secret of Mind Reading

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

Jan. 24, 1947, comi

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project.

Savant seeks key to
mental telepathy in
radar, light waves

PORTLAND, Ore, Jan. 24—(U.P.) An electrical engineer said today he thought the answer to mental telepathy might be found in the unexplored frequency band between ultra-short radar waves and the longest waves of light.

Dr. Phillips Thomas, for 35 years a research engineer with the Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co., said he was so thoroughly convinced that the answers would be found that he plans to devote his own time to the research.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

1944 on the Radio — ‘Casablanca’ on ‘Lux Radio Theater,’ Jan. 24, 1944

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

radio_dial_1944
January 24, 1944

It’s Monday in 1944 and today we have:

—“Information Please,” hosted by Clifton Fadiman, with John Kieran, Franklin P. Adams, Elizabeth Janeway — author of the bestseller “The Walsh Girls” — and music critic Deems Taylor. I invite the Brain Trust to try these questions. They can be tough! Courtesy of Archive.org

—“Casablanca,” starring Alan Ladd as Rick and Hedy Lamarr, on “Lux Radio Theatre.” Courtesy of Archive.org.

—“Stolen Patrol Car” on “Hop Harrigan.” Courtesy of Archive.org.

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Radio | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

January 24, 1907: L.A. Church May Ordain Woman!

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch


Note: This is an encore post from 2007.
January 24, 1907
Los Angeles

Meet a tough little lady who gave her life to helping the poor, needy children of Los Angeles. She built a church and school starting with a nickel donated by a newsboy, left it all and began again in a tent when the presiding minister turned out to be a crook, and then regained it all. She spent most of her later years fighting with state authorities to stay in operation. Her name is Belle L. White.

White was preaching as early as 1897 at the Pacific Gospel Union, working with needy children in the neighborhood east of Alameda Street. But in a few years, when the Gospel Union decided to give up working with youngsters, White split off and formed her own school at 6th Street and Mateo.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1909, 1912, 1914, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Education, LAPD, Streetcars | Leave a comment