Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Johnny Stompanato, RIP

Posted on April 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 5, 1958: Cheryl Crane fatally stabs Johnny Stompanato at the home of Lana Turner, 730 N. Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills. Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Front Pages, Homicide, Mickey Cohen | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

April 2, 1908: Great White Fleet Out of Tunes, Seeks Songs in the Key of Sea

Posted on April 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 2, 1908: Sailors of the Great White Fleet are tired of the same old songs and want something new to sing, maybe “I’m Afraid to Go Home in the Dark.” Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, Music, Transportation | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

April 1, 1938: Herbert Hoover on the Rise of Fascism in Europe

Posted on April 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 1, 1938: Herbert Hoover on the the status of Europe: “The Fascist form of government is today a raging power. Its acts are being rationalized into a philosophy. It has now embraced a sort of mysticism based on theories of racialism and nationalism. It is becoming a militant ideology. It does not hold within its original boundaries.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, @news, Front Pages, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is April 14

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case is a week later than usual, April 14, 2026, at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywoodland Opens March 31, 1923

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 31, 1923: Hollywoodland opens in the Hollywood Hills, a Mary Mallory encore from 2022. Continue reading →

Posted in 1923, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

March 31, 1908: Traveling Blacksmith Shoes Fire Department Horses

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 31, 1908: A traveling blacksmith shoes the Fire Department’s horses, rather than taking the horses to the farrier. The last fire horse, Blackie, retired in 1923 and spent the rest of his life at Griffith Park, where he died in 1939. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Animals, Transportation | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

March 30, 1958: Nancy Joins the Baseball Team?

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30,1958: Ernie Bushmiller, a feminist? Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Comics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

March 30, 1938: Times Opposes U.S. Haven for Jewish Refugees Fleeing Hitler

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30, 1938: Los Angeles Times opposes U.S. haven for Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1938, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, LAPD, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

For this week’s mystery movie, I’m doing something different: animation. Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, 1952, 1979, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

March 30, 1908: U.S. Seeks to Deport Immigrant Radicals From L.A.

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30, 1908: U.S. immigration official interviews prisoners and mental patients in L.A. in a campaign to deport immigrant radicals. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Front Pages | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘The House I Live In’ Promotes Tolerance

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2016. Though the United States is a nation of immigrants, in times of trouble people act of fear and ignorance, hating and blaming the other for their problems. Throughout the country’s history, … Continue reading →

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

November 12, 1960: Former Mirror Writer Beaten to Death – Update

Posted on March 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

Revisiting a cold case from 1960: The hammer murder of reporter/rewrite man Roby Heard. Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries | Leave a comment

1944 in Print — Life Magazine, March 27, 1944

Posted on March 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

Life Magazine, March 27, 1944: A landing craft transports troops to an Italian beach while an LCI lands troops in New Guinea and New Britain in a profile by John Hersey. Also: lessons on posing a glamour shot and a feature on Alfred Eisenstaedt. Continue reading →

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

March 25, 2011: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Centennial

Posted on March 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 25 was the anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, which killed 146 people. Here are Eve Golden’s photos of the memorial held for the centennial in 2011. Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, Fires, New York, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

March 25, 1908: U.S. Advisor to Japan Assassinated in San Francisco

Posted on March 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 25, 1908: The U.S. advisor to Japan, Durham W. Stevens, is assassinated in San Francisco. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Front Pages | Tagged , | 2 Comments

March 25, 1907: Young Bike Messengers a Key Part of L.A. Drug, Sex Trade

Posted on March 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 25, 1907: Young bike messengers perform an essential service in Los Angeles’ vice trade, providing information on where to buy drugs and where to find women of easy—if any—virtue. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 2006, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Florence Casler, Pioneering Developer Shaped Los Angeles in the 1920s

Posted on March 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory profiles developer Florence Casler, who helped shape Los Angeles in the 1920s. Continue reading →

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

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 40 Comments

March 22, 1908: Plans for a New Hall of Records

Posted on March 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 22, 1908: Los Angeles plans a new Hall of Records. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, Architecture, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages | Tagged , | Comments Off on March 22, 1908: Plans for a New Hall of Records

1944 on the Radio — Rita Hayworth on ‘Burns and Allen,’ March 21, 1944

Posted on March 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 21, 1944: On the radio dial — Rita Hayworth visits “Burns and Allen,” and Fibber finds his old mandolin on “Fibber McGee and Molly.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Radio | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on 1944 on the Radio — Rita Hayworth on ‘Burns and Allen,’ March 21, 1944