Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

October 23, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 23, 1959: An out-of-town driver with a two-way radio gets lost on the freeway, so a trucker and KTTV’s mobile unit lead him through the baffling interchange, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Fashion, Matt Weinstock | Leave a comment

October 22, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 22, 1959: Gov. Pat Brown is getting out of the proclamation business, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock | Leave a comment

October 21, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 21, 1959: Jerry Leshay, associate director of the George Gobel show, realized the program was running a few seconds long, so he cut his own credit off the end of the show. Continue reading →

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

October 19, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 19, 1959: I crossed orbits again the other day with Peter O’Crotty, writer, beachcomber and enthusiastic fugitive from civilization.  Pete, a fun-loving, charming gentleman to whom crazy things are always happening — with his help, it must be added — disappeared into the desert below Tucson about five years ago. Continue reading →

Posted in #gays and lesbians, Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Leave a comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

Posted on October 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow who is somewhat shy. Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

October 17, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 17, 1959: Matt Weinstock describes “earthquake weather,” though he concedes there is no such thing. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Matt Weinstock | 2 Comments

November 12, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on October 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

November 12, 1959: The killing of Lillian Kenorak, and Paul Coates on juvenile delinquency. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Homicide, Paul Coates, Richard Nixon | Leave a comment

October 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 16,1959: Matt Weinstock interviews a veteran film editor who discusses his recent work on a film for the teen trade. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Religion | Leave a comment

October 14, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 14, 1959: It’s “wine week,” but any vino is “fino” with Matt Weinstock. Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Matt Weinstock | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming October 27, 2026

Posted on October 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The Black Dahlia Book Club will meet a week later than usual: October 27 at 10 a.m. Pacific time at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch. Up for charity auction, a signed first edition of Michael Connelly’s ‘The Drop.’ Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Books and Authors, LAPD, Television | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

October 12, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 12, 1959: A retired councilman gets calls from angry man who distinctly remembers voting for him in the last election — in which he didn’t run. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Richard Nixon | Leave a comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow. His mystery companion has been cropped out due to lack of mysteriousness and will appear later in the week. Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, broadcasting, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Television | Tagged , , , , , , | 35 Comments

October 9, 1994: Julius Shulman Q & A

Posted on October 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 9, 1994: A Q&A with photographer Julius Shulman, about to turn 84. Continue reading →

Posted in 1960, Architecture, art and artists, books, Photography | Comments Off on October 9, 1994: Julius Shulman Q & A

October 9. 1907: Trellis, The Confidence Woman

Posted on October 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 9, 1907: She was known as Trellis C. Harris or Trellis Blessing—or Edna Hall. But her method was always the same. She would commit some theft, then fake an epileptic fit, spitting up blood from a capsule hidden in her mouth. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Pasadena | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on October 9. 1907: Trellis, The Confidence Woman

October 8, 1958: New fall TV shows

Posted on October 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 8, 1958: The new fall season shows debut: Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, broadcasting, Television | Comments Off on October 8, 1958: New fall TV shows

October 8, 1907: Sewage-Eating Fish Spread Disease at Local Markets, Health Officials Say

Posted on October 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 8, 1907: Health officials and a deputy district attorney have joined to urge the Board of Supervisors to ban fishing within a half-mile of the city’s Hyperion line that pours sewage into Santa Monica Bay. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Environment, Food and Drink | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on October 8, 1907: Sewage-Eating Fish Spread Disease at Local Markets, Health Officials Say

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, October 2026

Posted on October 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, I discussed Michael Connelly’s suppression of exculpatory evidence in Killer in the Code, which alleges that Marvin Margolis killed Elizabeth Short and hints that he killed Georgette Bauerdorf. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, October 2026

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mystery fellow at work in his laboratory. Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

October 1, 1910: ‘A Terrible Roar’

Posted on October 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

October 1, 1910: The Los Angeles Times Building is bombed by labor radicals, killing 20 employees. Continue reading →

Posted in 1910, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fires, Labor, LAPD | Tagged , | Comments Off on October 1, 1910: ‘A Terrible Roar’

September 30, 1886: ‘An Orgie Such as Even the Most Salacious Pen of Ancient Rome Never Dared Describe’

Posted on September 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

Sept. 30, 1886: The Times describes an all-night “orgie” in the apartments over Eckert’s saloon involving Walter S. Moore, running for secretary of state, three other men and “four common prostitutes.” By morning, Moore was trying to rouse the waiter to get a photographer ‘for an obscene purpose.’ Continue reading →

Posted in 1886, Photography, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on September 30, 1886: ‘An Orgie Such as Even the Most Salacious Pen of Ancient Rome Never Dared Describe’