Author Archives: lmharnisch

Unknown's avatar

About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

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

Posted on January 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 29, 1947: A thief breaks into a car and steals a box containing … three rattlesnakes. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Animals, Comics, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on January 29, 1947: Thief Steals Box of Rattlers From Snake Expert’s Car

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

Posted on January 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 29, 1934: In one of my favorite goofball stories about L.A., an engineer says his radio X-rays reveal massive gold tablets buried under the city in an elaborate network of tunnels dug by the Lizard People, The Times says. 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

January 28, 1907: Meet Gen. Homer Lea, whose life was the tale of a poor and badly handicapped boy’s adventures as a leader in an exotic foreign land. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1912, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Education, LAPD, Obituaries, Religion, Streetcars | Comments Off on January 28, 1907: Meet Gen. Homer Lea, L.A.’s Gift to China

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

Posted on January 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 27, 1950: Actor Kirkwood Jr. and singer Johnny Johnston get into a fight at the Riviera Country Club over … Shirley Temple. Continue reading →

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

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

Posted on January 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will be doing a live Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch) next Tuesday, February 3, at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Have questions? Leave them in the comments. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Coming Attractions | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is February 3

January 27, 1928: Voices — Christine Collins

Posted on January 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 27, 1928: Christine Collins, whose tragedy inspired the Clint Eastwood film ‘Changeling,’ writes to prison officials seeking the release of her husband, Walter. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1928, Changeling, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Comments Off on January 27, 1928: Voices — Christine Collins

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

Posted on January 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 27, 1907: Pacific Electric experiments with an elevated railway system to ease traffic. The city is faced with bad traffic, “which causes blockades, loss of time to thousands, loss of business to merchants and discomfort to the public,” The Times says. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Downtown, Freeways, Hollywood, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on January 27, 1907: L.A. Studies Elevated Trolley Line to Ease Traffic

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

Posted on January 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory on the Signal Corps’ short “Don’t Be a Sucker,” produced in 1945, initially for GIs returning from World War II and in general release in 1946. “Don’t Be a Sucker,” a documentary on tolerance, describes the founding principles of the United States’ Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Don’t Be a Sucker’ Promotes American Values

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a woman of mystery. 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: Paul Coates has the story about the fight over the body of Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer between his parents and his ex-wife. In the meantime, Switzer’s body remains in the morgue. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Paul Coates, Television | Comments Off on January 24, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

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

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 24, 1947: An electrical engineer says the answer to mental telepathy might be found in the unexplored frequency band between ultra-short radar waves and the longest waves of light. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on January 24, 1947: Electrical Engineer Seeks to Unlock Secret of Mind Reading

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

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 24, 1944: On the radio, we have “Casablanca,” with Alan Ladd and Hedy Lamarr, “Information Please” and “Hop Harrigan.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Radio | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on 1944 on the Radio — ‘Casablanca’ on ‘Lux Radio Theater,’ Jan. 24, 1944

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

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 24, 1907: Belle L. White devoted her life to helping the poor, needy children of Los Angeles. She built a church and school, left it all and began again when the minister turned out to be a crook, and spent her later years fighting with state authorities to stay open. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1909, 1912, 1914, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Education, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on January 24, 1907: L.A. Church May Ordain Woman!

January 23, 1958: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 23, 1958: The way one writer analyzes the present situation, the public’s appetite for gossip and scandal, whetted by Confidential, is now being satisfied by the so-called conservative magazines. Editors insist writers get full confessions, regardless of whose privacy is invaded, or no sale. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Transportation, UFOs | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on January 23, 1958: Matt Weinstock

January 23, 1958: Paul Coates

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 23, 1958: Paul Coates writes about the plight of Marines’ wives who are banned from joining their husbands stationed in Japan. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Paul Coates | Comments Off on January 23, 1958: Paul Coates

January 23, 1947: Four Held for Trial in ‘Red Hibiscus Murder’

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 23, 1947: Four youths are held in the ‘Red Hibuscus Murder” of Naomi Tullis Cook, who was found in a clump of hibiscus bushes next to the men’s restroom in Lincoln Park. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics, Crime and Courts, Music | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on January 23, 1947: Four Held for Trial in ‘Red Hibiscus Murder’

January 23, 1907: Felix Chavarino — Lemon Fiend

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 23, 1907: Felix Chavarino is addicted to lemons. He was arrested after begging for food in a small restaurant. All he wanted was a lemon. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Food and Drink, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on January 23, 1907: Felix Chavarino — Lemon Fiend

January 22, 1959: ‘Our Gang’ Star Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer Dies in Fight Over $50

Posted on January 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 22, 1959: Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer dies in a fight over $50. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Baseball, Crime and Courts, Dodgers, Film, Hollywood, Keith Thursby, LAPD, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on January 22, 1959: ‘Our Gang’ Star Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer Dies in Fight Over $50

January 22, 1947: Police Hunt ‘Large Nose Bandit’

Posted on January 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 22, 1947: Police hunt “Large Nose Bandit” in bank holdup. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Comics, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on January 22, 1947: Police Hunt ‘Large Nose Bandit’

January 22, 1907: The Bible Explained — for $1,000

Posted on January 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 22, 1907: James Lauer, a self-styled Bible authority, needs $1,000 to publish a book that will explain it all. And apparently in his studies of the Bible, he never found a law against extortion. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on January 22, 1907: The Bible Explained — for $1,000