Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. Whenever I’m asked about my favorite books on Los Angeles, my first recommendation is “Nuestro Pueblo,” a selection of features by Times artist Charles Owens and writer Joseph Seewerker that appeared in The … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Black L.A. 1947: This Week’s Jukebox Hits

Posted on December 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

Dec. 4, 1947: The jukebox hits of the week, from the Los Angeles Sentinel.

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December 1947: Youths, Bored With Hunting Squirrels, Shot at Each Other – Then One of Them Died

Posted on December 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and original appeared on the 1947project. Facing a possible accusation of involuntary manslaughter, Jack L. Modisett, 17, of 1717 N. Avenue 53, was removed to Ventura on an open charge yesterday after … Continue reading →

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Dec. 4, 1907: Shooting on Baldwin Ranch Raises Tensions Between Chinese, Latino Workers

Posted on December 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 4, 1907 Arcadia Charley Chew, the water superintendent on the Lucky Baldwin ranch, had fired two Mexican workers several months ago and one dark night near the Unruh residence, they ambushed … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. True style never goes out of date, after all. We are being bombarded by stories about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with videos of long lines at stores and the attendant consumer frenzy. … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1949 Warner Bros. film “Colorado Territory,” with Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Malone, Henry Hull, John Archer, James Mitchell, Morris Ankrum, Basil Ruysdael, Frank Puglia, Ian Wolfe, Harry Woods and Houseley Stevenson. Written by … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 31 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mary Pickford Dances Into Screen Adulthood in ‘Rosita’

Posted on December 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Above, a clip of “Restoring a Lost Silent Film: How to See “Rosita” by Dave Kehr from the Museum of Modern Art. This is an encore post from May. In 1922, legendary German film director Ernst Lubitsch and “America’s Sweetheart” … Continue reading →

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December 1947: Son Uses Coin Telescope at Point Fermin to Spot Body of Missing Father

Posted on December 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Herbert’s mother phoned him on Monday because his father, Fritz, was missing from their home at 3703 W. Bluff Place in San Pedro. Herbert told police … Continue reading →

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Dec. 3, 1907: Gunman Kills LAPD Officer; Dies in Slow Agony Awaiting the Gallows

Posted on December 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 3, 1907 Los Angeles Officer Patrick Lyons had been on the force for four months when he was shot in the head while trying to arrest two robbers a little after … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

December 1947: Arabs Burn U.S. Embassy; Lubitsch Dies at 55

Posted on December 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Ernst Lubitsch dies at his home in Bel-Air. He is 55. Quote of the day: “Why not? I have nothing to go home to. My mother … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, Middle East | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Dec. 2, 1907: Glendale Homes Built on Site of Glassell’s Vineyards

Posted on December 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 2, 1907 Los Angeles The Times real estate section features an apartment building at 2nd Street and Figueroa—no point in even going to look for it. But there’s also a large … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: “I Am the Night” and Dr. George Hodel, Who Never Killed Anyone

Posted on December 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Sorry, Verve magazine, Dr. George Hodel was NOT known “to have committed the murder of the Black Dahlia.” In fact, he was not known to have killed anybody.. Also, he wasn’t a “Hollywood gynaecologist” infamous or otherwise.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Just Say No to Stucco

Posted on December 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a clip I did in 2006.

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November 1947: U.N. Approves Partition of Palestine; Iraq Leader Predicts Massacre Across the Mideast

Posted on December 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. NEW YORK, Nov. 29 (AP)—Partitioning of Palestine into Jewish and Arab countries was approved by the United Nations Assembly late today. Arabs promptly threatened general opposition … Continue reading →

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December 1, 1907: L.A. Author Writes of Life in the Hollow Earth (No Sign of Lizard People)

Posted on December 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. December 1, 1907 Los Angeles The Times runs a small blurb on writer Willis George Emerson, noting that the National Magazine has begun serializing a new story, “The Smoky God.” The Times … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: ‘I Am the Night’ – Not Featuring Man Ray!

Posted on November 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Above, a frame from “I Am the Night” showing what I have to assume is Dr. George “Evil Genius” Hodel presiding over a meeting of the Hollywood Minotaur Club. I was looking over the cast of “I Am the Night,” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

November 1947: Will Shortz Can Safely Ignore This Puzzle (You Too, Rex Parker)

Posted on November 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.. A little grid, 13 boxes square, full of obscure words and frustration, the crossword emerged in The Times in November 1924 as the craze swept America … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Nov. 30, 1907: Witness Against Mexican Revolutionaries Poisoned!

Posted on November 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Nov. 30, 1907 Los Angeles A secret witness in the trial of the Mexican revolutionaries—kept under close guard because his life has been threatened—went into convulsions shortly after eating a meal that … Continue reading →

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Nov. 30, 2006: Architectural Rambling

Posted on November 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Here’s the former Calvary Presbyterian Church in South Pasadena, now the Grace Brethren church. Note: This is an encore post. Nov. 30, 2006 Los Angeles I don’t think anyone who knows both of us will ever confuse me with Nathan … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Crackpot Theory of the Day

Posted on November 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Every so often, my curiosity gets the better of me and I venture out on the Internet to take the pulse of Black Dahlia theories.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Reddit, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments