Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Reminder — My Next Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia Case Is June 2

Posted on May 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will be doing an Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case June 2, at 10 a.m. Pacific time on my YouTube channel: YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading →

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May 31, 1947: Los Angeles Marks First Memorial Day Without a Civil War Veteran at Ceremony

Posted on May 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 31, 1947: Memorial Day is marked for the first time without a single Civil War veteran at the VA facility. There were five Union Army veterans living in Los Angeles. CSA veteran Sampson Simmons died in 1942 and was buried in Inglewood, wrapped in a Confederate flag. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on May 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious girl and Back of the Head Woman. Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 29 Comments

May 23, 1947: Lloyd Osbourne Dies; Inspired Stepfather Robert Louis Stevenson to Write ‘Treasure Island’

Posted on May 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 23, 1947, L.A. Times, Lloyd Osbourne, who as a boy inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write “Treasure Island,” dies in Glendale. Continue reading →

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May 22, 1947: Art Club Calls LACMA Exhibit ‘Subversive Propaganda’

Posted on May 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 22, 1947: The California Art Club yesterday lambasted the current Los Angeles County Museum art exhibit—the museum’s eighth annual show—as favoring “radical art” and containing “subversive propaganda.” Continue reading →

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May 21, 1947: South Carolina Jury Acquits 28 in Lynching

Posted on May 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 21, 1947: A South Carolina jury acquits 28 people in the lynching of Willie Earle, who was suspected of killing a cabdriver. The Los Angeles Times editorializes that a federal anti-lynching law is unnecessary. Continue reading →

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May 21, 1907: J.G. Fleenor ‘Barefoot Burglar’ Talks!

Posted on May 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 21, 1907: In a jailhouse interview before he is taken to San Quentin, James G. Fleenor, the barefoot burglar, sets the record straight on his escapes, his relationship with a white woman and how he began a life of crime. Continue reading →

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May 20, 1939: Midnite Show at the Follies

Posted on May 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 20, 1939: Marion Morgan at the Follies Burlesque: “Political crises, European crises or stock market troubles mean nothing to our busy businessmen. They still heed the call of relaxation….” Continue reading →

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May 20, 1939: Flocks of Sheep Near City Hall

Posted on May 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 20, 1939: Bernard Folco grazes his flock of sheep on hillsides north of Alhambra Boulevard, two miles from City Hall. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for May 2026

Posted on May 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this month’s Black Dahlia Book Club, I discuss Jack Webb’s 1958 book “The Badge” and its portrayal of Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. Continue reading →

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May 19, 1939: Soldier Killed, Hundreds Hurt in Holy Land Riots

Posted on May 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 19, 1939: A British soldier is killed and at least 200 are injured by rioting in the Holy Land as Jews protest Britain’s plan for Palestine. Also a talking pelican with a machine gun. Continue reading →

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May 18, 1947: Friends Raise Money to Buy Prosthetic Legs for Boy Injured by Unexploded Bazooka Shell

Posted on May 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 18, 1947: Jackie Cooper and his friend Lee Seely are being treated after an April 26 blast that occurred when one of the boys dropped an unexploded bazooka shell that someone found at Seal Beach. Lee was hit in the abdomen with shrapnel and Jackie’s legs were amputated. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on May 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious surgeon — yes, another one! Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 29 Comments

May 16, 1908: Wanted — Home for 1,000 Ostriches!

Posted on May 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 16, 1908: The Cawston Ostrich Farm of South Pasadena is seeking 250-500 acres, suitable for planting alfalfa, within 100 miles of Los Angeles to be a home for 1,000 ostriches. Continue reading →

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May 14, 1909: Man Swallows Carbolic Acid on Streetcar, Battles Conductor Before Dying

Posted on May 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 14, 1909: A man swallows carbolic acid on a streetcar, smashes windows and battles the conductor and motorman before dying. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Teaser for Video Disproving Alleged Dahlia-Zodiac Link and ‘Cracking’ Zodiac’s Z13

Posted on May 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

YouTube teaser for David Oranchak’s video refuting Alex Baber’s claims that he has “solved” Zodiac’s Z13 cipher, and linked the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, May 13, 1944

Posted on May 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 13, 1944: Louella Parsons says that D.W. Griffith is so impressed with Preston Sturges’ “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek,” that Griffith sent Sturges a treatment of Louis Bromfield’s “Up Ferguson Way,” at the insistence of Lillian Gish. Continue reading →

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May 13, 1908: Work to Begin on Streetcar Tunnel to Ease Traffic

Posted on May 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 13, 1908: Work will begin on a Hill Street tunnel for streetcars in an attempt to ease traffic congestion, showing that traffic problems in Los Angeles are more than a century old. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming May 19, 2026

Posted on May 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will discuss Jack Webb’s 1958 book “The Badge” and the “Dragnet” radio show in the next session of the Black Dahlia Book Club, Tuesday, May 19, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at http://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch/streams Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming May 19, 2026

May 12, 1908: Stanford Officials Open Unmarked Graves

Posted on May 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 12: 1908: “The Christ Kid” gets his nickname from posing as a preacher to the homeless whenever police are looking for him. Continue reading →

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