Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Jan. 2, 1959: Paul Coates ‘Repeal the Mann Act?’

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 2, 1959: Long before Nate Silver launched 538, Paul Coates was skeptical of polls and to prove his point formed his own polling concern: the Los Angeles Survey Institute. His question: “Do you think the Mann Act deters or … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, 2009, Columnists, Paul Coates | 3 Comments

Jan. 2, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘Reader’s Choice’

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

The old-school newspaper columnists were tough, writing six pieces a week. Six-day-a-week columnists like Matt Weinstock and Paul Coates took it easy by making their Saturday columns a roundup of readers’ letters. In those days, apparently, newspaper columnists received interesting … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Books and Authors, Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Jan. 2, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘Reader’s Choice’

Jan. 2, 1969: College Student Home on Vacation Killed, Dumped Off Mulholland

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

This is another story that I don’t remember at all. The original post is here at Archive.org. The killing of Marina Elizabeth Habe remains unsolved (I see that I garbled her name in the original post). See also Keith Thursby’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 1969, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Keith Thursby | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another Fine Mess? Stan Laurel Accused of Planning to Bury Wife in Backyard

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

I have written more than 10,000 posts about L.A. history over the years and I don’t remember many of them. Like this one, which was turned into a “Then and Now” a feature that continued briefly after Cecilia Rasmussen left … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, 2009, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Another Fine Mess? Stan Laurel Accused of Planning to Bury Wife in Backyard

Black Dahlia: My Annual Donation in Memory of Elizabeth Short

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

As longtime readers know, I always begin a new year with an annual donation in memory of Elizabeth Short to Heading Home, which works with the homeless in the Boston area. Partly because of my research on Elizabeth Short, I … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Jan. 2, 1958: Photographer Edward Weston Dies

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

Here’s a blog post I wrote for the Daily Mirror blog in 2008, when it was hosted by the Los Angeles Times. Edward Weston, one of the great photographers of the 20th century, received a one-paragraph obituary in the Los … Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Obituaries, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

LAPD Crime Statistics for 1957 | Looking Back at ‘Our Lawless City’

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

If you are a longtime reader, you may remember when the Daily Mirror was hosted by the Los Angeles Times. The Times holds the copyright on these items, even though the blog was killed in 2011 (thank you, Jimmy Orr), … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, 2008, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on LAPD Crime Statistics for 1957 | Looking Back at ‘Our Lawless City’

Jan. 1, 1959: Matt Weinstock, ‘Unsung Heroines’

Posted on January 1, 2019 by lmharnisch

The other joy of doing the Daily Mirror was reintroducing readers to the columns of Matt Weinstock, taken from the Mirror (d. 1962). Weinstock is remembered today for the 1947 book “My L.A.” (I have enough copies, thank you), which … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, 2009, Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Jan. 1, 1959: Matt Weinstock, ‘Unsung Heroines’

Jan. 1, 1959: Paul Coates, Confidential File ‘Looking Back at ‘58; Looking Ahead to ‘59’

Posted on January 1, 2019 by lmharnisch

One of my particular joys in doing the Daily Mirror at the Los Angeles Times was rerunning Paul Coates’ columns, which originally appeared in the Mirror (d. 1962). I was particularly fortunate to have several excellent interns who transcribed them. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Jan. 1, 1959: Paul Coates, Confidential File ‘Looking Back at ‘58; Looking Ahead to ‘59’

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — Pisco Punch

Posted on December 31, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Just in time for New Year’s, we’ll take a look at a “lost drink,” making a brief inquiry into San Francisco’s Pisco Punch, made famous by Bank Exchange saloon owner Duncan Nicol … Continue reading →

Posted in 1915, 1934, 1939, Food and Drink, San Francisco | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 31, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1956 Columbia picture “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers,” with Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum, John Zaremba, Tom Browne Henry, Brandon Rhodes and Larry Blake. Screenplay by Bernard Gordon and George Worthing … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 33 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Mack Sennett’s Rose Parade Gag

Posted on December 31, 2018 by lmharnisch

Photo: “The Sleuths at the Floral Parade.” Credit: Mary Mallory, the Collections of the Margaret Herrick Library. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. The Tournament of Roses Parade is going on its 122th year, and grows more elaborate … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Comments Off on Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Mack Sennett’s Rose Parade Gag

Dec. 31, 1907: Old Watchman, Beaten by Robbers, Revealed as Cocaine Addict

Posted on December 31, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 31, 1907 Los Angeles His name was W.H. Reynolds and the old watchman for E.H. Howard Contracting had laid out all night after being beaten up and thrown in the weeds … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, LAPD, Medicine, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Dec. 31, 1907: Old Watchman, Beaten by Robbers, Revealed as Cocaine Addict

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide – The Queens Cocktail

Posted on December 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Joe Vogel asks if there was a Queens Cocktail. The answer is yes. According to the Jamaica Long Island Daily Press, Jan. 24, 1935, the Queens Cocktail debuted at the Hotel Commodore … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, 1937, Food and Drink | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide – The Queens Cocktail

News Quiz, 1947: How Many Stories of the Year Do You Know?

Posted on December 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. I think of it as a report card from the past. For the last few months, the 47P has explored stories that seemed important or unusual, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Labor, Middle East, Politics, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on News Quiz, 1947: How Many Stories of the Year Do You Know?

Dec. 30, 1907: Old Soldiers of the Civil War, Held as Drunks, Get Free Run of Jail

Posted on December 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 30, 1907 Los Angeles James Sullivan, 64, was a prisoner of the Confederates held at Belle Isle, Libby and Andersonville, where he and war correspondent Albert D. Richardson escaped by tunneling … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Civil War, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dec. 30, 1907: Old Soldiers of the Civil War, Held as Drunks, Get Free Run of Jail

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — The Bronx Cocktail

Posted on December 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Dec. 20, 1934: In case you doubted me (but you wouldn’t, would you?), here’s a recipe for the Bronx Cocktail, from the Amsterdam Evening Recorder, courtesy of FultonHistory.com. In case you plan … Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Food and Drink, Suicide | Tagged , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — The Bronx Cocktail

Dec. 29, 1907: The City Grows

Posted on December 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 29, 1907 Los Angeles The Times real estate pages feature homes under construction around Washington Boulevard west of Hobart Boulevard. “This section is just being built up with a splendid class … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Architecture, Real Estate, Streetcars | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — The Brooklyn Cocktail

Posted on December 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Yes, the Manhattan cocktail once had competition from drinks named for the other boroughs. Here’s a recipe for the Brooklyn Cocktail, from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 7, 1937. The Brooklyn Cocktail … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Food and Drink | Tagged , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — The Brooklyn Cocktail

Architectural Ramblings

Posted on December 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Dec. 28, 2006 Los Angeles As promised, here are some photos of a few neighborhoods I visited recently.   Views of South Pasadena

Posted in 1907, Architecture, Pasadena, Photography | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Architectural Ramblings