Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide: The Harvey Wallbanger

Posted on December 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

A vintage 1972 iron-on transfer of Harvey Wallbanger himself, on EBay for $12. Note: This is a repost from 2013. We have been looking at some historic drinks for this holiday season. To the millennials in the audience: This is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1971, Food and Drink, Music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Dec. 27, 1947: Youth Questioned in Georgette Bauerdorf Killing

Posted on December 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The last words her neighbors heard were “Stop, stop, you’re killing me!” as she fought hard for her life. The housekeeper found the body in … Continue reading →

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Dec. 27, 1907: Oklahoma Lynching — A Grim Record for New State

Posted on December 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 27, 1907 Henryetta, Okla., by the Associated Press A little more than a month after Oklahoma achieved statehood, James Garden became a wretched statistic: the first black to be lynched there. … Continue reading →

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

Posted on December 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Dec. 25, 1947: “Call It Stormy Monday” by T-Bone Walker is on the hit parade. On the jump, “Railroad Porter Blues” by Eddie Vinson and “Money’s Getting Cheaper” by Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers.

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide: A Brief History of the Tom and Jerry

Posted on December 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

A recipe for the Tom and Jerry from the San Francisco Call, June 30, 1912. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Over on Facebook, Christopher McPherson asked whether the Tom and Jerry was named for the MGM cartoon … Continue reading →

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Dec. 26, 1947: No Sympathy for Alcoholics!

Posted on December 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. On Christmas Eve 1947, the LAPD arrested 35 adults for drunk driving, 2 juveniles for drunk driving, and 19 for being drunk in an automobile. Of … Continue reading →

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Dec. 26, 1907: Minister Rejects New ‘Godless’ U.S. Coins

Posted on December 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 26, 1907 Pittsburgh, by direct wire to The Times As Christmas celebrations concluded at Knoxville Presbyterian Church, the congregation presented the Rev. W.A. Jones with $100 ($2,052.36 USD 2005). A banker … Continue reading →

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Dec. 25, 1947: The Times Christmas Poem

Posted on December 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The Times’ front-page Christmas and Easter poems are as forgotten today as their author, James M. Warnack. I’ll leave it to my theological betters to parse … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Obituaries, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Los Angeles Celebrates Christmas, 1913

Posted on December 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Dec. 25, 1913: The Times carries a biblical passage across the nameplate (notice the artwork of the new and old Times buildings) and a Page 1 cartoon by Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale. … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1964 film (copyright 1963) “7 Faces of Dr. Lao,” with Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, Arthur O’Connell, John Ericson, Noah Beery Jr., Minerva Urecal, Frank Kreig, Eddie Little Sky, Lee Patrick, John Qualen, Peggy … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 56 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘White Christmas’ Soothes the Home Front in 1942

Posted on December 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale in “Holiday Inn.” Note: This is an encore post from 2015. Recognized today as one of the top selling singles and pieces of sheet music of all time, Irving Berlin’s “White … Continue reading →

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Dec. 24, 1947: LAPD Seeks 700 Officers and L. Ron Hubbard Answers the Call

Posted on December 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Dec. 24, 1947 One of the applicants appears to have been future Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Records show that he was fingerprinted Dec. 31, … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: 6 Reasons Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short — No. 6 No Connection

Posted on December 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Elizabeth Short contrasted with the unidentified woman found in George Hodel’s photo album. Not at all the same. Here are six reasons Dr. George Hodel did not kill Elizabeth Short that you will need to know before watching the TNT … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dec. 23, 1907: Shopping Cures Insanity — An Early Test of Retail Therapy

Posted on December 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 23, 1907 St. Louis, via Direct Wire to The Times Dr. Henry S. Atkins, superintendent of St. Louis’ insane asylum, has found that Christmas is a perfect time to test his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Medicine | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: 6 Reasons Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short — No. 5 Not a Practicing Surgeon

Posted on December 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Here are six reasons Dr. George Hodel did not kill Elizabeth Short that you will need to know before watching the TNT mini-series “I Am the Night” or listening to the eight-part podcast accompanying the production. Reason No. 5: Dr. … Continue reading →

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Dec. 23, 1947: Baby Girl Abandoned at Downtown Restaurant With Christmas Card Pinned to Blanket

Posted on December 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The young mother asked the waitress at the cafe in the Subway Terminal Building to hold her baby for just a moment—and then she was gone. … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: 6 Reasons Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short — No. 4 Clinic Served Poor Blacks of Bronzeville

Posted on December 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles, May 25, 1944: At a Shinto shrine near City Hall, Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron, second from left, Dr. George M. Uhl and Nicola Giulli of the city housing authority talk to black residents of Bronzeville. Courtesy of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Homicide, LAPD, Medicine, Television, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dec. 22, 1907: For I Was Homeless and You Ran Me In — L.A. Prepares for ‘Hobo Season’

Posted on December 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Homelessness is a more than century-old problem in Los Angeles — there are no easy or quick fixes. And yes, homeless people were put on the chain gang in 1907.    Dec. … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: 6 Reasons Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short — No. 3 Not Pals With Man Ray

Posted on December 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

The “minotaur love/death cult of Hollywood” is apparently getting a big play in “I Am the Night.” Oh dear. Here are six reasons Dr. George Hodel did not kill Elizabeth Short that you will need to know before watching the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD, Libraries, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Dec. 21, 1947: ‘Tubby the Tuba’ and Music for Children

Posted on December 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.. Bonus factoid: The Jewish “defense army” Haganah was reported to have made a major attack—the largest since the U.N. partition decision—against Arabs in Lydda and Bet … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments