Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Dec. 21, 1907: Desperate Girl, Alone and Friendless in L.A., Steals $10

Posted on December 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 21, 1907 Los Angeles Lillian Poelk was new to Los Angeles, with no friends and little more than a job as a waitress that didn’t quite cover the rent of her … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: 6 Reasons Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short — No. 2 Not Guilty of Morals Charges

Posted on December 20, 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. 2: George … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1949, 1950, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide: ‘Making Black Los Angeles’

Posted on December 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

I only recommend books that I have read, which is why I haven’t listed Susan Orlean’s “The Library Book” or Stephen Gee’s “Los Angeles City Hall: An American Icon.” I look forward to reading both of them, but I’m not … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016, African Americans, Books and Authors, History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

December 20, 1947: Pulp Author Rob Eden Dies | Author of ‘Short Skirts: A Story of Modern Youth’

Posted on December 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.. And at the age of 55, after dozens of novels and countless short stories, he died. Not that you’ve heard of him or any of his … Continue reading →

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

Dec. 20, 1907: Miracle Doctor Fer-Don Cures Man of 90-Foot Tape Worm!

Posted on December 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 20,1907 Los Angeles Mr. C.D. Roberts of 1900 E. Main was feeling a bit unwell. He had bad headaches, an irregular appetite, saw dark spots before his eyes and felt as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1909, LAPD, Medicine, Pasadena, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: 6 Reasons Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short — No. 1 Not a Prime Suspect

Posted on December 19, 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. 1: Dr. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1949, 1950, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dec. 19, 1947: Going Down – City Hall Bans Clever Nicknames for Its Floors

Posted on December 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. City Hall’s elevator operators have been having a little too much fun on the job. Instead of calling out the numbers of the floors, they have … Continue reading →

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Dec. 19, 1907: No, None of It Was His Fault

Posted on December 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 19, 1907 Los Angeles What you have to understand first about George White is that he isn’t to blame. Oh he’ll take his prison sentence for robbing the Hot Rivet Saloon, … Continue reading →

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A Walk in L.A., 1951

Posted on December 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a video I made in 2005 using clips from a police training film.

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Dec. 18, 1947: Jacobowicz Brothers, Orphaned in Holocaust, Arrive in L.A. (Also Turkey Stuffing With Fritos)

Posted on December 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The Jacobowicz brothers—Karl, 16, Joseph, 13, and Rudolph, 10—stood on the metal ramp leading from the gleaming airliner that carried them on the final leg of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Food and Drink, Frightening Food From the 1940s, Immigration, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Dec. 18, 1947: Jacobowicz Brothers, Orphaned in Holocaust, Arrive in L.A. (Also Turkey Stuffing With Fritos)

Dec. 18, 1907: County Coroner Dead Drunk at Bordello

Posted on December 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 18, 1907 Los Angeles Los Angeles County Coroner Roy S. Lanterman was arrested on charges of being drunk and disorderly at the Navajo, a bordello run by Ida Hastings, 309 Ord … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1909, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Dec. 18, 1907: County Coroner Dead Drunk at Bordello

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 2004 film “A Belated Premiere” on the amazing work of Alexander Shiryaev, written and directed by Viktor Bocharov, photographed by Inna Tiktinskaya, artwork by Yury Solovev and music by Sergei Banevich.  It’s on YouTube … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Cafe Montmartre Ushers in Hollywood Nightlife

Posted on December 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

  6757 Hollywood Blvd., former location of the Cafe Montmartre, via Google Street View. Constructed in 1922 as part of the expanding restaurant empire of impresario Adolph “Eddie” Brandstatter, the Cafe Montmartre ushered in Hollywood nightlife as its first swanky … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dec. 17, 1947: Frightening Food From the 1940s — ‘Unusual’ Fruitcake

Posted on December 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project..   Bonus factoid: The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a $2,500 fine against Hollywood book dealer Marcell Rodd for selling the obscene book “Call House … Continue reading →

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Dec. 16, 1947: Back Broken and Skull Fractured, Girl, 2 Dies of Abuse; Mother Gets 10 Years in Prison

Posted on December 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Somewhere, there’s 57-year-old man; maybe his name is Steven, or maybe his foster parents changed it. He doesn’t know much about himself except that his birthday … Continue reading →

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Dec. 16, 1907: A Headline for Steve Horn — L.A. Times Sports Covers a Cat Show

Posted on December 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 16, 1907 Los Angeles And what ran on the sports pages in 1907? We certainly didn’t have the Lakers. How about a cat show at Chutes Park at Grand and Washington? … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

“Angel’s Flight” by Leo Politi. Note: This is an encore post from 2014. Another of my favorite books about Los Angeles is Leo Politi’s “Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Reminiscences of Bygone Days,” published in 1964. Copies are listed on Bookfinder … Continue reading →

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Dec. 15, 1947: St. Bernard Plays Santa to Dogs at Shelter

Posted on December 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Curiously, The Times apparently never published another story about Chad A. Schultz, despite his considerable generosity ($1,000 = $9,464.19 USD 2005). However, the South L.A. animal … Continue reading →

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Dec. 15, 1907: Architectural Rambling to South Pasadena

Posted on December 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 15, 1907 Los Angeles Anybody who sets out to study the development of the city’s neighborhoods can expect to do lots of driving. My recent travels have taken me to an … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Architecture, Pasadena | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: “Little Shoes,” about the murders of three little girls, may not be everybody’s idea of an appropriate holiday gift, but it is more than a “true crime” book. In “Little Shoes” Pamela Everett explores her family’s tragic history in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments