Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Sept. 7, 1907: Typhoid, Diphtheria, Scarlet Fever and Tuberculosis

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Sept. 7, 1907 Los Angeles Henry Sief of the health office has released the latest figures on infectious diseases in Los Angeles and the news is wonderful. There were only 20 cases … Continue reading

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September 6, 1947: Mexican Workers Essential as Americans Refuse Stoop Labor, Ranchers Testify

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. “Up from his 160-acre vegetable farm at San Juan Capistrano, veteran rancher H.L. Remmers informed the committee that he must “get Mexican workers” or “think about … Continue reading

Posted in 1947, Food and Drink, Immigration, Labor | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Steve Hodel, James Ellroy and EBay: Outbid!

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Gosh, I upped my bid on James Ellroy’s copies of “Black Dahlia Avenger” (the hardback and paperback) but was outbid. Darn. I’m going to do my best to get them over $25, … Continue reading

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Black Dahlia: More Steve Hodel, James Ellroy and EBay

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. I couldn’t stand the thought of James Ellroy’s copies of “Black Dahlia Avenger” going for so little on EBay. After all, don’t people know the book has been optioned by New Line … Continue reading

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Sept. 5, 1947: L.A. Turns 166, Becomes Third-Largest City in America

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Los Angeles mounted a festive reenactment of its founding, with people taking the roles of padres, soldiers and settlers. On the gaily decorated steps of City … Continue reading

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Sept. 5, 1907: Young Cecil Moore Explores L.A., One Step Ahead of the Law

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Sept. 5, 1907 Los Angeles Poor old Mrs. Moore was ill, so instead of paying the grocer his monthly bill, she put a $10 gold piece in an envelope and told her … Continue reading

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Sessue Hayakawa, Author

Sessue Hayakawa in Cine Mundial. Long renowned as one of the most mesmerizing, exotic actors of the silent screen, Sessue Hayakawa and his piercing eyes and sensual mouth stole women’s attentions and minds. Born in Japan, the son of aristocratic … Continue reading

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Sept. 4, 1947: Red Influences in Hollywood!

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Among the celebrities declining an invitation to discuss Communists in Hollywood was Hedda Hopper, and her column expands on the number of Red-influenced films in Hollywood … Continue reading

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Black Dahlia Avenger: From Steve Hodel to James Ellroy to EBay

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. My goodness, one never knows what will turn up on Ebay. This morning I found a copy of “Black Dahlia Avenger” inscribed by Steve Hodel to James Ellroy, who wrote the introduction … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1947 Warner Bros. picture “The Unfaithful,” with Ann Sheridan, Lew Ayres, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Jerome Cowan, Steven Geray and John Hoyt. Original screenplay by David Goodis and James Gunn, photography by Ernest … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 39 Comments

September 3, 1907: A Oration for Labor Day

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. September 3, 1907 Editorial, Los Angeles Times “I have no patience with the prejudices which exist between alleged classes when the classes themselves do not exist. There is no reason for hostility … Continue reading

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September 2, 1947: Miss Muscle Beach of 1947

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Muscle Beach began in the early 1930s as a program of the Federal Works Progress Administration, part of the government’s effort to recover from the Great … Continue reading

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September 1, 1947: 1,000 World War II Veterans Now in LAPD Uniforms

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. They are building a new, young, military Police Department for Los Angeles these days with the men who helped to win the war on foreign battlefields … Continue reading

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Aug. 28, 1947: Margaret Harris Debuts in Piano Recital at Age 3

Aug. 28, 1947: At the age of 3, Margaret Rosezarian Harris was splashed across the front page of the Sentinel, which covered her concert of classical pieces at Chicago’s Carey AME Temple. “She was poised and showed no trace of … Continue reading

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Music | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Aug. 31, 1947: Herbert Kline Shoots ‘Palestine’s First Feature Film Drama’

Note: My original post from 2005 on the 1947project was essentially a transcription of the 1947 L.A. Times story. Kline died in 1999. The film was released as “Beit Avi.” More on the film here.

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Aug. 31, 1907: The Year in Liquor — 20 Gallons of Beer for Every Man, Woman and Child in U.S.

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Aug. 31, 1907 Los Angeles The ugly statistics should dishearten even the most ardent temperance worker. According to federal tax data for the last fiscal year, distillers produced 20 gallons of beer … Continue reading

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Aug. 30, 1907: Rabbi Leads Campaign to Open Hebrew University in L.A.

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Aug. 30, 1907 Los Angeles Led by Rabbi Alfred Arndt of Congregation Beth Israel, the local Jewish community hopes to open what The Times describes as “the only Hebrew university within the … Continue reading

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1909, 1911, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Education, Religion, Streetcars | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Aug. 30, 1907: Rabbi Leads Campaign to Open Hebrew University in L.A.

Raymond Chandler Was 5-9, in Case You Ever Need to Know

Posted in 1917, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, World War I | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Aug. 29, 1947: Headless Skeleton Found in Burlap Sack in Chantry Flats

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The discovery by camper John Beener of 3743 E. 7th St. only became more puzzling. Investigation revealed that the deceased, an elderly woman about 5-foot-2, had … Continue reading

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Aug. 29, 1907: Engine Co. 20 Pranks Newlywed Firefighter

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Aug. 29, 1907 Los Angeles Around Engine Co. 20 at Sunset Boulevard and Mohawk Street, Lt. Samuel Dodd is something of a practical joker, so when he left on his honeymoon with … Continue reading

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