Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Bert Longworth and ‘Hold Still, Hollywood’

Posted on August 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. In the last forty years, movie collectors and photography connoisseurs have recognized the art and value of Hollywood still photography, most particularly in the gloriously lit and composed portraits of glamorous stars. … Continue reading →

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Aug. 20, 1907: Unrest in Morocco

Posted on August 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Casa Blanca, Morocco Aug. 20, 1907 The Times carries a vivid description of a battle between Moorish tribesmen, French sharpshooters and spahis (Arabs in the French service), and though the story is … Continue reading →

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August 18, 1947: John Steven McGroarty, California Poet Laureate, Honored in Memorial Tribute

Posted on August 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. His favorite verses and anecdotes of his life were recited yesterday as old friends and admirers made their third annual pilgrimage to the grave of John … Continue reading →

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Aug. 17, 1947: At UCLA’s Gayleyville , Tough Times for Married Veterans

Posted on August 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Married veterans attending the Los Angeles campus of the University of California have discovered that the dollar—unlike some bank checks—doesn’t stretch like rubber. They have found … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Broncho Billy Silent Film Festival Covers the World

Posted on August 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Max Linder, photo courtesy of Mary Mallory. The 21st Annual Broncho Billy Silent Film Festival traveled the world in its many programs this year, featuring rare technology, recently discovered and restored films, and travelogues from near and far, something … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Black L.A. 1947: Drag Ball Planned for the Avodon Ballroom in DTLA

Posted on August 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

The site of the Avodon Ballroom at 843 S. Spring St., via Google Street View.  Aug. 14, 1947: A drag ball is planned for the Avodon Ballroom, 843 S. Spring St. Although the Sentinel didn’t follow up on the event, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Dance, Downtown, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

August 16, 1947: L.A. Widow Says Louisiana Sheriff Failed to Protect Husband From Lynch Mob

Posted on August 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. His face and body were burned with a blowtorch so that his eyes popped out of his head. He was beaten with a wide, flat object, … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Nellie Lutcher’s ‘He’s a Real Gone Guy’ Leads This Week’s Juke Box Hits

Posted on August 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Aug. 14, 1947: Nellie Lutcher’s “He’s a Real Gone Guy” is this week’s No. 1 juke box hit, according to Murray’s Record Shop, 1055 E. Vernon. “True Blues” by Roy Milton is No. 2. On the jump, Ask Evangeline helps … Continue reading →

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

Aug. 15, 1947: India Formally Partitioned Into Two Nations

Posted on August 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. NEW DELHI, Aug. 15 (Friday) (U.P.)—The proud British Empire of India died last night as the clocks struck midnight. Two independent nations were born at the … Continue reading →

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Aug. 14, 1947: L.A. Telephone Exchanges, Adams to Whittier

Posted on August 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The growth of Southern California was reflected in a Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. report issued yesterday. The company said that the number of telephones it … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: ‘A Song Is Born’ a New High in Interracial Pictures

Posted on August 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Aug. 14, 1947: The Sentinel runs a feature on “A Song Is Born” (working title: “That’s Life”) in production at the Goldwyn studios. If the plot sounds a bit like “Ball of Fire,” also made by the Goldwyn studios, I’m … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1959 film “Gangster Story,” with Walter Matthau, Carol Grace, Bruce McFarlan (MacFarlane), Raiken BenAri (Raikin Ben-Ari), David Leonard, John Albright and Clegg Hoit (Hoyt). Screenplay by Paul Purcell, based on an original story … Continue reading →

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hale’s Tours Offer Virtual Reality in 1906

Posted on August 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

George C. Hale in the Salt Lake City Herald, Oct. 20, 1905. Note: This is an encore post from 2016. Technology changes often move with the speed of lightning, upending life as it moves hurly burly into a brave new … Continue reading →

Posted in 1906, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Aug. 13, 1947: ‘Cuando Lloran los Valientes’

Posted on August 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Imagine my surprise to find that The Times reviewed Mexican movies, usually in critiques signed “G.K.,” who praised this classic of Mexican cinema starring Pedro Infante, … Continue reading →

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Aug. 12-13, 1907: Bucket of Blood Is a Den of Drunken Debauchery

Posted on August 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Aug. 12-13, 1907 Los Angeles Despite the name Bismarck Cafe, police call the saloon at Main and Winston Streets the Bucket of Blood because it’s a continual source of crime and violence. … Continue reading →

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Aug. 12, 1947: Distinguished UCLA English Instructor Dies in Plunge from S.F. Building; ‘He Was Not Married’

Posted on August 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Dr. Stanley Dean Johnson sounds like quite a fellow. He’s a specialist in the works of John Donne, having received his bachelor’s and master’s from the … Continue reading →

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Aug. 11, 1947: Two Men Found Shot to Death in Bizarre Mystery

Posted on August 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Someone found them shot to death on the floor of the Portal Motel at 2775 N. Cahuenga: two men completely clothed except for their shoes, each … Continue reading →

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Aug. 10, 1947: North Broadway Tunnel, Doomed Downtown Landmark

Posted on August 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Building contractor Robert Beryle regarded the 762-foot Broadway tunnel, excavated in 1901 through Fort Moore Hill, as his masterpiece. Another crew was building the 1,045-foot 3rd … Continue reading →

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Aug. 9, 1947: 2 Firefighters Die Fighting Big Tujunga Canyon Blaze

Posted on August 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Their names were Carl Joseph Masterson and Edward Jerome Duffy, who went by the nickname Harry. Carl was 40, born in Kansas and lived at 1032 … Continue reading →

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Aug. 8, 1947: Two Years of Peace Haven’t Healed Wounds of World War II

Posted on August 8, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The Times runs a picture page, taking stock of changes since the end of the war. In Nijmegen, Holland, townspeople adopt the graves of men … Continue reading →

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