Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: TCM Classic Film Festival’s ‘The World Comes to Hollywood’

Posted on April 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory previews the TCM Classic Film Festival, with the theme ‘The World Comes to Hollywood,’ featuring a hand/footprint ceremony for Glenn Close, appearances by Carol Burnett and Faye Dunaway, and a restored print of the long-unseen ‘Letty Lynton’ Continue reading →

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

April 27, 1907: Man Badly Injured in Attack by Mule

Posted on April 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 27, 1907: W.S. Stanton was attacked by a vicious mule at the California Truck Company’s stables last night and seriously injured. When he attempted to take the harness off the animal it leaped to one side and kicked him on the thigh, knocking him down, then walked over him, cutting and lacerating the calves of his legs. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Immigration, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on April 27, 1907: Man Badly Injured in Attack by Mule

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have two Back of the Head Guys in a mysterious foreign film. Continue reading →

Posted in 1979, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Voices — Christine Collins, April 23, 1931

Posted on April 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1931: Walter Collins is “in good condition,” a prison report says. Collins was the husband of Christine Collins, whose story inspired the Clint Eastwood movie “Changeling.” Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1931, Changeling, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Comments Off on Voices — Christine Collins, April 23, 1931

April 23, 1908: Whiskey Is a Health Tonic

Posted on April 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1908: Whiskey is a health tonic! Continue reading →

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April 16, 1938: Child Molested, Killed

Posted on April 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

Trigger warning: This post from 1938 deals with an abuser who died in the gas chamber for killing his young victim. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on April 16, 1938: Child Molested, Killed

April 22, 1908: Beer Is a Health Drink

Posted on April 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 22, 1908: Beer is a health drink, especially good for “the weak and the convalescent.” “When beer is pure, there is nothing more healthful.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, health | Tagged , | Comments Off on April 22, 1908: Beer Is a Health Drink

Black Dahlia Book Club for April 2026

Posted on April 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

In the fourth installment of the Black Dahlia Book Club, I looked at the portrayal of Elizabeth Short’s murder in early crime anthologies leading up to Jack Webb’s “The Badge” in 1958. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, books, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

April 21, 1908: Dispute Over Black and White Children Playing Together Turns Deadly

Posted on April 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 21, 1908: In Memphis, a quarrel between women over Black and white children playing together leads to a fight and then a shooting. And a crackdown on sending birth control information through the mail. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Abortion, African Americans, Countdown to Watts, Front Pages, health, Homicide, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on April 21, 1908: Dispute Over Black and White Children Playing Together Turns Deadly

April 20, 2008: Club Mecca Firebombing Victims Remembered

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 20, 2008: Remembering the victims of the Club Mecca Firebombing. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1957, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on April 20, 2008: Club Mecca Firebombing Victims Remembered

April 20, 1959: It’s a Woman’s World — Auto Mechanic

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 20, 1959: Meet Mrs. Roy Harper, a trained auto mechanic who helps run her husband’s auto garage, where she is apparently a service writer and specializes in carburetors. But the Los Angeles Times assures readers that she’s still ladylike and prefers “high heels and chic clothes” to dirty coveralls and tools in the hip pockets. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Freeways, Transportation | Comments Off on April 20, 1959: It’s a Woman’s World — Auto Mechanic

April 20, 1908: Great White Fleet Draws Huge Crowds, Overwhelming Capacity

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 20, 1908: The Great White Fleet draws huge crowds, overwhelming rail service to Long Beach, San Pedro, Redondo Beach and Venice. If there were a Militant Angeleno in 1908, he would have been there! Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Long Beach, Transportation | Comments Off on April 20, 1908: Great White Fleet Draws Huge Crowds, Overwhelming Capacity

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious surgical team. Continue reading →

Posted in 1973, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood by Sidney Skolsky, April 15, 1944

Posted on April 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 15, 1944: Theater owners gripe about films they are showing. Sample: “My patrons like corn, green, ripe, in muffins, cans or jugs, and I simply have got to give it to them and that’s what they are going to get from now on. This picture business is getting me, or has it got me?” Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Columnists, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on 1944 in Print — Hollywood by Sidney Skolsky, April 15, 1944

April 15, 1908: Accused Wife Killer Says ‘Everything Went Black’

Posted on April 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 15,1908: Quong Wai, who is fighting a deportation order, says he is an American born in San Francisco. He says immigration officers arrested him at a streetcar station without reason. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, Front Pages, Homicide, Music | Tagged | Comments Off on April 15, 1908: Accused Wife Killer Says ‘Everything Went Black’

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2026

Posted on April 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this session of the Black Dahlia Ask Me Anything, I address some of the claims in Michael Connelly’s 10-part podcast “Killer in the Code,” claiming a solution in the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2026

April 11, 1958: Johnny Stompanato inquest

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 11, 1958: The Mirror publishes excerpts from the inquest of Johnny Stompanato. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1958, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on April 11, 1958: Johnny Stompanato inquest

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious woman who does not approve of such goings-on. Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

April 13, 1908: Dr. Hoffman’s Nerve Syrup Cures ‘Fits’

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 13, 1908: Dr. Hoffman’s “Nerve Syrup” has a pleasant taste and cures epilepsy, St. Vitus Dance and nervous trouble. What exactly is in it? The ad isn’t saying. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Front Pages, health, Science, Transportation, UFOs | Tagged , | Comments Off on April 13, 1908: Dr. Hoffman’s Nerve Syrup Cures ‘Fits’

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood’s Salute to Atmosphere – The Afton Arms

Posted on April 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory writes about the Afton Arms Apartments in an encore post from 2019. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood’s Salute to Atmosphere – The Afton Arms