Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Sandow Returns

Posted on June 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006.

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1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux

Posted on June 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

One of the joys of living in Southern California is the random opportunity to see gorgeous cars – new and vintage – in the wild. We saw this 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux a few blocks from the Daily Mirror … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Museums, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

June 10, 1947: Artist John Decker Speaks at His Funeral Via Recording

Posted on June 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. From a transcription he made six weeks before his death, Artist John Decker’s voice came back to intone his philosophy at his funeral yesterday. In his … Continue reading →

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Feb. 2, 1933: James M. Cain Writes Appreciation of Ice Cream Truck Driver Robert D. ‘Red’ Shay

Posted on June 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. “Red” Shay, 26, was riding with his girlfriend, Nancy Reed, in the rumble seat a car driven by his roommate, L.W. Sinclair, when it struck … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Books and Authors, Obituaries | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

June 9, 1907: Woman’s Bizarre Death Exposes a Family’s Curse

Posted on June 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 9, 1907 Los Angeles Olga Miller was a comely young thing who worked at the Hotel Rosslyn and was considered quite attractive despite the scar on her temple from shooting herself … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on June 8, 2018 by lmharnisch

For Friday, we have our last photo from the Library of Congress. The library says this picture was taken by “Katherine Russell Bleecker, the first female cinematographer in film history,” but there’s no more information. Any ideas?

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

June 9, 1947: Personals

Posted on June 8, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. To a certain party in Beverly Hills: Some Las Vegas casino executives should close those swank drapes when they sit in the living room and read … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947 | Tagged | 1 Comment

June 8, 1947: Neighbors Organize to Block Workers for Trackless Trolleys

Posted on June 8, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Perhaps one of most the common and ingrained bits of wisdom about old Los Angeles is the vast conspiracy of bus companies and car dealers … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on June 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

For Thursday, we have a mystery woman, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

June 7, 1947: Kenneth Hahn Sworn in as L.A. Councilman

Posted on June 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Hahn retired from public service in 1992, after being elected 10 times to the county Board of Supervisors, beginning in 1952. Source: Los Angeles Times, June … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, City Hall, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Black L.A. 1947: USC Film Student Refuses ‘Uncle Tom’ Role in Radio Play

Posted on June 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1947: USC film student James C. Johnson, a member of the Delta Kappa Alpha cinema fraternity, said he would not play a role in a student’s radio play because it depicted “the Negro as stereotype,” the Sentinel said. … Continue reading →

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June 7, 1907: Judge Wins Black Eye in Pasadena’s First Dog Show

Posted on June 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 7, 1907 Pasadena After a hard day of judging Boston terriers, English bulldogs and foxhounds, John Bradshaw went to a local restaurant with two exhibitors, William J. Morris and James … Continue reading →

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Shout Out

Posted on June 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. General Motors [ISP Redacted] Windows 2000? Upgrade! The Netherlands [ISP Redacted] E! Entertainment [ISP Redacted] “E! Mysteries and Scandals,” my first TV interview, by the guy who did “Real Chases of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2006, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments Off on Shout Out

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on June 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

For Wednesday, we have another mystery guest from the Library of Congress. The print is stamped Dec. 15, 1936, with the pencil notation “The Bulgarian Phesant” The back of the photo is on the jump.

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June 6, 1947: American POW Recognizes Sadistic Japanese Prison Camp Guard in L.A. Store

Posted on June 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. On D-Day plus three years, Los Angeles was torn between the past and the future. And in one instance, the past and its aftermath were the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, World War II | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: 5 LAPD Officers Injured in 3 Fights

Posted on June 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1947: Christopher W. Bankhead, who was injured in a plane crash during World War II, dies of a heart “ailment” while cutting a customer’s hair at William McKinney’s barbershop, 4012 S. Central Ave. LAPD Officers S. Goldman and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

June 6, 1907: Miner Sues Tenderfoot Prospector for Shooting Pet Horse

Posted on June 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 6, 1907 San Bernardino The miners of the Silver Lake camp out in San Bernardino didn’t take the tenderfoot too seriously. His name was Fred Myton and he presented himself as … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 23rd Annual S.F. Silent Film Festival Celebrates World Cinema

Posted on June 5, 2018 by lmharnisch

Kevin Brownlow’s 80th birthday was celebrated with a showing of “Mare Nostrum.” Image courtesy of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Coming at a time when walls and words separate more people than ever, the 23rd Annual San Francisco Silent … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on June 5, 2018 by lmharnisch

For Tuesday, we have another mystery woman from the Library of Congress. Anybody recognize her?

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

June 4, 1947: Television Comes to Los Angeles

Posted on June 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Those curious metal arrays being installed with great ceremony on the city’s rooftops are antennas, for this is the year of the one-eyed wonder: Television. In … Continue reading →

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