Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

In Indiana, There Is No Beer

Posted on February 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 14-26, 1907 Los Angeles The Rev. Ervin S. Chapman, a Presbyterian minister who heads the Anti-Saloon League of California, has won a victory through an address that persuaded an Indiana judge … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Blogging “Black Dahlia Files” Part 25 — Loyalty

Posted on February 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Just out of curiosity, I did a Google image search for “loyalty.” I got Johnny Cash flipping the bird (turned into a mock motivational poster); another poster for the Army on its … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Blogging “Black Dahlia Files” Part 24 — He Walked by Night

Posted on February 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Much has been written about poor crowd control at the Black Dahlia crime scene. Here’s an example of LAPD crowd control from the 1948 film “He Walked by Night,” which was the … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Blogging “Black Dahlia Files” Part 23 — The Pinata

Posted on February 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. So what’s your point, Harnisch? Isn’t there a little schadenfreude here in dismantling Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles”? Didn’t … Continue reading →

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Feb. 24, 1907: Samuel Tilden Norton Designs Eagle Rock Bank Building

Posted on February 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Eagle Rock bank building designed by Samuel Tilden Norton, via Google Street View. Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 24, 1907 Eagle Rock Architect Samuel Tilden Norton has designed a bank building for Townsend Avenue and Colorado … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Blogging “Black Dahlia Files” Part 22 — The Funny Papers

Posted on February 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oh dear…. oh dearie, dearie, dear. Just out of curiosity, I decided to check the address Wolfe gave as his home when Bugsy Siegel was killed. This was 803 N. Roxbury Drive … Continue reading →

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Feb. 23, 1907: Scotch Thistles Beat English Victorias in 1st L.A. Soccer Game of 20th Century

Posted on February 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 23, 1907 Los Angeles The Scotch Thistles beat the English Victorias 3-2 in Southern California’s first soccer game since the Caledonians and the Pasadena team met at Agricultural Park in 1890, … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Blogging “Black Dahlia Files” Part 21 —The Cloudy Crystal Ball

Posted on February 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. I have a poor track record with movie screenings, being one of the few people to walk out halfway through a sneak preview of “Boogie Nights,” which I thought was terrible. Of … Continue reading →

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Feb. 22, 1907: Rainstorm Inspires Lyricism From Times Reporter

Posted on February 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 22, 1907 Los Angeles Here’s how The Times weather stories read a century ago: “For all the daylight hours yesterday, the rain drizzled down, much of the time like a heavy … Continue reading →

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Black L.A., 1947: Willie Earle Lynched by South Carolina Mob

Posted on February 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Feb. 20, 1947: The lynching of Willie Earle drew nationwide attention. Here is the New Yorker’s 1947 account of the trial in which 28 men were acquitted.

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Billy Graham Brings ‘Canvas Cathedral’ to Los Angeles, 1949

Posted on February 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Billy Graham brings his “canvas cathedral” to Los Angeles in 1949. Via YouTube. .

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Black Dahlia: Blogging “Black Dahlia Files” Part 20 —The FBI Story

Posted on February 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. There is an individual on ebay who sells copies of Elizabeth Short’s FBI file for $22 and some bidders drive the price even higher. The fact that the files are available online … Continue reading →

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Feb. 21, 1907: Mystery Killer Poisons Dogs and Cats in Angeleno Heights

Posted on February 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 21, 1907 Los Angeles Someone who hates animals is at work in Angeleno Heights, having poisoned 10 valuable dogs and several cats, The Times says.

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Black Dahlia: Some Rando Stripper, Not Elizabeth Short, in EBay Photos Listed at $3,000

Posted on February 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

A vendor on EBay has listed old pictures of some rando stripper as Elizabeth Short for $3,000. No really. I mean seriously? The description doesn’t hedge a bit – like saying photos that *might* be Elizabeth Short or photos that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1945, 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay, LAPD, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Black L.A., 1947: ‘Milk Bottle Murder’ – Couple’s Fight Ends in Death

Posted on February 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 20, 1947: Lois Ellis, victim of the “Milk Bottle Murder.” The neighborhood of 1207 E. 47th St. via Google Street View. From his bed in the jail ward of county hospital, Sam Ellis told of killing his wife, … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Blogging “Black Dahlia Files” Part 19 — The Houyhnhnms

Posted on February 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Our story so far, the two-minute executive summary: Donald H. Wolfe’s book “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles” has introduced the character of … Continue reading →

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Feb. 20, 1907: How to Dress for Mowing the Lawn

Posted on February 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 20, 1907 Los Angeles Apparently mowing the lawn was a formal occasion.

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars | 3 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Delight Evans Sells the Movies to Female Fans

Posted on February 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Full of charm and personality, Cordelia D. “Delight” Evans fell in love with the movies as a toddler, and basically dedicated the rest of her life to learning about, watching, and telling others about them. She achieved fame as … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1944 RKO film “Government Girl,” with Olivia de Havilland, Sonny Tufts, Anne Shirley, Jess Barker, James Dunn, Paul Stewart, Agnes Moorehead, Harry Davenport, Una O’Connor and Sig Ruman. The screenplay was by Dudley … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 31 Comments

Black Dahlia: Blogging “Black Dahlia Files” Part 18 — Uncle Vern

Posted on February 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Page 24-25 I was breezing along (“breezing” being a relative term in reading a book at the molecular level) when I came across this little bon mot tucked into a sentence: “Angry … Continue reading →

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