Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

October 28, 1956: Charlton Heston on the ‘Ten Commandments’

Posted on October 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 28, 1956: Religion writer Dan Thrapp interviews Charlton Heston about his role as Moses in “The Ten Commandments.” Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, October 2025

Posted on October 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 28, 2025: This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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October 28, 1938: Mayor investigates honorary LAPD badges

Posted on October 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 28, 1938: Mayor Fletcher Bowron calls for an investigation into so-called juice badges given to celebrities and others by the LAPD. This eventually resulted in an overhaul of the badge to its current design. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, LAPD, Politics | Comments Off on October 28, 1938: Mayor investigates honorary LAPD badges

October 28, 1907: Former LAPD Chief Calls It ‘Most Detestable Job Ever Created’

Posted on October 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 28, 1907: A former LAPD chief says the job is the worst in the city. Continue reading →

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October 27, 1968: Wilt Chamberlain and Richard Nixon

Posted on October 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 27, 1968: “I’ve never gotten involved in politics before. But you have to get off the fence and declare yourself sometime and this is the time for me. I’ve known Nixon and been impressed by him for 10 years and I decided to join him. It’s intriguing to know that I might have some hand in shaping the future of this country,” Wilt Chamberlain says. Continue reading →

Posted in Front Pages, Politics, Sports | Comments Off on October 27, 1968: Wilt Chamberlain and Richard Nixon

October 27, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 27, 1959: A driver named Hank says he is always outwitted by traffic congestion. “I’m sure the word goes out when I leave the house — Drive this guy nuts,” he says. Continue reading →

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October 27, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on October 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 27, 1959: Paul Coates describes his flight to Tokyo on Japan Air Lines, with (sigh) lots of dialect. Continue reading →

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October 27, 1957: The rules of the game

Posted on October 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 27, 1957: The game called Five-Card Nancy. Continue reading →

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October 27, 1927: Follies Theater’s ‘Hot Mamma’ Show Led Court to Overturn Law on ‘Indecent Shows’

Posted on October 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

On Oct. 27, 1927, a campaign to “sweep Main Street clear of questionable shows” resulted in the arrest of 27 women of the “Hot Mamma” show. Police also arrested “12 chorus men, four tattooed women wearing their working clothes and last, but not least, Ill Ill, an untamed tree-climbing South African pygmy” Continue reading →

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October 27, 1907: On the Comics Page

Posted on October 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 27, 1907: Buster Brown was a popular feature of the Sunday comics. Like other cartoon characters of the era, Buster was fond of pulling pranks, but he usually learned his lesson the hard way and ended each strip with a long block of text titled: RESOLVED. Continue reading →

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Movieland ‘Unsuitable’ Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1940 Warner Bros. film Castle on the Hudson, with John Garfield, Ann Sheridan, Pat O’Brien, Burgess Meredith, Henry O’Neill, Jerome Cowan, Guinn “Big Boy” Williams and John Litel.

Posted in 1940, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 39 Comments

October 26, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 26, 1959: Steve Medved says he was beaten unconscious by the LAPD while being arrested for being drunk. When his trial ended in a hung jury, Medved says, the LAPD began targeting him for drunkenness, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading →

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October 26, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on October 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 26, 1959: Paul Coates writes that his wife insists on accompanying him on his trips, like his recent one to Japan. Continue reading →

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‘Ask Me Anything’ on George Hodel – October 28

Posted on October 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will do an Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel next Tuesday, October 28, at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube. Have questions? Leave them in the comments. Continue reading →

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October 26, 1942: Lon Chaney’s Ghost Haunts Hollywood and Vine!

Posted on October 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 26, 1942: Councilman Norris Nelson tells a story about the ghost of Lon Chaney sitting on a bench at Hollywood and Vine. Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on October 26, 1942: Lon Chaney’s Ghost Haunts Hollywood and Vine!

October 26, 1907: Women Clean Clothes With Gasoline, Die After Explosion and Fire

Posted on October 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 26, 1907: Two women in the West Adams District were badly burned and expected to die after a bowl of gasoline they were using to clean a soiled dress exploded, engulfing their apartment at 42 St. James Park in flames. Continue reading →

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October 25, 1982: Millennial Moment: Iranian Exiles Find a Bit of Home in Santa Monica Park

Posted on October 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 25, 1982: Times staff writer Bill Overend profiles Iranian exiles who gather in Santa Monica’s Palisades Park on Sunday afternoons, hundreds of people — mostly Jews and some Muslims — who came to the U.S. because of the Iranian revolution. Continue reading →

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October 25, 1947: Toyoda of Japan Sells First Postwar Sedan for $5,000

Posted on October 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 25, 1947: Toyoda Automobile Co. unveils its first postwar car, a small, four-passenger sedan with 27 horsepower. The company has produced five cars so far, reserved for doctors. Continue reading →

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October 25, 1943: Restaurant Manager Turns Tables on Robbers

Posted on October 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 25, 1943: Three bandits who hit a handful of businesses met their match at a cafe at 1306 S. Main St. when they tried to hold up assistant manager Joe D. Poindexter. As one man leaned across the counter to get the cash, Poindexter grabbed his gun, chased them as they fled and shot one of them. Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Main Street, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on October 25, 1943: Restaurant Manager Turns Tables on Robbers

October 25, 1907: L.A. Bids Adieu to the Boys of Summer as Pacific Coast League Ends Season

Posted on October 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 25, 1907: A farewell to baseball season, “deservedly the most popular pastime of the American public.” Continue reading →

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