Author Archives: lmharnisch

Unknown's avatar

About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Jan. 28, 1907: Meet Gen. Homer Lea, L.A.’s Gift to China

Posted on January 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan 28, 1907 Los Angeles “If my career seems strange to you, it seems stranger and more incredible to me,” Gen. Homer Lea once said. And indeed it was, for Lea’s life … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1912, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Education, LAPD, Obituaries, Religion, Streetcars | 1 Comment

Jan. 27, 1907: L.A. Studies Elevated Trolley Line to Ease Traffic

Posted on January 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan. 27, 1907 Los Angeles One thing you can say about Angelenos: We love to talk about traffic. The only thing we love more is to commission studies and draft plans to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Downtown, Freeways, Hollywood, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on Jan. 27, 1907: L.A. Studies Elevated Trolley Line to Ease Traffic

Jan. 26, 1947: 2 Murders, 83 Assaults in Weekly Toll of Crime in L.A.

Posted on January 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. L.A. Crime Total 1,229 During Week In the last week 1,229 crimes were committed in Los Angeles. They were: 553 thefts 337 burglaries 83 robberies 83 assaults with … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Comics, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Jan. 26, 1947: 2 Murders, 83 Assaults in Weekly Toll of Crime in L.A.

Jan. 26, 1907: Chinese Man Held in Immigration Case Says He Was Born in the U.S.

Posted on January 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan. 26, 1907 Los Angeles Chin Man Can (or Kan) is in jail on charges of being an illegal immigrant. The young man says he is nothing of the sort, but unable … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1914, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Education, Immigration, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on Jan. 26, 1907: Chinese Man Held in Immigration Case Says He Was Born in the U.S.

Jan. 25, 1947: Shadows in Photograph Clear Man Convicted of Molesting Girl

Posted on January 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. He said he didn’t do it. He said he didn’t lure the little girl into his garage on her way home from school. But he was convicted of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics, Crime and Courts, Immigration | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Jan. 25, 1947: Shadows in Photograph Clear Man Convicted of Molesting Girl

Jan. 24, 1947: Electrical Engineer Seeks to Unlock Secret of Mind Reading

Posted on January 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. Savant seeks key to mental telepathy in radar, light waves PORTLAND, Ore, Jan. 24—(U.P.) An electrical engineer said today he thought the answer to mental telepathy might be … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Jan. 24, 1947: Electrical Engineer Seeks to Unlock Secret of Mind Reading

Jan. 24, 1907: L.A. Church May Ordain Woman!

Posted on January 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan. 24, 1907 Los Angeles Meet a tough little lady who gave her life to helping the poor, needy children of Los Angeles. She built a church and school starting with a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1909, 1912, 1914, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Education, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on Jan. 24, 1907: L.A. Church May Ordain Woman!

Jan. 23, 1947: Four Held for Trial in ‘Red Hibiscus Murder’

Posted on January 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. Murder Four held for Trial in ‘Hibiscus’ Slaying After a weeklong preliminary hearing, four of five youths arrested in the Lincoln Park “hibiscus” murder case were today held … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics, Crime and Courts, Music | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Jan. 23, 1907: Felix Chavarino — Lemon Fiend

Posted on January 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan. 23, 1907 Los Angeles Pity, for a moment, Felix Chavarino, caught in the grips, not of opium, morphine or heroin, but of citrus, for he is a “lemon fiend.” He was … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Food and Drink, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on Jan. 23, 1907: Felix Chavarino — Lemon Fiend

Black Dahlia: D.A.’s Final Report Says Elizabeth Short Was Never at Aster Motel

Posted on January 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

The Aster Motel, 2901 S. Flower, via Google Street View. Elizabeth Short was never here, according to the district attorney’s files, regardless of claims made in Piu Eatwell’s “Black Dahlia, Red Rose.”  In response to continuing questions about the Aster … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: D.A.’s Final Report Says Elizabeth Short Was Never at Aster Motel

Jan. 22, 1947: Police Hunt ‘Large Nose Bandit’

Posted on January 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. ‘Large Nose’ Seek Bandit in $28,000 L.A. Bank Holdup “Large Nose,” a bandit who claims “heroes die young,” was sought by police today for the $28,000 robbery of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Comics, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1932 Warner Bros. picture “Winner Take All,” with James Cagney, Marian Nixon, Guy Kibbee, Dickie Moore, Virginia Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Esther Howard, Clarence Muse, Clarence Wilson, Ralf Harold and John Roche. The film … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 35 Comments

Jan. 22, 1907: The Bible Explained — for $1,000

Posted on January 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan. 22, 1907 Los Angeles Since his teens, James Lauer has been studying the Bible. Where others have struggled to parse its meanings, he has found clarity. He wants to write a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Charlie Chaplin Comes to Hollywood

Posted on January 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Oct. 16, 1917: An architect’s rendering of Chaplin’s studios in The Times Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Ninety-five years ago, comedian Charlie Chaplin constructed the first beautiful studio lot in Hollywood, the first to offer style to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1917, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jan. 21, 1947: ‘Model Prisoners’ Slip From Custody at Night to Commit Burglaries

Posted on January 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I did in 2006 for the 1947project. Marley Griggs and his sidekick Oliver Gebhart had the perfect alibi for the burglary of a market on Western Avenue—they were already in custody 60 miles away. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Jan. 21, 1907: L.A. Hosts First Car Show on the West Coast

Posted on January 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Jan. 21, 1907 Los Angeles Mayor Arthur C. Harper addressed the crowd for a moment, reminiscing about a teacher who used to tell his pupils that someday, long after he was gone, people would get around Los Angeles in self-propelled … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Fashions, LAPD, Religion, Streetcars | Comments Off on Jan. 21, 1907: L.A. Hosts First Car Show on the West Coast

Jan. 20, 1947: Virginia Mayo Disappears!

Posted on January 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. With the city in the grips of the Black Dahlia murder, Los Angeles wonders, where is Virginia Mayo? Or at least some publicist worries enough to feed the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Jan. 20, 1907: Architectural Ramblings

Posted on January 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

A Brainerd home at 1158 E. 41st St., Photograph by Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Los Angeles Jan. 20, 2007 What we do know about H.J. Brainerd is that he built a fair number of … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Jan. 19, 1947: Watch Out for His Left Jab!

Posted on January 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. Reluctant holdup victim finds left jab useful Sometimes even the boys in the legal beak-busting business don’t fare so well when they run up against the unorthodox … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Jan. 19, 1947: Watch Out for His Left Jab!

Jan. 19, 1907: A Conductor Throws Caution to the Winds

Posted on January 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan. 19, 1907 Los Angeles Despite his ill health, Harley Hamilton drove himself to conduct a concert by the Los Angeles Symphony because he believed so much in bringing the music of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Music, Streetcars, Theaters | Comments Off on Jan. 19, 1907: A Conductor Throws Caution to the Winds