Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Black Dahlia: Leslie Dillon, Paul De River and the LAPD – Part 2

Posted on September 14, 2017 by lmharnisch

“The Sexual Criminal,” by Dr. Joseph Paul De River, in a revised edition with an introduction by Brian King published in 2000. More about this book later. It will be important. Where does one start in telling the curious story … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Leslie Dillon, Paul De River and the LAPD — Part 1

Posted on September 13, 2017 by lmharnisch

The Paul De River/Leslie Dillon/LAPD coverup conspiracy theory in the 1947 Black Dahlia murder is getting some traction with the upcoming release of Piu Eatwell’s “Black Dahlia, Red Rose,” which purports to “solve” the Dahlia case. Spoiler alert

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 11, 2017 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1952 MGM picture “The Prisoner of Zenda” and, as many people pointed out, it is not as good as the Ronald Colman version (1937). This version of “Zenda” stars Stewart Granger and Deborah … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 70 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 2017 Cinecon Salutes Entertainment

Posted on September 11, 2017 by lmharnisch

  The entertaining 2017 Cinecon Film Festival offered a little something for everyone this year, showcasing over 50 silent films, talkies, television kinescopes, musical shorts, and even documentaries with lovely vintage prints and live accompaniment adding some extra pizzazz. Several … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia – Piu Eatwell’s ‘Black Dahlia, Red Rose’ Exhumes Leslie Dillon

Posted on September 10, 2017 by lmharnisch

Since I learned a few months ago that British writer Piu Eatwell was going to “solve” the Black Dahlia case in the forthcoming book “Black Dahlia, Red Rose,” I have been waiting to see if she would open — Door … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

‘Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood’ at the Toronto Film Festival – Oh Dear

Posted on September 8, 2017 by lmharnisch

Scotty Bowers, author of the b.s.-laden book “Full Service,” is the subject of a “documentary” (cough, cough) by Matt Tyrnauer. Image courtesy of the Vanity Fair, which really ought to know better. This is Scotty Bowers, who wrote a heaping … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 4, 2017 by lmharnisch

This week’s silent mystery movie has been the 1925 MGM film “Lady of the Night,” with Norma Shearer, Malcolm MacGregor (McGregor), Dale Fuller, George K. Arthur, Fred Esmelton, Lew Harvey, Gwen Lee and Betty Morrisey (Morrissey). It was directed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 44 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Keye Luke

Posted on September 4, 2017 by lmharnisch

Image: “Just a Little Longer,” illustrated by Keye Luke for Harold Weeks Melody Shop. Credit: Mary Mallory.   Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Keye Luke, the talented and respected Chinese American actor, is probably best known to … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Television | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 28, 2017 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1949 Walter Wanger film “Reign of Terror” later retitled “The Black Book,” with Robert Cummings, Richard Basehart, Richard Hart, Arlene Dahl, Arnold Moss, Norman Lloyd, Charles McGraw, Beulah Bondi and Jess Barker. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 43 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 53rd Cinecon Festival Offers Diverse Lineup

Posted on August 28, 2017 by lmharnisch

  The 53rd Annual Cinecon Film Festival starts Thursday, August 31 at Hollywood’s glorious Egyptian Theatre, offering a welcoming diversity of programs and films from silly to sublime, topical to timeless, filmed everywhere from Wilshire Boulevard to Saugus to Truckee … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Coming Attractions, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + )

Posted on August 22, 2017 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery film has been the 1959 French picture Deux hommes dans Manhattan or Two Men in Manhattan and I chose it to feature the Los Angeles Public Library’s new service of streaming films from the Criterion Collection. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 27 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo – Special Edition

Posted on August 21, 2017 by lmharnisch

Alan K. Rode sends along this undated mystery photo taken at the Warner Bros. commissary, showing Michael Curtiz, right, Howard Hawks, center, and a mystery fellow on the left. Any help in identifying our mystery chap would be much appreciated.

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Don’t Be a Sucker’ Promotes American Values

Posted on August 21, 2017 by lmharnisch

  “Don’t Be a Sucker” is on YouTube.   Still as relevant today as when it was first produced over 70 years ago, the United States Army Signal Corps’ short “Don’t Be a Sucker” describes the founding principles of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Reservoir – Hollywood’s Forgotten Lake

Posted on August 14, 2017 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 2, 1924: Hollywood Dam under construction. A virtually forgotten oasis located in what was originally known as Weid Canyon in the Hollywood Hills, the Hollywood Reservoir served as much as bucolic paradise as water supply when first constructed … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 14, 2017 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1952 RKO film “At Sword’s Point,” with Cornel Wilde, Maureen O’Hara, Robert Douglas, Gladys Cooper, June Clayworth, Dan O’Herlihy, Alan Hale Jr., Blanche Yurka, Nancy Gates, Edmond Breon, Peter Miles, George Petrie and Moroni … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 59 Comments

Book Review: ‘Playboy Laughs’

Posted on August 9, 2017 by lmharnisch

Playboy Laughs: The Comedy, Comedians and Cartoons of Playboy By Patty Farmer Beaufort Books, 355 Pages Judging by a chronological list of Playboy covers, I started reading the magazine about January 1967 and stopped with the October 1970 issue, which … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Books and Authors | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Black Dahlia: ‘Hard-Boiled Hollywood’ and the ‘Blah Dahlia’

Posted on August 7, 2017 by lmharnisch

Hard-Boiled Hollywood: Crime and Punishment in Postwar Los Angeles By Jon Lewis University of California Press, 233 pages.   “Sometimes it’s interesting to see just how bad bad writing can be. This promised to go the limit.” — Joe Gillis, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2017, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 7, 2017 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1943 RKO film “Seven Days Ashore,” with Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Marcy McGuire, Dooley Wilson, Gordon Oliver, Virginia Mayo, Amelita Ward, Elaine Shepard, Marjorie Gateson, Alan Dinehart, Miriam LaVelle, Margaret Dumont, Freddie Slack … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 43 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – A Perfect Villain

Posted on August 7, 2017 by lmharnisch

Photo: “Rasputin and the Empress,” with Gustav von Seyffertitz, center, with Ethel Barrymore, Edward Arnold, John Barrymore, Tad Alexander and Lionel Barrymore. Photo listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $9.99. Note: This is an encore post from 2011 One of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Obituaries, Stage | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – A Perfect Villain

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on July 31, 2017 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1943 MGM picture “Assignment in Brittany” with Pierre Aumont, Susan Peters, Richard Whorf, Margaret Wycherly, Signe Hasso, Reginald Owen, John Emery, George Coulouris, Sarah Padden, Miles Mander, George Brest, Darryl Hickman, Alan Napier, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 33 Comments