Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: Why Jayne Mansfield Really Was Divoon

Posted on October 18, 2016 by lmharnisch

Cary Grant and Jayne Mansfield in a still from “Kiss Them for Me,” listed on EBay at $8.99. If Jayne Mansfield had died in 1957 instead of 1967, she’d be remembered as one of the most talented and promising actresses … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 17, 2016 by lmharnisch

  This week’s mystery movie has been the 1928 MGM film “The Wind,” starring Lillian Gish, Lars Hanson, Montagu Love, Dorothy Cumming, Edward Earle, William Orlamond, Carmencita Johnson, Laon Ramon and Billy Kent Schaefer, with a screenplay by Frances Marion … Continue reading →

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 4418 Vineland Ave., Yesterday and Today, Part 2

Posted on October 17, 2016 by lmharnisch

4418 Vineland Ave. in an undated photo, courtesy of Mary Mallory.   Two years can bring changes in life, whether to a person or building, and not always for the better. I wrote about the history of 4418 Vineland Ave. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 4418 Vineland Ave., Yesterday and Today, Part 2

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: Annie-Pie

Posted on October 11, 2016 by lmharnisch

A publicity photo of Ann Miller, listed on EBay for $28.88. My friend Donna hates Ann Miller—hates her—so I apologize to Donna in advance for this piece. But I love Annie. She was bright and glittery and silly and unlike … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 10, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the curious 1943 RKO film “Journey Into Fear,” with a screenplay by Joseph Cotten from the novel by Eric Ambler. The movie starred Joseph Cotten, Dolores Del Rio and Ruth Warrick, with Agnes Moorhead, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 45 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Max Munn Autrey, Texas Stillman

Posted on October 10, 2016 by lmharnisch

Max Munn Autrey, from Pictures and Picturegoer, August 1925 “In Hollywood, photographers spring into fame overnight. They are, for a time, a fad—and only become recognized as established worth when they prove that their ideas are not limited. All an … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Max Munn Autrey, Texas Stillman

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: Well, Here Is the Damndest Film You’ll Ever See

Posted on October 4, 2016 by lmharnisch

  “Cigarette Life!” A deathless line from “Tomato Is Another Day.” I offer for your bewilderment Tomato Is Another Day (1930), seven of the weirdest minutes ever committed to film. It was never widely shown (for obvious reasons) and was … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘I’m Just Wild About Animal Crackers’ Heats Up Promotions

Posted on October 3, 2016 by lmharnisch

The sheet music for “I’m Just Wild About Animal Crackers,” courtesy of Mary Mallory. Popular culture, be it music, the written word, or mass entertainment, so often unintentionally defines a time and place in history, revealing so much about a … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 3, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1946 film “I See a Dark Stranger,” with Deborah Kerr, Trevor Howard, Raymond Huntley, Michael Howard, Norman Shelley, Brenda Bruce, Brefni O’Rorke, James Harcourt, Liam Redmond and W. O’Gorman, by Frank Launder, Sidney … Continue reading →

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

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: Do not Get Me Started With Marion Davies and Orson Welles

Posted on September 27, 2016 by lmharnisch

“American Heiress” via Amazon.com. Rush out and get Jeffrey Toobin’s new book about the Patty Hearst kidnapping, American Heiress. It’s really one of the best-written, best-researched books I’ve read lately, and is actually laugh-out-loud funny at points. I am quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated) + + + +

Posted on September 26, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1958 film “Equinox Flower.” Original story by Ton Santomi, screenplay by Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda, produced by Shuzuo Yamauchi, cinematography by Yuharu Atsuta, music by Kojun Saito. Directed by Ozu. Vincent Canby … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Barney Oldfield Sets Up Shop in Downtown Los Angeles

Posted on September 26, 2016 by lmharnisch

  A postcard showing the interior of Barney Oldfield’s saloon on South Spring Street, courtesy of Mary Mallory.   ‘Mile a minute” Barney Oldfield, the first automobile racer to achieve that feat while racing, was quick when it came to … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Spring Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Voices: Curtis Hanson

Posted on September 21, 2016 by lmharnisch

In honor of Curtis Hanson, who died yesterday at the age of 71, here is a recording I made of him on May 23, 2007, with Eva Marie Saint and Patricia Hitchcock before a showing of “North by Northwest” by … Continue reading →

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Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: Because You Can’t Have Too Much Lupe Velez

Posted on September 20, 2016 by lmharnisch

Lon Chaney and Lupe Velez in a still from “Where East Is East,” listed on EBay with bids starting at $35. For my money, Lupe Velez has it all over Garbo—she was just as beautiful, and not only a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 19, 2016 by lmharnisch

  This week’s mystery movie has been the 1952 MGM picture “The Devil Makes Three,” with Gene Kelly, Pier Angeli, Richard Rober, Richard Egan, Claus Clausen, Wilfried Seyferth, Margot Hielscher and Annie Rosar. The screenplay was by Jerry Davis, based … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 36 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Esther Ralston and Hollyridge Drive

Posted on September 19, 2016 by lmharnisch

The Esther Ralston home on Hollyridge Drive, via Hollywood Vagabond. California saw a renaissance of Spanish Revival architecture in the wake of World War I, as it both saluted the life and culture of the Mediterranean and paid homage to … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: I Have Such a Crush on Bill Goodwin

Posted on September 13, 2016 by lmharnisch

  A still of Bill Goodwin, listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $17.50. Among my unlikely crushes is Bill Goodwin, an actor whose name is pretty much forgotten today. He was good-looking in an ordinary-guy sort of way; … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Television | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Silver Screen Revue Salutes Silent Days

Posted on September 12, 2016 by lmharnisch

  A matchbook from the Wilshire Bowl, listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $9.95. Within just a few years of sound motion pictures becoming the approved film format, silent films became a virtual pariah in popular culture. They … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Stage | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 12, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1949 MGM picture “Intruder in the Dust,” with David Brian, Claude Jarman Jr., Juano Hernandez, Porter Hall, Elizabeth Patterson, Charles Kemper and Will Geer, from a screenplay by Ben Maddow based on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 64 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 52nd Cinecon Offers Something for Everyone

Posted on September 9, 2016 by lmharnisch

  A DVD of “None Shall Escape,” listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $12.75.   Offering both something for the esoteric cineaste as well as the general film fan, the 52nd Cinecon Film Festival just concluded at Hollywood’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 52nd Cinecon Offers Something for Everyone