Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Black Dahlia: The Struggle for Superlatives

Posted on September 7, 2016 by lmharnisch

Seriously.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Mystery Manuscript

Posted on September 6, 2016 by lmharnisch

If you think the mystery movies are tough – try the British Library’s mystery manuscript.

Posted in Books and Authors, Libraries, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mystery Manuscript

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: John Gilbert in Living Color

Posted on September 6, 2016 by lmharnisch

“John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars” by Eve Golden, listed on Amazon.com. Now that you have all read my 2013 biography of John Gilbert [meaningful pause as you all guiltily order your copies on Amazon], you are … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, 1935, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 5, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1942 Charter Film production “Thunder Rock,” an unusual British film that deals with a lighthouse on Lake Michigan north of Milwaukee, with Michael Redgrave, Barbara Mullen, James Mason and Lilli Palmer, from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 34 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The Selig Zoo, Motion Pictures’ First Theme Park

Posted on September 5, 2016 by lmharnisch

The Selig Zoo, in Cement and Engineering News. Note: This is an encore of a 2014 post. From its humble beginnings as merely a boarding home for William Selig’s wild animal film stars, the Selig Zoo at 3800 Mission Road … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The Selig Zoo, Motion Pictures’ First Theme Park

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: ‘Vote for Gracie’

Posted on August 30, 2016 by lmharnisch

    Listen to “Vote for Gracie.” Listen to “Gracie Wins Wisconsin” from April 20, 1940. No matter if you’re voting for Clinton or Trump or Stein or Johnson—I think we can all agree that Gracie Allen would be this—or … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, Eve Golden, Radio | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 29, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1963 Allied Artists release “Soldier in the Rain,” with Jackie Gleason, Steve McQueen, Tuesday Weld, Tony Bill, Tom Poston, Ed Nelson, Lew Gallo, Rockne Tarkington, Paul Hartman, John Hubbard, Chris Noel, Sam Flint, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 50 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Sojin Kamiyama

Posted on August 29, 2016 by lmharnisch

Photo: Sojin Kamiyama in “The Road to Mandalay,” listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $23.95. Note: This encore post on Sojin Kamiyama coincides with a showing of one of his films: “Diplomacy” at Cinecon 52 at 10:45 a.m. … Continue reading →

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

The L.A. Public Library’s Thriving Authors

Posted on August 25, 2016 by lmharnisch

The Los Angeles Public Library seems to be a thriving hub of book authorship these days, and if you wonder how the library contributed to their writing, you can hear them explain at a panel at 1 p.m. Friday Aug. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Coming Attractions | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The L.A. Public Library’s Thriving Authors

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: Ann Pennington and Her Anti-Gravity Legs

Posted on August 23, 2016 by lmharnisch

Ann Pennington in an ad for Lux soap, listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $9.99. Note: We are pleased to introduce a feature by author Eve Golden, whom longtime readers will recall from her previous feature “Queen of … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 22, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1933 RKO picture “Professional Sweetheart,” directed by William A. Seiter, written by Maurine Watkins, photographed by Edward Cronjager, with Ginger Rogers, Norman Foster,  Zasu Pitts, Frank McHugh, Allen Jenkins, Gregory Ratoff, Franklin Pangborn, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 40 Comments

Civil War: Been There, Done That

Posted on August 22, 2016 by lmharnisch

A sample telegram from “Decoding the Civil War.” After reading the Los Angeles Times’  account about the effort to transcribe nearly 16,000 telegrams, I was ready to pitch in. It certainly seemed a more productive way to pass a spare … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Civil War | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Rockhaven Sanitarium Seeks Its Rehabilitation

Posted on August 22, 2016 by lmharnisch

The gate at Rockhaven, by Mary Mallory Hiding in plain sight and sitting in a state of arrested decay at 2713 Honolulu Ave. in Montrose, the historic Rockhaven Sanitarium stands as the only living example of Glendale’s and the Crescenta … Continue reading →

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

Found on EBay: Manly Palmer Hall

Posted on August 16, 2016 by lmharnisch

The biography of Manly Hall by my Los Angeles Times colleague Louis Sahagun. Two lectures by Manly Hall have been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $69. Hall was included in a Los Angeles Conservancy tour in 2009,  … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Found on EBay, Religion | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 15, 2016 by lmharnisch

Meet Mystery Movie No. 1, the 1931 MGM film “Possessed,” directed by Clarence Brown, with Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Wallace Ford, Skeets Gallagher, Frank Conroy, Marjorie White, John Miljan and Clara Blandick. The 1931 “Possessed” was adapted from the play … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 60 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Larry Edmunds Bookshop Provides Film Education for More Than 75 Years

Posted on August 15, 2016 by lmharnisch

  Jeanne Moreau shoots a scene for the 1970 film “Alex in Wonderland,” starring Donald Sutherland, right, at Larry Edmunds Bookshop, from a catalog listed on EBay  Long a mecca for film aficionados, Hollywood’s Larry Edmunds Bookshop continues educating film … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Larry Edmunds Bookshop Provides Film Education for More Than 75 Years

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 8, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1941 Twentieth Century-Fox film “Dressed to Kill,” with Lloyd Nolan, Mary Beth Hughes, Sheila Ryan, William Demarest, Ben Carter, Virginia Brissac, Erwin Kalser and Henry Daniel. The screenplay was by Stanley Rauh and Manning … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 41 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Cinecon Film Festival 52 Offers Entertaining and Eclectic Films

Posted on August 8, 2016 by lmharnisch

A still from “The King of Jazz,” which will be shown at the Cinecon Film Festival. Labor Day weekend is almost upon us, and it offers another madcap melange of movies at the 52nd Cinecon Film Festival at the historic … Continue reading →

Posted in Coming Attractions, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Cinecon Film Festival 52 Offers Entertaining and Eclectic Films

Olympics: Scenes From the 1932 Los Angeles Games

Posted on August 3, 2016 by lmharnisch

Several years ago, I bought a group of German images showing the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and the 2016 Rio Games seemed like a good time to share them.

Posted in 1932, City Hall, Photography, Sports | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 1, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1959 American International Pictures film “A Bucket of Blood,” produced and directed by Roger Corman. Please see the comments for Eric Yarber’s excellent analysis of the film. It is widely available on DVD.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 62 Comments