Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 13, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2014. “The Los Angeles Book,” with text by Lee Shippey and photos by Max Yavno is one of my favorite books on Los Angeles – but only for Yavno’s photographs. The text is … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 11, 2017 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1978 film “Fedora,” with William Holden, Marthe Keller, Jose Ferrer, Frances Sternhagen, Mario Adorf, Stephen Collins, Hans Jaray, Arlene Francis Gottfried John, Jacques Maury, Christine Mueller, Ellen Schwiers, Ferdy Mayne, Henry Fonda, Hildegard … Continue reading →

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywoodland Survives 1961 Fire

Posted on December 11, 2017 by lmharnisch

California is suffering its worst fire fall season in decades, after the huge Santa Rosa-Sonoma conflagration a few months ago, and the blazes surrounding the Los Angeles area over the past week. The Skirball fire itself, which has burned around … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 8, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. Glen Creason’s book on maps of Los Angeles shows the many ways people have viewed the city over the years. I interviewed him for The Times in 2012 and fortunately for all concerned, … Continue reading →

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L.A. Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 7, 2017 by lmharnisch

  Mary Mallory’s posts are one of the L.A. Daily Mirror’s most popular features, so we are happy to recommend two books: “Hollywood Celebrates the Holidays,” written with Karie Bible, and “Hollywood at Play,” written with Donovan Brandt and Stephen … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A.’s Views on Pearl Harbor Attack

Posted on December 7, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Dec. 8, 1941: The Times interviewed average Angelenos (if there is such a thing) for their opinions about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Many, like Horace Goodrich, thought the U.S. would … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, World War II | Tagged | 2 Comments

Navy Releases Accounts of Pearl Harbor

Posted on December 7, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Dec. 22, 1941: The Navy releases three personal accounts of the Pearl Harbor attack. Many acts of heroism are described, and these few lines shed more light on the presence of African … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, African Americans, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Navy Releases Accounts of Pearl Harbor

A Firsthand History Lesson on Pearl Harbor

Posted on December 7, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2011. In 1962, I was a seventh-grader at Washington Junior High School in Naperville, Ill. On Dec. 7, Mr. Humbert, our social studies teacher, put aside the regular curriculum to give his young pupils … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Education, History, World War II | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 6, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. You might have to hunt a bit for Don Normark’s 1999 book “Chavez Ravine, 1949,” but your search will be rewarded. The photos are terrific and the residents’ recollections make the book even … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Cat Movie (Updated)

Posted on December 6, 2017 by lmharnisch

As a bonus, we have another Mystery Cat Movie, totally unrelated to Mystery Cat Movie No. 1 and Mystery Cat Movie No. 2. Brain Trust roll call: Sylvia E (Mystery Cat Movie and mystery drunk doctor), Joe Vogel (Mystery Cat … Continue reading →

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

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 5, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. Whenever I’m asked about my favorite books on Los Angeles, my first recommendation is “Nuestro Pueblo,” a selection of features by Times artist Charles Owens and writer Joseph Seewerker that appeared in The … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 4, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. True style never goes out of date, after all. We are being bombarded by stories about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with videos of long lines at stores and the attendant consumer frenzy. … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 4, 2017 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1945 20th Century-Fox film “Hangover Square,” with Laird Cregar, Linda Darnell, George Sanders, Glenn Langan, Faye Marlow and Alan Napier, with a screenplay by Barre Lyndon from the novel by Patrick Hamilton. Music … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 49 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Ivan Mosjoukine, the Man With the Piercing Eyes

Posted on December 4, 2017 by lmharnisch

Ivan Mosjoukine, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Not as well known as other silent film stars like Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Buster Keaton or Rudolph Valentino, the recently rediscovered Russian motion picture actor … Continue reading →

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Found on Craigslist: Oviatt Display Case (With Alterations)

Posted on December 3, 2017 by lmharnisch

A vendor on Craigslist has listed what is claimed to be a display case from the Oviatt Building for $12,500. Note this disclaimer: “Updated glass shelves and lighting have been added.” So it’s not in original condition.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Howard Greer Inc., Maison of Haute Couture

Posted on November 27, 2017 by lmharnisch

Howard Greer in Modern Screen, 1933. Long before Adrian left MGM to set up his own couture house, Paramount Pictures’ costume designer Howard Greer established a tony modiste shop on Sunset Boulevard catering to the needs and desires of many … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 27, 2017 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1945 Paramount film “Two Years Before the Mast,” with Alan Ladd, Brian Donlevy, William Bendix, Barry Fitzgerald, Howard da Silva, Esther Fernandez, Albert Dekker, Luis Van Rooten, Darryl Hickman, Roman Bohnen, Ray Collins, … Continue reading →

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

L.A. Celebrates a Wartime Thanksgiving, 1943

Posted on November 23, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post from 2013. Happy Thanksgiving! A wartime Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, with many service personnel welcomed into people’s homes for a holiday meal. The Times published cooking tips for war workers, advising cooks who were otherwise … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Food and Drink, World War II | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

An 1890s Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

Posted on November 23, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2011. Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s a traditional roast turkey recipe from the “Every-Day Cook-Book and Family Compendium,” written about 1890 by Miss E. Neill. Be sure your fire is bright and clear and watch out … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: T.L. Tally – L.A.’s Pioneer Film Exhibitor, Part 2

Posted on November 20, 2017 by lmharnisch

  “The Great Corbett Fight” at Tally’s theater.   Former Texan T. L. (Thomas) Tally pioneered early film exhibition practices in the film metropolis of Los Angeles, catering to the needs of his audiences. Always enamored with technology, he seemed … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Broadway, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: T.L. Tally – L.A.’s Pioneer Film Exhibitor, Part 2