Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Conservancy Announces Last Remaining Seats for 2016

Posted on March 7, 2016 by lmharnisch

The Los Angeles Conservancy has announced its lineup for the Last Remaining Seats film series, choosing movies from previous seasons to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The movies are: “Top Gun” (June 4) “To Kill a Mockingbird” (June 8) “Some Like … Continue reading →

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At the Follies Burlesque: Blaza Glory and Myrna Dean

Posted on March 7, 2016 by lmharnisch

An EBay vendor has listed two undated articles on performers at the Follies Burlesque, 337 S. Main St. Blaza Glory (a name I hadn’t encountered before) seems to have been performing in the early 1950s. Myrna Dean (identified as Deane … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, Found on EBay, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated)

Posted on March 7, 2016 by lmharnisch

I’m going to try something different this week. Instead of posting one image per day and identifying the mystery movie at the end of the week, I am going to post several images per day from the same mystery movie, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Take Your Girlie to the Movies’ Promotes Film and Romance

Posted on March 7, 2016 by lmharnisch

   “Take Your Girlie to the Movies,” as recorded by Billy Murray, 1919. Popular songs often speak to issues of the period in which they are written, providing commentary on political, social, and cultural issues. Most of the songs in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1919, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 29, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1938 Twentieth Century-Fox picture “The Baroness and the Butler,” with William Powell, Annabella (in her American screen debut), Helen Westley, Henry Stephenson, Joseph Schildkraut, J. Edward Bromberg, Nigel Bruce and Lynn Bari.  The … Continue reading →

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Maurine Watkins — Chicago Murder Reporter to Screenwriter

Posted on February 29, 2016 by lmharnisch

Maurine Watkins, in an ad promoting Fox studios’ writers in the Motion Picture Herald.  Journalism and screenwriting have one thing in common: telling a good story in order to get the audience hooked. Both depend on excellent observation, character development, … Continue reading →

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

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 22, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1945 MGM picture “Yolanda and the Thief,” starring Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer, Frank Morgan, Mildred Natwick, Mary Nash, Leon Ames and Ludwig Stossel. The screenplay was by Irvin Brecher based on a story … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 65 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Picture City – Florida’s Proposed Answer to Hollywood

Posted on February 22, 2016 by lmharnisch

Picture City, as shown in Exhibitors Trade Review. The madcap Jazz Age bubbled with possibility, exploding mores and conventions as it raced to the next new thing, the next adventure. After the harrowing days of the Great War and the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1925, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coming Attractions: Anna Sklar on L.A. Water

Posted on February 17, 2016 by lmharnisch

  Anna Sklar, the author of “Brown Acres,” on the history of Los Angeles’ sewer system, will give a lecture about the history of the city’s water supply Sunday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library, 630 W. … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 15, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1932 First National Pictures film “Frisco Jenny,” directed by William A. Wellman, from a screenplay by Wilson Mizner and Robert Lord, based on a story by Gerald Beaumont, Lillie Hayward and John Francis … Continue reading →

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Building Promotes Great Architecture

Posted on February 15, 2016 by lmharnisch

  The Hollywood Chamber of commerce in an undated pamphlet. I n 1925, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce recognized the need for a stylish permanent home in which to promote the business and life of their fair city. Said headquarters … Continue reading →

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ICYMI: ‘Done Is Done’ by Ellen McGarrahan on the Case of Leo Alexander Jones

Posted on February 13, 2016 by lmharnisch

Now that I have left The Times, I am exploring all the papers and articles I put away “for later.” The first piece I am going to share is a 2000 article by Ellen McGarrahan — a reporter turned private … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rediscovering Los Angeles: Why Are L.A. Streets So Narrow?

Posted on February 11, 2016 by lmharnisch

Nov. 14, 1924: This is the second of two articles I have from the Los Angeles Examiner titled “Rediscovering Los Angeles.” Notice that even in 1924 people were complaining about traffic and congested streets. Reporter W.W. Kane notes:

Posted in 1924, Downtown, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles: Pennies Arrive in L.A., 1881

Posted on February 10, 2016 by lmharnisch

In going through my old files, I discovered several copies of a feature that appeared in the Los Angeles Examiner titled “Rediscovering Los Angeles.” These pieces were written by W.W. Kane, apparently based on interviews with early residents. This should … Continue reading →

Posted in 1886, 1924, Downtown | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Rediscovering Los Angeles: Pennies Arrive in L.A., 1881

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 8, 2016 by lmharnisch

  This week’s mystery movie has been the 1945 RKO picture “The Enchanted Cottage,” starring Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young, Herbert Marshall, Mildred Natwick, Spring Byington, Hillary Brooke, Richard Gaines, Alec Englander, Robert Clarke and Eden Nicholas. The screenplay was by … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 69 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Jack Freulich, Universal Still Man

Posted on February 8, 2016 by lmharnisch

Laura La Plante in a photograph by Jack Freulich, Motion Picture Classic.  History is written by survivors, so those who die young often seem to recede into memory, forgotten or ignored as time passed them by. While often great artists, … Continue reading →

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Mystery Movie Plot

Posted on February 1, 2016 by lmharnisch

Here’s a question for the Brain Trust: Many years ago, as a young kid watching movies on TV, I saw a film set in the Depression. In one scene in a hobo camp, one of the main characters takes his … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood | Tagged , | 15 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 1, 2016 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1921 picture “Seven Years Bad Luck,” starring Max Linder, sometimes called “the Charlie Chaplin of France,” who died in a double suicide with his wife on Oct. 31, 1925.  The movie was his … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Republic Pictures Honors ‘The Little Girl With the Golden Heart’

Posted on February 1, 2016 by lmharnisch

Mabel Normand in a Hartsook portrait, courtesy of Mary Mallory.     Hollywood’s public acts of charity often come with an ulterior motive. Such is the case with Republic Picture’s magnanimous naming of its gigantic new sound stage in December … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

LACMA Acquires Authentic 1940s Zoot Suit

Posted on January 28, 2016 by lmharnisch

LACMA has announced the acquisition of an authentic zoot suit (from New Jersey). Which is a good reason to repost the links to our “ ‘Zoot Suit’ and History” items. “Zoot Suit” and History, Part 1| Part 2 | Part … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, Fashion, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 1 Comment