Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Samuel Steward and Rudolph Valentino: Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on December 22, 2015 by lmharnisch

I may have retired, but I haven’t lost any of my annoyance over b.s. when it comes to historical figures. The case in point is today’s review in the New York Times by Jennifer Senior of “Philip Sparrow Tells All,” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, Another Good Story Ruined, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

One Door Closes, Another One Opens

Posted on December 21, 2015 by lmharnisch

Dear friends, I left the Los Angeles Times on Friday as one of the people taking the buyout. It was a generous offer and I plan to use the next year as a sort of paid leave to work on … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015, Black Dahlia | Tagged , | 20 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 21, 2015 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1933 RKO picture “Christopher Strong,” Katharine Hepburn’s second film and her first in a leading role. It starred Colin Clive and Billie Burke (also in Hepburn’s film debut, “Bill of Divorcement”), with a … Continue reading →

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘White Christmas’ Soothes the Home Front in 1942

Posted on December 21, 2015 by lmharnisch

Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale in “Holiday Inn.” Recognized today as one of the top selling singles and pieces of sheet music of all time, Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” was just one of eleven songs in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by lmharnisch

This week’s unusual mystery movie is “Once Too Often” and I chose it to promote film preservation. “Once Too Often” is otherwise known as …

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 37 Comments

Fire Up the Lindbergh Beacon!

Posted on December 14, 2015 by lmharnisch

It’s December, which means it is time to fire up the Lindbergh beacon atop City Hall. Here it is, illuminating the skies over Los Angeles in 2014. Update: I wrote this post a week ago and put it on the … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Al Levy’s Tavern Toasts 1930s Hollywood

Posted on December 14, 2015 by lmharnisch

A detail of a matchbook for Al Levy’s Tavern, 1627 N. Vine St., listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $6.95. Much of the glamour of classic Hollywood grew out of the fame and atmosphere of its famous restaurants … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Al Levy’s Tavern Toasts 1930s Hollywood

Lindbergh Beacon Shines Over Downtown Los Angeles

Posted on December 10, 2015 by lmharnisch

We were pleased to see the Lindbergh beacon fired up on City Hall last night. We were so taken with the moment that we made our first Periscope broadcast with it. Here’s the link to watch it on your desktop.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

Posted on December 8, 2015 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1938 Warner Bros. picture “Men Are Such Fools,” with Wayne Morris, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, Hugh Herbert, Johnnie Davis, Penny Singleton, Mona Barrie, Marcia Ralston and Gene Lockhart. The movie was directed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 54 Comments

A Firsthand History Lesson on Pearl Harbor

Posted on December 7, 2015 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 Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on December 7, 2015 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 →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Movie Tie-Ins for the Holidays

Posted on December 7, 2015 by lmharnisch

Since almost the beginning of the motion picture industry, advertising tie-ups and promotions have stoked audience interest and desire in seeing certain moving pictures and movie stars. Studios quickly learned that partnering with another company or popular product cut the … Continue reading →

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Daily Mirror Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on December 4, 2015 by lmharnisch

Another book we are recommending for this year is “The 33” also known as “Deep Down Dark,” by my former Los Angeles Times colleague Hector Tobar. “The 33” is available at Book Soup, Skylight Books, Vroman’s, and online at Amazon.

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Daily Mirror Holiday Gift Guide

Daily Mirror Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on December 3, 2015 by lmharnisch

  Another book on our recommended list is the young adult novel “Dead to Me” by our friend and fellow Los Angeles history enthusiast Mary McCoy, reviewed here. “Dead to Me” is available from Amazon at $14.90 hardcover and $9.99 … Continue reading →

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Daily Mirror Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on December 2, 2015 by lmharnisch

“Hollywood Celebrates the Holidays” by Karie Bible and Mary Mallory has been receiving lots of attention since it was released in October and we were quite pleased to add a copy to the Daily Mirror library. The book  is available … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Photography | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Daily Mirror Holiday Gift Guide

Vandalized Church Needs Help

Posted on December 1, 2015 by lmharnisch

Somewhere in Los Angeles, young men with too much testosterone and spray paint are spending what is apparently their abundant spare time vandalizing an abandoned church. Judging by my Instagram feed, abandoned classrooms, theaters, auditoriums and other unsecured sites in … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Photography, Preservation | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Vandalized Church Needs Help

Daily Mirror Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on December 1, 2015 by lmharnisch

December is upon us and as usual, we will be offering a few gift suggestions – some new, some retro — for the holiday season. And as is our tradition, we will be repost the retro drinking guide leading up … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, James Curtis | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 30, 2015 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery film has been the 1941 Alexander Korda film “Lydia,” released through United Artists, directed by Julien Duvivier, with Merle Oberon, Alan Marshal, Joseph Cotton, Hans Jaray (“Yaray” in the screen credits), John Halliday, George Reeves, Sara Allgood … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 38 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywoodland Sign Arises November 1923

Posted on November 30, 2015 by lmharnisch

When I began researching and writing my Arcadia Publishing book “Hollywoodland” almost five years ago, standard gossip stated that developers constructed the giant Hollywoodland sign in July 1923 as a billboard promoting the development, all with no documentation or backup. … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 23, 2015 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1949 MGM feature “The Great Sinner,” starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Melvyn Douglas, Walter Huston, Ethel Barrymore, Frank Morgan and Agnes Moorehead, with Ludwig Donath, Curt Bois and Ludwig Stossel. The screenplay was … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 52 Comments