Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

1944 on the Radio — NBC Symphony Orchestra

Posted on December 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

Dec. 3, 1944: Arturo Toscanini conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra in three movements of the Beethoven Septet in E flat and the Symphony No. 2. Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. If you enjoy Mary Mallory’s columns (and our survey shows that readers do) you might like this anthology of Hollywood Heights called “Hollywoodland: Tales Lost and Found.” It’s available for the Kindle, but … Continue reading →

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

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 29

Posted on December 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oct. 15, 1944: A handout photo of Georgette Bauerdorf, Oakland Tribune. We have been examining the behavior of Georgette Bauerdorf’s killer to see if we could distill something about him, going from least speculative to most speculative rather than chronological … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 1, 2014 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 True style never goes out of date, after all.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 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

This is the Metro “Golwyn” Mayer production of “Penthouse,” with Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, Charles Butterworth, Mae Clarke, Phillips Holmes and C. Henry Gordon, directed by W.W. Van Dyke. Screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett from a story by … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 94 Comments

Hollywood Celebrates Christmas With a Parade

Posted on December 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

The view down Hollywood Boulevard in 2014. Photograph by Mary Mallory. Photo: Santa Claus Lane, shown in a postcard on EBay, listed as Buy It Now for $8.50. Note: This is a post from 2011, with an update from 2014  … Continue reading →

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

The New Rapper: Li’l Fatty Alias DJ Roscoe

Posted on November 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

Dear ProQuest: No, I did not. Perhaps you are thinking of Nipsey Hussle.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Libraries, Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Black Friday Special — An Aluminum Christmas Tree From 1959!

Posted on November 28, 2014 by lmharnisch

To all who long for a “kinder simpler time” and say that today’s retailers start their Christmas sales too early, here is the May Co. ad for aluminum Christmas trees, which was published Oct. 11, 1959, well before Halloween. (You … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959 | Tagged , | 2 Comments

An 1890s Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

Posted on November 27, 2014 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 →

Posted in 1890, Food and Drink, From the Stacks | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 28

Posted on November 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

Garner Brown and John Schilling examine the Bauerdorf car for fingerprints, courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library. So far we have been looking at the behavior of the man who killed Georgette Bauerdorf to see if we can distill … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 27

Posted on November 25, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oct. 20, 1944: Garner Brown examines the piece of crepe tetra used to kill Georgette Bauerdorf, Daily News. In an attempt to distill the character traits of the man who killed Georgette Bauerdorf, we have been looking at his unusual … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Helpful Holiday Gift Suggestions From the L.A. Daily Mirror (Updated)

Posted on November 24, 2014 by lmharnisch

Fatty Arbuckle’s 1919 Pierce Arrow, via Hemmings Motor News. As the countdown to the holidays begins, the L.A. Daily Mirror will offer occasional gift suggestions. Here’s an item that is sure to surprise your favorite car buff or vintage film … Continue reading →

Posted in 1919, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 24, 2014 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1934 Universal film “One More River,” starring Diana Wynyard, Frank Lawton, Colin Clive and Mrs. Patrick Campbell. It was directed by James Whale with a script by R.C. Sherriff, adapted from the novel … Continue reading →

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: George Ali, World’s Greatest Animal Impersonator

Posted on November 24, 2014 by lmharnisch

  George Ali in “Peter Pan.” Best remembered for portraying Nana the dog in Herbert Brenon’s 1924 film adaptation of “Peter Pan,” George Ali excelled at playing all types of animal characters in vaudeville and the stage for over thirty … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

World War II Militaria — Who Can Spot the Mistake?

Posted on November 22, 2014 by lmharnisch

  This Army uniform has been listed by an EBay vendor as being from the 1st Infantry Division. Have you spotted the mistake yet?

Posted in Fashion, Found on EBay, World War II | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Nov. 22, 1963: Remembering JFK, That Day in Dallas and Baby Boomer Nostalgia

Posted on November 22, 2014 by lmharnisch

Nov. 22, 1963: The Times publishes an extra. Note: In case you are wondering, this is a repost from 2013. I recently attended graduation exercises for a local college and the commencement speaker spent quite a while talking about how … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, History | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

On the Frontiers of Costume Design — ‘Twentieth Century’

Posted on November 21, 2014 by lmharnisch

I watched “Twentieth Century” for the first time the other night and was more than a bit surprised to see Carole Lombard clearly braless in this scene. It’s not as apparent in a frame grab as it is in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Fashion, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 26

Posted on November 20, 2014 by lmharnisch

We don’t know much about the man who killed Georgette Bauerdorf, but let’s see what we can infer. The way he killed her was quite unusual (more about that later) and his behavior after the killing was also somewhat unusual. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 25

Posted on November 19, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oct. 19, 1944: Los Angeles Herald-Express Before trying to theorize about what might have happened on the night of the killing, let’s sum up everything we know about our victim, Georgette Bauerdorf, and then take a look at what little … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 24

Posted on November 18, 2014 by lmharnisch

The front door of the Bauerdorf apartment, photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library. In the previous post, we examined the scenario about the light fixture in the entryway to the Bauerdorf apartment. At the time of the killing, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments