Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 26, 1944

Posted on September 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 26, 1944 Walter Winchell says: Many of the staffers at Time-Life are said to be “tired of anonymity” and are taking sides… The big musical hit in town, “Song of Norway,” advertises Milton Lazarus as adapting the book … … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, Sept. 25, 1944

Posted on September 25, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 25, 1944 Claire Poe of Miami Beach, Fla., appears on the cover of Life’s special issue “A Letter to GIs,” because she is the kind of good-looking American girl that a lot of GIs know and would like to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Photography, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 35

Posted on September 25, 2014 by lmharnisch

The film of “Laura” makes heavy use of David Raksin’s now-famous theme song. The tune running through Vera Caspary’s novel is “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” from the musical “Roberta.” This copy of the sheet music is for sale on … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Music | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 25, 1944

Posted on September 25, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 25, 1944 Walter Winchell says: Capt. J. Patterson (or his double), according to startled staffers, made visits to the Times publisher several times last week. What’s cookin? … Morton Downey and Molly Vanderbilt are the town’s most serious romance … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 34

Posted on September 24, 2014 by lmharnisch

The opening lines of Vera Caspary’s “Laura,” as narrated by newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker. In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944, item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as the director of “Laura” to take … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 24, 1944

Posted on September 24, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 24, 1944 Louella Parsons says:  Why is young Van Johnson the idol of the bobby sox brigade and at this moment crowding Frank Sinatra and Alan Ladd for top honors? Van isn’t handsome,he hasn’t a striking physique and he … Continue reading →

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James Ellroy: ‘Perfidia’ Update

Posted on September 23, 2014 by lmharnisch

We’re waiting to buy a used copy for the Daily Mirror library, so I haven’t read James Ellroy’s “Perfidia,” but I thought it would be interesting to see how it’s doing. “Perfidia” has yet to penetrate the New York Times … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s Inaugural Autumn Fest Big Success

Posted on September 23, 2014 by lmharnisch

Vilma Banky and Rudolph Valentino in “Son of the Sheik,” courtesy of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Earning enthusiastic praise and reception from thrilled audiences, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s inaugural Autumn Fest Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, introduced … Continue reading →

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

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 33

Posted on September 23, 2014 by lmharnisch

Waldo Lydecker, played by Clifton Webb in the film version of “Laura.”  In the novel, Waldo is considerably taller and much heavier. In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944, item on Rouben Mamoulian being … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 33

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 23, 1944

Posted on September 23, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 23, 1944 Dear Martha Foster: I’m not such an old-fashioned biddy as to believe that the standards of our Puritan forebears can be held up as a way of life in this hardboiled age, but it frightens me sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Horoscope | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 22, 2014 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1947 film “They Won’t Believe Me,” starring Robert Young, Susan Hayward and Jane Greer. It was written by Jonathan Latimer, based on a story by Gordon McDonell, with cinematography by Harry J. Wild, music … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 92 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Ernest Bachrach Defines RKO Glamour

Posted on September 22, 2014 by lmharnisch

Ernest Bachrach’s portrait of Robert Ryan is listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $94.95. Hollywood’s motion picture still photography defined sophisticated style, shaped personas and created the iconic image of “a movie star” as we know it today. … Continue reading →

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

Allies 310 Miles From Berlin! Sept. 19, 1944

Posted on September 19, 2014 by lmharnisch

  Sept. 19, 1944   At a Town Hall luncheon at the Biltmore, RAF Wing Cmdr. Christopher Currant tells the audience that what we now know as the V-2 rocket is the greatest argument against isolationism. “It can be dropped … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 19, 1944

Posted on September 19, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 19, 1944 Walter Winchell says: FDR’s desk has four new miniatures of his sons in uniform. The Copacabana’s new revue starring Joe E. Lewis is the talk of the town. Before Pearl Harbor there were 3,000 Jap organizations in … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 32

Posted on September 18, 2014 by lmharnisch

  In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944, item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as the director of “Laura” to take a meandering look at the making of the film, which was released in … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, Sept. 18, 1944

Posted on September 18, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 18, 1944 After spending Labor Day in Pawling, Republican nominee Thomas E. Dewey drove to New York for conferences with John Foster Dulles, his adviser on foreign affairs, and Herbert Brownell, Republican National Committee chairman. The next day, on … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 18, 1944

Posted on September 18, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 18, 1944 Walter Winchell and Danton Walker refer to the Aug. 5 fight between Jon Hall and Tommy Dorsey in the so-called Battle of the Balcony at Dorsey’s apartment on the Sunset Strip. Walter Winchell says: Norma Shearer is … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 31

Posted on September 17, 2014 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944, item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as the director of “Laura” to take a meandering look at the making of the film, which was released in Los … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 17, 1944

Posted on September 17, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 17, 1944 Bestsellers: “Green Dolphin Street,” “Leave Her to Heaven,” “History of Rome Hanks,” “Strange Fruit,” “I Never Left Home,” “The Time for Decision,” “Yankee From Olympus,” “Anna and the King of Siam” and “Invasion!” Louella Parsons says: All … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 30

Posted on September 16, 2014 by lmharnisch

New York critic, columnist and radio pundit Alexander Woollcott makes an endorsement for Pullman in 1940. Courtesy of the Illinois Digital Archives. In Vera Caspary’s novel “Laura,” New York columnist Waldo Lydecker endorses the Byron pen, renamed the “Wallace Flow-Rite … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments