Author Archives: lmharnisch

Unknown's avatar

About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

July 2, 1908: Life ‘A Living Hell,’ Wife Flees Husband

Posted on July 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 2, 1908: Walter F.W. Stock says his wife, Fannie, was lured away from home during a motoring trip with “a prepossessing young Mexican in his employ. The next day, however, Fannie says her life is a living hell: Married at 16, giving birth to seven children in seven years. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, Front Pages, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on July 2, 1908: Life ‘A Living Hell,’ Wife Flees Husband

July 1, 1947: ‘Mom and Dad’ — Elliot Forbes and Sexploitation in the 1940s

Posted on July 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 1, 1947: Elliot Forbes and the notorious sexploitation film “Mom and Dad.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on July 1, 1947: ‘Mom and Dad’ — Elliot Forbes and Sexploitation in the 1940s

July 1, 1907: What Was the Gas Mileage of the Horseless Carriage?

Posted on July 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 1, 1907: Ever wonder what the gas mileage was for a horseless carriage? One of the best was a Pope-Hartford that got 21.76 mpg. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on July 1, 1907: What Was the Gas Mileage of the Horseless Carriage?

Voices — Christine Collins, June 30, 1931

Posted on June 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

June, 30, 1931: Police Chief R.E. Steckel tells the parole board that Walter Collins should be considered a habitual criminal. Collins’ wife, Christine, was the inspiration for Clint Eastwood’s film ‘Changeling.’ Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Changeling, Christine Collins, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Comments Off on Voices — Christine Collins, June 30, 1931

Reminder: My Next Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia Case Is July 7

Posted on June 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will be doing a live Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, next Tuesday, July 7, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Reminder: My Next Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia Case Is July 7

June 30, 1947: Albert Goldberg Becomes L.A. Times Music Critic

Posted on June 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 30, 1947: Albert Goldberg is named music critic for the Los Angeles Times, a post he would hold until 1965. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on June 30, 1947: Albert Goldberg Becomes L.A. Times Music Critic

Coming Attractions: ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’ (1963) in Beverly Hills

Posted on June 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

Stanley Kramer’s 1963 comedy ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’ will be shown Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. Kramer’s widow and daughter will appear and James Curtis will sign his new book on the making of the film. Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Artist's Notebook, Coming Attractions, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Emma Lazarus’ ‘The New Colossus’ Calls to All Immigrants

Posted on June 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory writes about Emma Lazarus and her poem ‘The New Colossus,’ enshrined at the Statue of Liberty. Continue reading →

Posted in 1884, Hollywood Heights, Immigration, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Emma Lazarus’ ‘The New Colossus’ Calls to All Immigrants

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on June 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have two mysterious guests and an enigmatic vehicle. Continue reading →

Posted in 1971, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

June 27, 1947: Ray the Newspaper Boy Publishes First Book, ‘Dark Carnival’

Posted on June 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 27, 1947: Ray the newsboy, who once sold papers at Olympic at Norton, has published his first book: “Dark Carnival.” You might know him as Ray Bradbury. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Columnists | Tagged , , | Comments Off on June 27, 1947: Ray the Newspaper Boy Publishes First Book, ‘Dark Carnival’

June 26, 1947: ‘White’ or ‘Negro?’ LAPD Holds Sentinel Columnist for Having Two Driver’s Licenses

Posted on June 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1947: Los Angeles Sentinel columnist Edward Robinson is held by the LAPD because he has two driver’s licenses, one identifying him as “white” and the other as “Negro.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Columnists | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

June 26, 1947: Helicopter Hovers Over Clipper Ship

Posted on June 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1947: A new helicopter, nicknamed “the flying eggbeater” or “the whirlybird,” carrying passengers around Long Beach Harbor, overs over the Pacific Queen, built in 1886, Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Aviation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on June 26, 1947: Helicopter Hovers Over Clipper Ship

June 25, 1947: L.A. Times Praises Gangland Slaying of Bugsy Siegel

Posted on June 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 25, 1947: The L.A. Times praises the gangland slaying of Bugsy Siegel: ‘The assassination of a crook is of no particular importance to a community, and grief at his passing is restricted to a minor and unselect circle.’ Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on June 25, 1947: L.A. Times Praises Gangland Slaying of Bugsy Siegel

June 24, 1947: Death in the Ring — Sugar Ray Robinson and Jimmy Doyle

Posted on June 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 24, 1947: Sugar Ray Robinson and the fatal fight in Cleveland with Jimmy Doyle. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Obituaries, Sports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on June 24, 1947: Death in the Ring — Sugar Ray Robinson and Jimmy Doyle

June 23, 1947: Jim Tully, Hobo Novelist and Prizefighter, Dies at 56

Posted on June 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 23, 1947: Jim Tully, hobo author of “Shanty Irish” and “Beggars of Life” dies at 56. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on June 23, 1947: Jim Tully, Hobo Novelist and Prizefighter, Dies at 56

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on June 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mystery girl having tea with her mysterious doll. Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments

Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren Is Hallucinating About Knowing the Black Dahlia

Posted on June 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mamie Van Doren, age 95, is hallucinating about knowing Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren’s Invented Memories of Elizabeth Short

Posted on June 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

It’s a bit sad when a superannuated actor writes a memoir about what they think they “remember” about old Hollywood. There’s no truth to Mamie Van Doren’s claim that she knew Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. It’s all imagined. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, books, Books and Authors, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren’s Invented Memories of Elizabeth Short

June 18, 1947: Actor Jon Hall Says Tale of Being Shot Down in Plane Was a Hoax

Posted on June 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1947: Actor Jon Hall admits he was lying with a story that a bullet tore into the propeller of his plane as he and his wife, Frances Langford, were taking off from Clover Field for Tulare. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Aviation, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on June 18, 1947: Actor Jon Hall Says Tale of Being Shot Down in Plane Was a Hoax

June 18, 1907: Immigration Agent Accused of Poisoning Neighbor’s Dog

Posted on June 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1907: Hazel Schurger accuses neighbor J.J. Brady of poisoning her dog, Baby, with strychnine. Brady was freed after an examination showed that Baby was given a small dose of the poison, incapable of killing the dog immediately as Schurger described. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Fashions, Immigration, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on June 18, 1907: Immigration Agent Accused of Poisoning Neighbor’s Dog