Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Children Pray for Safety of Dad Lost in Pacific

Posted on April 4, 2014 by lmharnisch

  April 4, 1944 The original caption reads:  Mrs. Edward Healy and her eight children kneel in St. Mary’s church, Des Plaines, Iowa, to pray for the safety of their husband and father, an aerial gunner reported missing in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, World War II | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Not for Young Readers

Posted on April 4, 2014 by lmharnisch

Imagine my surprise to find this little gem floating around on the Internet, and I see that I’m a couple of years late. According to Amazon, it’s a 2011 account of the Black Dahlia case for middle school students, although … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

1944 in Print — Erskine Johnson

Posted on April 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

April 3, 1944 And here’s a little feature from Erskine Johnson on a singer named Yvette (Elsa Harris) … or is she Elsie Silvers? From the Miami News.

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

1944 in Print — Life Magazine, April 3, 1944

Posted on April 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

April 3, 1944 A dog is this week’s cover photo for a story which says that city dogs are just as healthy and happy as country dogs. The movie feature story is child star Margaret O’Brien. Courtesy of Google Books.

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It Was a Kinder, Simpler Time, April 3, 1944

Posted on April 3, 2014 by lmharnisch
Posted in 1944 | Tagged , | 1 Comment

1944 in Print — Hollywood Gossip by Louella Parsons, April 3, 1944

Posted on April 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

April 3, 1944 The rumors were widely circulated last week that Lana Turner and Steve Crane had reached a breaking point. So I asked Lana. “Oh for heaven sakes,” she said, “we have been so peaceful for a year. There … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — ‘I Hate Actors’ by Ben Hecht

Posted on April 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

April 1, 1944 This is the article by Ben Hecht mentioned in Sidney Skolsky’s column. If you’re patient, you can dig it out of the files at unz.org. It starts on Page 24 and continues to Page 43 and you’ll … Continue reading →

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

1970s VHS Nostalgia

Posted on April 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

I have been going through some of my old VHS tapes, which I burned to DVDs. Who remembers this ad campaign from 1979?

Posted in 1979, Television | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Books From the Slush Pile: ‘Charlie Chaplin, Director’

Posted on April 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

The reject pile! Aspiring authors, avert thine eyes! This is a sample of review copies that are cast aside in bins to be rummaged through by the staff. Usually they are contemporary genre fiction (“50 Shades of Stealing Maps for … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood by Sidney Skolsky, April 2, 1944

Posted on April 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

April 1, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, April 1 — War Notes of the Week: Looking at the front page of most of the local papers you wouldn’t know that there was a war on, for the headline and most of the page … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood Gossip by Louella Parsons, April 2, 1944

Posted on April 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

The Sentinel is serializing “Goodnight, Sweet Prince,” Gene Fowler’s biography of John Barrymore, with illustrations by James Montgomery Flagg. April 2, 1944 Louella Parsons asks Ann Sheridan: “When are you and Steve Hannagan going to take that big step?” Sheridan … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood by Sidney Skolsky, April 1, 1944

Posted on April 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

April 1, 1944 Meet Sidney Skolsky (d. 1983), a Hollywood-based gossip columnist. Let’s give him a month and see if he’s a keeper. HOLLYWOOD, April 1 — It doesn’t matter who your favorite movie critic is, you can’t ignore those … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Columnists, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood Gossip by Louella Parsons

Posted on April 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

April 1, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, March 31 — If Olivia de Havilland can straighten out her affairs and if there are no legal complications, she will do “Made in Heaven” at RKO. Charles Koerner just bought the comedy from — and … Continue reading →

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LAPD Parker Center Cop Shop Files (Updated)

Posted on April 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

In 2013, I was given a box of material that was cleaned out of the old press room at the LAPD’s Parker Center headquarters, sometimes called “the cop shop.” The box was a jumble of press releases, photographs, artists’ sketches … Continue reading →

Posted in LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 31, 2014 by lmharnisch
Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 66 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Poor Pauline,’ Parody Sheet Music

Posted on March 31, 2014 by lmharnisch

  “Poor Pauline,” courtesy of Indiana University. While sheet music was sold and manufactured beginning in the 1700s, only in the late 1880s did its sales truly take off, when Tin Pin Alley music companies began springing up. By 1900, … Continue reading →

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

March 2014 Reader Survey

Posted on March 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

Here are the results as of Saturday. I’m guessing the figures may change a bit, but not too much.

Posted in 1944, Books and Authors, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Mary Mallory, Radio | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

1944 on the Radio — ‘First Nighter’

Posted on March 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

March 29, 1944: “The Chinese Gong” on “The First Nighter” with a script by Arch Oboler. Sponsored by Campana! Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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1944 in Print — Walter Winchell on Broadway, March 29, 1944

Posted on March 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

March 29, 1944 The Private Papers of a Cub Reporter The following is an editorial from the St. Louis Star-Times titled: “Dies Committee’s Un-American Investigation of Winchell” … “The Dies committee to investigate Un-American activities, in the course of its … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Columnists, Politics, Radio | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

1944 on the Radio — Brian Aherne on ‘Burns and Allen,’ March 28, 1944

Posted on March 28, 2014 by lmharnisch

March 28, 1944 It’s Tuesday in  1944, which means we have: — Brian Aherne is the guest on “Burns and Allen.” Listen for the Frank Sinatra jokes. Courtesy of Otrrlibary.org via Archive.org. — The Great Gildersleeve visits “Fibber McGee and … Continue reading →

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