Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

1944 on the Radio — ‘The First Nighter’

Posted on June 7, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 7, 1944: “The First Nighter” with an episode titled “Susan Stepped Out.” Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, June 6, 1944

Posted on June 6, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 6, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 5 — When Harriet Parsons (a young producer I know very well — in fact she used to put the bite on me for ice cream sodas) finishes “The Enchanted Cottage” she takes over her … Continue reading →

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ALLIES INVADE FRANCE! JUNE 6, 1944; Complete Radio Coverage

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

The headline and map by Charles Owens from The Times. June 6, 1944: Complete radio coverage of the D-Day Invasion. This was pool coverage using correspondents from various news organizations. By 10 a.m., CBS had resumed regular programming with news … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Radio, World War II | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

D-Day Invasion: Full Radio Coverage of the Invasion of Europe Coming Tomorrow

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

Just a reminder that I will be posting full radio coverage from 1944 of the D-Day invasion starting at 12:37 a.m. Eastern Time (9:37 p.m. Pacific Time), precisely when the first radio announcement was made on June 6, 1944, citing … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: San Francisco Silent Film Festival Travels World

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

  A still from “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” listed on EBay at $14.95. The 2014 San Francisco Silent Film Festival acts as a mini United Nations with its smorgasbord of films and accompaniment, offering a little something for every … Continue reading →

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

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 6

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oh dear. Here we are at the sixth installment on the making of the film “Laura” and novelist Vera Caspary is barely out of diapers. Be assured that the actors will eventually be cast, the sets will be built, the … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, June 5, 1944

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 4 — Erich Pommer, one time high mogul of UFA productions in Berlin, became an American citizen last week and celebrated by signing for two pictures with Producers Corp. of America. Years ago, before the … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, June 5, 1944

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1944 Reporter Charles Christian Wertenbaker says: The spring of 1944 will be remembered by those who passed it in England as a time when nerves were tauter than during the blitz. All spring long the tension grew until … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — People Who Write in Library Books Should Be Shot

Posted on June 4, 2014 by lmharnisch

In researching “Laura,” I borrowed Gerald Pratley’s “The Cinema of Otto Preminger” from the Los Angeles Public Library, only to discover that some idiot had scrawled through the entire book. The individual who committed this crime spent lots of time … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Libraries | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip, by Louella Parsons, June 4, 1944

Posted on June 4, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 4, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 3 — Paulette Goddard, in the past, has been a girl to keep her emotions to herself. I suppose I have written a dozen or so interviews with her and always she has obviously talked … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 5

Posted on June 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944,  item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as director of “Laura” to do a bit of digging into the production of this film noir classic – however one … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, June 3, 1944

Posted on June 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 3, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 2 — Red haired Arleen Whelan, who found movie acting hard going and went to New York and made a smash hit in “Doughgirls,” may have one of the plum roles of the year. According … Continue reading →

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Memories of Naperville, Ill., June 2, 1864

Posted on June 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

This is a frame grab from a video I shot years ago showing one of the strangest tombstones I have ever seen. The shot that killed Dr. Horace Potter, Surgeon, on June 2, 1864, near Kingston, Ga. 150 years later, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1864, Civil War | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo ( Updated + + + + )

Posted on June 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

This is “Princesse Tam Tam”  with Josephine Baker. You can also find it online, although there are no subtitles. And thanks to glcrumpacker for the suggestion. If you would like to request a mystery movie, drop me a line. “Princesse … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Crossroads of the World Welcomes All

Posted on June 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

The interior of Crossroads of the World, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Long before the Grove or Americana on Brand, the Crossroads of the World existed as a retail center replicating simpler times and more glamorous surroundings. It sprang from tragedy … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Dr. George Hodel and Soil Test Results … ‘Definitely Not Elizabeth Short’

Posted on June 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

KNBC-TV Channel 4 has finally updated its story on Buster the Wonder Dog finding … something … at the purported Murder HQ of Dr. George Hodel. Let’s review the timeline: On Nov. 9, 2012, the makers of the TV show … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo — Request Time

Posted on May 31, 2014 by lmharnisch

His Excellency wants to know if you have a request for an upcoming mystery movie. The Daily Mirror archives are spotty, so I can’t guarantee that I’ll have a copy, but if you have a request, drop me an email.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

1944 on the Radio — ‘The First Nighter’

Posted on May 31, 2014 by lmharnisch

May 31, 1944: “The First Nighter” with a show titled “Give Up the Ship.” Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Classic Film Noir, Part 4

Posted on May 30, 2014 by lmharnisch

  In case you just tuned in, I’m using the May 15 post by Louella Parsons on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced by Otto Preminger as director of “Laura” to spend some time examining the production of the film noir classic. … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, May 30, 1944

Posted on May 30, 2014 by lmharnisch

May 30, 1944 Dear younger readers, Memorial Day (created as Decoration Day, a time to place flowers on the graves of Civil War veterans) used to be May 30, until Congress decided in 1968 that a three-day weekend was more … Continue reading →

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