Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Studio City Revolves Around Movies

Posted on December 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Studio City Theatre, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Celebrities and movies have existed as an integral part of Studio City’s economic life from its very beginning. Established as a motion picture district in 1928, Studio City would see entertainment-related businesses … Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, Film, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, Theaters | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Abbotwares Radio – Kitschiana!

Posted on December 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

An Abbotwares radio, known as “Atwater Kent’s love child from a drunken night in a trophy shop,” has been listed on EBay. Usually these radios, which were made in Los Angeles, take the form of horses (or the elusive Hula … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Found on EBay, Radio | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Christmas With a P-40 Squadron, 1943

Posted on December 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 27, 1943: The British sink the Nazi battleship Scharnhorst off the coast of Norway. With the loss of the Scharnhorst, and the sinking of the Bismarck in 1941, the Nazis were left with the Tirpitz, the sister ship of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Columnists, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — Pisco Punch

Posted on December 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

Just in time for New Year’s, we’ll take a look at a “lost drink,” making a brief inquiry into San Francisco’s Pisco Punch, made famous by Bank Exchange saloon owner Duncan Nicol (often spelled Nichol or Nicoll), who  died in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1915, 1934, 1939, Food and Drink, San Francisco | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files — Slaughter at Bob’s Big Boy, Part II

Posted on December 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

1980 was a bloody year in Los Angeles, with more than 1,000 killings for the first time in its history. For the LAPD, homicides increased 30% from 1979 to 1,038 in 1980.  The Sheriff’s Department also a reported a 7.9% … Continue reading →

Posted in 1980, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files — Slaughter at Bob’s Big Boy, Part II

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files — Slaughter at Bob’s Big Boy

Posted on December 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

  Suspect 1, DR-80-585-895 Suspect 2, DR-80-585-895 Dec. 14, 1980: The takeover robbery of Bob’s Big Boy at 1845 S. La Cienega Blvd. was part of a rising tide of violence in the 1980s. As The Times noted, “the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in 1980, Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | 2 Comments

The Santa Claus Massacre

Posted on December 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Last night at work, we got to talking about the Bruce Pardo case. He’s the man who dressed up as Santa Claus and killed nine people, including his ex-wife, at a Christmas Eve party in 2009. Here’s the story by … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Homicide | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Will Someone at City Hall Please Turn on the Lindbergh Beacon?

Posted on December 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

A not great photo by me showing the Lindbergh beacon in December 2006. I noticed several weeks ago that the Lindbergh beacon at City Hall hadn’t been turned on and I thought maybe I was being premature. But as of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2006, City Hall | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Los Angeles Celebrates Christmas, 1913

Posted on December 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 25, 1913: The Times carries a biblical passage across the nameplate (notice the artwork of the new and old Times buildings) and a Page 1 cartoon by Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale. “Cartoonist Gale” frequently drew a character known as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Art & Artists, Food and Drink, Medicine | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Los Angeles Celebrates Christmas, 1913

Christmas on the Radio — Jack Benny

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jack Benny at the microphone, a photo listed on EBay for $9.97. Here are some of Jack Benny’s Christmas shows, courtesy of Archive.org. From 1936 | 1938 | 1941 | 1944 | 1947 | 1948

Posted in 1936, 1938, 1941, 1944, 1947, 1948, Radio | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — The Bronx Cocktail

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 20, 1934: In case you doubted me (but you wouldn’t, would you?), here’s a recipe for the Bronx Cocktail, from the Amsterdam Evening Recorder, courtesy of FultonHistory.com. In case you plan to mix one up, a Bronx Cocktail is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Food and Drink, Suicide | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Shaming the Pets — Does It Work?

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch
Posted in Animals | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Time for That ‘Other’ Christmas Movie

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Martians kidnap Santa Claus in the heartwarming Christmas favorite “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.”   OK, everybody has had their yearly fix of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Time for *my* traditional Christmas favorite: “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.” Via Hulu. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Ahem

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

To the person searching for “clod cases in San Francisco”: Check your spelling. On the other hand, you might be able to find a clod case in San Francisco. Or two.

Posted in Cold Cases, Crime and Courts | Tagged | Comments Off on Ahem

Nothing Says ‘I Love You’ Like Hollywood Deaths and Scandals

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

I found this inscription last night at the Last Book Store in a copy of “Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites” by our old nonsense-slinging friend E.J. Fleming of “Wallace Beery beat Ted Healy to death in the parking lot of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Downtown | Tagged , | Comments Off on Nothing Says ‘I Love You’ Like Hollywood Deaths and Scandals

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide — Last Minute Edition

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Santa Claus newsboy cap, available for $32 here. It’s Christmas Eve! Are you still wondering about a last-minute present? It may be too late to get a Santa Claus newsboy cap, but here’s a gift that lasts all year, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashions, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Christmas on the Radio — Christmas Eve, 1943

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Rounding out our stroll along the radio dial, we check in with an NBC special Christmas Eve broadcast from Hollywood, Dec. 24, 1943, with reports from service personnel around the world. The host is Bob Hope, with Lionel Barrymore and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Radio, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Christmas on the Radio — Christmas Eve, 1943

Rediscovering Los Angeles — A Home on Flower Street

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Feb. 10, 1936: Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit Miss Abegale Stark, 72, who lives in the back of a house built for her father in the 1880s. She says the family came to California in a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Rediscovering Los Angeles — A Home on Flower Street

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — The Brooklyn Cocktail

Posted on December 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Yes, the Manhattan cocktail once had competition from drinks named for the other boroughs. Here’s a recipe for the Brooklyn Cocktail, from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 7, 1937. The Brooklyn Cocktail as made by Brad Dewey consisted of Two … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Food and Drink | Tagged , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — The Brooklyn Cocktail

Christmas on the Radio — Fred Allen and Jack Benny

Posted on December 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

A photo of Jack Benny, left, and Fred Allen from “Love Thy Neighbor,” listed on EBay at $14.80. Christmas with Fred Allen and guest Jack Benny, from 1937, courtesy of Archive.org.

Posted in 1937, Radio | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Christmas on the Radio — Fred Allen and Jack Benny