Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Hartsook Photographs Jack Pickford

Posted on November 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

This Fred Hartsook portrait of Jack Pickford, the brother of actress Mary Pickford, has been listed on EBay. Hartsook (d. 1930) was one of the leading photographers in the silent era. There is more about him in Mary Mallory’s “Hollywoodland: … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Photography | Comments Off on Hartsook Photographs Jack Pickford

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ – Part 12

Posted on November 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

The 1942 marriage of Greta Keller and David G.G. Bacon, Albany Times-Union, Sept. 14, 1943, courtesy of Steven Bibb.  I have spent far more time than I intended on the “Masked Marvel Murder” and not just because it’s an intriguing, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

L.A. Becomes N.Y.

Posted on November 6, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dear New Yorkers: You love to make fun of us, but here we are at Spring and 5th last night, watering down the street for yet another production set in your fair city but filmed in downtown Los Angeles. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Location Sleuth, New York, Spring Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ — Part 11

Posted on November 6, 2013 by lmharnisch

David G.G. Bacon, far right, in “The Masked Marvel,” courtesy of Steven Bibb. So far, the David G.G. Bacon killing is relatively pristine, at least compared to the Black Dahlia case; the killing doesn’t appear in “Hollywood Babylon” or any … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Lou Costello’s Son Drowns in Swimming Pool

Posted on November 5, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 5, 1943: Lou Costello Jr. drowns in the swimming pool of the family home at 4124 Longridge Ave., Van Nuys. Here’s a post I wrote about the tragedy in 2007.

Posted in 1943, Film, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles — Pershing Square

Posted on November 5, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 23, 1935: For this installment of Rediscovering Los Angeles, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit Pershing Square. Not the concrete moonscape we know today, designed to repel the homeless, but a lushly landscaped park with a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Art & Artists, Columnists, Downtown, Hill Street, Nuestro Pueblo, Olive, Parks | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

Posted on November 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

And for Monday, a mystery lad.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 58 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — A. L. “Whitey” Schafer Simplifies Portraits

Posted on November 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

“Thou Shalt Not,” “Whitey” Schafer’s most famous image. In the very early days of the motion picture industry, stills photographers meant nothing to the moving picture companies. They asked their feature cameramen to work double duty, shooting scene stills after … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Time to Turn the Clocks Back

Posted on November 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

On behalf of the L.A. Daily Mirror, Pier Angeli and friend remind you that Daylight Saving Time is o-ver. Or as William Safire used to say: “Fall is the time of year that conservatives like best because they get to … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Photography | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Roll On, Ugly River

Posted on November 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I originally wrote in 2006 for the 1907 project. Nov. 2, 1907: As part of a new city beautification campaign, Boyle Heights residents have suggested turning the Los Angeles River into a garden spot. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Parks | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The ‘Decline’ of Wikipedia

Posted on November 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

A world without Wikipedia? Sounds good to me. Tom Simonite in the MIT Technology Review looks at the “decline” of Wikipedia (that would, of course, assume that it was ever worth anything). Yet Wikipedia and its stated ambition to “compile … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Wikipedia | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ — Part 10

Posted on November 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

David Bacon, center, in a still from “The Masked Marvel,” photo courtesy of Steven Bibb. In case you just tuned in, we are looking at the “Masked Marvel Murder” of actor David G.G. Bacon, who was stabbed to death Sept. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ – Part 9

Posted on October 31, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This post has been corrected. See details below. In case you just tuned in, we have been going through the case of actor David G.G. Bacon, who was stabbed to death Sept. 12, 1943, in a case that remains … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Cold Cases, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

‘The Clansman’ Comes to Los Angeles – Part 2

Posted on October 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

A photo from an ad for “The Clansman” in the Los Angeles Herald, 1908. Several weeks ago, I stumbled across a program from the Mason Opera House, announcing the upcoming production of “The Clansman,” the play by Thomas Dixon Jr. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, African Americans, Animals, Broadway, Downtown, Film, History, Hollywood, Los Angeles Star, Stage | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Letter From John Steinbeck

Posted on October 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

I’m always intrigued by the Zamorano Club’s publications. The Zamorano Club was established in 1928 by Los Angeles bibliophiles, named for Augustin Zamorano, California’s first printer, and treated its members to small press runs (often from the Ward Ritchie Press) … Continue reading →

Posted in 1964, Books and Authors, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A Letter From John Steinbeck

Rediscovering Los Angeles – the St. Angelo

Posted on October 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Grand and Temple via Google Street View. In the Dec. 16, 1935, installment of Rediscovering Los Angeles, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit the St. Angelo, on “Grand Avenue just off Temple Street on the northern slope … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

And we start the week with a couple of mystery folks. You’ll have to admit, it would have been much easier to identify “Personal Property” if I had used some of these shots.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 43 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Spooky, Ooky Witch’s House Haunts Beverly Hills

Posted on October 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

A sketch of the “The Witch’s House” by Charles Owens from “Nuestro Pueblo,” courtesy of Mary Mallory   Once upon a time, home design and architecture saluted fantasy and make-believe, and not just in fiction. Bilbo Baggins and lucky leprechauns … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

State Normal School at Los Angeles

Posted on October 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

What grandma used to call a “penny postal” showing the State Normal School in Los Angeles has been listed on EBay. And who would like to tell us what’s there now? This postcard is listed as Buy It Now for … Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, Architecture, Downtown, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Deadly Inferno

Posted on October 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: I’m reposting an item for newer readers that I originally wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. Oct. 26, 1907: Two women in the West Adams District were badly burned and expected to die after a bowl of gasoline they … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Fires | Tagged , | 1 Comment