Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Rediscovering Los Angeles — The Hotel Bella Union/St. Charles Hotel

Posted on February 4, 2014 by lmharnisch

March 16, 1936: Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit the St. Charles Hotel at 314 N. Main, which was formerly the Bella Union Hotel. “This was one of the two best hotels in Los Angeles not so … Continue reading →

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1944 on the Radio — ‘Amos ‘N’ Andy,’ Feb. 4, 1944

Posted on February 4, 2014 by lmharnisch

Feb. 4, 1944 Today we have: — “Missing People’s Bureau” on “Amos ‘N’ Andy.” Courtesy of Archive.org.

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1944 in Print — ‘Walter Winchell on Broadway,’ Feb. 4, 1944

Posted on February 4, 2014 by lmharnisch

Feb. 4, 1944: “Dear Walter,” writes Maurice Rocco, “It must be an oldie but it still gets the biggest laugh wherever gamblers gather. About the wife who (going through her groom’s pockets) found a slip of paper on which was … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

Posted on February 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mystery woman. And look at those shoulders.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 46 Comments

No Carole Lombard Death Photos Here or Anywhere Else!

Posted on February 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

No Google search drives more traffic to the L.A. Daily Mirror than some permutation of “Carole Lombard Death Scene” or “Carole Lombard’s Head” or “Carole Lombard Decapitated” or “Did They Ever Find Carole Lombard’s Wedding Ring?” And as I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

1944 on the Radio — ‘Kraft Music Hall,’ Feb. 3, 1944

Posted on February 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

Feb. 3, 1944 It’s Thursday in 1944 and today we have: — Donald O’Connor and Marilyn Maxwell are Bing Crosby’s guests on the “Kraft Music Hall.” Courtesy of Archive.org

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — AMPAS Awards Stills Photographers

Posted on February 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

“A close second as the Best Production Still Out-of-Doors, is this beautifully composed and lighted scene from “Song of Bernadette,” 20th-Century-Fox production, by Stax Graves,” Courtesy of Mary Mallory. Over its 87-year-old history, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

1944 in Print — ‘Walter Winchell on Broadway,’ Feb. 3, 1944

Posted on February 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

Feb. 3, 1944: Walter Winchell devotes his entire column to an organization called Peace Now.  He did not approve. From the St. Petersburg Times.

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

1944 on the Radio — ‘Hop Harrigan’ and ‘Orson Welles’ Radio Almanac,’ Feb. 2, 1944

Posted on February 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

Feb. 2, 1944 Today we have: — Hop Harrigan in Berlin on “Hop Harrigan.” Courtesy of Archive.org. — Lionel Barrymore is the guest on “Orson Welles’ Radio Almanac.” (Yet another joke about the housing shortage). Courtesy of Archive.org.

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1944 in Print — Walter Winchell on Broadway, Feb. 2, 1944

Posted on February 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

Feb. 2, 1944: Let’s go to press! Cary Grant is “shopping for a new home in Bel-Air” stirring rumors about a rift with Barbara Hutton! “Another movie star and his wife apparently are on the verge. He’s squiring Evelyn Carmel … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

1944 in Print — ‘Walter Winchell on Broadway,’ Feb. 1, 1944

Posted on February 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

Feb. 1, 1944: “The Duke in the Darkness,” a starrer for Philip Merivale, drew regrets that the author of “Angel Street” had used a rickety typewriter to fashion this one … “The Song of Bernadette,” coming in on a 12-cylinder … Continue reading →

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1944 on the Radio — ‘Duffy’s Tavern’ and ‘Fibber McGee and Molly,’ Feb. 1, 1944

Posted on February 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

Feb. 1, 1944 It’s Tuesday in 1944 and today we have: — “Adventures of the Sea Hound.”  Courtesy of Archive.org. — Billie Burke is the guest on “Duffy’s Tavern.” Courtesy of Archive.org. — “Fibber Buys a Diamond Ring” on “Fibber … Continue reading →

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Gunman Kills LAPD Officers Endler and Monaghan, Feb. 1, 1964

Posted on February 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

Feb. 1, 1964: Police Sgt. Charles Paul Monaghan and Officer Robert M. Endler of the Wilshire Division are shot to death while investigating a man passing a bad check at the Sears store, 4550 W. Pico Blvd. He was arrested … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, Jan. 31, 1944

Posted on January 31, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 31, 1944: The cover photo shows Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur William Tedder, G.C.B., chosen as Gen. Eisenhower’s deputy commander for the invasion of Europe. The featured movie is “Lifeboat” and Life pays a visit to the Florentine Gardens. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Film, History, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Photography, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on 1944 in Print — Life Magazine, Jan. 31, 1944

1944 on the Radio — ‘Random Harvest’ on ‘Lux Radio Theater,’ Jan. 31, 1944

Posted on January 31, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 31, 1944 Today we have: —“Random Harvest” with Ronald Colman and Greer Garson on Lux Radio Theater. Courtesy of Archive.org.

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1944 on the Radio — ‘The Jack Benny Show,’ Jan. 30, 1944

Posted on January 30, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 30, 1944 It’s a Sunday in 1944 and today we have: — “Marjorie the Actress” on “The Great Gildersleeve,” starring Harold Peary. Courtesy of Archive.org. —Mark Hellinger is the guest on a program promoting “The Horn Blows at Midnight” … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia and the Cecil Hotel — Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on January 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

I don’t know how this nonsense gets started. There is nothing to show that Elizabeth Short ever set foot in the Cecil Hotel, as claimed by KABC-TV Channel 7.

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

The Oviatt Tie

Posted on January 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

Leave it to Marc Chevalier to come up with this. Marc took the image of one of the glass panels from the Oviatt Building and turned it into a custom necktie, via Zazzle. The tie is $29.95. You can even … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Fashion, Hollywood | Tagged , | 2 Comments

1944 on the Radio — ‘Nick Carter, Master Detective,’ January 29, 1944

Posted on January 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 29, 1944 It’s Saturday in 1944 and today we have — “The Unwilling Accomplice” on “Nick Carter, Master Detective.” Courtesy of Archive.org

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Sinatra Makes Film Debut, Jan. 29, 1944

Posted on January 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 29, 1944: The Times reports Frank Sinatra’s film debut in “Higher and Higher”: A generous quota of young girls attended the first showings and their ecstatic whinnyings recorded each and every appearance of their hero. In one house, at … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, African Americans, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Music, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments