Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

Posted on January 20, 2014 by lmharnisch

And for Monday, we have a mystery woman in some sort of legal unpleasantness.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 49 Comments

1944 on the Radio — ‘Challenge of the Yukon’ and ‘Ellery Queen,’ Jan. 20, 1944

Posted on January 20, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 20, 1944 It’s Thursday in 1944 and today we have: — “Macbeth’s Bloody Knife” on “Challenge of the Yukon” (later “Sgt. Preston of the Yukon”). — “The Scarecrow and the Snowman” on “Ellery Queen”  with guest Jeanne Cagney. Courtesy … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Joseph Farnham, Script Doctor

Posted on January 20, 2014 by lmharnisch

Joseph Farnham in an undated photo, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Title writers are the mostly forgotten men of the silent film era, the scribes who relayed important plot points and character arcs through witty or descriptive lines employed on cards … Continue reading →

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

1944 on the Radio — ‘Superman,’ Jan. 19, 1944

Posted on January 19, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 19, 1944 It’s Wednesday in 1944 and today, we have one of the few “Superman” episodes I can find online. — “The Green Death,” on “Superman.” Courtesy of Archive.org.

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1944 on the Radio — ‘All-American Jazz Band’ and ‘Fibber McGee and Molly,’ Jan. 18, 1944

Posted on January 18, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 18, 1944 It’s Tuesday in 1944 and today we have: — “Molly Gets Flowers From a Man Named Ralph” on “Fibber McGee and Molly.” —Esquire’s “All-American Jazz Band” from the Metropolitan Opera House. This is a terrific find. The … Continue reading →

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

No mystery photo today

Posted on January 17, 2014 by lmharnisch

Look for it next week!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

1944 in Print — Life Magazine, Jan. 17, 1944

Posted on January 17, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 17, 1944: Charles Beard, American historian, is featured on this week’s cover. There’s also a feature on cartoonist Bill Mauldin  and the movie “A Guy Named Joe.” All scanned by Google.

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1944 on the Radio — ‘Information Please’ and ‘Screen Guild Theater,’ on Jan. 17, 1944

Posted on January 17, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 17, 1944 It’s Monday in 1944 and today we have: —“Information Please” hosted by Clifton Fadiman, with John Kieran, Franklin P. Adams, Oscar Levant and guest John P. Marquand, author of the current best-seller “So Little Time.” Bonus fact: … Continue reading →

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What to Expect in 1944

Posted on January 17, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 1, 1945: We jumped ahead to see what The Times considered the top stories of 1944, the year we’re going to focus on in 2014. The D-Day (current Times style being D-day) invasion is the most important story, followed … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on What to Expect in 1944

Thank You for Your Patience During Our Technical Unpleasantness (Updated)

Posted on January 16, 2014 by lmharnisch

“System Disk Not Found.” Two Baltimore and Ohio freight trains in a head-on crash, Laurel, Md., July 31, 1922. Via Shorpy. What started out as an annoying but (seemingly) manageable technical problem with the ancient ENIAC in the L.A. Daily … Continue reading →

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

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on January 16, 2014 by lmharnisch

Here’s a very sincere mystery woman, courtesy of writer Christopher McPherson.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 39 Comments

1944 on the Radio — ‘Texaco Star Theater’ With Fred Allen, Jan. 16, 1944

Posted on January 16, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 16, 1944: It’s Sunday in 1944 and today we have: “Texaco Star Theater” with Fred Allen, Portland Hoffa and guest Mary Pickford. Allen talks about the Jan. 10, 1944, issue of Life magazine featuring photos of comedians. Also in … Continue reading →

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World War II on the Radio — The CBS News, Jan. 16, 1944

Posted on January 16, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 16, 1944: Clark Gable attends the launch of a Liberty ship named for Carole Lombard, who was killed in a Nevada plane crash. The CBS news, courtesy of Archive.org.

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

Fact-Checking ‘City of Nets’ — Uh-Oh

Posted on January 16, 2014 by lmharnisch

Back in the 1990s, when I began scrounging and scouring for everything I could find on Los Angeles in the 1940s in my research on the Black Dahlia case, I got a copy of Otto Friedrich’s 1986 book “City of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Books and Authors, Music | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

1944 in Print — Daily Mirror Newsstand, Jan. 15, 1944

Posted on January 15, 2014 by lmharnisch

Top songs on the Hit Parade. No wonder all the radio shows are talking about “Paper Doll” and “Shoo-Shoo, Baby.” Via Billboard. Jan. 15, 1944 It’s Saturday in 1944 and therefore we have a new issue of the Saturday Review … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Music, Radio, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

1944 on the Radio — ‘Command Performance,’ Jan. 15, 1944

Posted on January 15, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 15, 1944 It’s Saturday in 1944 and today we have: — “Command Performance” with Frances Langford, and Spike Jones and the City Slickers doing “Glow-Worm.” “Shoo-Shoo Baby” must have been a popular song in January 1944. It was on … Continue reading →

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Today is Jan. 15 — Trim Your Roses

Posted on January 15, 2014 by lmharnisch

Today is Jan. 15, and the Daily Mirror marks the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death by pruning back the roses.

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Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on January 14, 2014 by lmharnisch

The flying paster jumped a sprocket in the Daily Mirror’s press line yesterday and we spent most of the day trying to repair the damage. We are limping along today on our backup equipment and should be up and running … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

1944 on the Radio — ‘Amos ‘N’ Andy,’ Jan. 14, 1944

Posted on January 14, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 14, 1944 It’s Friday in 1944 and today, “Amos ‘N’ Andy” with guest Adolphe Menjou. Courtesy of Archive.org.

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Rediscovering Los Angeles — The Baker Block’s Grand Staircase

Posted on January 14, 2014 by lmharnisch

March 2, 1936: Here’s a treasure — a drawing of the grand staircase in the Baker Block. I have seen pictures of the exterior before, but never anything of the interior. Columnist Timothy Turner writes that the staircase is worn … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Columnists, Downtown, Main Street, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment