Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

LAPD Photo on EBay From 1884 – To Collect and to Serve

Posted on October 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

An EBay vendor has listed this collection of cabinet cards dated 1884 showing LAPD officers. The vendor is also offering other clippings and ephemera linked to William  Ernst Stoermer. Stoermer, who died in 1932, was also a firefighter and a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1884, Found on EBay, History, LAPD, Obituaries, Photography, Preservation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on LAPD Photo on EBay From 1884 – To Collect and to Serve

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ – Part 1

Posted on October 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

David Bacon in “The Masked Marvel.” David G.G. Bacon died on the afternoon of Sept. 12, 1943, at the age of 29 with many secrets: A secret diary kept in code, coded annotations in his address book and most of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | 9 Comments

A Bit of Old Hawaii From Bullock’s Wilshire

Posted on October 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

This Hawaiian shirt made by Kahala and sold by Bullock’s Wilshire has been listed on EBay. In the years I have been following vintage clothing from Bullock’s (later Bullocks), I have never seen a Hawaiian shirt. Even so, the price … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A Bit of Old Hawaii From Bullock’s Wilshire

Rediscovering Los Angeles – Aliso and Alameda

Posted on October 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 18, 1935: This is the third installment in the Rediscovering Los Angeles series, featuring Charles Owens’ artwork and text by Times columnist Timothy Turner. Unlike the later Nuestro Pueblo series by Owens and Joe Seewerker, these entries were never … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo, Preservation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Rediscovering Los Angeles – Aliso and Alameda

Remembering A.C. Lyles

Posted on September 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

News sources are reporting the death of longtime Paramount producer A.C. Lyles, who died Friday at the age of 95. I interviewed him back in 1997 about old Los Angeles and recently digitized the tape, so I’ll be posting excerpts … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Remembering A.C. Lyles

A Note to Commenters

Posted on September 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

It may be worthwhile to point out in these days of heightened focus on Internet privacy that there isn’t as much anonymity as one might think. This is particularly true for commenters on L.A. Daily Mirror posts or indeed for … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo – Newsboy Cap Edition XII (Updated + + +)

Posted on September 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

This week’s movie was going to be a Western especially for Don Danard, but the DVD got vapor lock. Perhaps it will return another week if it learns to behave itself. In the meantime we have a movie with, yes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Film, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 26 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — ‘Spirit of ’76’ as Propaganda

Posted on September 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

A still from the lost film “Spirit of ‘76” from Moving Picture World.   The United States’ Espionage Act was ratified in 1917 to punish those abetting the enemy, promoting military insubordination, or interfering with recruitment. Over the years, it … Continue reading →

Posted in 1917, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, World War I | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

L.A. Becomes New York – Again

Posted on September 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

How much from downtown L.A. to JFK? Yes, they were filming around “New York Street” on Thursday and providing color with fake New York taxis.

Posted in Downtown, Film, New York, Spring Street | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Becomes New York – Again

Scr*w You, Steve Needleman

Posted on September 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

If Steve Needleman, owner of the Orpheum Theatre, wanted  “a  two-story, 10,400-square-foot Cape Cod Revival house” he could have purchased an entire block of 1950s Valley tract homes and leveled them. No one would have cared. But tearing down Ira … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway, Downtown, Preservation, San Fernando Valley, Theaters | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Why Can’t Anybody Get L.A. History Right?

Posted on September 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Times magazine magically transports San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel  to Los Angeles! Ignorance about Los Angeles history is, alas, all around us. But imagine my dismay to discover this gaffe by The Times magazine –a separate publication by the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, LAPD, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Married Couple Held in Blackmail of Single Woman for $27,000

Posted on September 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 27, 1963: I always thought blackmail was something that only occurred in old Perry Mason episodes, but here’s an actual case and it’s quite strange. It involves a married man blackmailing a single woman. No really! According to a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Animals, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Married Couple Held in Blackmail of Single Woman for $27,000

D.W. Griffith Before Hollywood

Posted on September 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: Gary Martin, one of the Daily Mirror regulars, attended a special showing at the Neversink Valley Museum of History and Innovation of early D.W. Griffith films in 1909-10 shot at Cuddeback, N.Y., and files a guest post for all … Continue reading →

Posted in 1909, 1910, Film | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Conservatives Sexually Frustrated, UCLA Daily Bruin Says

Posted on September 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 26, 1943: The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen ends its strike against the Pacific Electric, with workers returning to their jobs at 2 a.m. Their first task is to untangle a “freight jam which had threatened to undermine the entire … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Education, Film, Hollywood, Labor, Obituaries, Richard Nixon, Streetcars, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hollis Mulwray House – Update

Posted on September 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s an update on renovations at the Hollis Mulwray house from “Chinatown.” The last time I posted a photo it looked like this.

Posted in 1974, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Preservation | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Woman in Stolen Car Shoots Gun at LAPD Officers

Posted on September 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 25, 1933: How did the Los Angeles Public Library fare in the Great Depression? Here are some answers. The library was forced to make painful cutbacks due to a 24% drop in tax revenue, including shorter hours, layoffs, reductions … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, LAPD, Pasadena, Suicide, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles – Ferguson Alley

Posted on September 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 11, 1935: For their second installment of “Rediscovering Los Angeles,” Times artist Charles Owens and Times columnist Timothy Turner visit Ferguson Alley, which as Turner notes was going to be demolished for Union Station. Turner writes: Ferguson Alley, which … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Art & Artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo, Preservation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

And for Monday, we have a mystery gent.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 51 Comments

Barbara Graham Gets Death Sentence

Posted on September 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 23, 1953: Barbara Graham, John A. Santo and Emmett Perkins are convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Mabel Monahan. The jury returned the verdict without a recommendation of life in prison. “Mrs. Graham didn’t bat an eye,” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Hollywood Tunesmith

Posted on September 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Long before Harold Arlen wrote “Lose That Long Face” for “A Star Is Born” starring Judy Garland, songwriter Carrie Jacobs-Bond practiced those words. Mostly forgotten today, Jacobs-Bond was one of the most successful composers of the 20th century. She endured … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment