Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Rediscovering Los Angeles — Sam Kee Laundry

Posted on December 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 20, 1936: For this installment of Rediscovering Los Angeles, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit a Chinese laundry on Figueroa near Temple. Turner writes: It was a busy hive before John Chinaman cut off his pigtail, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Columnists, Downtown, Film, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

If you enjoy Mary Mallory’s columns (and our survey shows that readers do) you might like this anthology of Hollywood Heights called “Hollywoodland: Tales Lost and Found.” It’s available for the Kindle, but don’t forget that Amazon has a free … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on December 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s Monday’s mystery chap, courtesy of writer Christopher McPherson. The annoying black box is where our mystery fellow thoughtfully signed his photo. Update: Yes, this is William Bakewell (d. 1993), who appeared in “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Bonner Fruit Co. Cans San Fernando Valley’s Peaches

Posted on December 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

The San Fernando Valley has experienced a great evolution over the last several centuries from bucolic fields to economic powerhouse. Quiet and peaceful for years, it served as Southern California’s breadbasket for decades until Angelenos looked to its empty vistas … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Food and Drink, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Bonner Fruit Co. Cans San Fernando Valley’s Peaches

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

We are being bombarded by stories about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with videos of long lines at stores and the attendant consumer frenzy. The L.A. Daily Mirror prefers a more subdued approach to buying gifts during the holiday season. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Art & Artists, Books and Authors | Tagged , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Take the L.A. Daily Mirror Reader Survey — Responses Closed

Posted on November 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jack Webb and William Conrad phone in their answers to the L.A. Daily Mirror Reader Survey. Update 2: Today’s the last day to express your thoughts in the Daily Mirror Reader Survey. And stay tuned for the results. Update: More … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, History, Hollywood, LAPD, Mystery Photo, Theaters | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Take the L.A. Daily Mirror Reader Survey — Responses Closed

Ernst Lubitsch Dies!

Posted on November 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I originally wrote for the 1947project in 2005. I’m reposting it for newer readers. CAIRO, Nov. 30. (AP) With Arab bitterness mounting in the Middle East, Syrian demonstrators set fire to the United States Legation … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Ernst Lubitsch Dies!

Matzo Brawl!

Posted on November 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project and I’m reposting it for newer readers. Nov. 29, 1907 Oh Those Shriners: Recall, if you will, the grisly train wreck that killed a large number of Shriners … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Religion, Streetcars | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Millennial Moment: Locke High Student Hangs Herself

Posted on November 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 29, 1983: Bridget Marie Hicks was a 17-year-old girl with two children and apparently too many problems. A worker at the South-Central Multi-Purpose Child Development Center found her hanging from a tree. Police said Bridget, a student at nearby … Continue reading →

Posted in 1983, Education, Hollywood, Millennial Moments, Suicide | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Lyndon Johnson’s 1955 Shopping Spree at Oviatt’s

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

I’m always looking for Oviatt items and here’s a jacket that has been listed on EBay, with bids starting at $149.99. And not just any jacket. This one was tailored for future President Lyndon Johnson. For the record: As Wayne … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Fashion, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

An 1890s Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s a traditional roast turkey recipe from the “Every-Day Cook-Book and Family Compendium,” written about 1890 by Miss E. Neill. Be sure your fire is bright and clear and watch out for the gall-bag.

Posted in 1890, Food and Drink, From the Stacks | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on An 1890s Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

L.A. Celebrates a Wartime Thanksgiving, 1943

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

A wartime Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, with many service personnel welcomed into people’s homes for a holiday meal. The Times published cooking tips for war workers, advising cooks who were otherwise engaged “for the duration” to use prepared mixes, packaged … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Food and Drink, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on L.A. Celebrates a Wartime Thanksgiving, 1943

Mitchell Leisen — ‘Lioness’ Tamer

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 28, 1943:  Rumors of what will be known as the Tehran Conference (Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 1943) of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Opening soon: “In Old Oklahoma,” starring John Wayne, Martha Scott and Albert Dekker, at the Paramount, Hollywood and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files — ‘Little Cowboy’

Posted on November 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

Police sketches of “Little Cowboy” by LAPD artist F.G. Ponce. I call her “Little Cowboy” because her shirt said “I’m a Little Cowboy.”  She was Jane Doe No. 62, coroner’s No. 77-8735, DR 77 596-048 In case you just tuned … Continue reading →

Posted in 1977, Cold Cases, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles – The U.S. Hotel

Posted on November 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 13, 1936: One look and I knew this gem was gone. In fact, even the cross street has been obliterated. The U.S. Hotel was at Main and Market, across from City Hall. Times columnist Timothy Turner writes: “Rapid change … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Main Street, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

Posted on November 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

And for Monday, a mystery fellow.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywoodland Sign Premieres November 1923

Posted on November 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 6, 1924: The Times publishes a photo of an Oakland car that was driven up to the Hollywood sign. In the early 1920s, developers began opening virgin tracts of land for construction all around Los Angeles. To help sell … Continue reading →

Posted in 1923, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined: William Parker vs. Bugsy Siegel

Posted on November 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

By Yvonne Villarreal in The Times. Let’s get this straight: There was never a “long and often bloody struggle between LAPD Police Chief William Parker and gangster kingpin Ben ‘Bugsy’ Siegel” for the simple reason that Siegel was shot to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, History, LAPD, Mickey Cohen, Television | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

A Little Something to Think About on a Sunday Morning

Posted on November 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

I suppose the venomous Cathy Seipp (d. 2007) is pretty much forgotten now. I hadn’t thought about her in a long time until the death of Wanda Coleman and remembered that Seipp took regular potshots at Coleman when she wrote … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Obituaries | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Slaughter of the Innocent

Posted on November 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I originally wrote for the 1947project in 2006. Nov. 23, 1907 South Pasadena Warning: This is a grotesque, tragic story with graphic details. Pasadena Detective Wallace H. Copping is investigating the murder of a young … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Pasadena | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments