Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Lincoln’s Assassination Remembered, April 14, 1915

Eve Golden poses an interesting question: How did America observe the 50th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination?

Posted in 1915, Civil War, Politics, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

And for Friday, a mystery chap, courtesy of Christopher McPherson. Thursday’s mystery guest, Alice Joyce, was identified by Laura, Mary Mallory, Eve Golden, Joan Myers, Bob Hansen, Kent, Mike Hawks and Maedez. Congrats!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Nov. 22, 1963: Remembering JFK, That Day in Dallas and Baby Boomer Nostalgia

Nov. 22, 1963: The Times publishes an extra. I recently attended graduation exercises for a local college and the commencement speaker spent quite a while talking about how the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy was a watershed moment … Continue reading

Posted in 1963, History | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Movie Posters From Ghana at the Ernie Wolfe Gallery

“Return of the Living Dead 3” as interpreted by an artist in Ghana. The Ernie Wolfe Gallery at 1653 Sawtelle Blvd., in West Los Angeles is presenting a show titled “The Horror, The Horror,” curated by Brandon Boyd featuring hand-painted … Continue reading

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Movie Posters From Ghana at the Ernie Wolfe Gallery

Movieland Mystery Photo

And here’s Thursday’s mystery guest, courtesy of Christopher McPherson. Please congratulate Mary Mallory and Mike Hawks for identifying yesterday’s mystery chap.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Manhattan Mystery: ‘Makers of Melody’

Ruth Tester and the mysterious Allan Gould sing “Manhattan” in “Makers of Melody.”   The mysterious Allan Gould with Inez Courtney in “The Girl Friend.” We have the illustrious Eve Golden to thank for this mystery. The other day, Eve … Continue reading

Posted in 1929, Film, Hollywood, Music, Stage | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

Here’s another mystery photo courtesy of Christopher McPherson. This is from the Waxman studio, a name I don’t recall encountering before. The annoying black box is where our mystery guest inscribed his photo. Please congratulate Bob Hansen for identifying Monday’s … Continue reading

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

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files

June 23, 1976: William C. Harber and Constance Thorn are found beaten to death in an apartment at 3416 Manning Ave. The case has never been solved. Several weeks ago, I was given a box of material that was cleaned … Continue reading

Posted in 1976, 1977, Cold Cases, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

Here’s our second mystery guest, courtesy of Christopher McPherson. The annoying black box is where our mystery woman left her autograph.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles – The Photo Studio

Jan. 6, 1936: In this installment of Rediscovering Los Angeles, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit Borgia Studio, on Sunset Boulevard near the Plaza. This is a particularly nice post by Turner about the way photo studio … Continue reading

Posted in 1936, Downtown, Film, Nuestro Pueblo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Rediscovering Los Angeles – The Photo Studio

Movieland Mystery Photo

Several weeks ago, the Daily Mirror asked for suggestions about mystery photos. Writer and novelist Christopher McPherson responded with a large number of photographs, which he shared with us. Here’s the first one.  The annoying black box to the left … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The Fall of the Romanoffs Documents Russian Revolution

Before CNN, the worldwide web, and the 24-hour news cycle, most persons received their only news of outside world and national events through newspapers. Most cities possessed multiple newspapers pitched to different audiences, some focusing strictly on hard news, some … Continue reading

Posted in 1917, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Fatal Fury

Note: This is a story I originally wrote in 2006 for the 1947project and I’m reposting it for newer readers. Nov. 16, 1907: Mrs. Amanda Cook (she is also identified as Jennie and Mary) came to Los Angeles from Boston … Continue reading

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Riot at Tule Lake Internment Camp?

Nov. 3-16, 1943: It’s almost impossible to get a clear idea from these stories of what was actually occurring at the internment camp at Tule Lake. Early in the saga, one official said “there’s nothing to it,” but later on … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, World War II | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: George Hodel — Soil Samples at the Sowden House: FAIL

Saturday was, in case you had forgotten, the one-year anniversary of Buster the Wonder Dog’s frolic at the Sowden House in a search for evidence to link Dr. George “Evil Genius” Hodel to the Black Dahlia killing. You may recall … Continue reading

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Hollywood, LAPD, Television | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files

Several weeks ago, I was given a box of material that was cleaned out of the old press room at the LAPD’s Parker Center headquarters, sometimes called “the cop shop.” The box was a jumble of press releases, photographs, artists’ … Continue reading

Posted in 1974, Cold Cases, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Blogging the Wolfe Book — Seven Years Later

Note: In 2006, I devoted a daily blog to  fact-checking Donald Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files” on a molecular level. The project was so time-consuming – and “Dahlia Files” is such junk – that I stopped about Page 96 and … Continue reading

Posted in 1947, 2006, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles – Masonic Hall

Dec. 30, 1935: For this installment of Rediscovering Los Angeles, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit Los Angeles’ former Masonic Hall, a building from the 1870s on Main street “on the east side just south of the … Continue reading

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

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

And for Monday, a mystery chap.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 44 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Greenacres Is the Place to Be

Harold Lloyd and Greenacres in New Movie Magazine. At the beginning of the fledgling motion picture industry, actors and other creative types earned adequate salaries, in line with middle-class jobs. They lived in modest bungalows, residential hotels, apartments or rented … Continue reading

Posted in 1927, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments