Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

Posted on November 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

And for Monday, a mystery lad.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 58 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — A. L. “Whitey” Schafer Simplifies Portraits

Posted on November 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

“Thou Shalt Not,” “Whitey” Schafer’s most famous image. In the very early days of the motion picture industry, stills photographers meant nothing to the moving picture companies. They asked their feature cameramen to work double duty, shooting scene stills after … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Time to Turn the Clocks Back

Posted on November 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

On behalf of the L.A. Daily Mirror, Pier Angeli and friend remind you that Daylight Saving Time is o-ver. Or as William Safire used to say: “Fall is the time of year that conservatives like best because they get to … Continue reading →

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

Roll On, Ugly River

Posted on November 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I originally wrote in 2006 for the 1907 project. Nov. 2, 1907: As part of a new city beautification campaign, Boyle Heights residents have suggested turning the Los Angeles River into a garden spot. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Parks | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The ‘Decline’ of Wikipedia

Posted on November 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

A world without Wikipedia? Sounds good to me. Tom Simonite in the MIT Technology Review looks at the “decline” of Wikipedia (that would, of course, assume that it was ever worth anything). Yet Wikipedia and its stated ambition to “compile … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Wikipedia | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ — Part 10

Posted on November 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

David Bacon, center, in a still from “The Masked Marvel,” photo courtesy of Steven Bibb. In case you just tuned in, we are looking at the “Masked Marvel Murder” of actor David G.G. Bacon, who was stabbed to death Sept. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ – Part 9

Posted on October 31, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This post has been corrected. See details below. In case you just tuned in, we have been going through the case of actor David G.G. Bacon, who was stabbed to death Sept. 12, 1943, in a case that remains … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Cold Cases, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

December 1, 1908 ‘The Clansman’ Comes to Los Angeles – Part 2

Posted on October 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

A photo from an ad for “The Clansman” in the Los Angeles Herald, 1908. Several weeks ago, I stumbled across a program from the Mason Opera House, announcing the upcoming production of “The Clansman,” the play by Thomas Dixon Jr. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, African Americans, Animals, Broadway, Downtown, Film, History, Hollywood, Los Angeles Star, Stage | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Letter From John Steinbeck

Posted on October 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

I’m always intrigued by the Zamorano Club’s publications. The Zamorano Club was established in 1928 by Los Angeles bibliophiles, named for Augustin Zamorano, California’s first printer, and treated its members to small press runs (often from the Ward Ritchie Press) … Continue reading →

Posted in 1964, Books and Authors, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A Letter From John Steinbeck

Rediscovering Los Angeles – the St. Angelo

Posted on October 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Grand and Temple via Google Street View. In the Dec. 16, 1935, installment of Rediscovering Los Angeles, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit the St. Angelo, on “Grand Avenue just off Temple Street on the northern slope … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

And we start the week with a couple of mystery folks. You’ll have to admit, it would have been much easier to identify “Personal Property” if I had used some of these shots.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 43 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Spooky, Ooky Witch’s House Haunts Beverly Hills

Posted on October 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

A sketch of the “The Witch’s House” by Charles Owens from “Nuestro Pueblo,” courtesy of Mary Mallory   Once upon a time, home design and architecture saluted fantasy and make-believe, and not just in fiction. Bilbo Baggins and lucky leprechauns … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

State Normal School at Los Angeles

Posted on October 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

What grandma used to call a “penny postal” showing the State Normal School in Los Angeles has been listed on EBay. And who would like to tell us what’s there now? This postcard is listed as Buy It Now for … Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, Architecture, Downtown, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Deadly Inferno

Posted on October 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: I’m reposting an item for newer readers that I originally wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. Oct. 26, 1907: Two women in the West Adams District were badly burned and expected to die after a bowl of gasoline they … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Fires | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Restaurant Manager Turns Tables on Robbers

Posted on October 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Oct. 25, 1943: Three bandits who hit a handful of businesses met their match at a cafe at 1306 S. Main St. when they tried to hold up assistant manager Joe D. Poindexter. Two of them came into the cafe … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Main Street, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Turn Off the Sunshine’ by Timothy Turner

Posted on October 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

A copy of Timothy G. Turner’s “Turn Off the Sunshine” has been listed on EBay. Turner, you may recall, was the Times columnist who worked with artist Charles Owens on Rediscovering Los Angeles. Bidding on this copy of the book … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Books and Authors, Broadway, Downtown, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ — Part 8

Posted on October 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

David Bacon, seven years before he was killed, in a publicity photo for the Hasty Pudding show at Harvard. In case you just tuned in, we are looking at the unsolved Sept. 12, 1943, killing of actor David G.G. Bacon. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Cold Cases, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Through Witzel’s Lens: Edward Everett Horton

Posted on October 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

A portrait of Edward Everett Horton by the Witzel studio has been listed on EBay. Witzel was one of the leading portrait studios in Los Angeles in the early part of the 20th century and took many publicity photos for … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Photography, Witzel | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Chinese Massacre – Oct 24, 1871

Posted on October 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

At top, an account of the massacre in the Daily Southern Cross of Auckland, New Zealand, Dec. 9, 1871, Above, a detail of a Los Angeles map displayed in the Globe Lobby of the Los Angeles Times Building showing the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, Crime and Courts, Downtown | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Chinese Massacre – Oct 24, 1871

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ – Part 7

Posted on October 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, we are looking at the unsolved Sept. 12, 1943, killing of “Masked Marvel” actor David G.G. Bacon. And we have regular L.A. Daily Mirror reader Steven Bibb to thank for this puzzle. Steven provided … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Cold Cases, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment