Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

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

Shriners Gather in L.A.

Posted on September 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

The 1907 Shriners convention in Los Angeles created a boom market in all sorts of memorabilia: plates, cups and other glassware, plus pins, postcards and lots of trinkets, which were sold and traded, all of which show up regularly on … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Shriners Gather in L.A.

One Magazine From 1957 and 1958

Posted on September 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

What the vendor says are complete runs of the 1957 and 1958 issues of One magazine have been listed on EBay at $69.99 each. Individual issues often sell for $10-$20 or more, so this is actually a deal – if … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, 1958, Books and Authors, Found on EBay, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

March 4, 1907: L.A. Streetcars — Another Look

Posted on September 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

March 4, 1907: Los Angeles’ sainted streetcar system has a bad day. Beacon and 6th streets, minus the streetcars, via Google Street View. One of the most deeply held and ardently expressed beliefs about Los Angeles’ past is the shadowy … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Navy Doctors Defuse ‘Human Bomb’

Posted on September 19, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 19, 1943: In a story delayed for wartime, the Associated Press reports that Allen L. Gordon, 23, of Rock Island, Ill., fire control operator third class, was struck Dec. 2 with a 20-millimeter antiaircraft shell that lodged in his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Hollywood, Labor, Medicine, Music, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Great White Fleet Visits San Pedro, 1908

Posted on September 18, 2013 by lmharnisch

This postcard of the Great White Fleet entering San Pedro Harbor during its around the world cruise in 1908 has been listed on EBay. I wrote quite a bit about the Great White Fleet’s visit to Los Angeles when the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Found on EBay, Harbor, Photography | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Great White Fleet Visits San Pedro, 1908

Bandit Killed, LAPD Officers Wounded in Burlesque Theater Shootout

Posted on September 18, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 18, 1933: Jack Keating, 30, and John Melvin Early, 35, had a plan to rob the Girlesque Theater at 510 S. Main St., but when the shooting was over, Keating was dead and Early and two men who helped … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Hollywood, LAPD, Main Street, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Bandit Killed, LAPD Officers Wounded in Burlesque Theater Shootout

Angels Flight — Another View

Posted on September 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

This postcard complements the Rediscovering Los Angeles post on Angels Flight. It’s postmarked 1904 and photo was taken from Spring Street looking toward the 3rd Street tunnel.  Bidding starts at $5.

Posted in 1914, Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Found on EBay, Spring Street, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles — And Timothy Turner

Posted on September 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

I have had a copy of this drawing over my desk for years as a reminder that I really ought to write a series of posts on the subject. This is the first in a series of columns featuring Charles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Architecture, Art & Artists, Columnists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Jerry Lewis – The Day the Clown Played Baseball

Posted on September 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

I was fairly certain that I had written about this uniform – or at least a uniform – for Jerry Lewis’ baseball team, the Clowns, but I can’t seem to locate the post anywhere. In any event, a uniform for … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Sports | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

Posted on September 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

And here’s Monday’s mystery photo!

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Rah! Rah! Hollywood Celebrates Pennants

Posted on September 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

Hollywood has always been creative in promoting its films and personalities to the public. Employing posters, lobby cards, window cards and photographs, silent film production companies hyped upcoming films. With the success of these forms of advertisements and publicity, companies … Continue reading →

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

Woman’s Body Found Behind Wall in Highland Park Home

Posted on September 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Joseph and Anna Lewis, 2630 Johnston St., Highland Park, had been married for 42 when she disappeared. Not that Joseph, 72, a carpenter, was particularly concerned about her absence. Police were not informed of the disappearance until her daughter Shirley … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Suicide | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments