Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Cinecon 2013, Part 1

Posted on September 5, 2013 by lmharnisch

Featured at Cinecon: Carmen Miranda in “Down Argentine Way.” Another year, another Cinecon. A jam-packed schedule of watching films, sharing meals, and trying to catch up with friends from far and near during the five days. Cinecon, a 49-year-old film … Continue reading →

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

Union Pleads With Streetcar Workers Not to Strike

Posted on September 5, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 5, 1943: Explaining that “war strategies between President Roosevelt and Britain’s Prime Minister Churchill come first,” William P. Nutter of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen pleads with dissatisfied employees of the Pacific Electric Railway to stay on the job. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Union Pleads With Streetcar Workers Not to Strike

Our Sainted Streetcars – Glendale Edition

Posted on September 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

A postcard showing what the vendor says is a depot for the Los Angeles and Glendale Electric Interurban Railway system has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $249.99. Times clips show that by 1904, the Los Angeles and Glendale … Continue reading →

Posted in 1904, Downtown, Found on EBay, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Downtown L.A. — Street Artist (Updated)

Posted on September 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

I came across this street artist last evening while walking in downtown Los Angeles. He’s painting a street scene of the corner of Broadway and 7th Street. Update: Ed Fuentes identifies our artist: “Alex Schaefer. And he has a show … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Architecture, Art & Artists, Broadway, Downtown | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Man Kills Wife and Daughter, Commits Suicide Over Pink Bedroom

Posted on September 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 4, 1933: A streetcar broadsides an auto at the crossing on Olympic Boulevard between Broadway and Figueroa, killing two people and leaving two others near death, The Times said. A man fatally stabs his estranged wife and daughter, then … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Homicide, LAPD, Main Street, Nightclubs, San Fernando Valley, Streetcars, Suicide, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Tempest Storm at the Follies Burlesque

Posted on September 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

An undated photo of the famous Tempest Storm at the Follies Burlesque in Los Angeles – which reveals more than I am showing here – has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $17.95.

Posted in Dance, Downtown, Found on EBay, Main Street, Theaters | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

On the Frontiers of Medicine

Posted on September 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

The complete Sept. 5, 1863, edition of the Los Angeles Star is available at USC and the California Digital Newspaper Collection. Sept. 5, 1863: Dr. J.C. Welsh is apparently too early to be listed in George H. Kress’ “A History … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Medicine, Obituaries | Tagged , , | Comments Off on On the Frontiers of Medicine

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

Posted on September 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

And for Monday, three mystery gents.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 36 Comments

Mason Opera House – a Lost Landmark

Posted on September 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Downtown hipsters know the spot at 1st Street and Broadway as a big hole in the ground, where construction seems to be getting underway. More mature Angelenos may recall the 1950s Cold War monstrosity that was demolished after being damaged … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Found on EBay, Preservation, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The Three Lives Of Villa Aurora

Posted on September 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Cats have nine lives. People often experience second or third acts in their lives or careers. Some homes have multiple lives as well, like Villa Aurora, which has experienced three diverse lives, bringing knowledge and refuge to those who come … Continue reading →

Posted in 1928, Architecture, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spring Street — 1907

Posted on September 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

  If this image looking south on Spring Street on this 1907 postcard looks unfamiliar, there’s a reason. Most of the buildings are gone and Spring Street was straightened out to make way for City Hall. The postcard is listed … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Architecture, Downtown, Found on EBay, Spring Street, Streetcars | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Parkey Sharkey – Found on EBay

Posted on August 31, 2013 by lmharnisch

A copy of Parkey Sharkey’s “Whiskey Road” has been listed on EBay. Several years ago, the L.A. Daily Mirror acquired a copy and it occupies an honored place in the research library. There are those who assumed that Parkey Sharkey … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Columnists, Found on EBay, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Parkey Sharkey – Found on EBay

Barbara Graham Defense Wins Delay After Prosecution Bombshell

Posted on August 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 30, 1953: Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charles W. Fricke grants attorneys for Barbara Graham a slight delay in opening their defense after the prosecution closes with a “bombshell”: A transcript of a recorded conversation between Graham and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Parents Sue Doctor Who Said Baby Girl Was a Boy!

Posted on August 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 29, 1943: The family of Marine Cpl. Carroll E. Trego, a radio operator captured in the fall of Wake Island, receives a letter written from a prisoner of war camp in Shanghai. Dr. John M. Andrews is being sued … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Medicine, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

N.R.A. Frees Workers to Visit the Library

Posted on August 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

August 1933: In my journey through years ending in “3,” I have neglected 1933, when the National Recovery Act took effect  Aug. 1. President Roosevelt’s plan was to put people back to work by raising the minimum wage to $12 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Comics, Hollywood, Libraries, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Mystery Photo – Historic L.A. Edition

Posted on August 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

L.A. Observed has reposted this image, which was posted by Michael Beschloss, who identifies it as Broadway as it looked about 1902.

Posted in 1906, Broadway, Downtown, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

6,000 Union Army Veterans Gather to Recall the Campfires of Old

Posted on August 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

The entire Aug. 27, 1903, edition of the Herald is available here. Aug. 27, 1903: The Los Angeles Times (and by extension, the Chandler family) is frequently treated as if it was the only paper in the city’s history. Those … Continue reading →

Posted in 1903, African Americans, Civil War, Parks, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

Posted on August 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

And for Monday, we have a mystery fellow with the latest in gentlemen’s accessories.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 59 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Studio Club Provides Home For Movie-Struck Girls

Posted on August 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Studio Club in Photoplay, 1917. T he advent of the 20th century offered the possibility of more freedom and opportunity for women. For decades, women had advocated for the right to vote, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan … Continue reading →

Posted in 1916, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: New ‘Evidence’ in George ‘Evil Genius’ Hodel Franchise

Posted on August 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Black Dahlia breakthrough! Let us suppose that there was a mathematician. A retired mathematician who once taught at a major university, who published and received tenure, and retired as a well-regarded member of the faculty. Let us further suppose that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments