Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

‘Dead Man’ Killed in Fight Over a Penny

Posted on July 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 12, 1963: Curtiss A. Adams, the only man to survive the Jan. 31, 1957, crash of an F-89J and a DC-7B over Pacoima, testifies in a lawsuit between Douglas, which made the transport, and Northrop, which built the F-89J. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Columnists, Comics, LAPD, San Fernando Valley | Comments Off on ‘Dead Man’ Killed in Fight Over a Penny

Police Smash Marihuana Ring

Posted on July 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Times publishes artist Charles H. Owen’s map of the Sicilian invasion. Owens’ artwork is featured in “Nuestro Pueblo,” one of my favorite books on Los Angeles. July 11, 1943: LAPD officers and state narcotics agents raid an apartment at … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, A Kinder, Simpler Time, LAPD, Music | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Getting L.A. Traffic Wrong

Posted on July 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

Zocalo repeats the old bromide that “once upon a time” the streets of Los Angeles were empty and getting around was simple. Nothing could be further from the truth. After years of reading old newspapers, I can say with authority … Continue reading →

Posted in A Kinder, Simpler Time, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Chicago Schools to Teach Sex Education; Work Crew Digs Up Skeleton

Posted on July 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

New straw hats at Mullen & Bluett, Broadway and 6th Street. Straw hats are “jaunty, clever, correct.” But we knew that, right? July 10, 1913: Sex “hygiene” will be taught in the Chicago high schools after a vote by the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Downtown, Fashion, Film, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Chicago Schools to Teach Sex Education; Work Crew Digs Up Skeleton

Vice Cop Kills Robber in Botched Holdup at the Roost

Posted on July 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1953: A big, screamer headline in The Times. Glenn Elbert Kingsbury, shot in the chest by an LAPD vice officer, staggered backward into the Roost Cafe, which he had just robbed, and collapsed on the floor, moaning: “Oh … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, 1953, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

Posted on July 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

And for Monday, we have a mystery marksman.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 31 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Hamburger’s Department Store, Arrow Movie Theater

Posted on July 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

A postcard of Hamburger’s Department Store is listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $2.99. The classy, oversize May Co. Department Store located at 801 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles is up for sale. Today, the mostly empty … Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

When Hollywood Tries to Get It Right

Posted on July 5, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 5, 1983: Calendar writer Judith Michaelson has a most enjoyable story about De Forest Research, founded in 1952 by Kellam de Forest and located on the Paramount lot in Hollywood. At that time, the company had seven researchers, 16,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1983, Film, Hollywood, Libraries, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

LAPD Central Police Station – Found on EBay

Posted on July 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

This photo labeled as the Central Police Station has been listed on EBay as part of a collection of photos from the estate of former Deputy Chief Cleveland Heath, who died in Phoenix in 1956 at the age of 71. … Continue reading →

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Los Angeles Celebrates the Fourth of July With Pic-Nics and Fire-Works

Posted on July 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

The complete July 4, 1863, issue of the Los Angeles Star is available from USC, which scanned  a copy at the Huntington. July 4, 1863: Los Angeles plans to celebrate the Fourth of July with a 34-gun salute and a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Crime and Courts, San Francisco | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Los Angeles Celebrates the Fourth of July With Pic-Nics and Fire-Works

Found on EBay – Masterpiece of 1940s Kitsch!

Posted on July 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

This kitsch masterpiece from the 1940s has turned up on EBay. This is one of the Abbotwares radios, which were made in Los Angeles. Abbotwares produced a whole series of these bronze figurines with radios, but my favorite is the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, Art & Artists, Found on EBay, Radio | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Masterpiece of 1940s Kitsch!

Our Decadent Era!

Posted on July 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

The latest in women’s apparel at Hale’s Good Goods, 541, 543, 545  S. Broadway. Young women, you are slaves to fashion! 541-545 S. Broadway via Google Street View. July 3, 1913: A rabid dog runs through the streets of Tucson, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Animals, Fashion | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Godless San Bernardino!

Posted on July 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

The entire Los Angeles Star for June 27, 1863, is online at USC’s digital library, scanned from a copy at the Huntington. Jan. 27, 1863: As usual, this issue is mostly devoted to the Civil War. But the Star reports … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Religion | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition X (Updated + +)

Posted on July 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

I can hear you saying “But we just did newsboy caps!” I know. I popped the DVD into the player and voila! There he was. What else could I do? How to Wear a Hat — Newsboy Cap Edition How … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 35 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — ‘The Diamond From the Sky’ Shines Light on Marketing

Posted on July 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

“Like a Diamond From the Sky,” by Leo Bennett and Leo Wood, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Thanks to “What Happened to Mary?” (Edison, 1912), “The Adventures of Kathlyn” (Selig, 1913) and “The Perils of Pauline” (Eclectic/Pathé, 1914), serials skyrocketed in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1915, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — ‘The Diamond From the Sky’ Shines Light on Marketing

L.A. County Jail’s New Piano Should Be an Instrument of Torture!

Posted on June 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jun2 28, 1921: Mrs. K.T. Lindy of Inglewood thinks jails are for punishment. Now that someone has given women prisoners a piano, she hopes they have to practice chromatic scales and not that evil jazz! Lindy says: “I hope this … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, Comics, Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Silent Film Festivals, Then And Now

Posted on June 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

  Northern California plays host to two wonderful silent film festivals in the next few weeks, the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum’s Bronco Billy Silent Film Festival, and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Both celebrate the art of silent … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Silent Film Festivals, Then And Now

C.C. Pierce — Found on EBay

Posted on June 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

C.C. Pierce, one of our favorite photographers, not only sold photos and glass lantern slides – he also produced postcards, like this one, which has been listed on EBay. It’s listed as Buy It Now for $5.99.

Posted in 1902, Found on EBay, Photography | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on C.C. Pierce — Found on EBay

Teen Convicted in Bloody Killing of Girl, 12

Posted on June 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

June 27, 1943: The “Greatest Generation” isn’t getting enough “bulk.” Let’s rename Bunker Hill as Angels’ Terrace. Or not. The Courtemanche family lived in the old Sepulveda place at 751 N. Palos Verdes St., on a hill above the Wilmington-San … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Los Angeles Stands in for London

Posted on June 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Spring Street and 4th in downtown Los Angeles is one of the most popular film locations in the city. It recently stood in for New York, complete with an NYC bus and a subway entrance. Last night, we had the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Spring Street | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Los Angeles Stands in for London