Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Confederate Ship Alabama Captures Ariel, Jan. 10, 1863

Posted on January 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

Read the complete Jan. 10, 1863, edition of the Los Angeles Star. Jan. 10, 1863:  Reflecting its strong sympathies for the Confederacy, the Star publishes a poem by Stonewall Jackson and an account of the capture of the Vanderbilt  steamship … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Broadway, Civil War, Downtown | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Confederate Ship Alabama Captures Ariel, Jan. 10, 1863

C.C. Pierce – Found on EBay

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

A photo of Angels Flight listed on EBay with bids starting at $2.50. This image Angels Flight is one of several C.C. Pierce photos up for auction on EBay. To me, one of the most interesting things about the Pierce … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Found on EBay, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery photo (Updated +++)

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s a mystery chap for Monday.

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: There Is a Lake in Toluca Lake

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

Photo: Janet Blair sits on the little platform off the banks of the Lakeside Golf Club. Courtesy of Mary Mallory Surrounded by homes and the Lakeside Golf Club, Toluca Lake is all but obscured from view by the public. Like … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Posted on January 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 4, 1942: A rather drunk William Kollomick, who gave his address as “Pearl Harbor,” is in jail after getting into a brawl with four unidentified Mexican youths outside a cafe at 1st and Broadway. The youths walked out of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Wikipedia Hoax Exposed

Posted on January 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

As longtime readers know, I am not a fan of Wikipedia, which I consider a sinkhole of rumors and errors run by coding tweakers, factoid zealots and folks with tinfoil hats. This week, in fact, a Daily Mirror reader questioned … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Witzel Photographs Charlie Chaplin – Found on EBay

Posted on January 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

This postcard featuring a Witzel portrait of Charlie Chaplin has been listed on EBay with bids starting at GBP  4.99.

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

China Bans Traditional Clothing for Western Fashions

Posted on January 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 3, 1913: The Chinese government issues an edict against traditional clothing in favor of Western fashions. Women were called upon “to abandon their trousers for the occidental skirt and men to give up their comfortable loose clothes for the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Crime and Courts, Education, Fashion, Film, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on China Bans Traditional Clothing for Western Fashions

Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln’s Outrage!

Posted on January 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Read all of the Jan. 3, 1863, Los Angeles Star at USC’s digital library. Jan. 3, 1863: Of all that you may know about the Emancipation Proclamation, I doubt you have read anything negative (unless you’re a historian), so the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Education, Los Angeles Star, Medicine, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – The Florentine Gardens

Posted on January 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

A Sept. 16, 1944, photo from the Florentine Gardens – with souvenir lipstick prints – has been listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $25. The lot includes souvenir photos from Ace Cain’s, 1369 N. Western Ave., and the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Photography | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – The Florentine Gardens

Coming Attractions: January – February 2013

Posted on January 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

The March 1936 issue of Black Mask magazine includes Raymond Chandler’s “The Man Who Liked Dogs.” Jan. 19: “The Tall T,” part of the Autry museum’s What Is a Western? film series.  $11/$7/$5 1:30 p.m. Jan. 23: The Simple Art … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, Film, Libraries, Stage | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: January – February 2013

Eve Golden / Queen of the Dead: Mae Murray

Posted on January 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

I hope you don’t mind if I use my column to plug a friend’s book, Michael Ankerich’s new Mae Murray biography, The Girl With the Bee Stung Lips (OK, so he did dedicate it to me. But you needn’t dedicate … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Downtown Los Angeles – Broadway and 2nd

Posted on December 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

Broadway and 2nd Street via Google’s Street View. This picture showing the YMCA and the California Bank at the southwest corner of Broadway and 2nd Street has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $69.95.

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

Posted on December 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

Here are some mystery folks in a mystery movie.

Posted in African Americans, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Mystery Photo, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , | 38 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Pickford Headlines 1933 Rose Parade

Posted on December 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: Mary Pickford in the 1933 Rose Parade. Credit: Courtesy of Mary Mallory Tomorrow sees the 124th annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena,  welcoming the new year with magnificent garlands of fresh flowers. It also acts as the 80th … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Pasadena | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Downtown Los Angeles – 427 S. Broadway

Posted on December 30, 2012 by lmharnisch

This postcard of the Pin-Ton candy store, 427 S. Broadway, has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $29.97. March 4, 1909: How about an ice cream and a stop at the occult bookshop? The Pin-Ton appears to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1909, Architecture, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Schaber’s Cafeteria and Einar Petersen

Posted on December 28, 2012 by lmharnisch

This remarkable postcard postmarked 1941 of Schaber’s Cafeteria at 620 S. Broadway, showing an Einar Petersen mural,  has been listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $6.99. The Schaber Cafeteria at 620 S. Broadway was built in 1928 by … Continue reading →

Posted in 1928, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Found on EBay – The Florentine Gardens

Posted on December 27, 2012 by lmharnisch

A photo of a group of happy people at the Florentine Gardens on Sept. 18, 1943, has been listed on EBay. It’s listed as Buy It Now for $8.99. The Florentine Gardens has a connection to the Black Dahlia case … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs, World War II | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Union Forces Massacred at Fredericksburg, December 1862

Posted on December 27, 2012 by lmharnisch

I recently had lunch with Paul Bryan Gray, the author of a terrific new book “A Clamor for Equality,” a biography of Francisco P. Ramirez, who edited the Los Angeles Spanish-language weekly El Clamor Publico (1855-1859). Gray is the subject … Continue reading →

Posted in 1862, Books and Authors, Civil War | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Christmas in Los Angeles, 1912

Posted on December 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

Dec. 26, 1912: The Times makes the rounds of Christmas celebrations among the less fortunate and discovers that the emergency wards are full – but readers are assured that no women or girls are among the victims.

Posted in 1912, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Religion | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments