Author Archives: lmharnisch

Unknown's avatar

About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Seals Juggle, Walk Rope, Plus Little Miss Manicure at the Pantages!

Posted on January 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 23, 1913: Juggling, rope-walking seals! Little Miss Manicure and the Scarecrow Man! On the jump, a couple of juicy divorces and Carl Warr, the dynamiter.

Posted in 1913, Animals, Crime and Courts, Stage | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Rain in Los Angeles, Jan. 24, 1863

Posted on January 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

Read the entire Jan. 24, 1863, issue of the Los Angeles Star, scanned by USC from an original copy at the Huntington. Jan. 24, 1863: Most of the Los Angeles Star is devoted to details about the progress (or lack … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Civil War, Religion | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Rain in Los Angeles, Jan. 24, 1863

Movieland Mystery Photo – Newsboy Cap Edition VI (Updated +++)

Posted on January 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s a mystery lad in a newsboy cap! How to Wear a Hat – Newsboy Cap Edition How to Wear a Hat — ‘Grapes of Wrath’ Edition Movieland Mystery Photo – Newsboy Cap Edition I Movieland Mystery Photo – Newsboy … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashions, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Charlie Chaplin Comes to Hollywood

Posted on January 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

Oct. 16, 1917: An architect’s rendering of Chaplin’s studios in The Times Ninety-five years ago, comedian Charlie Chaplin constructed the first beautiful studio lot in Hollywood, the first to offer style to filmmaking. What had been merely an industry housed … Continue reading →

Posted in 1917, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Laurel and Hardy Meet Laurel y Hardy

Posted on January 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

I thought it would be fun to compare “Chickens Come Home” and “Politiquerias,” which aired recently on Turner Classic Movies. A shot-by-shot comparison shows that even though they use the same plot and camera setups, the English- and Spanish-language versions … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

TCM: Fail

Posted on January 19, 2013 by lmharnisch

Hobart Bosworth’s previously unknown role as Bob the Tomato.

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

Millennial Moment: Ban on Blood Donations From Gay Men Urged

Posted on January 18, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 18, 1983: Gay men are “known to be at increased risk of acquiring a mysterious and often fatal new disease that suppresses the body’s immune system” so the National Hemophilia Foundation is seeking to bar them from donating blood, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1983, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Medicine, Millennial Moments, Religion, Television | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Millennial Moment: Ban on Blood Donations From Gay Men Urged

Happy Birthday, Mack Sennett!

Posted on January 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory notes that today is Mack Sennett’s birthday. Read Mary’s post on Sennett here.

Posted in 1880, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on January 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery photo, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Thanks, Mary! This is Gloria Dickson, who burned to death in a fire in 1945.

Posted in 1945, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Deadly LAPD Beating: Officer Describes Arrest

Posted on January 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 17, 1943: District attorney’s investigators question Police Sgt. James F. Martin about the arrest of Stanley H. Beebe, who died after being beaten by LAPD officers. Martin said that he got a bloody nose and two broken ribs in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hill Street, LAPD, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on January 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery photo, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Thanks, Mary! Nobody guessed our fellow — let me see if I can find more photos of him before revealing the answer.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Ferdinand Earle – Found on EBay

Posted on January 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

A lot of material belonging to Ferdinand Earle (d. 1951) has been listed on EBay. Earle was an art director, writer and director in the silent era. The photo above is from “Womanhood,” on which he was art director. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Ferdinand Earle – Found on EBay

It’s Jan. 15. Trim your roses

Posted on January 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Yes it’s Jan. 15. I remember it very quietly by trimming my roses.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

U.S. Lifts Ban on L.A. Paper Accused of Treason, Jan. 17, 1863

Posted on January 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Read the entire Los Angeles Star of Jan. 17, 1863, courtesy of USC and the Huntington Library. Jan. 17, 1863: The Star notes that after a year of being banned from the U.S. mails for publishing treasonous articles in support … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Civil War | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on U.S. Lifts Ban on L.A. Paper Accused of Treason, Jan. 17, 1863

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on January 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s a mystery chap courtesy of Mary Mallory. Thanks, Mary!! This is Felix Knight. Please congratulate Mike Hawks and Bob Hansen for identifying him!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Jerry Giesler, Miracle Man

Posted on January 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

Photo: Walter Wanger, left, and Jerry Giesler. Courtesy of Mary Mallory. Long before Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., Richard “Racehorse” Haynes, or F. Lee Bailey hit the scene, soft-spoken, circumspect Jerry Giesler iced his competition as Los Angeles’ top criminal defense … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

‘Gangster Squad’: Fail – Part 1

Posted on January 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Uh-oh. Nobody should be surprised — least of all Warner Bros. — that  “Gangster Squad” is a terrible movie. Anyone who saw the trailers or heard the industry gossip knew that it was going to be dreadful. It was a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, Fashion, Fashions, Film, History, Hollywood, LAPD, Mickey Cohen | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

How Not to Wear a Hat, Gangster Squad Edition

Posted on January 12, 2013 by lmharnisch

How to look like a hayseed just off the farm in really expensive clothes, as demonstrated by Sean Penn in “Gangster Squad,” costume design by Mary Zophres. Why does Hollywood have such a difficult time with men’s hats?

Posted in Fashion, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

‘Gangster Squad’ a Thumbnail Review

Posted on January 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

“Gangster Squad” is bad. It’s very bad. It’s even very, very bad. I laughed several times in fact, despite my best efforts not to. I’ll write more later but here’s a start: I should say something about a spoiler alert … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Pray for Me, I’m Going to See ‘Gangster Squad’

Posted on January 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

I am heading  off to see “Gangster Squad” this morning, not because I expect it to be good, but because I expect it to be very, very bad, as already reflected by the first reviews and the trailers. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Black Dahlia, City Hall, Downtown, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments