Author Archives: lmharnisch

Unknown's avatar

About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Lon Chaney’s Ghost Haunts Hollywood and Vine!

Posted on October 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 26, 1942: Rosetta (D. 1958) and Vivian (D. 1986) Duncan appear in “Topsy and Eva,” a musical version of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” a musical comedy in which they first appeared in San Francisco in the 1920s. The Duncan sisters … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on October 25, 2012 by lmharnisch

Here’s another photo from the amazing collection of Steven Bibb!

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

Millennial Moment: Iranian Exiles Find a Bit of Home in Santa Monica Park

Posted on October 25, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 25, 1982: Times staff writer Bill Overend profiles Iranian exiles who gather in Santa Monica’s Palisades Park on Sunday afternoons, hundreds of people — mostly Jews and some Muslims — who came to the U.S. because of the Iranian … Continue reading →

Posted in 1982, Immigration, Millennial Moments, Parks, Religion | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Millennial Moment: Iranian Exiles Find a Bit of Home in Santa Monica Park

Feuding Women Sentenced to 90 Days in Same Jail Cell

Posted on October 24, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 24, 1942: Yetta Furst of 2208 Sheridan St. and Anna  Rubenstein of 2214 Sheridan St. had been feuding for 20 years and had been charged with disturbing the peace. Municipal Judge Ida May Adams sentenced them to  90 days … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Crime and Courts, Film, World War II | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on October 23, 2012 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery photo – in color! – from the amazing collection of Steven Bibb.

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

Eve Golden / Queen of the Dead: Margaret Dumont

Posted on October 23, 2012 by lmharnisch

A photo of Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont in “A Day at the Circus,” listed on EBay for $5.95. Margaret Dumont 1882 – 1965 I think we can all agree that Groucho Marx was a real sonofabitch, can’t we? A … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on October 22, 2012 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery photo from the amazing collection of Steven Bibb!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Boosts Itself With a Song

Posted on October 22, 2012 by lmharnisch

  Hollywood Boulevard came into existence in 1910, when Prospect Avenue saw its name changed to Hollywood Boulevard. This was Hollywood’s main street, full of stores, churches and theaters. As the town grew, and especially when movie studios moved to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1929, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Gang Blamed in Riot at Glendale Carnival

Posted on October 19, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 19, 1942: Members of the Van Nuys “Chain Gang” are blamed for a riot that broke out at a carnival in Glendale, leaving one man near death from stab wounds and five others injured. About 30 members of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Millennial Moment: Hit Man Says Car Dealer Belongs to Mafia

Posted on October 18, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 18, 1980: In one of the more unusual revelations in testimony by admitted hit man Jimmy “the Weasel” Fratianno, El Monte Toyota dealer Dominic Longo (d. 1985) is described as a Mafia member. Appearing at the trial of five … Continue reading →

Posted in 1980, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Millennial Moments, Politics, Television | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Coming Attractions: Los Angeles Archives Bazaar

Posted on October 17, 2012 by lmharnisch

The annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar will be held Oct. 27 at USC’s Doheny Memorial Library. The bazaar is an excellent way to become acquainted with the astounding number of libraries and historical societies across the city and their amazingly … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Coming Attractions, History, Libraries | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: Los Angeles Archives Bazaar

Eve Golden / Queen of the Dead: Ada Jones

Posted on October 16, 2012 by lmharnisch

Ada  Jones 1873 – 1922   You youngsters can have your Ladies Gaga and Pinks and Katy Perrys. Give me the great Ada Jones. Ada was the first—and for ten years, the only—female superstar of the early record industry.

Posted in Eve Golden, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on October 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

Here’s today’s mystery photo! Who is the mystery woman and what is the mystery film?

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Little Brown Church in the Valley

Posted on October 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: Republic Studios President Herbert Yates marries Vera Hruba Ralston in 1952. Courtesy of Mary Mallory. Originally ranch land that helped support the city of Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley sometimes seemed slower and a tad more old fashioned … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Religion, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Found on EBay – 1880 History of Los Angeles County

Posted on October 14, 2012 by lmharnisch

A copy of the 1959 reprint of the 1880 “History of Los Angeles County” has been listed on EBay. The book was compiled over five months from newspapers, books, magazines public records and interviews, producing “three large grain sacks” filled … Continue reading →

Posted in 1880, Books and Authors, Found on EBay, History | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – 1880 History of Los Angeles County

Found on EBay – 1910 Aviation Meet

Posted on October 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

This postcard of the 1910 Aviation Meet – showing a photograph by C.C. Pierce — has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $19.99. Notice that even though airplanes received most of the attention, gas balloons also took part in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910, Aviation, Found on EBay, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo – Cats Eye Glasses Edition [Updated]

Posted on October 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

Here’s another photo from the amazing collection of Steven Bibb! Love those glasses!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

Death Rolls the Dice in Friends’ Fatal Craps Game

Posted on October 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 12, 1942: Walter Miller, a 31-year-old lumberyard foreman, and his friend Eddie “Red” Phillips, a 32-year-old mechanic, were shooting dice in the living room of Phillips’ home, 1442 E. 59th St., when they began arguing. Miller was stabbed during … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Aboard the Shuttle Challenger, a Landmark in Women’s History

Posted on October 11, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 11, 1984: Astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, aboard the shuttle Challenger, becomes the first American woman to take a space walk. Sullivan was involved in an experiment to show that it was possible to refuel satellites in space, even if the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Buster Keaton’s ‘The Italian Villa’

Posted on October 10, 2012 by lmharnisch

Buster Keaton seemed to have it all in the mid-1920s. His career was riding high, as the public loved his film comedies, making him one of America’s top film personalities. He had a beautiful wife, Natalie Talmadge, and two lovely … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | 5 Comments