Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 12

Posted on October 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer in the Last Remaining Seats series.  The Times ignored the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots for several days, in what … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 12

Real or Fake Photo? An EBay Lesson [Updated]

Posted on October 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

This photo was recently listed on EBay as being taken at the Florentine Gardens in 1944. And it caught my eye because it doesn’t look anything like the interior of that nightclub (a Buddha at the Florentine Gardens… you think?) … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Photography | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Real or Fake Photo? An EBay Lesson [Updated]

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on October 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 1940 La Salle hearse for sale on EBay. Bidding starts at $8,500. Queen of the Dead—dateline October 17, 2011  •  Another cast member from I, Claudius (known to my friends as I, Clavdivs, or I, Clamdip) is gone: George … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Stage, Television | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – The Follies Burlesque

Posted on October 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

This photo of dancers at the Follies Burlesque on Main Street has been listed on EBay. The vendor hasn’t identified the source of the picture or the dancers’ names, but says it dates to the 1950s.  Bidding on the photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, Downtown, Found on EBay, Photography, Stage | Tagged , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – The Follies Burlesque

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated +++]

Posted on October 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: This is Cullen Landis (d. 1975), who starred in the real-life mystery “Where’s Cullen?” The Times, alas, did not write an obituary on him, but here’s one from AP.] Here’s another mystery photo from Steven Bibb!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Remembering ‘Injun Summer’ – But Not in a Good Way

Posted on October 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Detail of “Injun Summer” (d. 1992), by John T. McCutcheon, once an annual fall tradition of the Chicago Tribune. The old man tells the boy: “Don’t be skeered — hain’t none around here now, leastways no live ones.’” An … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Chicago, Medicine, Museums, Native Americans, Preservation, Transportation | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Nazimova and the Garden of Allah

Posted on October 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 10, 1927: The Garden of “Alla” (later changed to Allah) at Sunset Boulevard and Havenhurst Drive. Sunset Boulevard and Havenhurst Drive via Google’s Street View. This postcard showing the home of actress Alla Nazimova has been listed on EBay. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, Architecture, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Memorial Honors Victims of American Airlines Flight 191

Posted on October 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: A video simulation of the crash of Flight 191. Credit: History Channel. Madhu Krishnamurthy writes in the Chicago Daily Herald that more than 1,000 people are expected to attend the unveiling on Saturday of a memorial in Des Plaines, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1979, Aviation, Chicago, Obituaries, Parks | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Advice for Aspiring Screenwriters

Posted on October 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

“How to Write Photo-Plays” by Clarence J. Caine has been listed on EBay and describes the art of writing silent films as it was in 1915. (Hint: Do not make your scenarios too realistic. ) The book also includes a … Continue reading →

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

‘Art Along the Hyphen’ Opens at the Autry

Posted on October 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Latinas in the New World, a new online exhibit.   Dahleen Glanton, writing in the Chicago Tribune, uses the death of the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth to examine the idea that teaching about the American civil rights movement has been … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Latinos, Museums | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Wilshire Bowl, 5665 Wilshire Blvd.

Posted on October 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

A matchbook from the Wilshire Bowl for sale on EBay, listed as Buy It Now for $7.19. Mary Mallory was curious about the Wilshire Bowl, where the Silver Screen Revue was staged in 1941. The bowl, at 5665 Wilshire Blvd., … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Architecture, Art & Artists, Found on EBay, Nightclubs, Preservation | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Found on EBay – Clover Club

Posted on October 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory points out that this matchbook from the Clover Club has been listed on EBay. If you hunt around, you can also find collectors who have chips from the casino. Bidding on this matchbook starts at $4.99.

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Clover Club

Calle de los Negros – A Vanished Landmark

Posted on October 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: 1946 Thomas Bros. Guide showing “Negro Al” The recent controversy over the name of a hunting camp used by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his family sent me to the Daily Mirror archives for a 1946 Thomas Bros. Guide, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, African Americans, Chinese Massacre, Downtown | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Buddy Rogers Denies Rift With Mary Pickford

Posted on October 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 12, 1941: Tom Treanor writes about the era when mourners could board a special funeral car that also carried the casket to the cemetery. C.V. Means, general traffic agent of the Los Angeles Railway, says that anyone can still … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Stage, Streetcars, Tom Treanor | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Exhibit Celebrates Rescue of Chilean Miners

Posted on October 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The rescue capsule emerges, carrying the first of the trapped Chilean miners. Credit: RussiaToday. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History is marking the first anniversary of the 2010 rescue of 33 trapped Chilean miners with “Against All Odds: … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Food and Drink, Latinos, Museums, Television | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Exhibit Celebrates Rescue of Chilean Miners

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 11

Posted on October 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Harry Arnheim of the Hollywood Tropics, 1525 N. Vine St., protests being placed off-limits by the Navy. Credit: National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Crime and Courts, Fashion, Film, Food and Drink, History, Hollywood, Stage, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Coming Attractions: ‘Spencer Tracy: A Biography’

Posted on October 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

The Daily Mirror HQ just acquired “Spencer Tracy: A Biography,” by James Curtis, who recently shared his Dick Lane interview in L.A. Voices. The book isn’t officially out yet, but James did a prerelease book signing last week in conjunction … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, Film, Hollywood, James Curtis, L.A. Voices | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Found on EBay – Selig-Polyscope Projector

Posted on October 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

This early Selig-Polyscope 35-millimeter movie projector has been listed on EBay. Imagine cranking an early – flammable nitrate – film through this apparatus. It’s no wonder that early projection booths were encased in steel in the event of a fire. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood | Tagged | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated ++++]

Posted on October 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: This is Martha Sleeper (d. 1983)] Here’s another mystery photo, courtesy of Steven Bibb!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments

A Vanished Neighborhood Endures in Memory

Posted on October 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nate Schweber of the New York Times writes about a reunion of people who lived in a New York neighborhood that was obliterated during urban renewal. The demolition of the neighborhood is also the subject of a documentary, “The Tragedy … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, History, New York, Preservation | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A Vanished Neighborhood Endures in Memory