Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Second Takes – ‘Naked City’

Posted on July 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

March 10, 1948: “Naked City” opens in Los Angeles. Credit: Los Angeles Times Several years ago, when Kim Cooper of the 1947project and I were briefly discussing a book, I did some research on film noir, particularly “Naked City,” the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1948, Film, Hollywood, New York, Obituaries, Photography, Second Takes | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Found on EBay – Hotel Huntington

Posted on July 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

Main and 8th via Google maps’ street view. A postcard of the Hotel Huntington at Main and 8th streets has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $3.

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

#art, #authors, #genealogy, #history, #museums 7|27|2011

Posted on July 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster. Credit: RM Auctions via the New York Times. SPOTLIGHT The University of Virginia has posted audio clips of William Faulkner recorded in 1957-58. The home page is here. If you have never heard … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Genealogy, Libraries, Museums, Nightclubs, Pasadena, Preservation, Television | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #art, #authors, #genealogy, #history, #museums 7|27|2011

James Curtis: L.A. Voices – Dick Lane, Part 2

Posted on July 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

This is Part 2 of James Curtis’ 1975 interview with Dick Lane. In this segment, Lane discusses his start in films in Los Angeles, making “Union Pacific” with Cecil B. De Mille, Howard Hughes’ takeover of RKO  and making “Boom … Continue reading →

Posted in 1975, Brain Trust, Film, Hollywood, James Curtis, L.A. Voices | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – C.C. Pierce

Posted on July 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

A hand-colored postcard published by M. Rieder of Los Angeles, based on a photograph by the studio of C.C. Pierce, has been listed on EBay. Pierce was an early photographer in Los Angeles who mostly specialized in buildings and atmospheric … Continue reading →

Posted in Found on EBay, Latinos, Photography | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – C.C. Pierce

#film, #history, #museums, 7|26|2011

Posted on July 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: “Dear Friend Hitler.” Tripti Lahiri writes in the Wall Street Journal about “Dear Friend Hitler.” Based on the previews, the movie is “Gandhi” meets “Downfall“  meets “The Sound of Music,” in Hindi with an all-Indian cast. A less charitable … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, Film, History, Hollywood, Museums, Obituaries | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

‘Zoot Suit’ and History — Part 5

Posted on July 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

Cartoon: A troubling moment in “Mary Worth’s Family,” June 1, 1943. Credit: Los Angeles Times June 1, 1943: It is impossible to accurately determine, so long after the fact, why a May 31, 1943, brawl between zoot-suiters and sailors wasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Books and Authors, Fashion, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History — Part 5

Found on EBay – Mullen & Bluett

Posted on July 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

This postcard showing the new building of Mullen & Bluett (d. 1969) which became Grodins (d. 1972) has been listed on EBay. And here’s the building as shown on Google map’s street view. Bidding on the postcard starts at 99 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910, Architecture, Downtown, Fashion, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Mullen & Bluett

Robbers Kill LAPD Officer in Shootout, July 24, 1934

Posted on July 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Stanford Avenue and 33rd Street via Google maps’ street view. Stanford Avenue and 33rd Street is one of those little pockets of old houses in Los Angeles that looks like it hasn’t changed much since 1934, when two men in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

#genealogy, #history, 7|25|2011

Posted on July 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Manhattan c. 1626. Credit: New England Historic Genealogical Society via the New York Times. SPOTLIGHT Alison Leigh Cowan takes a look at the history of the Van Dusen family in Sunday’s New York Times. Andrew Van Dusen learned that … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, Genealogy, History | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on July 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 1940 Ford Siebert hearse converted to a delivery sedan, $49,000 on Hemmings.com   Queen of the Dead—dateline July 25, 2011   • July 22 saw the death of the first Bond Girl, Linda Christian, 87. Her career was pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Brain Trust, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Music, Nightclubs, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | 1 Comment

Photos That Make Us Wonder

Posted on July 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

OK, does anyone else wonder about the main picture in the Shalikashvili obituary in The Times?

Posted in Obituaries, Photography | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

#architecture, #books, #history, #museums, 7|23|2011 [Updated]

Posted on July 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photos: Josef Mengele’s notebooks. Credit: Alexander Autographs. RECOMMENDED Randy Kennedy of the New York Times catches up with famous/notorious graffiti artist/tagger TAKI 183 at a book signing for “The History of American Graffiti.” Rex Huppke’s ‘I Just Work Here’ Column … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, History, Immigration, Museums, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #architecture, #books, #history, #museums, 7|23|2011 [Updated]

El Segundo Revisited

Posted on July 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

orman Frederick Gagnon looks like an excellent suspect in the unsolved killing of two El Segundo police officers last year. In an incident quite similar to the El Segundo case, Charles H. May and a female companion (The Times, fortunately, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , | Comments Off on El Segundo Revisited

Found on EBay – Hoffman’s Cafe

Posted on July 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

The 700 block of South Spring Street via Google maps’ street view. For years, 743 S. Spring was the home of Levy’s Cafe, but sometime in the early 1920s the address became Hoffman’s. It’s not clear from The Times’ clips … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay, Interior Design | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Hoffman’s Cafe

Nixon Library Releases New Recordings

Posted on July 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

The Associated Press has filed a story on the Nixon Library and Museum’s release of more Nixon recordings. Of course, that’s not good enough for the Daily Mirror, so we tracked them down ourselves. The library has released digital recordings … Continue reading →

Posted in Libraries, Politics, Richard Nixon | Tagged , | Comments Off on Nixon Library Releases New Recordings

Death in El Segundo

Posted on July 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

July 22, 1957Los Angeles Note: This is a post from 2007. We’re heading west on Rosecrans Avenue. It’s early Monday morning, a few moments after 1:30 a.m., and the streets are dark. There’s nobody out but a few drunks and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror’s Discerning Readers

Posted on July 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

I must say, the L.A. Daily Mirror readers are truly outstanding. My traffic indicates that they prefer old type fonts to nude photos by a slight margin. At left, the Selectric OCR font in all its glory. I think the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Found on EBay, Photography, Witzel | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The L.A. Daily Mirror Is 39 (Days) Old!

Posted on July 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Jack Benny,  forever 39.  e’re celebrating our 39th day at the L.A. Daily Mirror by taking time to thank the readers for their patience as we unpack boxes and get accustomed to the new place. Our numbers are slowly … Continue reading →

Posted in 1939 | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Found on EBay – Arroyo Seco Parkway

Posted on July 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

This postcard of the new Arroyo Seco Parkway, a name that has been restored after decades of being called the Pasadena Freeway, has been listed on EBay. For more than a year, drivers have had to contend with construction of … Continue reading →

Posted in Found on EBay, Freeways, Transportation | Tagged , , | 2 Comments