Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer, Sept. 3, 1941

Posted on September 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 3, 1941: OK, Maj. Tucker,  let me get this straight. You and your wife, Marie, got home from  a party, where both of you had been drinking. She was in the bedroom and you were in the kitchen making … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer, Sept. 3, 1941

Revival of Wet-Plate Photography

Posted on September 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: “Heather,” done in a wet-plate process. Credit: Robert Christian Malmberg We will be drinking nothing but clear liquids at the Daily Mirror HQ today in memory of Dr. William Wolff, who helped develop the colonoscopy. Yes, they’re annoying, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Medicine, Obituaries, Photography, San Francisco, Washington | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Coming Attractions: Telluride

Posted on September 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s the schedule for Telluride, Friday through Monday.

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Marion Eisenmann: Artist’s Notebook – Grand Central Market

Posted on September 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

“Grand Central Market” by Marion Eisenmann Note: I’m reposting artwork that Marion Eisenmann did with the Daily Mirror when it was at latimes.com. This one is from 2010. Marion will be giving monthly classes in plein air painting on Thursdays … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Artist's Notebook, Coming Attractions, Downtown, Food and Drink, Libraries, Marion Eisenmann | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Marion Eisenmann: Artist’s Notebook – Grand Central Market

Found on EBay – Cafe Frankenstein

Posted on September 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

A group of slides taken by a Southern California artist has been listed on EBay. Most of the other slides are billboards that the artist apparently did. But this one of the Cafe Frankenstein Coffee House in Laguna Beach c. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on September 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s today’s mystery fellow! Notice the mystery coiffure.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Tenor Salvatore Licitra in Coma – Video

Posted on September 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

There is very little news on the condition of tenor Salvatore Licitra, who remains in a coma after he apparently lost control of his Vespa and crashed on Saturday, sustaining head and chest injuries. This video (in Italian) includes an … Continue reading →

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Sept. 1, 1941

Posted on September 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 1, 1941: I thought it would be interesting to check in with our friends in 1941, since Pearl Harbor is only three months away. Times editorial cartoonist Bruce Russell’s Labor Day drawing says that it’s unpatriotic to strike in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Sept. 1, 1941

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on August 31, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery photo courtesy of Steven Bibb! Interesting pose. Look how she’s got her feet. [Update: This is Rosita Diaz, who was reportedly executed by firing squad “for using her Latin charms as a spy.”]

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Smithsonian Plans Exhibit on Paradox of Jefferson and Slavery

Posted on August 31, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: “New Native Photography”; “Shiprock Fair, 2009.” Credit: Jinniibaah Manuelito Jacqueline Trescott of the Washington Post writes that the Smithsonian Institution and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello are collaborating on a new exhibit about Jefferson and slavery. “Jefferson and … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Books and Authors, History, Medicine, Museums, Native Americans, Photography | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Smithsonian Plans Exhibit on Paradox of Jefferson and Slavery

James Curtis: L.A. Voices – Dick Lane, Part 7

Posted on August 31, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Spade Cooley, named the honorary mayor of Encino, gives dictation to secretary Gloria Murphy, who is riding his stallion, Golden Nugget, 1954. This is Part 7 of James Curtis’ 1975 interview with Dick Lane. In this segment, Lane discusses … Continue reading →

Posted in 1982, Film, Hollywood, James Curtis, L.A. Voices, Obituaries, Television | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Found on EBay – Hartsook Portrait

Posted on August 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

This Hartsook photo of Anita King as a gypsy girl, possibly from the 1915 film “Carmen” starring Geraldine Farrar and Wallace Reid, has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $24.97.

Posted in 1915, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Hartsook Portrait

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on August 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: This is Carrie Finnell. Please congratulate Dewey Webb for identifying her. Finnell (d. 1963) was a famous stripteuse of the 1920s and ‘30s who invented the art of tassel twirling with her “educated muscles,” shown here in repose. ] … Continue reading →

Posted in Mystery Photo, Photography, Stage | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Tenor Salvatore Licitra in Coma, Fights Lung Inflammation

Posted on August 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Tenor Salvatore Licitra remains in a coma after an accident Saturday night in which he crashed his Vespa, sustaining injuries to his head and chest.  According to Italian news reports, doctors at Garibaldi Hospital say Licitra is on a ventilator … Continue reading →

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Rosa Parks Archives Off-Limits to Scholars

Posted on August 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The Rosa Parks archive. Credit: Guernsey’s Auctioneers.   Julian Bond and Jeanne Theoharis have a piece in the Washington Post’s opinion pages tracing the troubled history of Rosa Parks’ archives. Parks’ papers and other items have been caught in … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, History, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 7

Posted on August 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: June 8, 1943 — A mob of servicemen stop a streetcar on Main Street to remove a passenger wearing a zoot suit. Here’s a second radio address by Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron, delivered June 16, 1943, on the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Radio, San Francisco, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 7

Found on EBay – Witzel Photo of Dorothy Dalton

Posted on August 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

This Witzel portrait of actress Dorothy Dalton has been listed on EBay. That’s some fur coat she is wearing! The photo is listed as Buy It Now for $14.99.

Posted in Fashion, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Photography, Witzel | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Witzel Photo of Dorothy Dalton

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on August 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: No one identified mystery woman Ruth Clifford (d. 1998) in “Hollywood Boulevard” which featured former mystery folks Esther Ralston, Jack Mulhall, Betty Compson and Creighton Hale!]. Here’s today’s mystery woman, courtesy of Steven Bibb!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Tenor Salvatore Licitra ‘Struggling Valiantly’ After Crash

Posted on August 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra is in serious but stable condition, according to Sergio Pintaudi of Garibaldi Hospital in Catania, where the singer is being treated for head and chest injuries after crashing on his Vespa Saturday night. Pintaudi said … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on August 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 2001 Chevy Suburban hearse for sale on EBay. Bidding starts at $7,000. Queen of the Dead – dateline August 29, 2011 • When songwriting great Jerry Leiber (“Hound Dog,” “Ready to Begin Again,” “Yakety Yak,” “Stand By Me,” “On … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments