Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

January 21, 1947: ‘Model Prisoners’ Slip From Custody at Night to Commit Burglaries

Posted on January 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 21, 1947: Marley Griggs and his sidekick Oliver Gebhart had the perfect alibi for the burglary of a market on Western Avenue—they were already in custody 60 miles away. But then they outsmarted themselves. Continue reading →

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January 21, 1907: L.A. Hosts First Car Show on the West Coast

Posted on January 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 21, 1907: Los Angeles hosts the first car show in L.A. and the West Coast. The show, at Morley’s Skating Ring on Grand between 9th and 10th, featured 97 gas-powered cars and two electric autos. Dignitaries included Barney Oldfield and Henry Ford, The Times said. Continue reading →

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January 20, 1947: ‘Good Night. Sleep Peacefully With Compliments of Jacks’

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 20, 1947: Florabel Muir recounts the murder scene of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. TW: graphic contents. Continue reading →

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January 20, 1947: Virginia Mayo Disappears!

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 20, 1947: With the city in the grips of the Black Dahlia murder, Los Angeles wonders: Where is Virginia Mayo? Or at least some publicist worries enough to feed the item to Louella Parsons at the Examiner. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for January 2026

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

The first session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch. This time, I discussed the October 1948 issue of True Detective, which led to the Leslie Dillon debacle. Continue reading →

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January 20, 1907: Architectural Ramblings

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 20, 1907: H.J. Brainerd offers “portable homes,” some of which can still be found in Los Angeles today. Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Ethel B. Higgins, Photographer and Botanist

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory profiles Ethel B. Higgins, an early Hollywood photographer who became a leading botanist in her later years. Continue reading →

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January 19, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1959: The hosts of a Beverly Hills party horrify their guests by trying to show that their antique glassware is unbreakable and end up smashing most of it. But it’s all a joke, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading →

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January 19, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1959: Paul Coates gets a call Max Factor’s studio in response to a column about a toupee thief. The hair specialist assures Coates that he “hasn’t got enough time left to get completely bald.” Coates died nine years later at the age of 47. Continue reading →

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January 19, 1947: Watch Out for His Left Jab!

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1947: Southern Pacific conductor Clinton White, a southpaw, fights off two holdup men by throwing a mean left jab. Continue reading →

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January 19, 1942: Lombard’s Body Recovered From Crash

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1942: The bodies of actress Carole Lombard and eight other people are recovered from the wreckage of a DC-3 that crashed in Nevada. Continue reading →

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January 19, 1907: A Conductor Throws Caution to the Winds

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1907: At great risk to his health and finances, Harley Hamilton will conduct his Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra in the West Coast premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. The orchestra, which eventually disbanded, was a competitor with the later Los Angeles Philharmonic. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow. Mystery movie update: The consensus has been to keep doing what I’ve been doing, but perhaps include more recent films. And so I will. Thank you for playing! Continue reading →

Posted in 1973, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

January 17, 1947: Big Bill Tilden Gets Jail for Morals Case Involving Teenage Boy

Posted on January 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 17, 1947: William (Big Bill) Tilden, 54-year-old internationally known tennis star, yesterday was sentenced to serve nine months in the County Jail with a road gang recommendation by Juvenile Judge A.A. Scott for contributing to the delinquency of a 14-year-old boy. Continue reading →

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January 17, 1907: The Changing Face of the City

Posted on January 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 17, 1907: Man who hadn’t been to Los Angeles since 1848 keeps getting lost. Continue reading →

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

Posted on January 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 17, 1863: The Los Angeles Star notes that after a year of being banned from the U.S. mails for publishing treasonous articles in support of the Confederacy, it will once more be available through the mail. Continue reading →

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January 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock recounts the war story of a wounded sailor, expected to die, who was revived by a glass of brandy from a nurse. Continue reading →

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January 16, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 16, 1959: Paul Coates on the story of Butch Harris, who was refused admission to the Cub Scouts because he was Black. Continue reading →

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January 16, 1947: Teachers Call ‘Song of the South’ Racist Propaganda

Posted on January 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 16, 1947: Local 27 of the American Federation of Teachers, meeting in Washington, called the Disney feature film “Song of the South” “insidious and subtle propaganda against the Negro.” Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on January 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short

Posted on January 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 15: Today is the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death. As is the custom, the Daily Mirror will be dark. Trim your roses in her memory. Continue reading →

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