Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren’s Invented Memories of Elizabeth Short

Posted on June 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

It’s a bit sad when a superannuated actor writes a memoir about what they think they “remember” about old Hollywood. There’s no truth to Mamie Van Doren’s claim that she knew Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. It’s all imagined. Continue reading →

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June 18, 1947: Actor Jon Hall Says Tale of Being Shot Down in Plane Was a Hoax

Posted on June 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1947: Actor Jon Hall admits he was lying with a story that a bullet tore into the propeller of his plane as he and his wife, Frances Langford, were taking off from Clover Field for Tulare. Continue reading →

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June 18, 1907: Immigration Agent Accused of Poisoning Neighbor’s Dog

Posted on June 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1907: Hazel Schurger accuses neighbor J.J. Brady of poisoning her dog, Baby, with strychnine. Brady was freed after an examination showed that Baby was given a small dose of the poison, incapable of killing the dog immediately as Schurger described. Continue reading →

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June 17, 1947: Bank Robber Shot in Head During Gunfight With LAPD Officers

Posted on June 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 17, 1947: Police shoot a bank robber in the head. Jesse Houston survives and becomes the shuffleboard champion at San Quentin and a noted gardener. Continue reading →

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June 17, 1908: Los Angeles’ First Taxi

Posted on June 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 17, 1908: The first taxicab arrives in Los Angeles. The fare from a hotel to a theater is 30 cents. From Third and Spring to the railroad stations is 50 cents. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for June 2026

Posted on June 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this episode of the Black Dahlia Book Club, I discussed Elizabeth Short’s FBI file, Michael Connelly’s Killer in the Code podcast, a James Ellroy sighting and more. Continue reading →

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June 16, 1947: LAPD Officers Hidden in Bar Kill Watchman Stealing Liquor

Posted on June 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1947: Two LAPD officers staked out at a bar kill night watchman Wanzy Patterson, who crawled through a transom to steal liquor. Officers said they shot Patterson 11 times after he made a move toward his pistol. Continue reading →

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June 16, 1907: Lawyer Edith Foulkes Handles Her Own Divorce Case

Posted on June 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1907: Attorney Edith Foulkes sues her husband, Ralph, for divorce, saying he drank constantly. “Suspecting that his wife was beginning to consider her marriage a failure, he had talked in melancholy fashion of murder and suicide, somewhat to the martial discomfort of Mrs. Foulkes,” The Times said. Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Tsuru Aoki, Lotus Flower of the Cinema

Posted on June 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory profiles Japanese American actress Tsuru Aoki, often obscured by her famous husband, Sessue Hayakawa. An encore post from 2017. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on June 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have two mysterious guests. Continue reading →

Posted in 1951, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

June 10, 1947: Artist John Decker Speaks at His Funeral Via Recording

Posted on June 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 10, 1947: Artist John Decker leaves a recording to be played for mourners at his funeral. He recited a speech from Rostand’s “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming June 16, 2026

Posted on June 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The next session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is June 16 at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch This time I will discuss the FBI files on the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Nation’s First Legally Permitted Gay Pride Parade

Posted on June 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory looks at the nation’s first legally permitted Gay Pride parade, June 28, 1970. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on June 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have some very mysterious guests! Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

June 19, 1958: Scientist disappears

Posted on June 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 9, 1958: Albert Clark Reed is found after disappearing for six years. Continue reading →

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ALLIES INVADE FRANCE! JUNE 6, 1944; Complete Radio Coverage

Posted on June 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

Complete radio coverage of the D-Day invasion. Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: USC Film Student Refuses ‘Uncle Tom’ Role in Radio Play

Posted on June 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1947: USC film student James C. Johnson, a member of the Delta Kappa Alpha cinema fraternity, said he would not play a role in a student’s radio play because it depicted “the Negro as stereotype,” the Sentinel said. Continue reading →

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June 4, 1947: Television Comes to Los Angeles

Posted on June 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 4, 1947: Television comes to Los Angeles on T-Day (March 10, 1947) with KTLA and W6XAO. By June 4, the stations aired baseball, test patterns and Queen for a Day. Continue reading →

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June 4, 1941: Burbank Man Invents Death Ray!

Posted on June 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 4, 1941: A Burbank man claims to have invented a death ray that will kill rabbits at 100 yards. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1941, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Death Rays, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on June 4, 1941: Burbank Man Invents Death Ray!

June 3, 1947: Soldiers Fight Army’s Ban on Japanese Brides

Posted on June 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 3, 1947: In a letter to Pacific Stars and Stripes, enlisted men assigned to Japan urge the Army to lift its ban on marrying Japanese women. Congress eventually granted a one-month period in which veterans could marry Japanese women, resulting in 823 unions. Continue reading →

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