Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2026

Posted on April 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this session of the Black Dahlia Ask Me Anything, I address some of the claims in Michael Connelly’s 10-part podcast “Killer in the Code,” claiming a solution in the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Continue reading →

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April 11, 1958: Johnny Stompanato inquest

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 11, 1958: The Mirror publishes excerpts from the inquest of Johnny Stompanato. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious woman who does not approve of such goings-on. Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

April 13, 1908: Dr. Hoffman’s Nerve Syrup Cures ‘Fits’

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 13, 1908: Dr. Hoffman’s “Nerve Syrup” has a pleasant taste and cures epilepsy, St. Vitus Dance and nervous trouble. What exactly is in it? The ad isn’t saying. Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood’s Salute to Atmosphere – The Afton Arms

Posted on April 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory writes about the Afton Arms Apartments in an encore post from 2019. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious woman driving a mysterious horseless carriage. Continue reading →

Posted in 1964, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 32 Comments

Johnny Stompanato, RIP

Posted on April 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 5, 1958: Cheryl Crane fatally stabs Johnny Stompanato at the home of Lana Turner, 730 N. Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills. Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Front Pages, Homicide, Mickey Cohen | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

April 2, 1908: Great White Fleet Out of Tunes, Seeks Songs in the Key of Sea

Posted on April 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 2, 1908: Sailors of the Great White Fleet are tired of the same old songs and want something new to sing, maybe “I’m Afraid to Go Home in the Dark.” Continue reading →

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April 1, 1938: Herbert Hoover on the Rise of Fascism in Europe

Posted on April 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 1, 1938: Herbert Hoover on the the status of Europe: “The Fascist form of government is today a raging power. Its acts are being rationalized into a philosophy. It has now embraced a sort of mysticism based on theories of racialism and nationalism. It is becoming a militant ideology. It does not hold within its original boundaries.” Continue reading →

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Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is April 14

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case is a week later than usual, April 14, 2026, at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywoodland Opens March 31, 1923

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 31, 1923: Hollywoodland opens in the Hollywood Hills, a Mary Mallory encore from 2022. Continue reading →

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March 31, 1908: Traveling Blacksmith Shoes Fire Department Horses

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 31, 1908: A traveling blacksmith shoes the Fire Department’s horses, rather than taking the horses to the farrier. The last fire horse, Blackie, retired in 1923 and spent the rest of his life at Griffith Park, where he died in 1939. Continue reading →

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March 30, 1958: Nancy Joins the Baseball Team?

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30,1958: Ernie Bushmiller, a feminist? Continue reading →

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March 30, 1938: Times Opposes U.S. Haven for Jewish Refugees Fleeing Hitler

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30, 1938: Los Angeles Times opposes U.S. haven for Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1938, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, LAPD, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on March 30, 1938: Times Opposes U.S. Haven for Jewish Refugees Fleeing Hitler

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

For this week’s mystery movie, I’m doing something different: animation. Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, 1952, 1979, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

March 30, 1908: U.S. Seeks to Deport Immigrant Radicals From L.A.

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30, 1908: U.S. immigration official interviews prisoners and mental patients in L.A. in a campaign to deport immigrant radicals. Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘The House I Live In’ Promotes Tolerance

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2016. Though the United States is a nation of immigrants, in times of trouble people act of fear and ignorance, hating and blaming the other for their problems. Throughout the country’s history, … Continue reading →

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November 12, 1960: Former Mirror Writer Beaten to Death – Update

Posted on March 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

Revisiting a cold case from 1960: The hammer murder of reporter/rewrite man Roby Heard. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, March 27, 1944

Posted on March 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

Life Magazine, March 27, 1944: A landing craft transports troops to an Italian beach while an LCI lands troops in New Guinea and New Britain in a profile by John Hersey. Also: lessons on posing a glamour shot and a feature on Alfred Eisenstaedt. Continue reading →

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March 25, 2011: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Centennial

Posted on March 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 25 was the anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, which killed 146 people. Here are Eve Golden’s photos of the memorial held for the centennial in 2011. Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, Fires, New York, Uncategorized | Comments Off on March 25, 2011: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Centennial