Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Ray Bradbury — Newsboy

Posted on August 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 27, 1947: Ray Bradbury, who once sold newspapers at Olympic and Norton, publishes “Dark Carnival,” a book of short stories.

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors | Tagged | 3 Comments

Found on EBay – Witzel Mystery Photo

Posted on August 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

This Witzel studio photo, which the vendor says shows a child performer named Hamilton, has been listed on EBay. I cannot locate anything on a child performer by this name. Bidding starts at $9.99.

Posted in Found on EBay, Mystery Photo, Photography, Witzel | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Job-Hunting Lessons From the Great Depression

Posted on August 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Help wanted, July 27, 1941. Credit: Los Angeles Times Joe Light in the Wall Street Journal looks at job-hunting lessons from the Great Depression. Interviews with historians and Depression-era job seekers suggest that the formula for finding work hasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, History | Tagged , | Comments Off on Job-Hunting Lessons From the Great Depression

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on August 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 2003 Cadillac hearse for sale on EBay. Bidding starts at $10,000. Queen of the Dead – dateline August 22, 2011   • The godfather of Mondo Cinema, Gualtiero Jacopetti, died at 92 on August 17. The director of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Television, World War II | Comments Off on Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Found on EBay – Zoot Suit!

Posted on August 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

What appears to be an original zoot suit, with reet pleat, drape shape and stuff cuff,  has been listed on EBay. According to the vendor, this suit was in the wardrobe department of a movie studio. There is no label, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Fashion, Found on EBay, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , | 3 Comments

LAPD Pistol Team – 1934 [Updated]

Posted on August 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The LAPD pistol team puts on a demonstration at the Auto Club headquarters in 1934. Credit: “Three Cars in Every Garage: A Motorist’s History of the Automobile and the Automobile Club of Southern California,” Page 164. Did they really … Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Books and Authors, LAPD, Photography, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Culinary Historians Used Cookbook Sale — See You There!

Posted on August 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The Santa Barbara Junior League Cookbook, 1939. Credit: L.A. Daily Mirror archives. The Culinary Historians of Southern California will hold its annual used cookbook sale on Aug. 21 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hollywood Farmers Market, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Rave Review on Amazon, Only $5

Posted on August 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Edsel Ford III, left, and Edsel Ford II at the wheel of the Model 40. Credit: Edsel and Eleanor Ford House. David Streitfeld of the New York Times reports on how authors, restaurants and hotels can buy a positive … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, Music, Religion, Transportation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Rave Review on Amazon, Only $5

What Are the 50 Best Books About L.A.?

Posted on August 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

I don’t care much for lists because they’re usually nothing but “flame bait.”*  The BBC is an abundant source of these dictums, such as “100 Smashing Top-Drawer Books That Everyone Who Aspires to Cultural Literacy Should Read,” which is second … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, History, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Found on EBay – Cursed House $666

Posted on August 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Note: This is funniest EBay entry I have seen in years. Bidding starts at $666. Cursed Land and/or House Five pounds of land removed from the center of the basement of the cursed house. If the bid goes over 80k, … Continue reading →

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

Tip Jar

Posted on August 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

I have often said that the Daily Mirror is a labor of love for everyone who contributes their work. And it is. There are a few minor expenses of operating the website, books for the Daily Mirror HQ, etc. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Tip Jar

Mike Wallace Interviews

Posted on August 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

I stumbled into a trove of interesting interviews by Mike Wallace that are online at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Austin at Texas. Here’s Wallace’s Aug. 25, 1957, interview with the notorious Freddie Otash, the former LAPD … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, 1958, Film, Hollywood, Television | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Scarlett’s Costumes Nearly ‘Gone With the Wind’

Posted on August 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Crane bathroom fixtures. Credit: Life magazine, April 29, 1957.   We grew up in a sterile, cookie-cutter home, on a sterile, cookie-cutter street, in a sterile suburb of Chicago, where all the people were white and all the bathrooms … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, African Americans, Architecture, Fashion, Film, Futurism, Hollywood, Interior Design, Preservation, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Coming Attractions: Classes With Marion Eisenmann

Posted on August 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

“Santa Anita Racetrack,” by Marion Eisenmann Marion Eisenmann, who shares her artwork with the Daily Mirror in Artist’s Notebook, will be giving monthly classes in plein air painting on Thursdays at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Artist's Notebook, Coming Attractions, Marion Eisenmann | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: Classes With Marion Eisenmann

Mystery Witzel Photo

Posted on August 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

This Witzel photo has been posted on EBay. Judging by the stamp on the back, it’s some celebrity, but the woman isn’t identified. OK, brain trust, what do you think? Bidding starts at $24.99.

Posted in Brain Trust, Mystery Photo, Photography, Witzel | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Location Sleuth: Lasky Mesa

Posted on August 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: “Charge of the Light Brigade,” filmed at Lasky Mesa. James Curtis’ interview with Dick Lane touched on a filming location known as Lasky Mesa. Films shot there include “Rose of the Rancho” 1914, “The Thundering Herd” (1925), “The Charge … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, History, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Location Sleuth, Parks, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Woman Executed for Sex With Dog, 1677

Posted on August 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Mujeres listas para recivir a Rabago, 1911. Credit: Walter H. Horne/Getty Research Institute “A Nation Emerges,” featuring images of the Mexican Revolution, will go  on display at the Central Library from Sept. 8 to June 3. The exhibit, presented … Continue reading →

Posted in 1677, Animals, Crime and Courts, History, Libraries, Photography | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Found on EBay – Witzel Photograph

Posted on August 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

This Witzel photo of actress Dorothy Phillips has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $19.99. Phillips received a one-paragraph obituary in The Times on March 10, 1980.

Posted in Fashion, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Photography, Witzel | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Location Sleuth: ‘Crime Wave’

Posted on August 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

Back in 2008, Scott of Tropico Station decided to revisit Glendale locations used in “Crime Wave.” Voila! Photo 1: “Crime Wave.” Photo 2: San Fernando road looking north. Credit: Tropico Station.

Posted in Architecture, Film, History, Hollywood, Location Sleuth, Photography | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

James Curtis: L.A. Voices – Dick Lane, Part 5

Posted on August 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Dick Lane with Laurel and Hardy in “The Bullfighters.” This is Part 5 of James Curtis’ 1975 interview with Dick Lane. In this segment, Lane discusses Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, making “Wonder Man” with Danny Kaye and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, James Curtis, L.A. Voices, Television | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments