Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 17, 1941

Posted on March 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

        March 17, 1941: Turn back the Hollywood clock about two years to the time when an ex-vaudevillian was struggling for radio recognition. After two or three broadcasts he found himself on the proverbial horns of a … Continue reading →

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Jim Murray, March 17, 1961

Posted on March 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

There have been a great many heroes of Irish ancestry in the world of sport. But I suppose the one who always comes to mind first is John L. Sullivan. John L., pounding on the bar with his great fist and shouting “When John L. Sullivan drinks, everybody drinks” and “I can lick any man in the house” has become part of the legend of sport, Jim Murray says.
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Posted in #Jim Murray, 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Sports | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Pages of History — ‘The Truth About Los Angeles’

Posted on March 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Thanks to the Huntington Library, I was able to obtain a photocopy of Louis Adamic’s “The Truth About Los Angeles,” one of hundreds of little pamphlets published by Emanuel Haldeman-Julius. I was vaguely aware of these pamphlets but … Continue reading →

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 16, 1941

Posted on March 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

        March 16, 1941: In one of the famous tragedies of Hollywood lore, Christopher Quinn, the son of Anthony and Katherine De Mille Quinn, drowns in a fish pond on the estate of W.C. Fields, 2015 De … Continue reading →

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Jim Murray, March 16, 1961

Posted on March 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

        March 16, 1961: Around the league, Elgin [Baylor] is known as "The Big Hurt." He's a four Band-Aid player. The man assigned to cover him usually stocks up with liniment and aspirin and approaches his task … Continue reading →

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Austrians Plan Worldwide War Against Judaism, March 16, 1921

Posted on March 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

          March 16, 1921: Edna Wallace Hopper, who about two wives ago was the wife of De Wolf Hopper, is in the city. She is reported as forming her own picture company and said yesterday that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, art and artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Religion | Comments Off on Austrians Plan Worldwide War Against Judaism, March 16, 1921

Chicken Boy

Posted on March 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Bruce Cox/Los Angeles Times Feb. 5, 1970: Behold the wonder of Chicken Boy on the roof of a restaurant on Broadway near 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles. In 1977, Art Seidenbaum looked at oversized signs as part … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970, 1977, Architecture, art and artists, Art Seidenbaum, Downtown, Food and Drink, Photography | 2 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 15, 1941

Posted on March 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

             March 15, 1941: Tom Treanor writes about two articles on Los Angeles, one in Fortune magazine and the other in Western Advertising, by Ramsey Oppenheim. Treanor says: “In trying to interpret Los Angeles, Mr. … Continue reading →

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Jim Murray, March 15, 1961

Posted on March 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

             March 15, 1961: Jim Murray watches a broadcast of the Floyd Patterson – Ingemar Johansson fight at the Orpheum Theatre on Broadway.  

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Another Good Story Ruined — The Black Dahlia

Posted on March 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

I received a news alert the other day about an upcoming play titled “The Chanteuse and the Devil’s Muse” in which Daniele Watts will portray Mady Comfort, at left, purportedly “Elizabeth Short's best friend.” I honestly don’t know how such … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Coming Attractions, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Stage | 6 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo Fan — Eve Golden

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Eve Golden, a regular Daily Mirror reader and Mystery Photo fan, is a photo archivist in New York and has written several show business biographies, including “Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara” and “Platinum Girl: The Life … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Mystery Photo, Photography | 2 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 14, 1941

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

           March 14, 1941: Some time ago, this column told of the work of Ruby Berkley Goodwin, the Fullerton Negro poetess whose work has attracted national attention. Wendell Malliet & Co., New York, have just announced … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1961, art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Obituaries, Tom Treanor | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This is Sally Marr, Lenny Bruce's mother. She is conferring with Frankie Ray ("Dracula's Dog") Perelli on the set of the film "Cinderella." Please congratulate RJ, Dewey Webb and Mary … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 5 Comments

Jim Murray, Feb. 27, March 14, 1961

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

            Feb. 27, 1961: Jim Murray takes his wife and two other women to see boxing at the Olympic. One question: The best way to wash blood out of boxers’ trunks. Murray writes a nice … Continue reading →

Posted in #Jim Murray, 1961, broadcasting, Columnists, Film, Sports, Television | 1 Comment

In Walter (Cronkite) We Trust, March 14, 1981

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

             March 14, 1981: Howard Rosenberg, The Times Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic, watches Dan Rather’s debut in taking over from Walter Cronkite on the “CBS Evening News” and he is not a happy man. Art … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, @news, art and artists, Art Seidenbaum, Blues, broadcasting, Columnists, Comics, Howard Rosenberg, Television, Walter Cronkite | 2 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined: Saucers Over L.A.! — Part 7

Posted on March 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

        These days, many of The Times photos and negatives are held at UCLA. Here’s one of two negatives that Scott Harrison of our photo department got from the archives. As I said at the beginning, the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Another Good Story Ruined, Photography, UFOs | 4 Comments

Jim Murray, March 13, 1961

Posted on March 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

            March 13, 1961: Jim Murray writes from Palm Springs about a game between the Angels and the Cubs. “The opposition was the Chicago Cubs, not formidable under the best of circumstances, but this was … Continue reading →

Posted in #Jim Murray, 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Sports | 2 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined: Saucers Over L.A.! — Part 6

Posted on March 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

        July 8, 1947: The first links between the searchlight photo, the Battle of Los Angeles and flying saucers seem to have emerged in the late 1940s.  A Times editorial dismissing UFOs compared them to the mystery … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay — Rube Wolf

Posted on March 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

This poster from the 1935 showing of “The President Vanishes” at the Paramount Theatre has been listed on EBay. Fans of vintage typography (you know who you are) this is for you! Bidding starts at $400, which is too rich … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Downtown, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Music | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Rube Wolf

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 12, 1941

Posted on March 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

           March 12, 1941: The first 100 pages of James Hilton’s “Random Harvest” are disappointing but the rest of the novel more than makes up for it, Lee Shippey says. Tom Treanor talks to some watchmakers … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | 2 Comments