Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Burned Bones Indicate Grim Fate of Missing Family

Posted on August 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 4, 1910: The San Francisco Call. Isn’t that a great font? And two kinds of “Ms.” Aug. 4-5, 1910: The Kendall family disappears from a ranch outside Santa Rosa and investigators find grisly evidence that they were slaughtered. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Countdown to Watts, Homicide, Religion | 2 Comments

Matt Weinstock, Aug. 4, 1960

Posted on August 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

  “YIII!” Aug. 4, 1960: What to do when only two floors of an office building are air conditioned? Matt Weinstock has one man’s answer. CONFIDENTIAL TO “EXPERIENCE”: No man with a spark of manhood will violate the chastity of … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, Aug. 4, 1960

Paul Coates Is on Vacation

Posted on August 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 4, 1960: Paul Coates will be back Aug. 8 … and a great ad campaign gets underway for “Psycho.” On the jump, more about missing NSA analysts William H. Martin and Bernon F. Mitchell. Notice that the Mirror … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Aug. 4, 1941

Posted on August 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 4, 1941: Beverly residents are watching the hand-in-hand strollings of Paulette Goddard-Director Anatol Litvak along seldom-traveled avenue, Jimmie Fidler says.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Aug. 4, 1941

Nixon Birthplace Revisited

Posted on August 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 4, 1960: Members of a Nixon club replace a sign that was stolen from Richard M. Nixon’s boyhood home in Yorba Linda, which brings us back to a story posted in 2009. Times reporter Art Ryon  covered  the … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Politics, Richard Nixon | Comments Off on Nixon Birthplace Revisited

Lynchings in Florida

Posted on August 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Aug. 2, 1910: Alexandria (Va.) Gazette. The Times, Aug. 4, 1910. Aug. 5, 1910: Mahoning (Ohio) Dispatch. Aug. 9, 1910: Bisbee (Ariz.) Daily Review. Aug. 2-9, 1910: It’s a bit difficult to track down the original story about … Continue reading →

Posted in Countdown to Watts, Homicide | 2 Comments

Matt Weinstock, Aug. 3, 1960

Posted on August 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Look! It’s a 1959 Pontiac! With whitewalls! Aug. 3, 1960: Jeri Miyazaki, who plays the title role so appealingly in "The World of Suzie Wong" at the Biltmore Theater, was born in a California wartime internment camp for citizens … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, Aug. 3, 1960

Paul Coates Is on Vacation

Posted on August 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 3, 1960: Paul Coates will return Aug. 8. On the jump, more about missing NSA analysts Bernon F. Mitchell and William H. Martin, who fled to the Soviet Union.

Posted in Front Pages | Comments Off on Paul Coates Is on Vacation

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Aug. 3, 1940

Posted on August 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 3, 1940: Jimmie Fidler’s staff says: Have you seen Jeanette MacDonald's new custom-built jalopy, upholstered in the MacDonald plaid and rigged with a horn that tootles "The Campbells Are Coming?"

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Photography | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Aug. 3, 1940

L.A. Makes Theater Censor Billboards for Play

Posted on August 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 3, 1910: Remember that beer is a health drink – like “liquid bread.” On the jump, the manager of the Grand Operahouse is arrested for violating the city’s billboard laws over posters for “Queen of the Highway.” Accompanied … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, LAPD, Stage | Comments Off on L.A. Makes Theater Censor Billboards for Play

Matt Weinstock, Aug. 2, 1960

Posted on August 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

  A  cargo of stolen Caltechium? Aug. 2, 1960: What do you suppose is in Caltechium? Matt Weinstock looks at one family’s problems in having a swimming pool.

Posted in art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock, Science, UFOs | 2 Comments

NSA Analysts Defect to Soviet Union

Posted on August 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

Aug. 2, 1960: William H. Martin and Bernon F. Mitchell of the National Security Agency defect to the Soviet Union. See David Kahn's classic work "The Codebreakers" and James Bamford's 1982 "The Puzzle Palace" for more details.

Posted in @news, books | Comments Off on NSA Analysts Defect to Soviet Union

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Aug. 2, 1940

Posted on August 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

   Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II for The Times, gets a “silent interview” with the Duchess of Windsor.  Aug. 2, 1940: Ha! Gladys Swarthout, arriving in slacks, quickly rolled them to her knees under her mink … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Aug. 2, 1940

De Palma’s ‘Home Movies’

Posted on August 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 2, 1980: Brian De Palma’s “Dressed to Kill” is a runaway hit. His film “Home Movies,” which is also in release, not so much.  “Home Movies” is not on Netflix, but you can find the VHS version on … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on De Palma’s ‘Home Movies’

From the Vaults: ‘The Watcher in the Woods’ (1980)

Posted on August 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

Well, "Watcher in the Woods"  is certainly an odd film. Starring Bette Davis and the radiant, fresh-off-of-"Ice Castles" Lynn-Holly Johnson, it hails from an era of vaguely dark and weird Disney films: "The Black Hole" had come out the previous … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, From the Vaults, Hollywood | Comments Off on From the Vaults: ‘The Watcher in the Woods’ (1980)

Brave Officer Halts Runaway Horse

Posted on August 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 2, 1910: Patrolman R.M. Green was directing traffic at 3rd and Main streets when a runaway horse pulling a light wagon plunged toward the intersection. Green jumped into the back of the wagon and made his way to … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Downtown, LAPD, Transportation | Comments Off on Brave Officer Halts Runaway Horse

Matt Weinstock, Aug. 1, 1960

Posted on August 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 1, 1960: Matt Weinstock observes the newsroom travels of a popular coffee cup. CONFIDENTIAL TO H.H.: There is an old Chinese proverb you should paste in your hat. "The mouth is wind but the pen leaves tracks." Be … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock, Religion | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, Aug. 1, 1960

Paul Coates Is on Vacation

Posted on August 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

   Aug. 1, 1960: The Mirror gets a new nameplate! Paul Coates is on vacation until Aug. 8.

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates Is on Vacation

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on August 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

 Los Angeles Times file photo Los Angeles Times file photo March 18, 1929: Robert Ober to direct at MGM. Update: Our weekend mystery guest is Robert Ober (d. 1950). Saturday’s picture shows him in “A Reno Divorce” with May McAvoy … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Obituaries, Photography | 6 Comments

Workers Save Children From Fire at Jewish Orphans Home

Posted on August 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Mission Road via Google maps’ street view. Aug. 1, 1910: A short circuit in the attic starts a fire that destroys the Jewish Orphans Home at 535 Mission Road. Disregarding their own safety, Rabbi Sigmund Frey and Emma  Rives … Continue reading →

Posted in Obituaries, Religion | Comments Off on Workers Save Children From Fire at Jewish Orphans Home