Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Jimmie Fidler, June 29, 1940

Posted on June 29, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Look! It’s the boyhood home of GOP presidential nominee Wendell Willkie in Elwood, Ind.! June 29, 1940: Boss, you should have shared our table the other night and listened in while Wayne and Bubbles Morris dished out baby advice … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Politics | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler, June 29, 1940

Times Bombing Revisited

Posted on June 29, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Unless you have lived in Los Angeles quite a while, you probably only remember the northeast corner of 1st and Broadway as a deserted moonscape where a state building was once located. I’ve spent some time combining an 1890 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910 L.A. Times bombing, Architecture, Downtown | 2 Comments

Found on EBay — Theda Bara and ‘Salome’

Posted on June 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

Another still from the lost movie “Salome,” starring Theda Bara, has been listed on EBay. You may recall the one posted recently, which sold for $79. Bidding on this item starts at $16.66.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Photography | 1 Comment

Matt Weinstock, June 28, 1960

Posted on June 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

  June 28, 1960 Jimmie Adams was a ticket seller for the Pacific Electric and MTA for more than 40 years and remembered when the Red Cars went to Mt. Lowe and Mt. Wilson. He died the other day — … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, June 28, 1960

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, June 28, 1960

Posted on June 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

  June 28, 1960: Former hotel clerk Otis T. Carr has a plan to send a man to the moon and back – and Paul Coates has the story.

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates, UFOs | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, June 28, 1960

Dodgers Beat Yankees

Posted on June 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

  June 28, 1960: An emotional point in the Dodgers' early history in Los Angeles was the 1959 exhibition game against the Yankees to honor Roy Campanella, the star catcher who had been paralyzed in a car accident. The Dodgers … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers | 5 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, June 28, 1940

Posted on June 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

  June 28, 1940: “Height of swank: The dress Mary Martin's sporting in nitespots; it's trimmed with real gardenias which have to be renewed hourly from a reserve supply in the cafe icebox,” Jimmie Fidler says.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Politics | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, June 28, 1940

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on June 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

     Los Angeles Times file photo  Update: This is Lawrence Gray in an undated photo. This week’s mystery guest was chosen by Daily Mirror reader Mike Hawks. Just a reminder on how this works: I post the mystery photo on … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 32 Comments

From the Vaults: ‘Inferno’ (1980)

Posted on June 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

OK, here's where I alienate all you nice "His Girl Friday" fans from last week; sorry. This week's movie does not have Cary Grant, but it does have a man being eaten alive by rats! "Inferno" is the second in … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, From the Vaults, Hollywood | 5 Comments

Pages of History [Updated]

Posted on June 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

   Central Park, later named Pershing Square, and Philharmonic Auditorium.   One of the most influential books ever written about the city is Morrow Mayo’s 1933 “Los Angeles.” It is, in fact, easy to argue that Mayo was the father … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910 L.A. Times bombing, books, Parks and Recreation | 3 Comments

Matt Weinstock, June 27, 1960

Posted on June 27, 2010 by lmharnisch

  June 27, 1960: More people are taking vacations in smalltown America to look for a getaway from the rat race, but find that the other rats have already beaten them to it, Matt Weinstock says.  CONFIDENTIAL TO "UNDERAGE AND … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock | 1 Comment

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, June 27, 1960

Posted on June 27, 2010 by lmharnisch

  June 27, 1960: Paul Coates has the day off. Notice that engineer Irvan F. Mendenhall has proposed a 75-mile system of electric cars with rubber tires running on elevated concrete tracks. On the jump, The Times’ coverage of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates, Transportation | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, June 27, 1960

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, June 27, 1940

Posted on June 27, 2010 by lmharnisch

  June 27, 1940: “Lillian Roth, early talkie screen glamour gal, is combing Hollywood for nitespot billing and a film comeback,” Jimmie Fidler says.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, June 27, 1940

Police Detective Alleges Corruption

Posted on June 27, 2010 by lmharnisch

Sept. 26, 1979   June 27, 1980: After more than 1,000 hours of investigation, the district attorney's office closes its inquiry into Det. Donald Wicklund’s charges of misconduct in the Los Angeles Police Department, ending a messy, complicated case involving … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, broadcasting, LAPD, Television | Comments Off on Police Detective Alleges Corruption

Navy Subs Pay Port Call in Los Angeles

Posted on June 27, 2010 by lmharnisch

June 27, 1910: The Navy submarines Pike and Grampus pay a port call in Los Angeles. The Times says about 1,000 men, women and children visited the Pike and explains the challenges women had in navigating the small space in … Continue reading →

Posted in Transportation | Comments Off on Navy Subs Pay Port Call in Los Angeles

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, June 26, 1940

Posted on June 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1940: Wallace Beery will build a hunting lodge in Wyoming's Jackson Hole country, Jimmie Fidler says.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Politics | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, June 26, 1940

Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, June 26, 1960

Posted on June 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

  June 26, 1960: On the jump, the front page of the Mirror (Edited to Merit Your Respect), Paul Coates, Matt Weinstock and Abby.

Posted in art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, June 26, 1960

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on June 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Los Angeles Times file photo Update: This is Betty Compson and James Cruze at the premiere of "The Great Gabbo" in October 1929. Here’s a mini mystery photo for the weekend. This week’s mystery guest was Lawrence Gray!

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

A Beat Fourth of July

Posted on June 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

  June 26, 1960: For the Fourth of July, the Beats of Venice plan to protest an ordinance against being on the beach between midnight and 6 a.m. by spending the night on the beach. Except there is no such … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, books, Comics, Nightclubs, Venice Division | 1 Comment

Woman Learns to Drive in 30 Minutes!

Posted on June 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Typeface fans, this is for you.   Vilma Stech, who learned to drive a Peerless in 30 minutes, is one of the "fair chauffeuses" in Los Angeles, The Times says. There are at least 150 women in Los Angeles who … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Transportation | 1 Comment