Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Miracle TI-99/4 Home Computer Has 16K RAM, Runs BASIC!

Posted on May 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

May 16, 1980: The absolutely amazing TI-99/4 home computer … with 16K RAM! BASIC! 16-color graphics! Thermal printer! An an acoustic coupler! Notice that the ad doesn’t even list a price. Update: If you poke around a little bit you … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | 4 Comments

Little Damage From 6.0 Quake, 1910

Posted on May 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 16, 1910: Here’s an interesting problem – how did newspapers report an earthquake 100 years ago? The Times gathered brief accounts over a wide area, from San Diego and Santa Catalina Island to Riverside, Banning, Mt. Wilson and … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Comments Off on Little Damage From 6.0 Quake, 1910

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 15, 1940

Posted on May 15, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 15, 1940: “Richard Arlen has stocked his ranch lake with fish and plans summer angling parties for his chums,” Jimmie Fidler says. 

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John Wayne Denies Confrontation With Sinatra

Posted on May 15, 2010 by lmharnisch

    John Wayne and Maria Cooper, left, and Frank Sinatra at fundraiser. May 15, 1960: Witnesses say John Wayne and Frank Sinatra nearly got into a fight during a benefit dinner at the Moulin Rouge over Wayne’s comments about … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs | 4 Comments

On the Frontiers of Sports

Posted on May 15, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 15, 1910: New rules are approved to avoid some football injuries. For example, “no pushing or pulling of the man with the ball” and the flying tackle is banned. But the rules committee keeps the forward pass after … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on On the Frontiers of Sports

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 14, 1940

Posted on May 14, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Dr. Jones…. Tell us about this Nazi death ray. May 14, 1940: “Signs of the season: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard practicing fly casting on the front lawn,” Jimmie Fidler says. 

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Charles Champlin on ‘Haywire’

Posted on May 14, 2010 by lmharnisch

May 14, 1980: Charles Champlin on the making of “Haywire,” the TV movie based on the book by Brooke Hayward. The project, which was scaled back from a mini-series to a three-hour show, evoked painful memories for the surviving family … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Film, Homicide, Television | Comments Off on Charles Champlin on ‘Haywire’

‘Let Us Commune With the Yogi’

Posted on May 14, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Nellie Nichols and the Four Dancing Bugs at the Orpheum! May 14, 1910: On the jump, the curious case of  Sakharam G. Pandit, a Hindu in Chicago with a “hypnotic eye” who allegedly went too far with women when … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Film, Religion, Stage | Comments Off on ‘Let Us Commune With the Yogi’

Matt Weinstock, May 13, 1960

Posted on May 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

   May 13, 1960: Matt Weinstock writes about a group of Hill Street barflies who are transfixed by “Miracle on 34th Street.” And a woman tells Abby that she’s troubled by the attention she’s receiving from her husband’s best friend, … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, May 13, 1960

Posted on May 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 13, 1960: Two mothers share their stories on dealing with teenage sons who are so obsessed with drag racing that everything else in their lives is suffering.  

Posted in Columnists, Freeways, Front Pages, Paul Coates, Transportation | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, May 13, 1960

Jimmie Fidler, May 13, 1940

Posted on May 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 13, 1940: “Charlie Chaplin, ringsiding at N.T.G.'s, with Marlene Dietrich and Tim Durant, ducking to the floor as an acrobatic dancer somersaults less than a foot away,” Jimmie Fidler says. Note: N.T.G. is Nils T. Granlund and the … Continue reading →

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Aly Khan Killed in Car Crash

Posted on May 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 13, 1960: Prince Aly Khan, former husband of Rita Hayworth, is killed when his Lancia sports car crashes into a Simca at Suresnes, France. Khan, who was driving, was accompanied by French model Bettina (Simone Bodin), who suffered … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Comments Off on Aly Khan Killed in Car Crash

Cupid’s Sorrowful Tale

Posted on May 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Happy foot! May 13, 1910: Mrs. Mallory gets 90 days in jail for running a disorderly house on Spring Street and a $50 fine for violating liquor laws … and the sorrowful story of a young woman who met … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, health | Comments Off on Cupid’s Sorrowful Tale

Found on EBay – One Magazine

Posted on May 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

A lot of 34 issues of One Magazine from 1953-55, including the first issue, has been listed on EBay. One, a historic magazine that dealt with gay issues, was published in Los Angeles and figured in a landmark 1st Amendment … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #gays and lesbians, art and artists | Comments Off on Found on EBay – One Magazine

Matt Weinstock, May 12, 1960

Posted on May 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 12, 1960: Matt Weinstock is reading a paperback (evidently by Seymour Krim) titled “The Beats.” Weinstock says: “Some very intelligent people, with or without beards, go to coffeehouses and what they say about life and the dilemmas of … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, May 12, 1960

Posted on May 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 12, 1960: Paul Coates writes, “He's 18 years old. He uses our freeways and boulevards to prove his prowess, at speeds of 110 mph. Three times, he's almost been killed.” The racer says: “It was Tuesday night. We … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Freeways, Front Pages, Paul Coates, Transportation | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, May 12, 1960

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 12, 1941

Posted on May 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 12, 1941: “Ronald Reagan has a new Warners contract with bigger dough and promising a star buildup,” Jimmie Fidler says. 

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Los Angeles With a Laugh Track – ‘The Natives Are Restless’

Posted on May 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

   “Side-splitting?” Not hardly. Cynthia Lindsay's "The Natives Are Restless" (1960) is not a great book about Los Angeles or even a particularly good one. A frothy mix of humor and sunshine, "Natives" floats to the bright end of the … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Downtown | 2 Comments

Matt Weinstock, May 11, 1960

Posted on May 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 11, 1960: “The new 250-foot tower erected at ABC-TV isn't for producers to jump off when the ratings of their shows slip, it's for microwave ‘dishes’ to bring in the Democratic convention more clearly from the Sports Arena,” … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, May 11, 1960

Posted on May 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 11, 1960: Paul Coates hosts a nightly TV show and has his picture in the paper every day, but his anonymity is still secure, he says.

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, May 11, 1960