Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Dead Man’s Last Words: ‘Here’s a Good Spot to Shoot, Baby,’ July 25, 1944

Posted on July 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 25, 1944: William B. Smith’s last words to his angry girlfriend were “Here’s a good spot to shoot, baby,” after he said he was going back to his wife. Continue reading →

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July 24, 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter, 17, Strangled

Posted on July 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1947: Vesta Belle Sapenter, an honor student at Jefferson High, is found partially undressed and strangled. Continue reading →

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July 24, 1907: Columbia University Professor Becomes an Explorer of the Occult

Posted on July 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1907: Former Columbia professor James H. Hyslop is trying to raise interest in a scientific approach to psychic research while debunking frauds and fakes. Continue reading →

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July 23, 2009: Darryl Thomas Kemp, Paroled Sex Killer Strikes Again, Gets Death Penalty for the Third Time

Posted on July 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 23, 2009: Darryl Thomas Kemp, paroled sex killer, is sentenced to death in the 1978 killing of Armida Wiltsey. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, July 23, 1944

Posted on July 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1944. Louella Parsons dishes Tinseltown secrets. Continue reading →

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July 23, 1907: A Belated Tribute to Heroic Officer

Posted on July 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1907: Police capture a burglar who entered a jewelry store through a skylight. Continue reading →

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July 22, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on July 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 22, 1959: Matt Weinstock has the story of a driver who obediently followed a traffic officer to the site of a bank holdup so the policeman could finish writing up a ticket. Continue reading →

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July 22, 1959: Paul V. Coates — Confidential File

Posted on July 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 22, 1959: Police officers have a new set of challenges, Paul Coates writes, like being insulted with the term “cop.” Continue reading →

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July 22, 1947: TV, Jet Engine, Tucker Car on Display at World Inventors Expo

Posted on July 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 22, 1947: The Tucker is on display at the Pan-Pacific Auditorium as part of an inventors’ exposition. Continue reading →

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July 22, 1907: L.A. Housing Is Expensive

Posted on July 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 22, 1907: Los Angeles housing is expensive. A bungalow that rents for $90 a month is the equivalent of almost $3,200 today. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for July 2026

Posted on July 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

The Black Dahlia Book Club for July 2026: an examination of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s files on the murder of Elizabeth Short. Continue reading →

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July 21, 1947: Julie London Marries Jack Webb

Posted on July 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 21, 1947: Julie London marries Jack Webb. They divorce seven years later in one of the biggest settlements in local history. Someone asked her: “If you had your choice between half a million dollars and a happy home, which would you take?” She said: “A happy home.” Continue reading →

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July 21, 1907: What the President Is Reading

Posted on July 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 21, 1908: President Theodore Roosevelt recommends reading the works of Octave Thanet, the pen name of LGBTQ author Alice French. Continue reading →

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July 20, 1947: Wealthy Woman Gives Estate – Including Homeless Camp -– to Santa Barbara

Posted on July 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 20, 1947: Lillian Child sets up a homeless camp on her 17-acre estate. Upon her death in 1951, the estate is deeded to Santa Barbara, including the homeless camp. The mansion was burned down in 1959 by the Fire Department, the camp was later destroyed and a zoo was built. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on July 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1935 MGM film Mark of the Vampire, with Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Jean Hersholt, Henry Wadsworth, Donald Meek, Jessie Ralph, Ivan Simpson, Franklyn Ardell, Leila Bennett, June Gittelson, Carol Borland, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 29 Comments

July 19, 1908: Perkins Estate Overlooks Los Robles Canyon

Posted on July 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 19, 1908: The Los Angeles Times real estate section features the new Perkins estate on Hillcrest overlooking Los Robles Canyon. Continue reading →

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July 19, 1907: Covina Celebrates Launch of Streetcar Service

Posted on July 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 19, 1907: Covina celebrates the opening of a Pacific Electric streetcar line to Los Angeles with a free community picnic, including a gigantic coffeepot and a 300-gallon bean pot. Militant Angeleno would have been there! Continue reading →

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July 18, 1947: The Timeless, Subtle Wit of Ernie Bushmiller’s ‘Nancy’

Posted on July 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 18, 1947: The timeless humor of Ernie Bushmiller in Nancy. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Art & Artists, Film | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

July 18, 1907: Santa Monica, Ocean Park Must Abate Sewage Discharge Into Ocean

Posted on July 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 18, 1907: Officials of Santa Monica and Ocean Park are fighting a lawsuit that seeks to block the discharge of raw sewage into the ocean. Continue reading →

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July 17, 1947: Arnold Schoenberg Gets Commission for ‘Survivor From Warsaw’

Posted on July 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 17, 1947: Arnold Schoenberg is hard at work on a composition that will culminate in ‘Survivor From Warsaw.’ Continue reading →

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