Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Found on EBay – Central Park

Posted on April 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

Someone recently asked me when “L.A.” became a common term for Los Angeles. I said I didn’t know and was reluctant to speculate because at the Daily Mirror, we don’t guess, we look things up. This postcard of Central Park … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Parks and Recreation | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Central Park

Matt Weinstock, April 22, 1960

Posted on April 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

The Vanished Bus       A fun-loving Hollywoodian is sweating out a nightmare, hoping it will go away.  The complication is that it wasn't a nightmare, it was real.       He went to Tijuana and became so simpatico with … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock, Suicide | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, April 22, 1960

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 22, 1960

Posted on April 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

New Information on Griffith Park Hermit       Call this an update on Dennis Farrell.     It's not good news.  But it's not bad news, either.     Dennis — In case his name has slipped your memory — is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 22, 1960

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 22, 1940

Posted on April 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 22, 1940: “There's talk that Daisy, edjoocated purp of the 'Blondie' pics, will be replaced because the dog's owner is asking too much dough,” Jimmie Fidler says. 

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Hot Stove League

Posted on April 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 11, 1960: How do you rate as a grandstand manager? Try your hand with the Baltimore Orioles of 1959 and see if you come up with the same strategy as manager Paul Richards.

Posted in Hot Stove League, Sports | Comments Off on Hot Stove League

Mark Twain, 1835 – 1910

Posted on April 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 22, 1910:  Samuel Langhorne Clemens “recognized his daughter Clara (Mrs. Ossip Gabrilowitsch), spoke a rational word or two and feeling himself unequal to conversation, wrote out in pencil: “ ‘Give me my glasses.’   “These were his last words. … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Obituaries | Comments Off on Mark Twain, 1835 – 1910

Found on EBay – Theda Bara

Posted on April 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

Movie memorabilia comes in all shapes and forms, but I’ve never seen a pennant like this Theda Bara item before.  A little research shows that a series of nearly 200 such pennants was issued about 1915. Ooh, is that a … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood | 3 Comments

Matt Weinstock, April 21, 1960

Posted on April 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

  “So I’ll Save the Wear and Tear on Your Tonsils, Mr. Ames.”  A Hard Life     If no one minds, I'd like to get literary for a moment.       Whitney Balliett of the New Yorker magazine, in reviewing … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, April 21, 1960

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 21, 1960

Posted on April 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Being a Celebrity Weighs So Heavily     Since everyone else is hesitant to say it, I'll say it myself.       I'm a celebrity.       It's been a long, hard, often discouraging fight to reach the top.  But, … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Music, Paul Coates, Rock 'n' Roll | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 21, 1960

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 21, 1941

Posted on April 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 21, 1941: “Yvonne of the King Sisters and musician Buddy Cole are on the love list,” Jimmie Fidler says.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 21, 1941

Elvis Arrives in L.A.

Posted on April 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

    April 21, 1960: Elvis Presley’s return to Los Angeles to film “G.I. Blues” is put safely on Page 2. Instead, The Times leads the paper with the resignation of the South Korean cabinet.    ps. Georg Solti is … Continue reading →

Posted in classical music, Film, Hollywood, Rock 'n' Roll | Comments Off on Elvis Arrives in L.A.

Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on April 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

Oct. 17, 1938: Joe Seewerker and Charles Owens visit the Pelanconi House on Olvera Street in another installment of Nuestro Pueblo. At right, a photo of the house from olvera-street.com. In case you just tuned in, I posted most of … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | Comments Off on Nuestro Pueblo

The Mysterious Death of Morgan Shiveley

Posted on April 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 21, 1910: The Times publishes an update in the curious death of Morgan Shiveley (or Shively),  in which an examination of bloody fingerprints merely deepens the mystery.Charges against the Stones were eventually dismissed and the case was abandoned.

Posted in #courts, Homicide | 3 Comments

Found on EBay – Catalina Tile

Posted on April 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

This Catalina tile table has been listed on EBay. According to the vendor, it was sold on Santa Catalina Island in 1950. Bidding starts at $1,150 with a Buy It Now price of $1,300. As with everything on EBay, items … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, art and artists | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Catalina Tile

Matt Weinstock, April 20, 1960

Posted on April 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Plane Bomb Jokers       Persons who go airplane riding had better get used to the idea that authorities don't think wisecracks about bombs are funny.  A story from Chicago a few days ago stated that nine persons have … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Countdown to Watts, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, April 20, 1960

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 20, 1960

Posted on April 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Census Takers' Woes Myriad in a Big Way      Census takers take, among other things, oaths.     Before beginning their tours of duty, they solemnly swear that they are not Communists, fascists, blabbermouths or mixed up in payola.  … Continue reading →

Posted in #gays and lesbians, Columnists, Front Pages, Nightclubs, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 20, 1960

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 21, 1940

Posted on April 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 20, 1940: “Femme stars at Paramount are squawking about male execs hogging the studio's only sunbathing roof,” Jimmie Fidler says.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 21, 1940

On the Road With Linda Ronstadt, April 20, 1980

Posted on April 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 20, 1980: Linda Ronstadt tells Robert Hilburn, “A lot of musicians mistakenly think you're supposed to know everything about your craft at age 18 just because a couple of geniuses, like Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger, seem to … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Rock 'n' Roll | 1 Comment

Mark Twain Near Death

Posted on April 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 20, 1910: Samuel Clemens "has been perfectly conscious and in possession of all his faculties throughout his illness and, weak though he is, frequent flashes of the characteristic wit that made him a unique figure when in health, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, books, LAPD, Obituaries | Comments Off on Mark Twain Near Death

Matt Weinstock, April 19, 1960

Posted on April 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

  A Lounge Lizard       A flagrant instance of heresy, one that cannot be unchallenged, occurred during the recent Sportsmen's Show.  This is an attempt to erase it, lest such a mammoth slur cast a shadow on outdoor living … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Comics, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, April 19, 1960