Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is November 5

Posted on November 3, 2024 by lmharnisch

Boxie and I will be doing a live “Ask Me Anything” on the Black Dahlia case Tuesday, November 5, at 10 a.m. Pacific time, on YouTube and on Instagram.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Dr. Caligari and the Rise of American Nationalism

Posted on October 28, 2024 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2022. Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, described by film critic Roger Ebert as the “first true horror film,” still wows audiences more than 100 years after creation due to its high … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 28, 2024 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1938 Twentieth Century-Fox film Happy Landing, with Sonja Henie, Don Ameche, Ethel Merman, Cesar Romero, Jean Hersholt, Billy Gilbert, Raymond Scott Quintet, Wally Vernon and Leah Ray.

Posted in 1938, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 21, 2024 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1949 film Lost Boundaries, with Beatrice Pearson, Mel Ferrer, Susan Douglas, the Rev Robert H. Dunn, Richard Hylton, Grace Coppin, Carleton Carpenter, Seth Arnold, Wendell Holmes, Parker Fennelly, Ralph Riggs, William Greaves, Rai Saunders, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Henry Armetta, Excitable Support

Posted on October 21, 2024 by lmharnisch

Henry Armetta, courtesy of Mary Mallory. In many films of the 1930s and 1940s, what audiences remember most are the one-of-a-kind supporting players, with vibrant personalities, colorful ways of talking, recognizable tics and dramatic looks. Many of these people came … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Michael Connelly and ‘The Waiting’ (Spoiler Alert)

Posted on October 15, 2024 by lmharnisch

Executive summary: Michael Connelly’s latest novel, The Waiting, uses the Black Dahlia case as a device in his secondary plot involving Maddie Bosch. The treatment in the novel perpetuates mistakes and contributes to the folklore about the case, doubly unfortunate … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 14, 2024 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1924 Pathe Picture Girl Shy, with Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Richard Daniels and Carlton Griffin.

Posted in 1924, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Vice Raid and Early TV in Hollywood’s Biggest Storehouse

Posted on October 14, 2024 by lmharnisch

The Hollywood Storage Building as seen in Google Earth. Note: This is an encore post from 2021. Originally Los Angeles’ tallest building when opened in 1926, the Hollywood Storage Building at the southwest corner of Highland Avenue and Santa Monica … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Fiesta de las Flores

Posted on October 7, 2024 by lmharnisch

President William McKinley and First Lady Ida McKinley at La Fiesta de las Flores, 1901. Though founded September 4, 1781 the tiny pueblo of Los Angeles featured little assets to lure large numbers of migrants westward looking to call it … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 7, 2024 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1953 Paramount film Sangaree, with Fernando Lamas, Arlene Dahl, Patricia Medina, Francis L. Sullivan, Charles Korvin, Tom Drake, John Sutton, Willard Parker, Charles Evans, Lester Mathews, Roy Gordon, Lewis L. Russell, Russell Gaige and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Black Dahlia: Michael Connelly and ‘The Waiting’ Edition: A Quick Guide to the Murder of Elizabeth Short

Posted on October 2, 2024 by lmharnisch

Michael Connelly’s latest book, The Waiting, being released October 15, uses the murder of Elizabeth Short as a plot element. In a YouTube video, Mike says Renée Ballard and Maddie Bosch “really do a deep dive” into the Black Dahlia … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, October 2024

Posted on October 1, 2024 by lmharnisch

In the October 2024 Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, I talk about my work in progress, Heaven Is HERE! and my current focus on the crime scene. At this point, I’m writing about lead detectives Finis Brown … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Helen Holmes, The Railroad Girl

Posted on September 30, 2024 by lmharnisch

In the mid-1910s, action-packed serials starring adventurous heroines thrilled audiences of young women dreaming of independence and agency. At the same time, women in the United States campaigned for the right to vote, eager to shape public policy and take … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 30, 2024 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1951 RKO film Payment on Demand, with Bette Davis, Barry Sullivan, Jane Cowl, Kent Taylor, Betty Lynn, John Sutton, Frances Dee, Peggie Castle, Otto Kruger, Walter Sande, Brett King, Richard Anderson, Natalie Schafer, Katherine … Continue reading →

Posted in 1951, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is October 1

Posted on September 25, 2024 by lmharnisch

Annual fall reminder: Halloween is approaching. Do NOT dress up like the Black Dahlia for Halloween. It’s not a memorial, it’s not a tribute, it’s just weird and gross — and there are better ways to be weird and gross … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Warner Bros. Celebrates Batman Day

Posted on September 23, 2024 by lmharnisch

First appearing in 1939’s Detective Comics #27 on March 30, 1939, Batman has grown into a Super Hero and an iconic emblem of justice employing just his intellect, athletic skill, and technological savvy and superiority. To celebrate the 85th Anniversary … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 23, 2024 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1950 Twentieth Century-Fox picture When Willie Comes Marching Home, with Dan Dailey, Corinne Calvet, Colleen Townsend, William Demarest, James Lydon, Lloyd Corrigan and Evelyn Varden.

Posted in 1950, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The First Motion Picture Electrical Parade

Posted on September 23, 2024 by lmharnisch

Harold Lloyd’s float in the electrical parade, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Long before the Walt Disney Co. began presenting an electrical parade at its parks, Los Angeles offered electrical parades as part … Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, September 2024

Posted on September 17, 2024 by lmharnisch

Here’s Boxie and I with this month’s “Ask Me Anything” on George Hodel. Reminder: Do NOT dress up like the Black Dahlia for Halloween. In this session, I discussed Steve Hodel, James Ellroy and Rick Jackson.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 16, 2024 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1949 Warner Bros. film It’s a Great Feeling, with Dennis Morgan, Doris Day, Jack Carson, Bill Goodwin, Irving Bacon, Claire Carleton and the Mazzone-Abbott Dancers.

Posted in 1949, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 29 Comments