Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

TV Star’s Wife Returns After Suicide Attempt

Posted on October 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Reporters meet Virginia Arness at the airport and follow her home. Photographers ask James Arness, the star of "Gunsmoke," to pose with her, but he refuses. Oct. 26, 1959: The front page teases a story about the Lions getting … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Front Pages, Sports, Television | Comments Off on TV Star’s Wife Returns After Suicide Attempt

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Roller Derby

Posted on October 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Oct. 26, 1953: It’s ladies night at the roller derby! And a group of teenagers attacks a former boxer after the girl sitting next to him at a theater claims he molested her.

Posted in #courts, Stage | Comments Off on A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Roller Derby

Landmark Nightclub Modernized

Posted on October 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

Virginia Arness attempts suicide in Hawaii. The Biltmore Bowl is heavily modernized so that is virtually unrecognizable. New and Old Chinatown, divided by Broadway. "I don't belong to the tong. I am an American. I belong to the Kiwanis Club." … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, San Fernando Valley, Sports, Suicide | Comments Off on Landmark Nightclub Modernized

The ‘Unwritten Law’ on Homicide

Posted on October 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

Halloween with R.F. Outcault’s Buster Brown. Oct. 26, 1919: The “unwritten law,” that a husband was justified in killing any man who romanced his wife, appears frequently in The Times and was cited as a defense for decades – often … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Comics, Homicide, Mickey Cohen | Comments Off on The ‘Unwritten Law’ on Homicide

Doctor Dumped Severed Body Into Creek, Chauffeur Says

Posted on October 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Labor activists in Indianapolis set off four precisely timed bombs targeting a contractor using non-union workers. One bomb destroyed a barn at his home, two bombs wrecked buildings under construction and the fourth damaged a building at his plant. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, health, Homicide | Comments Off on Doctor Dumped Severed Body Into Creek, Chauffeur Says

Movie Star Bonus Mystery Photo

Posted on October 25, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Ray Graham / Los Angeles Times Here’s a little bonus: A certain film star’s funeral. See if you can identify the (not very) mysterious pallbearers. Update: As most people realized, this is Errol Flynn's funeral. Curiously enough, although … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Forest Lawn, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Obituaries | 9 Comments

The March King Comes to L.A.

Posted on October 25, 2009 by lmharnisch

  The hall, later known as Philharmonic Auditorium, at 5th and Olive.  Oct. 26, 1909, a Times review. Oct. 25, 1909: John Philip Sousa and his band arrive for a weeklong engagement in Los Angeles. The Sousa band was composed … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, classical music, Music, Stage | Comments Off on The March King Comes to L.A.

Matt Weinstock, Oct. 24, 1959

Posted on October 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

Yet another panel you’ll never see in the legacy version of “Peanuts.” Bearded Bamboozler While driving south from San Francisco recently, Mike Molony stopped in Paso Robles and was momentarily puzzled to discover he was the object of the admiring … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Matt Weinstock | 1 Comment

Warning to the ‘Cat Ladies’ of Glendale!

Posted on October 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

Glendale limits residents to three cats! Oct. 24, 1959:  “You women who have good husbands should stay home and take care of them. If you leave him alone again, the next girl might not be as charitable as…”

Posted in Animals, Columnists | Comments Off on Warning to the ‘Cat Ladies’ of Glendale!

Brubeck Quartet at Reseda High School

Posted on October 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

Dave Brubeck at Reseda High School: $2. Oct. 24, 1959: Don’t worry. That train crash is actually in Canada … The New York district attorney is considering perjury charges against Charles Van Doren and Hank Bloomgarden, who voluntarily made substantial … Continue reading →

Posted in #Jazz, Environment, Front Pages, Transportation | Comments Off on Brubeck Quartet at Reseda High School

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movies

Posted on October 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

 William Boyd, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans! Oct. 24, 1951: Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker and William Bendix are expected for the premiere of “Detective Story” at the Fox Wilshire Theater. Is that Keefe Brasselle, author of "The CanniBalS?" It sure … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

L.A. County Seeks to Curb Smog

Posted on October 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 24, 1959: Smog continues to blight Los Angeles. City Hall is barely visible from Temple and Hill streets. And Walter O'Malley promises that Dodger Stadium will be dignified.

Posted in Dodgers, Downtown, Environment, Front Pages, Transportation | Comments Off on L.A. County Seeks to Curb Smog

Diva Shows a Flair for Comedy

Posted on October 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Oct. 24, 1919: Geraldine Farrar makes a comedy with her husband, Lou Tellegen. But it’s not for public release.

Posted in Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on Diva Shows a Flair for Comedy

A Warning About Smoking

Posted on October 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

“Industrial Independence” is a code phrase for “no unions.” Oct. 24, 1909: The Times recommends “The Tyrant in White,” promising: "There are no long rambling lectures or sermons in its pages. The characters do their own talking. They are boys … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, books | 1 Comment

October 23, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

Dispatched A man driving here from Chicago became confused the other day as he neared Los Angeles.  His car is equipped with two-way radio so he called the local dispatcher, who is on the same wave length.  He identified himself … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Fashion, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on October 23, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Oct. 23, 1959

Posted on October 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Paul Coates will be back soon … Oct. 23, 1959: A family has trouble traveling with grandma. She weighs 300 pounds always brings a pick and shovel in case she admires some roadside greenery – like somebody’s lemon tree. … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Oct. 23, 1959

Smog Alert!

Posted on October 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

Funeral services for quintuplets born a few days earlier. Oct. 23, 1959: A pall of smog covers the city as county supervisors plan to send a representative to talk to Detroit auto executives about emission controls.

Posted in broadcasting, Environment, Front Pages, Television | 2 Comments

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movies

Posted on October 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Oct. 23, 1950: “To Please a Lady” … And it’s Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy at the Pan Pacific!

Posted in Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movies

Movie Mystery Photo

Posted on October 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photoUpdate: Owen Crump and Isabel Jewell announce their engagement, July 6, 1936. You’re probably asking: Which one is the mystery guest? I’ll take answers on either person, but I picked these photos because of the fellow. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | 43 Comments

Fidel Castro Survives Assassination Attempt

Posted on October 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 23, 1959: The courts refuse to halt the steel strike … And Shostakovich is coming. Farah Dibah, on a shopping trip to Paris, refuses to confirm reports that she is engaged to marry the shah of Iran. Harper Poulson, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Politics, Richard Nixon, Sports | 2 Comments