Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Sanity Hearing for Clara Lightfoot

Posted on July 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

  July 30, 1889: Former Mother Superior Clara Lightfoot is suffering from acute mania. She will be taken to the asylum today … Henry Penk and J.H. Gomer shoot a dog and are arrested for discharging firearms within the city … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, health | Comments Off on Sanity Hearing for Clara Lightfoot

Matt Weinstock, July 29, 1959

Posted on July 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

“Great Scott! I’ve Kept You Rigid for Almost Two Hours! Why Didn’t You Stop Me, Miss Simmons? Body Surfers It appears that Bob Lee, who, as reported here, was knocked down by an unidentified object, which turned out to be … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates — Confidential File, July 29, 1959

Posted on July 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 29, 1959: The “Orientals” being sent to Congress from Hawaii include future Sen. Daniel K. Inouye. And notice the story about Nikita Khrushchev being invited to visit the U.S. Confidential File Great White Hunter White Feels Blue I present … Continue reading →

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A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Reading Material

Posted on July 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

  July 29, 1951: Some familiar titles: "The Caine Mutiny" and "From Here to Eternity" and then there's "Communism, Democracy and Catholic Power." What's this? "A study of the Kremlin and Vatican as suppressors of free thought?" Of course, you … Continue reading →

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L.A. Olympics Begin

Posted on July 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 29, 1984: Two wire obits (George Gallup and James Mason) and a lead story out of Beirut with the Olympics as the main art. Below right, July 30, 1984. The Summer Olympics opened in LA. with equal doses of … Continue reading →

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Police Court

Posted on July 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

  July 29, 1899: John Hasty pleads not guilty to begging — and may get a bath.

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Mary Lascomb Gets Roaring Drunk

Posted on July 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

  July 29, 1889: A drunk Mary Lascomb makes the night "hideous with her yells and shrieks" and gets taken away by the police.

Posted in #courts, Food and Drink, LAPD | Comments Off on Mary Lascomb Gets Roaring Drunk

Found on EBay — The Cyclone in Long Beach

Posted on July 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sept. 16, 1968, the end of the ride for the Cyclone. This postcard of the Cyclone roller coaster at the Nu-Pike in Long Beach has been listed on EBay. The world's longest, fastest roller-coaster was torn down in 1968 to … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock, July 28, 1959

Posted on July 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

Ticket Trouble Everyone is in favor of motherhood, peace and traffic safety but strident voices are being raised over one phase of the crackdown on delinquent drivers. Almost everyone goes along with DMV director Robert McCarthy’s campaign to protect the … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates — Confidential File, July 28, 1959

Posted on July 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

Confidential File When Cash Register Is Replacing a Heart The Almighty Dollar, that great object of universal devotion — Washington Irving. Sandra Gianoulis, 8, of Glendale, went to a drive-in theater last week with her mother. They got there at … Continue reading →

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A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movies

Posted on July 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

    July 28, 1950: "The Lawless" tells the story of prejudice against Mexicans in a California farming town — with Gail Russell as a Latina reporter! Alas, this is not on Netflix.

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

Cooking With the Junior League — Heirloom Tomatoes

Posted on July 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

"California Fresh Harvest," 2001. Mary McCoy is furious over heirloom tomatoes in her latest Cooking With the Junior League post. The reason? They put supermarket tomatoes to shame. She writes: "When I finished eating it, I was actually filled with … Continue reading →

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Hopes Dim for Mideast Peace; Drysdale Returns to the Mound

Posted on July 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 28, 1969; Someone thought "14 Moonquakes" would be a great screamer headline for street sales. In a story that still resonates 40 years later, Bill Tuohy writes that prospects for peace in the Mideast seem more remote than at … Continue reading →

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County Asks U.S. to Help Fight Border Drug Traffic; Hearing on Chavez Ravine

Posted on July 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 28, 1959: Vice President Richard Nixon's "kitchen debate" with Nikita Khrushchev bolsters his political stature, but Republican leaders are being careful not to overemphasize his new prestige.  And questions arise about the fire at the home of boxing promoter … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Dodgers, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Richard Nixon | 1 Comment

Health Inspectors Check Land Irrigated With Sewage

Posted on July 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

    July 28, 1899: What happens when a city uses sewage for irrigation? People get sick.

Posted in Environment, health | 2 Comments

Los Angeles Debates a Sewer System to the Ocean

Posted on July 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 28, 1889: Civic leaders argue over what to do with Los Angeles' sewage. Many oppose letting it flow into Santa Monica Bay at Ballona because it would pollute the beaches and because building a system would be expensive. Some … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Environment, Politics | 1 Comment

Artist’s Notebook — MacArthur Park

Posted on July 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

MacArthur Park by Marion Eisenmann, 2008 This is a piece Marion did last year of MacArthur Park, which is only one Red Line stop from downtown, but a world away. On one corner, a 24-hour check-cashing business does a brisk … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay — Lucky Baldwin

Posted on July 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

A copy of C.B. Glasscock's biography of Lucky Baldwin has been listed on EBay. Glasscock wrote several books about California history, including "Bandits and the Southern Pacific." Bidding starts at $9.99 When Baldwin's daughter Anita learned in 1935 that Universal … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock, July 27, 1959

Posted on July 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 27, 1959: Another downbeat "Peanuts" strip from the Cold War era that you won't see in the sitcom legacy version. Back to Aimee Ever since the book "The Vanishing Evangelist," the story of the Aimee Semple McPherson kidnapping affair, … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates — Confidential File, July 27, 1959

Posted on July 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

Confidential File Why My Mom Said Farewell to Macy's Let's talk about me for a moment. Did I ever tell you that my nightly KTTV program is viewed a week later in New York at 3 in the afternoon? "Viewed" … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Paul Coates | 1 Comment