Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Fugitive couple attack LAPD officer, August 17, 1958

Posted on August 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 17, 1958: Fugitive couple from Milwaukee attack LAPD detective during attempted arrest at Alexandria Hotel.
Continue reading →

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August 17, 1947: At UCLA’s Gayleyville , Tough Times for Married Veterans

Posted on August 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 17, 1947: Married veterans find that it’s impossible to live on their G.I. Bill of Rights, The Times says, visiting UCLA’s Gayleyville housing project. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious woman. Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

August 12, 1947: Distinguished UCLA English Instructor Dies in Plunge from S.F. Building; ‘He Was Not Married’

Posted on August 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 12, 1947: Stanley Dean Johnson, Phi Beta Kappa with a doctorate from Yale, is a popular English instructor at UCLA, a scholar on John Donne spending the summer doing research at the Huntington Library. Then on an August night, he falls from the 15th floor of San Francisco’s Russ Building. The Times notes: “He was not married.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Suicide | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

August 12-13, 1907: Bucket of Blood Is a Den of Drunken Debauchery

Posted on August 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 12, 1907: The L.A. Times describes the Bismark Cafe, known to police as the Bucket of Blood, as “drunken debauchery among girls of tender ages, painted women and men.” It is an “immoral pesthole” where “young girls are enticed nightly do drink and listen to a band concert.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, LAPD, Main Street, Music, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on August 12-13, 1907: Bucket of Blood Is a Den of Drunken Debauchery

Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming August 18, 2026

Posted on August 11, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The next session of the Black Dahlia book club is next Tuesday, August 18, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDPnehmoI4eLqSyfkMxw8FvXBpXHL54I4 I will discuss research resources at the L.A. city archives and elsewhere. Continue reading →

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August 10, 1958: Dog IQ Test

Posted on August 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 10, 1958: Is your doggo smart? Give them the doggie IQ test. They may score one point higher than Einstein!! Continue reading →

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August 10, 1947: North Broadway Tunnel, Doomed Downtown Landmark

Posted on August 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 10, 1947: The North Broadway Tunnel is doomed. Continue reading →

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August 10, 1947: North Broadway Tunnel, Doomed Downtown Landmark

Posted on August 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 10, 1947: The North Broadway Tunnel is doomed. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious guest who appears to be confused by the surroundings. Continue reading →

Posted in 1954, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 35 Comments

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, August 2026

Posted on August 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

This is the Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for August 2026. Continue reading →

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Aug. 4, 1947: Patsy, Teenage Polio Patient, Dreams of Going to a Rodeo

Posted on August 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 4, 1947: Patsy Pfeifer, 14, has two ambitions: One is to see a rodeo. The other is to walk, having contracted polio around Christmas 1942. Continue reading →

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Aug. 4, 1907: Galveston Plan Brings Russian Jews to Southwestern U.S.

Posted on August 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 4, 1907: In July, 50 Russian Jews arrived in Galveston, Texas, aided by the Jewish Territorial Organization. The Galveston Plan brought about 10,000 Jews to America between 1907 and 1914. Continue reading →

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August 3, 1947: ‘Kingsblood Royal’ by Sinclar Lewis Leads Bestseller List

Posted on August 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 3, 1947: Sinclair Lewis’ ‘Kingsblood Royal’ is the bestselling novel in Los Angeles, followed by ‘The Prince of Foxes,’ by Samuel Shellabarger, and ‘Gentleman’s Agreement,’ by Laura Hobson. John Gunther’s ‘Inside U.S.A.’ is the bestselling nonfiction book. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow! Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 36 Comments

Aug. 3, 1907: Gasoline Stove Explodes, Destroys House

Posted on August 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 3, 1907: Gasoline from a stove explodes, destroying a house. Mrs. William Morley was found dazed and stumbling around the smoking ruin of what had been her home. Continue reading →

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August 2, 1947: Los Angeles County Clerk Refuses Marriage License for Interracial Couple

Posted on August 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 2, 1947: Los Angeles County clerk refuses marriage license for interracial couple. Continue reading →

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August 2, 1907: Dr. Lucy Hall-Brown Dies

Posted on August 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 2, 1907: A brief look at the life of Dr. Lucy Hall-Brown, a prominent woman physician. Continue reading →

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Black L.A., 1947: Kiwanis Refuses to Give Lottery Winner a New Cadillac Because He’s Black

Posted on July 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

On June 19, 1947, the Kiwanis Club of Ahoskie, N.C., refuses to award lottery winner Harvey Jones a new Cadillac because he is Black. Continue reading →

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July 31, 1907: After a Day at the Beach, Beer, a Fight and Gunshots

Posted on July 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1907: A day at the beach ends in a fight over beer. Evelyn Ferguson is accused of shooting newsboy Charles ‘Winnipeg’ Wilson with a policeman’s gun because Wilson was attacking her friend, who ‘was not in a condition to remember much about how it happened.’ Continue reading →

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