Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

An Unusual Bet on Boxing Match

Posted on July 8, 2009 by lmharnisch

   July 8, 1889: Dutch Pete and Charles Beaucaire make a bet on the Sullivan-Kilrain fight. Evidently the loser will carry the winner in a wheelbarrow from the Anheuser saloon to the Nadeau Hotel, at 1st and Spring, and back. … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown | Comments Off on An Unusual Bet on Boxing Match

Found on EBay — Bullock’s Wilshire

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

This rather remarkable pink elephant dress from the Playdeck department at Bullock's Wilshire has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $100.

Posted in Fashion | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Bullock’s Wilshire

Matt Weinstock, July 7, 1959

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Feverish Fourth Let us calmly reflect on the Independence Day weekend. July 4 came on Saturday and by all rights it should have been observed then and then alone. But a kind of fever now seems to grip people … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates — Confidential File, July 7, 1959

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

Confidential File Ensenada's Brooding About Tijuana's Sins For natives of Ensenada there's a long, lean summer ahead. The gaiety picked up a little over the Cuatro de Julio* weekend, but so far this year, the Baja California resort city has … Continue reading →

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A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept: Your Movies

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

  July 7, 1927: Now playing in Los Angeles, Pola Negri in "Barbed Wire." And look! It's our old pal Rube Wolf! What's this? "Her Unborn Child." "A startling problem play of youth   love   sex."

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

Services for Theater Organist Bob Mitchell

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Daily Mirror fan Karie Bible of Film Radar reports the death of theater organist Bob Mitchell. Mitchell was a regular feature of the Los Angeles Conservancy's Last Remaining Seats series. He was quite frail at this year's event but … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries | 2 Comments

Angel Pitcher Exiled to Hawaii

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Angels were a fine mess. New Manager Lefty Phillips tried to get his players' attention by attacking their wallets. Five players who missed curfew were fined. Then pitcher Phil Ortega was charged $500 for being found in a Kansas … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | 1 Comment

Policewoman Admits Perjury in Brenda Allen Case; Jive-Talking Sports Scribe!

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 7, 1949: Charles Stoker surrenders his police badge to defense attorney S.S. Hahn after being accused of burglary by Policewoman Audre Davis. In this story, Davis admitted lying to win the conviction of Hollywood madam Brenda Allen. She accused … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Front Pages, LAPD, Nightclubs | Comments Off on Policewoman Admits Perjury in Brenda Allen Case; Jive-Talking Sports Scribe!

Architecture — Frank Lloyd Wright Jr.

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Erik Grammer Real Estate Photography A 1948 home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. for the Allan Dorland family has been listed for sale at $749,000. The home at 1370 Morada Place in Altadena has been on the … Continue reading →

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Nuestro Pueblo: West Pico

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

  July 7, 1939: Nuestro Pueblo stops at 5000 W. Pico, site of a one-room schoolhouse. View Larger Map

Posted in Architecture, art and artists, books, Nuestro Pueblo | Comments Off on Nuestro Pueblo: West Pico

Streetcar Runs Over Horse

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

   July 7, 1889: One of the horses pulling a streetcar is put to death after the animal falls and is run over by the car, breaking a leg. 

Posted in Animals, Transportation | Comments Off on Streetcar Runs Over Horse

Artist’s Notebook: City Hall

Posted on July 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles City Hall, July 3, 2009 Since I began posting Nuestro Pueblo last year, I've wanted to feature contemporary artwork of historic Los Angeles in the spirit of what Joe Seewerker and Charles Owens did in 1938-39. Not long … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, City Hall, Downtown, Marion Eisenmann | Comments Off on Artist’s Notebook: City Hall

Found on EBay — Mahjong Set From Dyas Co.

Posted on July 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

This mahjong set from the Dyas Co. has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $9.99.

Posted in #games | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Mahjong Set From Dyas Co.

Matt Weinstock, July 6, 1959

Posted on July 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

Drama in the Groove Between editions the other day reporters Roy Ringer and Jeff Davis invented a game they call Trite Trite Again. The idea is to recall a key scene or bit of dialogue in a movie or TV … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates — Confidential File, July 6, 1959

Posted on July 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 6, 1959: “Our Boarding House With Major Hoople.” Kaff Kaff! Confidential File Fourth Shenanigans Shock Monarchist I trust this raucous celebration can be considered at an end until next July the Fourth. Now then, if the parades have run … Continue reading →

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A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept: Your Movies

Posted on July 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 6, 1924: An elaborate drawing by Times artist A.L. Ewing illustrates a new Ernst Lubitsch film, "Three Women." "Always to do something new, something that he has never tried to do before, is the plan that Lubitsch adheres to. … Continue reading →

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

Robert S. McNamara — 1916 – 2009

Posted on July 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

Hoang Dinh Nam / AFP/Getty Images Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara meets with Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, the Vietnamese communist army commander during the war. Note: Former Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara has died at the age of 93. The … Continue reading →

Posted in @news, books, Obituaries, Politics | 1 Comment

Houdini at the Orpheum!

Posted on July 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 6, 1899: The Times reminds tourists to watch out for pickpockets. July 6, 1899: Look who's playing at the Orpheum. It's Houdini, with his wife, doing the Oregon boot routine. There's also a female impersonator named Tacianu. On May … Continue reading →

Posted in #gays and lesbians, 1897, 1899, Comics, Music, Stage | Comments Off on Houdini at the Orpheum!

Devout Family Trusts Diphtheria Patient to Prayer

Posted on July 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

   July 6, 1889: The father of a diphtheria victim tells The Times, "if the Lord could not save his child it was no use to trust in doctors."

Posted in health, Religion | 1 Comment

Found on EBay — Historic Venice

Posted on July 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

This 1908 postcard showing the bath house and lagoon in Venice has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $7.95.

Posted in Parks and Recreation | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Historic Venice