Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

A blast

Posted on June 20, 2007 by lmharnisch

The Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West is hosting a two-day conference in August on the history of the aerospace industry in Southern California. Speakers will include writers, historians, pioneers in the aerospace industry and military officials. "Rocket Science … Continue reading →

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Ay caramba!

Posted on June 20, 2007 by lmharnisch

Update: The 1957 Chevrolet featured earlier this month in the post about decoding production numbers sold on EBay for $35,999. That is some serious change. How much? About $5,024.09 USD 1957. Let’s check in with Weird Al.

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Battling movie stars

Posted on June 20, 2007 by lmharnisch

  June 20, 1957 Los Angeles For battling Hollywood celebrities, it’s hard to surpass Shelley Winters and Anthony Franciosa. They were only married a few years, but they made up for it in brawls between themselves, other actors (like Ava … Continue reading →

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William Parker, Part 4

Posted on June 20, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 20, 1957Los Angeles Classic moments in Los Angeles history: The Sammy Rummel shooting, the "two Tonys murder" and "Bloody Christmas." Part 1 Part 2

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Newspaper wars

Posted on June 19, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 19, 1957 Los Angeles These numbers tell a story, but what is the story? According to the graphs, circulation for Hearst’s daily and Sunday Examiner began falling after World War II. The Times, according to these statistics, passed the … Continue reading →

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William Parker, Part 3

Posted on June 19, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 19, 1957 Los Angeles This will be fascinating reading to anyone interested in the LAPD in the 1930s and ’40s, but never forget that it is told from the viewpoint of one man: William H. Parker. I wish I … Continue reading →

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Mulholland robbery

Posted on June 18, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 19, 1957 Los Angeles Meet Louis Spivak, a hard-luck guy if there ever was one. The whole thing started and ended with him. Spivak, the brother of musician Charlie Spivak, had been in the joint at Folsom and transferred … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

Posted on June 18, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1957 Los Angeles By oath and by tradition, policemen and probation officers are on the same side of the law. Yet I know of no two groups so closely associated and so united in cause which are so … Continue reading →

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They said it

Posted on June 18, 2007 by lmharnisch

"Los Angeles is much worse than the average American city because it is so widely spread out. There is more of it to be ugly. "But Los Angeles is still an open city–open to ideas. And it is something in … Continue reading →

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William Parker, Part 2

Posted on June 18, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1957 Los Angeles Part 2 of Paul Weeks’ series on William H. Parker. Page 1 Page 2 Daniel Webster’s speech is here (search for Captain Joseph White). The Bible passage is a little more problematic. It echoes Psalms … Continue reading →

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10 Fwy

Posted on June 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

And you know what? It wasn’t even on Page 1. June 17, 1957Los Angeles Part 1 Part 2

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Matt Weinstock

Posted on June 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 17, 1957 Sometimes it is very difficult to know whom to believe. Take the case of a young sailor named Mike. Mike, 19, on leave from his base in San Diego, went to a wedding and reception a few … Continue reading →

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Reds freed!

Posted on June 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

Note the suicide of Stanford scientist William K. Sherwood. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

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William Parker, Part 1

Posted on June 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

  June 17, 1957 Los Angeles I’m extremely pleased to be able to present Paul Weeks’ series on Los Angeles Police Chief William H. Parker.  Weeks did a first-rate job with a subject who wasn’t especially cooperative. Although Parker realized … Continue reading →

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Literary diversions

Posted on June 16, 2007 by lmharnisch

Erle Stanley Gardner, Feb. 2, 1958

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Weird wheels

Posted on June 16, 2007 by lmharnisch

  June 16, 1957 Los Angeles Hi, my name is Larry, and I owned a DKW. Hi Larry! Seriously. Induced by a crazy college friend, I bought one of these things in the early 1970s for about $30 and it … Continue reading →

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A name to remember

Posted on June 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 15, 1957

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Matt Weinstock

Posted on June 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 15, 1957 It can now be revealed that a dark plot against the Stanfords by the Uclans–an offshoot of the feuding between the two universities as a result of PCC [Pacific Coast Conference] penalties–has been inadvertently thwarted. Not long … Continue reading →

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Zombie Plymouth!

Posted on June 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

Tulsa, Okla., unearths the buried 1957 Plymouth. Photo by KOTV.comWatch KOTV’s video here.

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Policewomen graduate

Posted on June 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

  June 15, 1957 Los Angeles Chief William H. Parker welcomed 12 new policewomen in commencement exercises at the Police Academy. The Times reports that most of the new officers will be assigned to the juvenile detail or work as … Continue reading →

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