Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Like gonesville

Posted on May 19, 2007 by lmharnisch

Ella Fitzgerald, "Angel Eyes" Email me

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Cohen talks

Posted on May 19, 2007 by lmharnisch

"I killed nobody that didn’t deserve killing. In all of these here killings there was no alternative. You couldn’t call them cold-blooded killings…. It was either my life or theirs."     Mickey Cohen     May 19, 1957 Los … Continue reading →

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USC honors Mrs. Nixon

Posted on May 19, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 19, 1957 Los Angeles In only the second time such honor was bestowed upon a woman since it was established in 1932, the Asa V. Call Award was presented to Mrs. Richard M. Nixon for bringing the greatest … Continue reading →

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Neumann on the Mideast, Part 13

Posted on May 19, 2007 by lmharnisch

Note: In early 1957, The Times sent UCLA professor Robert G. Neumann on a six-week tour of the Middle East. Neumann, who was later the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Morocco, wrote these stories upon his return. His son, Ronald, … Continue reading →

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A little place called Viet-Nam

Posted on May 18, 2007 by lmharnisch

President Ngo Dinh Diem, assassinated November 1963

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Pusher gets life

Posted on May 18, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 18, 1957 Los Angeles Gilbert M. Zaragoza, 21, of 3322 Oregon St. was led out of Federal court to serve the rest of his life in prison, presumably thankful that he escaped the death penalty. His crime? He … Continue reading →

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Dave Pell

Posted on May 18, 2007 by lmharnisch

Dave Pell swings at the Shrine Auditorium.

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Shotgun slaying

Posted on May 18, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 18, 1957 Alhambra She was going to leave him, so she had to die. In fact, he killed all of them. Marilyn Ockman, 25, and Sally, their 4-year-old daughter, were in the dining room of their home at … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock

Posted on May 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 17, 1957 Anyone who does any downtown strolling can’t help noticing the parade of shabby gentlemen lost in misfortune and alcoholism. Most of them are obviously drifting aimlessly and hopelessly. But many of them, beneath their ragged clothes, are … Continue reading →

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Ain’t it Garand?

Posted on May 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 17, 1957 Los Angeles An otherwise unidentified author named James McLean writes a misty-eyed farewell to the passing of M-1 Garand, recalling the day in 1941 that his Army drill sergeant introduced him to the replacement for the ’03 … Continue reading →

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JFK’s Pulitzer

Posted on May 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

  Times book critic Robert R. Kirsch is less than impressed with the Pulitzer awarded to Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-Mass.) for "Profiles in Courage, calling it "a rather astonishing choice." "Courage" was an interesting book and well worth reading, … Continue reading →

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Hat squad

Posted on May 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 17, 1957 Los Angeles Let the record show that there was once a time in Los Angeles when something other than a backward baseball cap was deemed the height of fashion in men’s hats. [I mean, guys, at … Continue reading →

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Neumann on the Mideast, Part 12

Posted on May 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

Note: In early 1957, The Times sent UCLA professor Robert G. Neumann on a six-week tour of the Middle East. Neumann, who was later the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Morocco, wrote these stories upon his return. His son, Ronald, … Continue reading →

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Jack Smith

Posted on May 16, 2007 by lmharnisch

Jack Smith sets the scene for South Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem’s visit to Los Angeles.

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Not on Netflix

Posted on May 16, 2007 by lmharnisch

  "Voodoo Woman" Bad things happen when treasure hunters set foot in voodoo country. Look for Mike "Panic Button" Connors as "Touch Connors."  "This story has been done a thousand times instead of just a hundred and frequently much better."  … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

Posted on May 16, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 16, 1957 The story appeared in the Mirror-News about a month ago. Venus Gonzales, 17, read it. That evening, when her husband, Buddy, 21, came home from work, she showed it to him. Both of them shuddered at the … Continue reading →

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Tough prosecutor

Posted on May 16, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 16, 1957 Los Angeles While L. Ewing Scott uses every possible ploy to delay his extradition from Michigan, the district attorney’s office has appointed top prosecutor J. Miller Leavy to handle the case. Leavy has just finished the … Continue reading →

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Neumann on the Mideast, Part 11

Posted on May 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

Note: In early 1957, The Times sent UCLA professor Robert G. Neumann on a six-week tour of the Middle East. Neumann, who was later the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Morocco, wrote these stories upon his return. His son, Ronald, … Continue reading →

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Drivers’ Ed Theatre

Posted on May 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

"Frigidaire Finale," 1957 Bad things happen when a choreographer is turned loose with two dancers and a bunch of appliances.

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Hollywood madam

Posted on May 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 15, 1957 Los Angeles The papers called her an actress, but she was never in anything but trouble and her only talent was for raising hell. Even the gossip magazines quit working with her because they didn’t trust her. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Hollywood, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments