Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 8, 2021 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1929 First National picture Weary River, with Richard Barthelmess, Betty Compson, William Holden, Louis Natheaux, George Stone, Raymond Turner and Gladden James. Story by Courtney Riley Cooper. Screen version by Bradley King.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 48 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Bridge

Posted on November 8, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Though card games had been around for centuries, auction bridge was developed in 1904 as an alternative to whist. In 1925, Harold Stirling Vanderbilt developed rules, particularly for scoring, creating contract bridge. … Continue reading →

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A Reminder From Pier Angeli and Friend

Posted on November 7, 2021 by lmharnisch

Pier Angeli and her little friend remind Daily Mirror readers to turn back their clocks this Sunday.

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George Hodel: ‘Wings of Evil’

Posted on November 4, 2021 by lmharnisch

I’m told that Steve Hodel has published the last two volumes in his life’s work of accusing his father, George Hodel, of every unsolved killing between 1907 and 1999. The Black Dahlia Avenger has gone through countless revisions and updates … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, books | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Ferragamo’s Hollywood Days

Posted on November 2, 2021 by lmharnisch

Long before becoming synonymous as one of the world’s top designers of haute couture footwear, Salvatore Ferragamo gained fame as shoe designer to Hollywood stars. Creating gorgeous and unique designs that also comfortably fit the wearer’s foot, Ferragamo put Hollywood … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 1, 2021 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1951 Twentieth Century-Fox picture Take Care of My Little Girl, with Jeanne Crain, Dale Robertson, Mitzi Gaynor, Jean Peters, Jeffrey Hunter, Betty Lynn, Helen Westcott, Lenka Peterson, Carol Brannon, Natalie Schafer, Beverly Dennis, Kathleen … Continue reading →

Posted in 1951, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 47 Comments

Black Dahlia: Steve Hodel’s Lies, Some Old, Some New

Posted on October 26, 2021 by lmharnisch

  To the Oct. 26, 2021, audience at the Council Bluffs, Iowa, Public Library who attended Duffy Hudson’s performance delivering the words of Steve Hodel: You should know that virtually everything you heard was a lie. The fault is not … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 25, 2021 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1951 Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger production of Jacques Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, with Moira Shearer, by permission of the Covent Garden Opera Trust, Ludmilla Tcherina, Ann Ayars, Pamela Brown, Leonide Massine, Robert Helpmann, Frederick … Continue reading →

Posted in 1951, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 25 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Einar Petersen, Forgotten Artist

Posted on October 25, 2021 by lmharnisch

Image: Lobby of the New Rosslyn Hotel, showing murals by Einar Petersen. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Fame is an odd thing. An artist might be successful and popular in his lifetime and forgotten with the decades, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1915, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Food and Drink, Hollywood Heights, Interior Design, Mary Mallory, Obituaries, Photography, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Einar Petersen, Forgotten Artist

Movieland Mystery Crossword Puzzle

Posted on October 19, 2021 by lmharnisch

If you’re missing the mystery movie, here’s something to occupy your time. It’s a movie crossword puzzle. From 1933! If the clues are too small, here’s a link to the original. Good solving to you!

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Movieland Mystery Photo – Red Car Edition (Updated +)

Posted on October 18, 2021 by lmharnisch

I was going to take the mystery photos dark this week as I’ve been traveling and unable to preview a mystery movie. But I decided to run this historic photo for the week. Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory has … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Henry Armetta, Excitable Support

Posted on October 18, 2021 by lmharnisch

Henry Armetta, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. In many films of the 1930s and 1940s, what audiences remember most are the one-of-a-kind supporting players, with vibrant personalities, colorful ways of talking, recognizable tics … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Pioneer Eugene Plummer and His Park

Posted on October 12, 2021 by lmharnisch

Eugene Plummer holds what he claimed was Joaquin Murrieta’s 12-shot pistol, Los Angeles Times, Sept. 5, 1938. Virtually forgotten today, Hollywood pioneer Eugene R. Plummer preserved many romantic traditions of old Los Angeles throughout his 91 years. Generous to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Parks and Recreation, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

Posted on October 11, 2021 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a dapper mystery gent. Note: Many responses went into the spam folder this week, my apologies.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 38 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo – Jury Duty Edition No. 5 (Updated)

Posted on October 8, 2021 by lmharnisch

And no, not all the judges on Perry Mason were men, so I’m closing out a week of jury duty with a mystery woman judge. Update: This is Lillian Bronson from The Case of the Shattered Dream. She was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Television | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo – Jury Duty Edition No. 4 (Updated)

Posted on October 7, 2021 by lmharnisch

I’m on jury duty this week, so in that theme I’m posting mystery judges from Perry Mason. Update: This is Frank Wilcox from The Case of the Treacherous Toupee, as seen in the Mystery Movie ’Til We Meet Again. Brain … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Television | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo — Jury Duty Edition No. 3 (Updated)

Posted on October 6, 2021 by lmharnisch

I’m on jury duty this week, so in that theme I’m posting mystery judges from Perry Mason. Update: This is Jason Johnson from The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife. Brain Trust roll call: Beach Gal (Wednesday’s mysterious jurist), Michael Ryerson … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo – Jury Duty Edition No. 2 (Updated)

Posted on October 5, 2021 by lmharnisch

I’m on jury duty this week, so in that theme I’m posting mystery judges from Perry Mason. Update: This is Grandon Rhodes from The Case of the Restless Redhead. Brain Trust roll call: Michael Ryerson (Tuesday’s mystery judge), Howard Mandelbaum … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Television | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo — Jury Duty Edition No. 1 (Updated)

Posted on October 4, 2021 by lmharnisch

I’m on jury duty this week, so in that theme I’m posting mystery judges from Perry Mason (yes, another TV show). Update: This is S. John Launer from The Case of the Golden Fraud, starring Mystery Movie veteran Arthur Franz … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 28 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Olvera Street, Salute to Los Angeles’ Spanish Past

Posted on October 4, 2021 by lmharnisch

A postcard of the Avila Adobe, listed on EBay for $1.89. “A people that has lost touch with its historical past, forgotten its traditions and wasted its heritage is as unfortunate as a man who has lost his memory. Without … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment