Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

Navy Releases Accounts of Pearl Harbor

Posted on December 7, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Dec. 22, 1941: The Navy releases three personal accounts of the Pearl Harbor attack. Many acts of heroism are described, and these few lines shed more light on the presence of African … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, African Americans, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Navy Releases Accounts of Pearl Harbor

L.A.’s Views on Pearl Harbor Attack

Posted on December 7, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Dec. 8, 1941: The Times interviewed average Angelenos (if there is such a thing) for their opinions about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Many, like Horace Goodrich, thought the U.S. would … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, World War II | Tagged | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 7, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Paul Bryan Gray was recently mentioned in the Los Angeles Times as the author of “A Clamor for Equality,” the biography of Francisco Ramirez, who published Los Angeles’ first entirely Spanish-language newspaper, … Continue reading →

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A Firsthand History Lesson on Pearl Harbor

Posted on December 7, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2011. In 1962, I was a seventh-grader at Washington Junior High School in Naperville, Ill. On Dec. 7, Mr. Humbert, our social studies teacher, put aside the regular curriculum to give his young pupils … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Education, History, World War II | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 7, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1937 MGM picture “The Last Gangster,” with Edward G. Robinson, James Stewart, Rose Stradner, Lionel Stander, Douglas Scott, John Carradine, Sidney Blackmer, Grant Mitchell, Edward S. Brophy, Alan Baxter, Frank Conroy and Louise Beavers. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 49 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Sign Built and Illuminated November-December 1923

Posted on December 7, 2020 by lmharnisch

The Hollywoodland Sign, in a photo published in the Los Angeles Evening Herald, Dec. 8, 1923. Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Originally constructed as a publicity gimmick and branding symbol to help generate sales for a real … Continue reading →

Posted in 1923, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 4, 2020 by lmharnisch

Gladwin Hill’s “Dancing Bear: An Inside Look at California Politics,” published in 1968, is a new addition to my annual holiday gift suggestions. I’m generally cool toward books on California politics (the result of reading a zillion stories out of … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 3, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Virtually everyone who writes about Raymond Chandler cites this book by Philip Durham, but very few people seem to have read it. Writing in 1963, four years after Chandler’s death, Durham produced … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 2, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. You might have to hunt a bit for Don Normark’s 1999 book “Chavez Ravine, 1949,” but your search will be rewarded. The photos are terrific and the residents’ recollections make the book even … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 1, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. Glen Creason’s book on maps of Los Angeles shows the many ways people have viewed the city over the years. I interviewed him for The Times in 2012 and fortunately for all concerned, … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on November 30, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. Whenever I’m asked about my favorite books on Los Angeles, my first recommendation is “Nuestro Pueblo,” a selection of features by Times artist Charles Owens and writer Joseph Seewerker that appeared in The … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Max Davidson

Posted on November 30, 2020 by lmharnisch

Photo: Lillian Elliott and Max Davidson in “Call of the Cuckoo.” Note: This is an encore post from 2012. America has always been the land of immigrants. From when this part of the world was a mere colony to other … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Max Davidson

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 30, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1959 Walt Disney picture “Darby O’Gill and the Little People,” with Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery, Jimmy O’Dea, Kieron Moore, Estelle Winwood, Walter Fitzgerald, Denis O’Dea, J.G. Devlin, Jack MacGowran, Farrell Delly and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 48 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide: ‘Bunker Hill Los Angeles’

Posted on November 27, 2020 by lmharnisch

Time to start the Daily Mirror’s holiday gift suggestions and there’s no better way to begin than with “Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir” by my Crime Buddy Nathan Marsak, published by Angel City Press ($40). The … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Downtown, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

L.A. Celebrates a Wartime Thanksgiving, 1943

Posted on November 26, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. A wartime Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, with many service personnel welcomed into people’s homes for a holiday meal. The Times published cooking tips for war workers, advising cooks who were otherwise engaged … Continue reading →

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An 1890s Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

Posted on November 26, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Here’s a traditional roast turkey recipe from the “Every-Day Cook-Book and Family Compendium,” written about 1890 by Miss E. Neill. Be sure your fire is bright and clear and watch out for … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: L.A.’s Vegetarian Roots More Than a Century Old

Posted on November 23, 2020 by lmharnisch

A vegetarian restaurant opened near Angeles Flight in 1900. From earliest recorded history, many people have searched for a clean and healthy diet that benefited society as well as their health. Prehistoric persons originally survived on a meatless diet since … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: L.A.’s Vegetarian Roots More Than a Century Old

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 23, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery program was “Queen of the Orange Bowl,” which aired Jan. 13, 1960,  on the CBS anthology show “U.S. Steel Hour.” With Anne Francis, Johnny Carson, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Elizabeth Wilson and Robert Elston. Adapted for television … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Preservation, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 43 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 16, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1963 Universal-International picture “For Love or Money,” with Kirk Douglas, Mitzi Gaynor, Gig Young,  Thelma Ritter, Julie Newmar, William Bendix, Leslie Parrish, Richard Sargent, Elizabeth MacRae, William Windom, Willard Sage, Ina Victor, Amy Moore, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 54 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: T.L. Tally – L.A.’s Pioneer Film Exhibitor, Part 2

Posted on November 16, 2020 by lmharnisch

“The Great Corbett Fight” at Tally’s theater. Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Former Texan T. L. (Thomas) Tally pioneered early film exhibition practices in the film metropolis of Los Angeles, catering to the needs of his audiences. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Broadway, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: T.L. Tally – L.A.’s Pioneer Film Exhibitor, Part 2