Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

February 1959: Burbank Installs Time Capsule

Posted on February 4, 2019 by lmharnisch

Note: This post originally appeared on latimes.com in 2009 and is available via Archive.org. Feb. 1, 1959: Burbank installs a time capsule in the “new” Magnolia Boulevard Bridge. It was scheduled to be opened Feb. 5, 2009. This is one … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: United Artists Incorporated February 1919

Posted on February 4, 2019 by lmharnisch

From left, D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, image via the Library of Congress. The entertainment industry as we know it irrevocably changed on February 5, 1919, when superstars Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and D.W. … Continue reading →

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Your Move, Chess Fans: Scaccomatto Puzzle Chess Set for $6,500

Posted on February 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

I have been intrigued with the Scaccomatto chess set since I stumbled across an ad going through old newspapers. They almost never come on the market and when they do they are terribly expensive. A set was offered in 2016 … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Jay Singletary (Chris Pine) Star Reporter of ‘I Am the Night’

Posted on January 31, 2019 by lmharnisch

I already posted this on Twitter, but here it is for the Daily Mirror readers. Sam Sheridan’s portrayal of hotshot/disgraced reporter Jay Singletary (a tousled Chris Pine, who loses his shirt a lot) is utter b.s. Here’s why: Jay’s backstory … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: George Hodel, Steve Hodel and Public Records

Posted on January 31, 2019 by lmharnisch

I have already shared this on Twitter but I thought I would post it here as well. This is an example of Steve Hodel’s amazing detective work on his father, Dr. George Hodel. Steve evidently cannot tell when he is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Genealogy | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Wikipedia, George Hodel and ‘I Am the Night’

Posted on January 31, 2019 by lmharnisch

If you’re watching “I Am the Night”  on TNT, you may be tempted to read the Wikipedia entry on “evil” Dr. George Hodel. Here are a few warnings:

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Gypsy Rose Lee and ‘The G-String Murders’

Posted on January 28, 2019 by lmharnisch

Photo: Barbara Stanwyck in “Lady of Burlesque.” This is an encore post from 2012. See note below for correction. While being tops in your field can be exciting, an ambitious or intellectually curious person always looks for new ways to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Gypsy Rose Lee and ‘The G-String Murders’

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 28, 2019 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1943 MGM film “Du Barry Was a Lady,” with Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly, Virginia O’Brien, “Rags” Ragland, Zero Mostel, Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, Donald Meek, Douglass Dumbrille, George Givot and Louise … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 67 Comments

Jan. 25, 1959: Boys Admit Burning Baby to Death on Stove

Posted on January 25, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 25, 1959: Do remind me that the past was “a kinder, simpler time.” I think not. Absolutely horrific.. The entire post originally appeared on latimes.com and is available via Archive.org.

Posted in 1959, Homicide | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Jan. 24, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘The Business of Sex’

Posted on January 24, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 24, 1959: Matt Weinstock has an item on an Edward R. Murrow broadcast “The Business of Sex.” Murrow said that “For Los Angeles, even though the arrest figure was 212 for the year 1957, the estimates varied from 3,000 … Continue reading →

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Jan. 24, 1959: Law Delays ‘Alfalfa’ Burial

Posted on January 24, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 24, 1959: One of the best parts of doing the blog at latimes.com was having UCLA and Cal State Northridge interns who, among other tasks, transcribed the Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock columns. Sometimes I transcribed them myself (this … Continue reading →

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Jan. 24, 1969: Ghosts of Wrigley Field

Posted on January 24, 2019 by lmharnisch

Keith Thursby says: John Hall wrote a couple of columns bidding farewell to Los Angeles’ Wrigley Field. “It was another time, another place. It was Wrigley Field, 1925-1969, may it rest in peace. The demolition crews are at work and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1969, Baseball, Keith Thursby, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jan. 23, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘Money Well Spent’

Posted on January 23, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 23, 1959: Matt Weinstock covers a speech by Newsweek Washington Bureau Chief Ernest K. Lindley. “Foreign aid is the best money we spend to hold off communism,” Lindley said. The best way to get from Westwood to Burbank by … Continue reading →

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Jan. 23, 1959: Paul Coates — A Plethora of Ceremonial Plaques

Posted on January 23, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 23, 1959: Paul Coates is all (or mostly) in favor of ceremonial honors. On the jump, Bobbie Long is found strangled with a nylon stocking a few feet off a dirt road that runs off Don Julian Road between … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Cold Cases, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jan. 23, 1959: Paul Coates — A Plethora of Ceremonial Plaques

January 1959: The LAPD’s Pandora Files

Posted on January 23, 2019 by lmharnisch

This was a fun post on Pandora’s (later Pandora’s Box), 8118 Sunset Blvd., that I completely forgot. The material is in the agenda packets of the Police Commission. The club was under the jurisdiction of the LAPD’s Hollywood Division Vice … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Food and Drink, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Jan. 22, 1959: Paul Coates on Another Claim to ‘The Brave One’

Posted on January 22, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 22, 1959: Dalton Trumo (blacklisted and using the name Robert Rich) wrote the script for “The Brave One,” but there was a claim by the widow of Juan Duval. The previous entry is here. Coates’ column was published in … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Common Myths About the Black Dahlia and Their Origins

Posted on January 22, 2019 by lmharnisch

The FBI file perpetuates the error that Elizabeth Short’s middle name was “Ann.” She had no middle name. Note: This item was originally posted on lmharnisch.com in 2005. Here’s a quick guide to the most frequent errors made in writing … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jan. 22, 1969: Lee Meyers Hoping for a Comeback With the Royals

Posted on January 22, 2019 by lmharnisch

Keith Thursby has the story of baseball player Lee Meyers, who was was making a comeback, hoping to get a job with the first-year Kansas City Royals. Meyers was married to Mamie Van Doren (1966-1969).. Note: This post originally appeared … Continue reading →

Posted in 1969, Baseball, Keith Thursby | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Jan. 22, 1969: Musial and Campanella Elected to Hall of Fame

Posted on January 22, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 22, 1969: Stan Musial and Roy Campanella are voted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Campanella became only the second black player in the Hall of Fame, after Jackie Robinson. This post originally appeared on latimes.com in 2009 and is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Baseball, Dodgers, Keith Thursby, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Jan. 22, 1969: Musial and Campanella Elected to Hall of Fame

Jan. 22, 1959: Rams Draft Rafer Johnson

Posted on January 22, 2019 by lmharnisch

Keith Thursby writes: The Rams picked a real winner in the NFL annual draft. Rafer Johnson would become world famous in 1960 by winning the gold medal in the decathlon at the Rome Olympics. He already held the world record … Continue reading →

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