Category Archives: 1921

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Spooky, Ooky Witch’s House Haunts Beverly Hills

A sketch of the “The Witch’s House” by Charles Owens from “Nuestro Pueblo,” courtesy of Mary Mallory Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Once upon a time, home design and architecture saluted fantasy and make-believe, and not just … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Dr. Caligari and the Rise of American Nationalism

Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, described by film critic Roger Ebert as the “first true horror film,” still wows audiences more than 100 years after creation due to its high artistic values and nightmarish, foreboding atmosphere. Reflecting as … Continue reading

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Spooky, Ooky Witch’s House Haunts Beverly Hills

A sketch of the “The Witch’s House” by Charles Owens from “Nuestro Pueblo,” courtesy of Mary Mallory Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Once upon a time, home design and architecture saluted fantasy and make-believe, and not just … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: L.A. Master Chorale’s ‘Sunrise’ Soars

Composer Jeff Beal provided new voice to F.W. Murnau’s lyrical silent film “Sunrise” on Sunday, Jan. 26, with a mystical, otherworldly score for chamber orchestra and the 40 voices of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Emphasizing the mysterious alchemy of … Continue reading

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Spooky, Ooky Witch’s House Haunts Beverly Hills

A sketch of the “The Witch’s House” by Charles Owens from “Nuestro Pueblo,” courtesy of Mary Mallory Note: This is an encore post from 2013.   Once upon a time, home design and architecture saluted fantasy and make-believe, and not … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood’ | One-Page Fact Check: Fail

The one-page fact check of Karina Longworth’s “Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood” was even more successful than I expected. Well done, Brain Trust. Grade: Fail. Ready? Here we go:

Posted in 1920, 1921, 1923, 1925, Another Good Story Ruined, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, One-Page Fact Check | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Thomas Ince’s Dias Dorados Salutes California’s Past

  In the early 1920s, Hollywood was booming. The adolescent film business had blossomed from a small by-the-seat-of-the pants mom and pop operation into a major industry backed by Wall Street, which was turning the large companies into international conglomerates. … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hillview Apartment Building Graces Hollywood Boulevard

  A postcard of the Hillview Apartment Building, from the California State Library. Long an elegant sight on Hollywood Boulevard, the Hillview Apartment Building’s (now the Hollywood Hudson Apartments) central location in Hollywood and its graceful look attracted entertainers of … Continue reading

Posted in 1920, 1921, Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: The Priscilla Dean Tam – Fashion Statement and Marketing Ploy

Priscilla Dean and her tam, Photoplay, January 1921   The entertainment industry mastered the use of publicity and cross promotion from its very beginnings, creating elaborate ballyhoo campaigns to build word of mouth and huge box office receipts. It quickly … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Los Angeles Bans ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ (Updated)

A still from “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari from “The Movies Come From America.” Update: A reader on the film site, Nitrateville, pointed out that novelist Upton Sinclair wrote about the protest at “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” in his … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, 1922, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Spooky, Ooky Witch’s House Haunts Beverly Hills

A sketch of the “The Witch’s House” by Charles Owens from “Nuestro Pueblo,” courtesy of Mary Mallory   Once upon a time, home design and architecture saluted fantasy and make-believe, and not just in fiction. Bilbo Baggins and lucky leprechauns … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why Can’t Anybody Get L.A. History Right?

The Times magazine magically transports San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel  to Los Angeles! Ignorance about Los Angeles history is, alas, all around us. But imagine my dismay to discover this gaffe by The Times magazine –a separate publication by the … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, LAPD, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Los Angeles’ Forgotten J. B. Lankershim Monument

Charles Owens’ drawing of the Lankershim monument in “Nuestro Pueblo.” Los Angeles’ Boy Scout Camp Arthur Letts is a distant memory today, a large getaway in the Hollywood Hills offering camping, drilling and country escapes by area Boy Scout troops. … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, 1939, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Loew’s State Theater Under Construction

This 1921 architectural photo of Loew’s State Theater under construction at 7th Street and Broadway has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $24. Notice the signage for Bullock’s in the background.

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Found on EBay, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. County Jail’s New Piano Should Be an Instrument of Torture!

Jun2 28, 1921: Mrs. K.T. Lindy of Inglewood thinks jails are for punishment. Now that someone has given women prisoners a piano, she hopes they have to practice chromatic scales and not that evil jazz! Lindy says: “I hope this … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, Comics, Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

‘The Sheik’ – Found on EBay

A location photo that the vendor says shows filming of “The Sheik” on “Hueneme Beach near Oxnard” has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $49.99.

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Harold Lloyd — ‘Now or Never’

Harold Lloyd’s “Now or Never,” directed by Hal Roach and Fred Newmeyer, includes a memorable sequence in which he appears to be caught on top of a train. The final impression is stunning and we might pass it off as … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Harold Lloyd on Location: Santa Fe Station

John Bengston emailed the other day to mention his research on Harold Lloyd’s filming locations in conjunction with the recent Lloyd festival on TCM. John pointed out that “Safety Last” and “Cops” used the same alley. I DVR’d just about … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Location Sleuth, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Bonnie and Clyde Submachine Gun for Sale

Photo: Thompson submachine gun, serial No. 4208, with detachable stock and ammunition drum. Credit: Mayo Auction and Realty. This .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun 1921A, reputedly seized after a 1933 shootout with Bonnie and Clyde, is being auctioned, along with the … Continue reading

Posted in 1921, 1933, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Boston Policeman Killed Trying to Disarm Former Officer, 1921

The National Air and Space Museum in Washington is closed after antiwar demonstrators try to enter to protest an exhibit on  drones. The crowd dispersed after being pepper-sprayed by a security guard coming to the rescue of another guard. Washington … Continue reading

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