Category Archives: 1938

September 28, 1938: Los Angeles Mayor Begins City Hall Cleanup

Posted on September 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

September 28, 1938: Mayor Fletcher Bowron begins a cleanup of City Hall, asking for the resignations of 117 members of 22 city commissions. Germany issues a new ultimatum on Czechoslovakia, King George VI places Britain under a state of emergency, and Hank Greenberg hits his 57th home run. Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, @news, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, Politics, Sports | Leave a comment

August 19, 1938: Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on August 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 19, 1938: Reporter Joe Seewerker and artist Charles Owens visit an old windmill, mentioning that the Los Angeles Aqueduct made them obsolete. Continue reading →

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April 1, 1938: Herbert Hoover on the Rise of Fascism in Europe

Posted on April 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 1, 1938: Herbert Hoover on the the status of Europe: “The Fascist form of government is today a raging power. Its acts are being rationalized into a philosophy. It has now embraced a sort of mysticism based on theories of racialism and nationalism. It is becoming a militant ideology. It does not hold within its original boundaries.” Continue reading →

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March 30, 1938: Times Opposes U.S. Haven for Jewish Refugees Fleeing Hitler

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30, 1938: Los Angeles Times opposes U.S. haven for Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler. Continue reading →

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March 17, 1938: A Look at Rabbi Jacob Sonderling

Posted on March 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 17, 1938: A brief look at Rabbi Jacob Sonderling, former chief rabbi of the German army. Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – 1938 Floods Wreak Havoc on Los Angeles Area

Posted on January 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory has the story of the 1938 Los Angeles flood, when record rains caused heavy damage and left more than 90 dead, leading the Army Corps of Engineers to cover much of the river channel in concrete. Continue reading →

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December 22, 1938: Jealous husband kills wife with ax

Posted on December 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 22, 1938: Virgilio Spinelli kills his wife, Rose, because she was going to run off with another man. He was convicted and executed in the gas chamber May 17, 1940. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1938, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD | 2 Comments

December 11, 1938: Breakfast of death; voodoo cult killings

Posted on December 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 11, 1938: A family’s ‘Breakfast of Death’; Voodoo Killer Suspect Seized; Man Dressed as Woman Found Hanging From Tree Continue reading →

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December 1, 1938: California prepares to execute two killers at San Quentin

Posted on December 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 1, 1938: California prepares to use the new gas chamber for two executions rather than the previous method of hanging. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1938, @news, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Politics, Religion, Sports | Comments Off on December 1, 1938: California prepares to execute two killers at San Quentin

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on June 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a very mysterious fellow! Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 9, 2024 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mystery woman. Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 28, 2024 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1938 Twentieth Century-Fox film Happy Landing, with Sonja Henie, Don Ameche, Ethel Merman, Cesar Romero, Jean Hersholt, Billy Gilbert, Raymond Scott Quintet, Wally Vernon and Leah Ray.

Posted in 1938, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 29, 2024 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1938 MGM film Of Human Hearts, with Walter Huston, James Stewart, Gene Reynolds, Beulah Bondi, Guy Kibbee, Charles Coburn, John Carradine, Ann Rutherford, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, Charley Grapewin, Leona Roberts, Gene Lockhart, Clem Bevans, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 39 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 2, 2023 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1938 Warner Bros. picture Four Daughters, with Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane, Gale Page, Claude Rains, John Garfield, Jeffrey Lynn, Dick Foran, Frank McHugh and May Robson.

Posted in 1938, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – 1938 Floods Wreak Havoc on Los Angeles Area

Posted on August 21, 2023 by lmharnisch

  Flooding in North Hollywood, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Seventy-five years ago, a deluge of rain hit Los Angeles and the surrounding area, leading to massive floods and causing millions of dollars … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – 1938 Floods Wreak Havoc on Los Angeles Area

Posted on March 6, 2023 by lmharnisch

  Flooding in North Hollywood, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Seventy-five years ago, a deluge of rain hit Los Angeles and the surrounding area, leading to massive floods and causing millions of dollars … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 28, 2022 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1938 Warner Bros. film Gold Is Where You Find It, with George Brent, Olivia de Havilland, Claude Rains, Margaret Lindsay, John Litel, Marcia Ralston, Barton MacLane, Tim Holt, Sidney Toler, Henry O’Neill, Willie Best, … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Christmas House Offers Simple Family Joys of Holiday Season

Posted on November 28, 2022 by lmharnisch

The Christmas House in Boyle Heights, courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library. Note: This is an encore post from 2019. Long before the inauguration of Instagram and trying to win social media by posting the most elaborate or flashy … Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, Architecture, Film, Fire Department, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Christmas House Offers Simple Family Joys of Holiday Season

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on May 23, 2022 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1938 Warner Bros. picture The Beloved Brat, with Bonita Granville, Dolores Costello, Donald Crisp, Natalie Moorhead, Lucile Gleason, Donald Briggs, Emmett Vogan, Loia Cheaney, Leo Gorcey, Ellen Lowe, Mary Doyle, Paul Everton, Bernice Pilot, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 39 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 28, 2022 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1938 MGM picture Listen, Darling, with Judy Garland, Freddie Bartholomew, Mary Astor, Walter Pidgeon, Alan Hale, Scotty Beckett, Barnett Parker, Gene Lockhart and Charley Grapewin.

Posted in 1938, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 60 Comments