Category Archives: 1941

Errol Flynn: ‘Everything Went Black’ in Mocambo Brawl

Posted on October 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 1, 1941: Errol Flynn promises he won’t punch Hollywood columnist Jimmie Fidler anymore. The actor invoked the famous “everything went black” defense for the melee at the Mocambo, in which Fidler’s wife stabbed him with a fork.

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Judge Urges U.S. to Deport Union Leader Harry Bridges

Posted on September 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Sept. 30, 1941: A judge recommends the deportation of Harry Bridges, head of the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union, a decision that was cheered by The Times. Of course, Bridges was never deported, despite a prolonged campaign to send … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Obituaries, Tom Treanor | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

This Week on the L.A. Daily Mirror

Posted on September 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The Hollywoodland Sign. Credit:Hope Anderson @www.underthehollywoodsign.com  On Monday, we have Eve Golden’s roundup of unusual obituaries in Queen of the Dead and Mary Mallory looks at the history of the Hollywood Sign in Hollywood Heights. On Tuesday, join author … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, 1941, 1943, Cold Cases, Coming Attractions, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, LAPD, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Silver Lake Hammer Murder – Part 3

Posted on September 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 19, 1941: Valverda Booth visits her husband, Ernest Booth, while he is in custody in the Silver Lake Hammer Murder of heiress Florence Stricker. Is there anything more delightful to the heart of a research drudge than a notice … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, 1929, 1941, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Libraries | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Columnist’s Wife Stabs Errol Flynn With Fork in Nightclub Brawl!

Posted on September 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 22, 1941: Oh look what I found! Our own Jimmie Fidler mixing it up with Errol Flynn at the Mocambo.  And Fidler’s wife, Bobbe, stabs Flynn with a fork!

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Silver Lake Hammer Murder – Part 2

Posted on September 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 16, 1941: The Silver Lake Hammer Murder turned out to be far more complicated than I expected. This segment looks at the lives of victim Florence Stricker and her husband, Dr. George H. Stricker, up to the time of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Heiress Beaten to Death in Silver Lake

Posted on September 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

2153 Moreno Drive, via Google’s street view. Sept. 15, 1941: The murder house is on one of those narrow, curving streets above Silver Lake Reservoir, 2153 Moreno Drive. Her husband came home from work and found her beaten to death … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Cold Cases, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, World War II | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

California Raises Speed Limit to 55 mph!

Posted on September 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 10, 1941: California gets ready to raise the speed limit to 55 mph and the Auto Club will be posting new signs. That’s right, the Auto Club posted highway signage. Jimmie Fidler says: There’s something sadly amiss when an … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Hitler Dead Soon, Hungarian Astrologer Says

Posted on September 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 9, 1941: The Times publishes the amazing predictions of Hungarian “astro-philosopher” Louis De Wohl! He says Adolf Hitler is mentally ill. Check. He says Hitler doesn’t have long to live. Well, depending on how you define “long.” And the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Baseball, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Nazi Swastika on Hollywood Hills!

Posted on September 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: “I guess I’m a fool,” she panted. Credit: This Week magazine, Los Angeles Times Sept. 7, 1941:It’s Sunday in Los Angeles, and although Pearl Harbor is three months away, concern about the impending war is everywhere. Someone even changed … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Books and Authors, Film, History, Hollywood, Music, Radio, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer, Sept. 3, 1941

Posted on September 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 3, 1941: OK, Maj. Tucker,  let me get this straight. You and your wife, Marie, got home from  a party, where both of you had been drinking. She was in the bedroom and you were in the kitchen making … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer, Sept. 3, 1941

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Sept. 1, 1941

Posted on September 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 1, 1941: I thought it would be interesting to check in with our friends in 1941, since Pearl Harbor is only three months away. Times editorial cartoonist Bruce Russell’s Labor Day drawing says that it’s unpatriotic to strike in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Sept. 1, 1941

Job-Hunting Lessons From the Great Depression

Posted on August 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Help wanted, July 27, 1941. Credit: Los Angeles Times Joe Light in the Wall Street Journal looks at job-hunting lessons from the Great Depression. Interviews with historians and Depression-era job seekers suggest that the formula for finding work hasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, History | Tagged , | Comments Off on Job-Hunting Lessons From the Great Depression

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Coming Up

Posted on August 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: A “zute” suit cartoon from the California Eagle, Aug. 21, 1941. In case you’re wondering, I tracked down the Navy’s 1943 report on the Zoot Suit Riots but I can’t get out to the National Archives in Riverside until … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1943, African Americans, Art & Artists, Comics, Fashion, Zoot Suit | Tagged , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Coming Up

Van Nuys Plane Crash Kills 2 – Aug. 11, 1941

Posted on August 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Aug. 11, 1941: Walter P. Palmer and William S. Raney are killed when their plane goes into a spin during a flying lesson and crashes into a bean field at Woodley Avenue and Oxnard Street in Van Nuys, which is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Lee Shippey, Politics, San Fernando Valley, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Attorney Storms Office, Seizes D.A.’s Bugging Equipment

Posted on July 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

July 15, 1941: Defense attorney Samuel Rummel (shot to death Dec. 11, 1950) breaks a door and seizes a dictograph wired to a microphone in his office in the William Fox Building, 608 S. Hill. Rummel was defending Deputy Charles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Cold Cases, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Jimmie Fidler, Lee Shippey, Mickey Cohen, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Attorney Storms Office, Seizes D.A.’s Bugging Equipment

Day in Hollywood: July 8, 1941

Posted on July 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

July 8, 1941: I thought it would be fun to check in with our old pals, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor and Jimmie Fidler. Lee writes about visiting researchers spending their summers at the Huntington. That’s my idea of a vacation! … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Nazi Mystery Photos [Updated]

Posted on June 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: The photographer has been identified as Franz Krieger.] Lens, the photography blog of the New York Times, has published a mystery album of Nazi photos, including this shot of Adolf Hitler. The Times is trying to identify the mystery … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Mystery Photo, Photography | 1 Comment

The Mystery of the Transparent Car

Posted on June 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

For sale: A transparent Pontiac! The sale car is on display in St. Petersburg, Fla., Feb. 19, 1940. The sale car on display in Spokane, Wash., in 1941. But wait! A different transparent Pontiac is on display in Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1939, 1940, 1941, Art & Artists, Transportation | 8 Comments

Immigrants Overwhelm San Diego!

Posted on June 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

San Diego has everything a family might want: A moderate climate and jobs in the expanding defense industries. But there’s no place to live.  Rep. John H. Tolan (D-Oakland) is holding hearings in San Diego on the plight of migrants … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Environment, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Immigration, LAPD, San Diego, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment