Category Archives: 1947

January 24, 1947: Electrical Engineer Seeks to Unlock Secret of Mind Reading

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 24, 1947: An electrical engineer says the answer to mental telepathy might be found in the unexplored frequency band between ultra-short radar waves and the longest waves of light. Continue reading →

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January 23, 1947: Four Held for Trial in ‘Red Hibiscus Murder’

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 23, 1947: Four youths are held in the ‘Red Hibuscus Murder” of Naomi Tullis Cook, who was found in a clump of hibiscus bushes next to the men’s restroom in Lincoln Park. Continue reading →

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January 22, 1947: Police Hunt ‘Large Nose Bandit’

Posted on January 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 22, 1947: Police hunt “Large Nose Bandit” in bank holdup. Continue reading →

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January 21, 1947: ‘Model Prisoners’ Slip From Custody at Night to Commit Burglaries

Posted on January 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 21, 1947: Marley Griggs and his sidekick Oliver Gebhart had the perfect alibi for the burglary of a market on Western Avenue—they were already in custody 60 miles away. But then they outsmarted themselves. Continue reading →

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January 20, 1947: ‘Good Night. Sleep Peacefully With Compliments of Jacks’

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 20, 1947: Florabel Muir recounts the murder scene of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. TW: graphic contents. Continue reading →

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January 20, 1947: Virginia Mayo Disappears!

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 20, 1947: With the city in the grips of the Black Dahlia murder, Los Angeles wonders: Where is Virginia Mayo? Or at least some publicist worries enough to feed the item to Louella Parsons at the Examiner. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for January 2026

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

The first session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch. This time, I discussed the October 1948 issue of True Detective, which led to the Leslie Dillon debacle. Continue reading →

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January 19, 1947: Watch Out for His Left Jab!

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1947: Southern Pacific conductor Clinton White, a southpaw, fights off two holdup men by throwing a mean left jab. Continue reading →

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January 17, 1947: Big Bill Tilden Gets Jail for Morals Case Involving Teenage Boy

Posted on January 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 17, 1947: William (Big Bill) Tilden, 54-year-old internationally known tennis star, yesterday was sentenced to serve nine months in the County Jail with a road gang recommendation by Juvenile Judge A.A. Scott for contributing to the delinquency of a 14-year-old boy. Continue reading →

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January 16, 1947: Teachers Call ‘Song of the South’ Racist Propaganda

Posted on January 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 16, 1947: Local 27 of the American Federation of Teachers, meeting in Washington, called the Disney feature film “Song of the South” “insidious and subtle propaganda against the Negro.” Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on January 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short

Posted on January 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 15: Today is the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death. As is the custom, the Daily Mirror will be dark. Trim your roses in her memory. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club – True Detective, 1948

Posted on January 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

Starting next week. the Black Dahlia Book Club, discussing what’s been written about the murder of Elizabeth Short. First up is the October 1948 issue of True Detective. Coming January 20 at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club–Coming Next Week

Posted on January 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

Three quick reminders: The anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder is Thursday — be respectful. The Black Dahlia case is not solved, regardless of what you may hear elsewhere. And the Black Dahlia Book Club begins a week from today at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading →

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Black L.A., January 9, 1947: LAPD Detectives Cleared of Brutality Against Drunk Woman

Posted on January 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 9, 1947: Two officers are exonerated in the beating of Edythe Galloway. a story from the Los Angeles Sentinel and Police Commission minutes. Continue reading →

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January 8, 1947: Judge Denies ‘Hollywood’ Divorce for Actress Virginia Engels ‘The Orchid Queen’

Posted on January 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 8, 1947: A judge rejects a divorce for Virginia Engels, nicknamed “Miss Streamline,” “Miss Los Angeles 1940” and “the Orchid Queen.” Engels was later found not guilty of killing her second husband. A bit player in ‘Caged,’ she died forgotten and alone in her apartment in late 1956. Continue reading →

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January 7, 1947: Man Uses Same Coffee Cup for 27 Years

Posted on January 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 7, 1947: Truman B. Carl of Whittier has used the same coffee cup for 27 years. That’s it. That’s the story. Really. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia and … Zodiac?? Ask Me Anything, January 2026

Posted on January 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything was devoted to debunking alleged claims (by an “amateur code breaker”) that the Black Dahlia and Zodiac murders were by the same killer. Continue reading →

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January 5, 1947: Two Black 15-Year-Olds Set for Electric Chair After Losing Plea

Posted on January 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 5, 1947: In Mississippi, two Black 15-year-olds lose their appeal for clemency despite the efforts of Blanche Meiers of Oakland, who pleaded for their lives. The teens are set to be electrocuted January 17 in the killing of a white man. Continue reading →

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January 4, 1947: Angry Sailor Sets Fire to Skid Row Hotel After Being Rolled

Posted on January 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 4, 1947: 19-year-old mess cook second class Edward Pavlischak is so angry at being rolled for $30 while drunk in a hotel room that he sets fire to the place, killing 1 and injuring 5. Continue reading →

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January 1, 1947: New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on January 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 1, 1947: Pansy Yokum writes her “Noo Yars Resolutions,” from Al Capp’s Li’l Abner. Continue reading →

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