Category Archives: 1947

Black Dahlia: Steve Hodel’s Many Lies About His Father, Dr. George Hodel

Posted on December 24, 2021 by lmharnisch

Someone asked me to write a one-paragraph rebuttal to Steve Hodel’s claims about his father, Dr. George Hodel. My reply: Steve Hodel has been lying about his father and the Black Dahlia for nearly 20 years, so it’s impossible to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, books, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Black Dahlia: Steve Hodel’s Lies, Some Old, Some New

Posted on October 26, 2021 by lmharnisch

  To the Oct. 26, 2021, audience at the Council Bluffs, Iowa, Public Library who attended Duffy Hudson’s performance delivering the words of Steve Hodel: You should know that virtually everything you heard was a lie. The fault is not … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: Halloween and Why Murder Victim Cosplay Is Wrong

Posted on September 29, 2021 by lmharnisch

Halloween is coming up, so I’ll issue my annual warning: Don’t dress up like “The Black Dahlia.” It’s not honoring the memory of Elizabeth Short. It’s not “Justice for Beth,” however you might define it. Just don’t do it.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: ‘Bosch’ Author Michael Connelly Says Dahlia Case Is Unsolved

Posted on July 1, 2021 by lmharnisch

Former L.A. Times reporter and Valley Edition colleague Michael Connelly, author of the “Bosch” novels and TV series, among many other achievements, talks to Tai Freligh of the Wonderland Murders podcast. Mike ends with the kicker that he considers the … Continue reading →

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May 31, 1947: Los Angeles Marks First Memorial Day Without a Civil War Veteran at Ceremony

Posted on May 29, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Memorial Day, 1947, was a spectacle marked with a parade from Westwood to the veterans cemetery, services for Spanish-American veterans in Pershing Square and even a … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Elizabeth Short and the Hotel Cecil — No Connection

Posted on February 10, 2021 by lmharnisch

Sorry, Netflix. But once again. There is no connection between Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia and the Hotel Cecil. This is Arty, 634 S. Main St., former location of the Dugout Cafe, where bartender C.G. Williams said thought he might … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Jean Spangler and the Dr. George Hodel Non-Connection

Posted on January 25, 2021 by lmharnisch

Executive summary: A story in Entertainment Weekly looks at the 1949 disappearance of bit actress Jean Spangler. The author lists purported suspects, including Dr. George Hodel, whom Steve Hodel has accused of countless unsolved killings, including the Black Dahlia, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1949, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Black Dahlia: Purported Movie of Elizabeth Short on V-J Day in Hollywood – FALSE!

Posted on January 16, 2021 by lmharnisch

Every so often, this clip shows up on social media, purporting to be Elizabeth Short on Hollywood Boulevard during V-J Day celebrations in August 1945. False. Elizabeth Short was in Medford, Mass., on V-J Day and didn’t arrive in Los … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Cold Cases, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on January 15, 2021 by lmharnisch

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

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: On the Anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s Murder, a Guide for the Hasty Reporter

Posted on January 12, 2021 by lmharnisch

My Page 1 story on the Black Dahlia case. Now behind the Los Angeles Times pay wall. The full version of the story (expanded by two-thirds) is available on my old, old website. The anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder, coming … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: My Annual Donation in Memory of Elizabeth Short

Posted on January 5, 2021 by lmharnisch

As longtime readers know, I always begin a new year with an annual donation in memory of Elizabeth Short to Heading Home, which works with the homeless in the Boston area. Partly because of my research on Elizabeth Short, I … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Oct. 14, 1947: Capt. Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier

Posted on December 8, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Hm…. U.S. prison population up for the first time since World War II…. Lawsuits over deed restrictions in South Pasadena…. A 35-year-old merchant seaman in San Francisco … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: My 24 Years With L.A.’s Coldest Cold Case

Posted on September 10, 2020 by lmharnisch

UC Irvine professor Miles Corwin, an old friend from the L.A. Times, spent months interviewing me about the Black Dahlia case. Here is Miles’ deep dive, published in the Delacorte Review, into my decades-long journey exploring the life and death … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Black Dahlia: Annual Halloween Reminder

Posted on September 3, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This encore post from 2018 is still timely. Alas. Somewhere, somebody is already thinking about a Black Dahlia costume for Halloween, so here is my annual reminder: Dressing up like the victim of a grotesque murder is not the … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Jacob Edward Fisk, Victim of Long-Running Wikipedia Prank

Posted on August 25, 2020 by lmharnisch

I decided to randomly surf Wikipedia this morning and I’m never disappointed with how bad it is. Example: Some bozo has restored Jacob Edward Fisk as a “suspect” in the Black Dahlia case. Fisk’s name was added as a prank … Continue reading →

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L.A. Celebrates the Fourth of July 1889 – 1960

Posted on July 4, 2020 by lmharnisch

July 4, 1944: Uncle Sam in a cartoon by Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale for the Los Angeles Examiner and republished in the Milwaukee Sentinel.   Note: This is an encore post from 2014. Here’s a look at how Los Angeles … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: ‘The Murder Squad’ Botches the Black Dahlia Case

Posted on June 12, 2020 by lmharnisch

I have a longstanding aversion to podcasts, especially “true crime” podcasts and particularly when it comes to “true crime” podcasts about the Black Dahlia. “The Murder Squad,” with Billy Jensen and retired Detective Paul Holes, released an episode earlier this … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + + +)

Posted on June 8, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1947 United Artists release of Benedict Bogeaus’ “The Macomber Affair,” with Gregory Peck, Joan Bennett, Robert Preston, Reginald Denny, Jean Gillie, Carl Harbord, Earl Smith, Frederic Worlock and Vernon Downing. Screenplay by Casey Robinson … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

May 31, 1947: Los Angeles Marks First Memorial Day Without a Civil War Veteran at Ceremony

Posted on May 25, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Memorial Day, 1947, was a spectacle marked with a parade from Westwood to the veterans cemetery, services for Spanish-American veterans in Pershing Square and even a … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Zoom Sessions on the Black Dahlia Case

Posted on April 20, 2020 by lmharnisch

Because so many people are using Zoom to connect in these uncertain times, I thought it would be interesting to host a series of Zoom sessions on the Black Dahlia. I envision weekly meetings with a fairly small group, maybe … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD, Zoom | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment