Category Archives: 1947

August 28, 1947: Margaret Harris Debuts in Piano Recital at Age 3

Posted on August 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 28, 1947: Margaret Harris, making her debut as a pianist at age 3, is splashed across the cover of the Los Angeles Sentinel. Harris was the musical director for “Hair” and the first Black woman to conduct the L.A. Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and many other major orchestras. Continue reading →

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Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is September 2

Posted on August 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will be doing a live Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case on YouTube next Tuesday, September 2, at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Have questions? Leave them in the comments. Continue reading →

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August 25, 1947: Police Investigate Death of Doctor’s Wife

Posted on August 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 25, 1947: Susanne Castillo is found dead in a bathtub and her husband, Dr. Manuel de J. Castillo, is suspected. Continue reading →

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August 24, 1947: Golfers Play Through as Fire Destroys Clubhouse at Inglewood

Posted on August 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 24, 1947: Golfers play through as fire destroys the clubhouse at Inglewood Country Club. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Fires, Sports | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Aug. 22, 1947: 5 L.A. Women Doctors Honored at Medical Convention

Posted on August 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 22, 1947: Girls aspiring to careers should follow women physicians’ example—many have both satisfactory home and professional lives, Dr. E. Mae McCarroll says. Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Heavyweight Fighter George Godfrey, ‘The Black Shadow of Leiperville,’ Dies at 50

Posted on August 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 21, 1947: George Godfrey, a fighter known as the Black Shadow of Leiperville, dies in poverty in Los Angeles at the age of 50. Continue reading →

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August 21, 1947: Times Columnist Tim Turner on Women Who Wear Pants

Posted on August 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 21, 1947: Columnist Tim Turner does not approve of women in slacks. Continue reading →

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August 18, 1947: John Steven McGroarty, California Poet Laureate, Honored in Memorial Tribute

Posted on August 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 18, 1947: John Steven McGroarty, California’s poet laureate, is remembered with poems and stories. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious pianist. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Aug. 17, 1947: At UCLA’s Gayleyville , Tough Times for Married Veterans

Posted on August 17, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 17, 1947: Married veterans find that it’s impossible to live on their G.I. Bill of Rights, The Times says, visiting UCLA’s Gayleyville housing project. Continue reading →

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August 16, 1947: L.A. Widow Says Louisiana Sheriff Failed to Protect Husband From Lynch Mob

Posted on August 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 16, 1947: Carrie Lee Jones, now of Los Angeles, sues Sheriff Oscar Haynes, alleging that Haynes failed to protect her late husband, John C. Jones, from a Minden, La., lynch mob. Continue reading →

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August 15, 1947: India Formally Partitioned Into Two Nations

Posted on August 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 15, 1947: “The proud British Empire if India died last night. Two independent nations were born at the moment of its death.” Continue reading →

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Aug. 14, 1947: L.A. Telephone Exchanges, Adams to Whittier

Posted on August 14, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 14, 1947: A list of Los Angeles communities and their telephone exchanges. Continue reading →

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August 13, 1947: ‘Cuando Lloran los Valientes’

Posted on August 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 13, 1947: The Times reviewed Mexican movies, like Cuando Lloran los Valientes. Continue reading →

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August 12, 1947: Distinguished UCLA English Instructor Dies in Plunge from S.F. Building; ‘He Was Not Married’

Posted on August 12, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 12, 1947: Dr. Stanley Dean Johnson, a specialist in the works of John Donne at UCLA, has been spending the summer at the Huntington Library. He is a brilliant scholar and popular with faculty and staff. But in August 1947 he plunged from the 15th floor of San Francisco’s Russ Building. He was 39 and “not married.” Continue reading →

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Aug. 11, 1947: Two Men Found Shot to Death in Bizarre Mystery

Posted on August 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 11, 1947: Two men are found shot to death in a motel room on Cahuenga Boulevard. They were fully clothed except for their shoes. Continue reading →

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Aug. 10, 1947: North Broadway Tunnel, Doomed Downtown Landmark

Posted on August 10, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 10, 1947: The North Broadway Tunnel is doomed. Continue reading →

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Aug. 9, 1947: 2 Firefighters Die Fighting Big Tujunga Canyon Blaze

Posted on August 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 9, 1947: Firefighters Carl Masterson and Edward “Harry” Duffy are killed fighting a wildfire in Big Tujunga Canyon, which burned 3,600 acres. Continue reading →

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Aug. 8, 1947: Two Years of Peace Haven’t Healed Wounds of World War II

Posted on August 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 8, 1947: The L.A. Times runs a photo page of changes since World War II. In Holland, people adopt the graves of men from the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions killed while taking Nijmegen Bridge. And Christian Dior unveils his ‘New Look.’ Continue reading →

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Aug. 7, 1947: Marriage of Elizabeth Sheedy to Timothy Doheny a Highlight of Social Season

Posted on August 7, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 7, 1947: The marriage of Elizabeth Sheedy to Timothy Michael Doheny is a highlight of the social season. Continue reading →

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