Category Archives: 1959

Jan. 5, 1959: Paul Coates Confidential File – Desmond Slattery Is Home

Posted on January 5, 2019 by lmharnisch

Along with Parkey Sharkey, Desmond Slattery was one of the colorful characters in Paul Coates columns.. The entire piece is here, via Archive.org.

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January 1959: Studio Exec Says They Would Have to Kill Him to Get Wallet – So They Did

Posted on January 5, 2019 by lmharnisch

Kenneth Savoy told holdup men “If you want my wallet, you’re going to have to kill me to get it.” So they did. The story of George Albert Scott and Curtis C. Lichtenwalter, who were robbing bars across Los Angeles. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jan. 4, 1959: Grocermat – The Supermarket of Tomorrow!

Posted on January 4, 2019 by lmharnisch

I love “futurism” stories like this one, featuring a 7-Eleven for the Jetsons.  In sports, football coach Earl “Curly” Lambeau says the split-T offense is dead. He also thinks college ball should put the goal posts back on the goal … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, 2009, Futurism, Sports | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Jan. 3, 1959: Russia Winning Space Race! Bulla Leads L.A. Open!

Posted on January 3, 2019 by lmharnisch

The Soviets are winning the space race! Moral Re-Armament stages “Turning of the Tide” and “The New American!” French Foreign Legion rifles, only $9.88!  Johnny Bulla leads the L.A. Open! The entire post from the 2009 Daily Mirror via Archive.org.

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Jan. 2, 1959: Paul Coates ‘Repeal the Mann Act?’

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 2, 1959: Long before Nate Silver launched 538, Paul Coates was skeptical of polls and to prove his point formed his own polling concern: the Los Angeles Survey Institute. His question: “Do you think the Mann Act deters or … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, 2009, Columnists, Paul Coates | 3 Comments

Jan. 2, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘Reader’s Choice’

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

The old-school newspaper columnists were tough, writing six pieces a week. Six-day-a-week columnists like Matt Weinstock and Paul Coates took it easy by making their Saturday columns a roundup of readers’ letters. In those days, apparently, newspaper columnists received interesting … Continue reading →

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Jan. 1, 1959: Matt Weinstock, ‘Unsung Heroines’

Posted on January 1, 2019 by lmharnisch

The other joy of doing the Daily Mirror was reintroducing readers to the columns of Matt Weinstock, taken from the Mirror (d. 1962). Weinstock is remembered today for the 1947 book “My L.A.” (I have enough copies, thank you), which … Continue reading →

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Jan. 1, 1959: Paul Coates, Confidential File ‘Looking Back at ‘58; Looking Ahead to ‘59’

Posted on January 1, 2019 by lmharnisch

One of my particular joys in doing the Daily Mirror at the Los Angeles Times was rerunning Paul Coates’ columns, which originally appeared in the Mirror (d. 1962). I was particularly fortunate to have several excellent interns who transcribed them. … Continue reading →

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July 20, 1947: Wealthy Woman Gives Estate – Including Homeless Camp -– to Santa Barbara

Posted on July 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. This was a follow-up to a post by Kim Cooper. Lillian Child died in 1951 at the age of 75, four years after setting up provisions … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: A Concert Program Inscribed to ‘Betty Short’ … From 1959. Wut?

Posted on May 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

Here’s an opportunity to buy a program from a David Rubinoff performance that was inscribed to “Eva and Betty Short” … for $150 …

Posted in 1947, 1959, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Cecil B. DeMille – Big Man on Campus

Posted on January 30, 2017 by lmharnisch

  Cecil B. DeMille meets students who will attend DeMille Junior High School, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Sept. 9, 1956. Schools are often named after historic or famous figures that offer inspiration, hope, and good examples to students of that neighborhood … Continue reading →

Posted in 1956, 1959, Architecture, Education, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dalton Trumbo Praised by Hedda Hopper!

Posted on November 7, 2015 by lmharnisch

When I was doing the Daily Mirror at latimes.com, I wrote several posts on Dalton Trumbo, the subject of the new movie starring Bryan Cranston as the blacklisted screenwriter. Here are some links: Hedda Hopper praises Dalton Trumbo for “Kitty … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, 1941, 1942, 1950, 1959, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Black Friday Special — An Aluminum Christmas Tree From 1959!

Posted on November 28, 2014 by lmharnisch

To all who long for a “kinder simpler time” and say that today’s retailers start their Christmas sales too early, here is the May Co. ad for aluminum Christmas trees, which was published Oct. 11, 1959, well before Halloween. (You … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959 | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Books, Reading and Lending Libraries

Posted on August 15, 2014 by lmharnisch

Note to millennials: This is an example of a book from a lending library. These were generally small  businesses that rented books for pennies a day and specialized in current literature and somewhat racy material that wasn’t available at the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Books and Authors, Found on EBay, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Harvey Glatman: The Early Years — Part 2

Posted on January 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

Aug. 26, 1946: Harvey Glatman is arraigned on robbery charges in Albany, N.Y. When he was still a teenager, Harvey Glatman was already displaying the behavior that led to the deaths of three Southern California women in the 1950s and … Continue reading →

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Harvey Glatman: The Early Years — Part I

Posted on January 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

Aug. 27, 1946: Harvey Glatman in the Yonkers, N.Y., Herald Statesman. Whenever I am contacted by TV producers about appearing on a crime show, I always caution them that I’m a specialist not a generalist. I don’t do Sal Mineo, … Continue reading →

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Dec. 7, 1959: Paul Coates Interviews Tokyo Rose

Posted on December 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

On Dec. 7, 1959, Paul Coates published an interview with Tokyo Rose. She says: “What’s the use? What good is it to talk to the press?  Everybody’s mind is made up about me.” A throwback from 2009, when my blog … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1959, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Live Blogging ‘-30-’ on TCM

Posted on January 29, 2012 by lmharnisch

Dewey Webb gets into the “-30-” spirit with a 1959 ad from Variety. Thanks, Dewey! (I swear, the guy in the travelogue called it Aloe Vera Street.) And that’s “-30-” Ready to go home, Lady? Gosh, genuine ugly 1950s layout. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Coming Tonight: Live Blogging ‘-30-’

Posted on January 29, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: Jack Webb, William Conrad and James Bell in “-30-” TCM is airing Jack Webb’s “-30-” at 7 tonight Pacific time. I’m going to try live blogging just to see how it goes. Tune in for the fun and/or mayhem.

Posted in 1959, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

How to Wear a Hat – Rod Steiger Edition

Posted on January 24, 2012 by lmharnisch

We have explored how newsboy caps were worn by several men in “Monkey Business” and by Lee Marvin in “King of the North,” by Henry Fonda in “The Grapes of Wrath” and by Marc Chevalier in real life. Here’s Rod … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Chicago, Crime and Courts, Fashion, Fashions, Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Photography | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments