Category Archives: 1981

Nov. 15, 1981: Still Unsolved — Aspiring Screenwriter Killed in Hit-Run Staged to Look Like Rape

Posted on May 18, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This post has been getting a lot of traffic recently and I couldn’t figure out why. The answer:  A biking blog linked to the post a few days ago because Pat Hines, one of the victim’s friends, has been … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Sports, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nov. 15, 1981: Still Unsolved — Aspiring Screenwriter Killed in Hit-Run Staged to Look Like Rape

Posted on November 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Sue was 29, tall, blond and athletic with dimples every time she smiled—her big, clunky glasses the only thing that might betray a degree in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Sports, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Garry Shandling: A Tour of L.A. Comedy Clubs in 1981

Posted on March 24, 2016 by lmharnisch

I rarely dig into my old clips, but here is my feature on Garry Shandling, who died today at the age of 66, from the Arizona Daily Star, Nov. 24, 1981. The ending isn’t exactly mine; it was altered  by … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, Nightclubs, Obituaries, Television | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

ICYMI: ‘Done Is Done’ by Ellen McGarrahan on the Case of Leo Alexander Jones

Posted on February 13, 2016 by lmharnisch

Now that I have left The Times, I am exploring all the papers and articles I put away “for later.” The first piece I am going to share is a 2000 article by Ellen McGarrahan — a reporter turned private … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sept. 4, 1781: Los Angeles Is Founded

Posted on September 4, 2014 by lmharnisch

  Sept. 4, 1926:The Times publishes a map showing the streets of the day, noting the changes made since Ord’s survey. Sept. 4, 1981: Mayor Tom Bradley and actress Bernadette Peters cut the cake for Los Angeles’ 200th birthday Jan. … Continue reading →

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Sept. 4, 1781: Los Angeles Is Founded

Posted on September 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Sept. 4, 1926:The Times publishes a map showing the streets of the day, noting the changes made since Ord’s survey. Sept. 4, 1981: Mayor Tom Bradley and actress Bernadette Peters cut the cake for Los Angeles’ 200th birthday Jan. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1781, 1926, 1981, City Hall, Downtown | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Another Good Story Ruined! Stephen Jay Gould

Posted on July 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Janet Monge and Alan Mann Credit: Penn Museum, Philadelphia It’s always interesting to see research debunked – and even more interesting when a debunker is debunked, as in the case of Stephen Jay Gould’s 1981 “The Mismeasure of Man.” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Whatever Happened to the Black Film?

Posted on May 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

           May 8, 1981 –  Dale Pollock writes: Whatever happened to the black film? It seems to reside these days in the person of Richard Pryor, the comedian-turned-film star, who is one of the few black … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, Comics, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Man Paralyzed in Shooting Over a Can of Beer, March 21, 1981

Posted on March 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

        March 21, 1981: Times reporter Bill Farr (d. 1987) has the story of Josephus Jackson, who was partially paralyzed from being shot in the back by a liquor store clerk over a 55-cent can of beer. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1981, art and artists, Comics, Crime and Courts | 1 Comment

In Walter (Cronkite) We Trust, March 14, 1981

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

             March 14, 1981: Howard Rosenberg, The Times Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic, watches Dan Rather’s debut in taking over from Walter Cronkite on the “CBS Evening News” and he is not a happy man. Art … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, @news, art and artists, Art Seidenbaum, Blues, broadcasting, Columnists, Comics, Howard Rosenberg, Television, Walter Cronkite | 2 Comments

Confessions of a Story Editor, March 6, 1981

Posted on March 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

            March 6, 1981:  Pulitzer Prize-winning TV columnist Howard Rosenberg talks to a story editor about lining up people for a canceled show called "That's My Line." Z (Rosenberg's source) was one of six story … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Television | Leave a comment

Military Snaps to Attention for Reagan

Posted on February 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

        Feb. 27, 1981: Military officers are back in uniform around Washington after an informal switch to civilian clothes, apparently prompted by a remark in 1955 by President Eisenhower that “the place looked like an armed camp.” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, books, Comics, Ronald Reagan | Leave a comment

What Next for Richard Chamberlain After ‘Shogun?’

Posted on February 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

            Feb. 24, 1981: Young persons…. There was once a sensationally popular TV miniseries called “Shogun,” based on James Clavell’s novel set in feudal Japan, that aired in September 1980 and starred Richard Chamberlain, the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, books, Film, Hollywood, Roderick Mann, Television | 1 Comment

Grammys Hit a New Low in Conservatism

Posted on February 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

        Feb. 22, 1981: “The nominees this year represent a new low in Grammy conservatism,” Robert Hilburn says. "The gap in attitude between NARAS members — the people who are in the business of making music — … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, Columnists, Music | 1 Comment

Alcala Appeals Conviction for Murder of Girl

Posted on February 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 14, 1981: Rodney James Alcala appeals his death sentence in the killing of Robin Samsoe, 12, of Huntington Beach. Alcala, a former typist in The Times composing room, was convicted of kidnapping Robin after approaching her and a friend … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1981, Crime and Courts, Homicide | 1 Comment