Category Archives: 2017

In Memoriam — Johnny Fox | Sword Swallower (1953 — 2017)

Posted on December 23, 2017 by lmharnisch

We were saddened to read an obituary in the New York Times this week about sword swallower Johnny Fox, who died of cancer in Maryland at the age of 64. We snapped this picture of Fox, about to swallow a … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: 5 Reasons Leslie Dillon Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short

Posted on December 22, 2017 by lmharnisch

Leslie Dillon in an undated photo, probably taken in the late 1940s.   My inbox is exploding with alerts about Piu Eatwell “solving” the Black Dahlia case by attributing it to Leslie Duane Dillon. Here are five simple reasons that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2017, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

L.A. Philharmonic Opens Season — Glitter and Be Gay, but With Mozart

Posted on September 27, 2017 by lmharnisch

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s opening night program with a souvenir bit of golden film, one of thousands of pieces showered on the audience at the end of the performance. Tuesday’s opening night of the Los Angeles Philharmonic 2017-18 season concluded … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 53rd Cinecon Festival Offers Diverse Lineup

Posted on August 28, 2017 by lmharnisch

  The 53rd Annual Cinecon Film Festival starts Thursday, August 31 at Hollywood’s glorious Egyptian Theatre, offering a welcoming diversity of programs and films from silly to sublime, topical to timeless, filmed everywhere from Wilshire Boulevard to Saugus to Truckee … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Coming Attractions, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: ‘Playboy Laughs’

Posted on August 9, 2017 by lmharnisch

Playboy Laughs: The Comedy, Comedians and Cartoons of Playboy By Patty Farmer Beaufort Books, 355 Pages Judging by a chronological list of Playboy covers, I started reading the magazine about January 1967 and stopped with the October 1970 issue, which … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Books and Authors | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Black Dahlia: ‘Hard-Boiled Hollywood’ and the ‘Blah Dahlia’

Posted on August 7, 2017 by lmharnisch

Hard-Boiled Hollywood: Crime and Punishment in Postwar Los Angeles By Jon Lewis University of California Press, 233 pages.   “Sometimes it’s interesting to see just how bad bad writing can be. This promised to go the limit.” — Joe Gillis, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2017, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Black Dahlia: Another Entry in the George Hodel ‘Black Dahlia Avenger’ Franchise

Posted on July 28, 2017 by lmharnisch

Variety announces “One Day She’ll Darken.” While the rest of the world was consumed with the Senate vote on a “skinny repeal” of Obamacare, my inbox exploded with news of a purported “Black Dahlia TV series.” Oh dear. This one … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2017, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Inside L.A.’s Movie Palaces

Posted on June 22, 2017 by lmharnisch

Gary Martin, one of the members of the Brain Trust, writes to tell us that the Theatre Historical Society of America will meet in Los Angeles next week and offer tours of many theaters.

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Hollywood Heights / Mary Mallory: San Francisco Silent Film Festival Travels the Globe

Posted on June 7, 2017 by lmharnisch

  The Twenty Second Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival concluded Sunday, June 4, after screening an eclectic slate of entertaining and challenging films from around the globe. The festival’s films covered a diverse variety of themes, examining exploration of … Continue reading →

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RIP: Dave Pell, Jazz Musician 1925 – 2017

Posted on May 8, 2017 by lmharnisch

Veteran jazz musician and record producer Dave Pell has died at the age of 92, according to his Facebook page. Here are excerpts of an interview I did in 2007. (The full interview is at latimes.com.) Dave Pell on Lenny … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, 2017, Mickey Cohen, Music, Nightclubs, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Mort Sahl: Last Man Standing’ by James Curtis

Posted on May 2, 2017 by lmharnisch

Folks, please give a little love to the publication today of “Last Man Standing,” James Curtis’ new biography of Mort Sahl, who transformed standup comedy from mother-in-law gags to cutting political commentary. James, known for his biographies of W.C. Fields, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Books and Authors, Stage | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: TCM Classic Film Festival Returns to Hollywood

Posted on March 27, 2017 by lmharnisch

The TCM Classic Film Festival returns to Hollywood for its seventh year April 6-9, 2017, dedicated to the late genial host Robert Osborne. It opens Thursday afternoon with a tribute by Osborne’s colleagues and friends, with all programs that day … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Coming Attractions, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Times Recants 1942 Editorials on Internment of Japanese Americans

Posted on February 19, 2017 by lmharnisch

Feb. 21, 1942: The Times reports President Roosevelt’s executive order on the evacuation of Japanese Americans. Note the byline: Future Nixon booster Kyle Palmer. Feb. 19, 2017: The Los Angeles Times recants its 1942 editorials on the internment of Japanese … Continue reading →

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Coming Events: Book Signing for ‘Hollywood at Play’

Posted on January 30, 2017 by lmharnisch

A book signing for “Hollywood at Play,” by Donovan Brandt, Mary Mallory and Stephen X. Sylvester, will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday at Larry Edmunds Bookshop at 6644 Hollywood Blvd.

Posted in 2017, Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, Film, Hollywood, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment