Category Archives: Another Good Story Ruined

Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, Feb. 18, 1961

Posted on February 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 18, 1961: Young persons, note the sophisticated, pipe-smoking college man in a letter sweater. Such folks would be extinct on college campuses by the end of the decade. Matt Weinstock ruins another good story, this one about … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Another Good Story Ruined, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock, Paul Coates | Comments Off

Another Good Story Ruined — The Black Dahlia

Posted on February 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

This item comes from the Atlantic: by Mark Bernstein “My morning drive to Eastgate, our software workshop, is literary. “In the car this morning, I listened to the estimable Katherine Kellgren reading Connie Willis' new historical fiction, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | 1 Comment

Pages of History – Morrow Mayo’s ‘Los Angeles’

Posted on February 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

Morrow Mayo didn’t do terribly well in the first page of his chapter on the 1927 Marion Parker case (“Strange Interlude”) in “Los Angeles.” Let’s see if the next page is any better. We find that once again, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Marion Parker, Pages of History | 1 Comment

Pages of History — Morrow Mayo’s ‘Los Angeles’

Posted on February 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Any day I can do research is a good day – even if I run into trouble, as I did on Tuesday. I stopped by the Los Angeles Public Library to delve into the microfilm on … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Marion Parker, Pages of History | 1 Comment

Pages of History — Morrow Mayo’s ‘Los Angeles’

Posted on February 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

For many people, this will be an exercise in tedium. But I’m hopeful that the research fanatics among the Daily Mirror readers will find it engaging. I’m going to spend some time on Morrow Mayo’s “Los Angeles” to … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1927, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Marion Parker | 3 Comments

Pages of History — Morrow Mayo’s ‘Los Angeles’

Posted on February 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

In one of my previous posts about Morrow Mayo’s “Los Angeles,” I said that The Times did not review it. In fact, The Times did review the book, but the item somehow manages to evade ProQuest’s search … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Another Good Story Ruined, books | 2 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined – The Black Dahlia

Posted on January 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here we have another popular faked picture of Elizabeth Short. The image on the left is genuine, as far as I know. The bizarre image on the right has been flopped and retouched. ALSO Another Good Story Ruined – The … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | Comments Off

Another Good Story Ruined – The Black Dahlia

Posted on January 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

I was talking about the Black Dahlia case the other day to someone who pulled up this picture on a cellphone. Looks great, doesn’t it? But it’s a fake. Here, I’ll show you. ALSO Another Good Story Ruined … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Photography | 3 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined – The Black Dahlia

Posted on January 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

It is deceptively difficult to write with any degree of accuracy about the Black Dahlia case. Here’s a recent example of a mangled account by Scott McCabe of the Washington Examiner: On this day, Jan. 9, 1947, Elizabeth Short, anaspiring … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off

The Black Dahlia — Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on January 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

he anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s killing is Jan. 15, so I thought I would try to anticipate the annual rehash of fiction and mistakes with a post commenting on potential sources on the 1947 case. People often ask me which … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | 6 Comments

Amazing Predictions for 1961!

Posted on December 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

hile the rest of the news business spends the final days of December looking back at the major events of the year, the Daily Mirror is peering forward, and for us at least, the future is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930, 1960, 1980, Another Good Story Ruined, Countdown to Watts, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Matt Weinstock, Paul Coates, Thelma Todd, Tom Treanor, Weblogs | 6 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined: Gen. Otis’ Armored Car [2nd Update]

Posted on August 29, 2010 by lmharnisch

Behold the war machine of Gen. Harrison Gray Otis! A 1910 Franklin Model H landaulet! Virtually no one who writes about The Times and Gen. Harrison Gray Otis can resist referring to a cannon mounted on his car. Otis is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910 L.A. Times bombing, Another Good Story Ruined, Transportation | 7 Comments

Blogging the Wolfe Book, Our Story So Far

Posted on February 8, 2007 by lmharnisch

Larry Harnisch (described by James Ellroy as a Dahlia scholar/Dahlia freak, take your pick) is blogging in real time as he reads Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles.” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Film, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Uncategorized | Tagged #crime and courts, 1947, black dahlia, Books and Authors, cold cases, crime and courts, donald wolfe, lapd | 1 Comment

Adios Judy!

Posted on December 16, 2006 by lmharnisch

Judith Regan, the publisher of Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files,” has found a way to make Page 1 of The Times: Get fired by HarperCollins. (The New York Times story is here.) I’m trying not to gloat. But … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, black dahlia, Books and Authors, cold cases, crime and courts, donald wolfe, lapd | Comments Off

Who Is This Man?

Posted on June 13, 2006 by lmharnisch

I recently obtained an original copy of The Times’ March 28, 1971, story “Farewell, My Black Dahlia,” which includes the account of the “Boy on the Bicycle.” Here’s a color picture of the purported “Bobby Jones.” Here’s a better … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged black dahlia, cold cases, crime and courts, donald wolfe, homicide, lapd | Comments Off

Shout Out

Posted on June 7, 2006 by lmharnisch

General Motors (198.208.251.24) Windows 2000? Upgrade! The Netherlands (212.127.246.72) E! Entertainment (12.46.6.69) “E! Mysteries and Scandals,” my first TV interview, by the guy who did “Real Chases of the Highway Patrol.” Department of Veterans Affairs (152.130.6.194) My pal in Kerkira, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Uncategorized | Tagged black dahlia, donald wolfe | Comments Off

Blogging the Wolfe Book, The Two-Minute Executive Summary

Posted on May 1, 2006 by lmharnisch

From Feb. 3, 2006, to April 28, 2006, I devoted a daily blog to Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles.” In dealing with the 1947 murder of Elizabeth … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged black dahlia, Books and Authors, cold cases, crime and courts, donald wolfe, lapd | 1 Comment

Blogging the Wolfe Book, Request Line XXII

Posted on April 28, 2006 by lmharnisch

I have ceased blogging in real time as I read Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles.” Wolfe uses the “Laura” format, in which the anonymous, butchered body is … Continue reading →