Category Archives: Art & Artists

Woman’s Body Found Behind Wall in Highland Park Home

Posted on September 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Joseph and Anna Lewis, 2630 Johnston St., Highland Park, had been married for 42 when she disappeared. Not that Joseph, 72, a carpenter, was particularly concerned about her absence. Police were not informed of the disappearance until her daughter Shirley … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Suicide | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Coming Attractions: Downtown Art Show

Posted on September 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

Alex Schaefer, above, and Jose De Juan have an opening of their show “L.A.ndscapes” on Thursday at the District Gallery, 740E. 3rd. There’s a reception Thursday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The show continues through Oct. 20. More information … Continue reading →

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Escaped Soldier Denies Attacking Former Screen Star

Posted on September 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 11, 1943: The Times features the Los Angeles Times-Army Ordnance in Action Show being held at Exposition Park. The Times promised that “visitors will see the massive 32-ton Gen. Sherman tanks whose tough armor and deadly firepower blasted the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Music, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Los Angeles’ Forgotten J. B. Lankershim Monument

Posted on September 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Charles Owens’ drawing of the Lankershim monument in “Nuestro Pueblo.” Los Angeles’ Boy Scout Camp Arthur Letts is a distant memory today, a large getaway in the Hollywood Hills offering camping, drilling and country escapes by area Boy Scout troops. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, 1939, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Los Angeles’ Forgotten J. B. Lankershim Monument

Barbara Graham Sobs During Son’s Visit to Jail

Posted on September 6, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 6, 1953: Barbara Graham, on trial in the Mabel Monahan killing, sobs “almost hysterically” as she holds her 18-month-old son, Tommy, during a visit at the Hall of Justice, The Times says. He was in the custody of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hill Street, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Union Pleads With Streetcar Workers Not to Strike

Posted on September 5, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 5, 1943: Explaining that “war strategies between President Roosevelt and Britain’s Prime Minister Churchill come first,” William P. Nutter of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen pleads with dissatisfied employees of the Pacific Electric Railway to stay on the job. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Union Pleads With Streetcar Workers Not to Strike

Downtown L.A. — Street Artist (Updated)

Posted on September 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

I came across this street artist last evening while walking in downtown Los Angeles. He’s painting a street scene of the corner of Broadway and 7th Street. Update: Ed Fuentes identifies our artist: “Alex Schaefer. And he has a show … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Architecture, Art & Artists, Broadway, Downtown | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Man Kills Wife and Daughter, Commits Suicide Over Pink Bedroom

Posted on September 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 4, 1933: A streetcar broadsides an auto at the crossing on Olympic Boulevard between Broadway and Figueroa, killing two people and leaving two others near death, The Times said. A man fatally stabs his estranged wife and daughter, then … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Homicide, LAPD, Main Street, Nightclubs, San Fernando Valley, Streetcars, Suicide, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Barbara Graham Defense Wins Delay After Prosecution Bombshell

Posted on August 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 30, 1953: Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charles W. Fricke grants attorneys for Barbara Graham a slight delay in opening their defense after the prosecution closes with a “bombshell”: A transcript of a recorded conversation between Graham and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Parents Sue Doctor Who Said Baby Girl Was a Boy!

Posted on August 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 29, 1943: The family of Marine Cpl. Carroll E. Trego, a radio operator captured in the fall of Wake Island, receives a letter written from a prisoner of war camp in Shanghai. Dr. John M. Andrews is being sued … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Medicine, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

War Hero Kills Rich Widow in Botched Burglary

Posted on August 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Grant Edward Anderson was a war hero, a burglar and a killer. A paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne, Anderson served 19 months overseas, received two Purple Hearts,  and was awarded the Bronze Star for dragging four wounded men to safety … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

LAPD Women Join Marines

Posted on August 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 21, 1943: Two women from the LAPD are joining the Marines: Lucy White, 26, who works in the fingerprinting department, and Margaret Davis, 22, of the record bureau. Judge Benjamin J. Scheinman is leaving the municipal bench to join … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Nightclubs, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Random Shot — Drawing Downtown Los Angeles

Posted on August 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

This young woman attracted several observers as she stood on 6th Street just west of Spring — near the Starbucks — on  Wednesday evening to sketch the streetscape. I didn’t want to interrupt her to ask her name. All I … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Photography, Spring Street | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hero Stops Runaway L.A. Streetcar

Posted on August 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 15, 1943: Los Angeles’ long-gone streetcar system has achieved sainthood, but here’s an incident suggesting that in reality, it was less than perfect. (Heresy, I know). Shura Cherkassky performs at the Greek Theatre. Hedda Hopper with her version of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Music, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rose Parade Encounter Leads to Killing of Arcadia Woman

Posted on August 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 9, 1963: “In Saigon, 400 miles to the south, police geared for trouble as a young, unidentified monk announced plans to burn himself to death in the continuing Buddhist struggle for what they consider their civil rights and religious … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Religion, Vietnam | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

‘Mysterious Objects’ in Skies Over L.A.

Posted on August 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

Comics characters of the 1950s got to drive MGs! Edward Irving Foote was born June 29, 1861, in Michigan. Someone by that name attended the University of Michigan at Lansing, class of 1877-78, and was described as a “farmer, miner, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries, Suicide | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Mysterious Objects’ in Skies Over L.A.

Tomahawk Murder: ‘It Must Have Been the Heat’

Posted on July 31, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1943: Los Angeles — and that is Los Angeles before air conditioning — bakes in a heat wave, temperatures so hot that it’s the reason for murder. “I had a sudden impulse; it must have been the heat,” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, San Fernando Valley, Suicide, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Streetcar Strike Could Paralyze Los Angeles!

Posted on July 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1943: Labor problems threaten to paralyze mass transportation in Los Angeles. The Times says that 3,000 Los Angeles Railway workers have ended a 24-hour walkout while 2,500 Pacific Electric workers are scheduled to strike. Marion “More Curves Than … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Labor, Main Street, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Streetcar Strike Could Paralyze Los Angeles!

Black Doctor in Divorce Case Says Wife Tried to ‘Masquerade’ as White

Posted on July 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1923: The centennial of the Monroe Doctrine is celebrated at Exposition Park in the American Historical Revue and Motion Picture Exposition.. The U.S. Mint in San Francisco issued commemorative half dollars for the occasion. The Times says: “One … Continue reading →

Posted in 1823, 1923, African Americans, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fires, Hill Street, Hollywood, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Arabella Huntington Marries Nephew in Paris

Posted on July 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Times takes a dim view of Mexican revolutionaries.   July 17, 1913: Arabella D. Huntington, widow of the late Collis P. Huntington, marries his nephew, Henry E. Huntington, in Paris at the American Church in the Rue de Berri.  … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Architecture, Art & Artists, Broadway, Downtown, History, Suicide | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Arabella Huntington Marries Nephew in Paris