Category Archives: Art & Artists

Rediscovering Los Angeles — A Japanese Garden

Posted on January 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

Feb. 17, 1936: I think this may be my favorite entry so far. Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit a Japanese flower shop on San Pedro Street north of 1st Street, which was converted by Toyo Y. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Art & Artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Stories of the Year — 1943

Posted on December 31, 2013 by lmharnisch

Happy New Year’s Eve 1943 from the pen of Ernie Bushmiller! Dec. 31, 1943: The Times lists the top stories of 1943. For Los Angeles, that included Zoot Suit Riots (June 7), the 48-hour work week (July 21) and Frank … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files — Slaughter at Bob’s Big Boy

Posted on December 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

  Suspect 1, DR-80-585-895 Suspect 2, DR-80-585-895 Dec. 14, 1980: The takeover robbery of Bob’s Big Boy at 1845 S. La Cienega Blvd. was part of a rising tide of violence in the 1980s. As The Times noted, “the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in 1980, Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | 2 Comments

Los Angeles Celebrates Christmas, 1913

Posted on December 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 25, 1913: The Times carries a biblical passage across the nameplate (notice the artwork of the new and old Times buildings) and a Page 1 cartoon by Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale. “Cartoonist Gale” frequently drew a character known as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Art & Artists, Food and Drink, Medicine | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Los Angeles Celebrates Christmas, 1913

Rediscovering Los Angeles — A Home on Flower Street

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Feb. 10, 1936: Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit Miss Abegale Stark, 72, who lives in the back of a house built for her father in the 1880s. She says the family came to California in a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Rediscovering Los Angeles — A Home on Flower Street

Highland Park Sketchbook

Posted on December 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

We stopped by Cafe de Leche in Highland Park to pick up some coffee today and found this sketchbook. It’s a project of the 50NYork Gallery. Here’s some of the artwork:

Posted in Art & Artists | Tagged , | Comments Off on Highland Park Sketchbook

‘I Took the Gun and Shot Him Once in the Leg, Just for Fun’

Posted on December 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

Maybe it was murder. Maybe it never happened at all. Was she telling the truth or was it all a lie? Early on the morning of Nov. 20, 1953, acting on a tip, LAPD Detectives John Olsen and P.R. Brooks … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Homicide, LAPD, Main Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rediscovering Los Angeles — Tortilleria Jalisco

Posted on December 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner did a weekly series on some of the old landmarks in Los Angeles, many of them doomed by the impending construction of Union Station. Unlike the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Food and Drink, Main Street, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rediscovering Los Angeles — The Hopperstead House

Posted on December 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 27, 1936: Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit the Hopperstead home, which was built at Hill and Court streets in 1880. When Turner wrote this column, family members were still living in a portion of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1880, 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Rediscovering Los Angeles — The Hopperstead House

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

In 1989, Billy Wilder sold much of his art collection. The works are gone, but the auction catalog lives on. If you’re a hard-core Billy Wilder fan (and I am) it’s fun looking through the catalog – I was fortunate … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Einar Petersen and His ‘Aladdin and His Lamp’ Murals

Posted on December 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

One of Einar Petersen’s murals at the Spring Street Guaranty Building and Loan Assn., courtesy of Mary Mallory Fame is fleeting. An individual might go unrecognized while creating great art while alive, only for the works to be considered masterpieces … Continue reading →

Posted in 1928, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Spring Street | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 5, 2013 by lmharnisch

For the steampunk fan on your gift list, you might consider “Walking Your Octopus,” with wonderful illustrations by Brian Kesinger. I had an opportunity to chat with Brian at the Cartoon Expo and scored a signed copy. Available from Brian … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art & Artists, Books and Authors | Tagged , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

PROHIBITION ENDS!

Posted on December 5, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Times marks the end of Prohibition with a front page cartoon by Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale, who  quit in 1934 and went to the Examiner in a dispute over The Times’ editorial policies. Dec. 5, 1933: With the passage … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files

Posted on December 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

I was given a box of material that was cleaned out of the old press room at the LAPD’s Parker Center headquarters, sometimes called “the cop shop.” The box was a jumble of press releases, photographs, artists’ sketches and other … Continue reading →

Posted in 1965, 1973, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

Whenever I’m asked about my favorite books on Los Angeles, my first recommendation is “Nuestro Pueblo,” a selection of features by Times artist Charles Owens and writer Joseph Seewerker that appeared in The Times. I went through all of them … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Rediscovering Los Angeles — Sam Kee Laundry

Posted on December 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 20, 1936: For this installment of Rediscovering Los Angeles, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit a Chinese laundry on Figueroa near Temple. Turner writes: It was a busy hive before John Chinaman cut off his pigtail, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Columnists, Downtown, Film, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

We are being bombarded by stories about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with videos of long lines at stores and the attendant consumer frenzy. The L.A. Daily Mirror prefers a more subdued approach to buying gifts during the holiday season. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Art & Artists, Books and Authors | Tagged , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Mitchell Leisen — ‘Lioness’ Tamer

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 28, 1943:  Rumors of what will be known as the Tehran Conference (Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 1943) of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Opening soon: “In Old Oklahoma,” starring John Wayne, Martha Scott and Albert Dekker, at the Paramount, Hollywood and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles – The U.S. Hotel

Posted on November 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 13, 1936: One look and I knew this gem was gone. In fact, even the cross street has been obliterated. The U.S. Hotel was at Main and Market, across from City Hall. Times columnist Timothy Turner writes: “Rapid change … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Main Street, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Movie Posters From Ghana at the Ernie Wolfe Gallery

Posted on November 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

“Return of the Living Dead 3” as interpreted by an artist in Ghana. The Ernie Wolfe Gallery at 1653 Sawtelle Blvd., in West Los Angeles is presenting a show titled “The Horror, The Horror,” curated by Brandon Boyd featuring hand-painted … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Movie Posters From Ghana at the Ernie Wolfe Gallery