Category Archives: books

Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming March 17, 2026

Posted on March 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The third session of the Black Dahlia Book Club will meet March 17 at 10 a.m. on YouTube. This time I’ll look at a two-part retrospective on the case, published in 1949 in the Los Angeles Mirror in its “Someone Knows! series, and the radio show “Somebody Knows” from 1950. Continue reading →

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March 5, 1959: Blinded by Bullet, Officer Shoots Gunman Who Killed Partner

Posted on March 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 5, 1959: Police Officer Ector A. Garcia, known for his skill in sketching crime suspects, kills the man who shot his partner despite being blinded by gunfire. Garcia became a noted police artist, publishing the book “Portraits of Crime.” Continue reading →

Posted in #East L.A., art and artists, books, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on March 5, 1959: Blinded by Bullet, Officer Shoots Gunman Who Killed Partner

Black Dahlia Book Club for February 2026

Posted on February 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

The second session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch. This time, I discussed books by four journalists involved in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming February 17, 2026

Posted on February 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The second session of the Black Dahlia Book Club will meet February 17 at 10 a.m. on YouTube. This time I’ll look at the memoirs of four journalists who covered the case. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for January 2026

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

The first session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch. This time, I discussed the October 1948 issue of True Detective, which led to the Leslie Dillon debacle. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club–Coming Next Week

Posted on January 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

Three quick reminders: The anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder is Thursday — be respectful. The Black Dahlia case is not solved, regardless of what you may hear elsewhere. And the Black Dahlia Book Club begins a week from today at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading →

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Voices — Bettie Page, 1923 – 2008

Posted on December 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 11, 2008: Bettie Page dies at the age of 85. An interview from 2006. Continue reading →

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November 30, 1959: Paul Coates – Confidential File

Posted on November 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 30, 1959: An author claims that Charles Dickens and actress Ellen Ternan had an illegitimate child, and Paul Coates has the story. Continue reading →

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November 16, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on November 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 16, 1959: Erle Stanley Gardner tells Paul Coates: “The basic problem facing law enforcement today is one of public relations.” Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, books, Columnists, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

A. Victor Segno — “How to Live 100 Years”

Posted on November 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

How to Live 100 Years, by A. Victor Segno, Los Angeles, 1903: Heavy skirts and long trains worn on the streets are especially unhealthful. Continue reading →

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October 9, 1994: Julius Shulman Q & A

Posted on October 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 9, 1994: A Q&A with photographer Julius Shulman, about to turn 84. Continue reading →

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October 8, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 8, 1959: Matt Weinstock profiles Eugene Vale, author of ‘The Thirteenth Apostle.’ Continue reading →

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October 7, 1949: Actress Jean Spangler vanishes

Posted on October 7, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 7, 1949: Starlet Jean Spangler vanishes. Continue reading →

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October 3, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 3, 1959: Matt Weinstock writes of Steve Allen’s concerns about nuclear weapons and Edita Morris’ novel “The Flowers of Hiroshima.” Continue reading →

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September 29,1959: Paul V. Coates — Confidential File

Posted on September 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 29, 1959: Paul Coates has the story of Dorothy Roseborough and her adventures writing articles and eventually a book as Dorothy Ross. Whenever she sold something, the pay was deducted for her pension, so she saw no point in writing. But she did anyway. Continue reading →

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September 28, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on September 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 28, 1959: Matt Weinstock has the story of a woman who attended a movie at Grauman’s Chinese Theater and felt a light tap on her leg. It was her seatmate’s pet snake, Gertrude, who loved the movies. Continue reading →

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September 22, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on September 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 22, 1959: Matt Weinstock has the story of a police officer who gave a marooned freeway driver a lift and loaned the motorist money for gas. The city library system is recovering from controversial cuts with the city librarian hoping to restore Saturday service and add 11 new branches. Continue reading →

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September 21, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on September 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 21, 1959: Matt Weinstock says Harry Essex and Irving Shulman have finished a pre-sold novel based on [Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle’s] life and the sensational scandal that marred it. The title, ‘Fatty.’ Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: William J. Mann’s ‘Murders, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood’ — Not a Better Answer in the Dahlia Case, Just a Different One

Posted on September 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood, by William J. Mann, Simon & Schuster, 464 pages, January 27, 2026, $31.   Like a game of Clue with an actual cold case to solve, a well-worn list of suspects … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, books, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on August 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have some mysterious guests. Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, books, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 35 Comments