Category Archives: books

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 →

Posted in art and artists, books, Obituaries | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 1960, Architecture, art and artists, books, Photography | Comments Off on October 9, 1994: Julius Shulman Q & A

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

Matt Weinstock, July 30, 1959

Posted on July 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 30, 1959: Matt Weinstock writes about Lawrence Lipton, the “Boswell of beatniks.” Also Venice declares war on beatniks! Continue reading →

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Ron Chernow’s ‘Mark Twain’: Brushstrokes Instead of a Portrait of America’s Favorite Humorist

Posted on March 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

Ron Chernow’s forthcoming biography of American humorist Mark Twain: Brushstrokes Instead of a Grand Portrait Continue reading →

Posted in books, Books and Authors | Tagged , | 1 Comment

End of Watch: Joseph Wambaugh, 1937-2025

Posted on February 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

Remembering author Joseph Wambaugh (1937-2025) with a 2013 video interview for the L.A. Times and articles about the Onion Field, the 1963 kidnapping of two LAPD officers in which one was killed and the other survived. Continue reading →

Posted in books, Books and Authors, Film, LAPD, Obituaries | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 4, 2024 by lmharnisch

Photo by John Engstead / Courtesy of Doyle Auctions. Speaking of Raymond Chandler, Doyle Auctions is offering material from the the Jean Vounder-Davis Collection of Raymond Chandler to be sold Friday (Dec. 6).

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Black Dahlia: Michael Connelly and ‘The Waiting’ (Spoiler Alert)

Posted on October 15, 2024 by lmharnisch

Executive summary: Michael Connelly’s latest novel, The Waiting, uses the Black Dahlia case as a device in his secondary plot involving Maddie Bosch. The treatment in the novel perpetuates mistakes and contributes to the folklore about the case, doubly unfortunate … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay: ‘What Actors Eat (When They Eat!)’

Posted on December 30, 2021 by lmharnisch

A copy of What Actors Eat (When They Eat!), a collection of celebrities’ recipes by Kenneth Harlan and Rex Lease, has been listed on EBay for $14.99. Copies are fairly rare an in good condition can sell for hundreds of … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Food and Drink, Found on EBay, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment