Category Archives: Books and Authors

August 3, 1947: ‘Kingsblood Royal’ by Sinclar Lewis Leads Bestseller List

Posted on August 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 3, 1947: Sinclair Lewis’ ‘Kingsblood Royal’ is the bestselling novel in Los Angeles, followed by ‘The Prince of Foxes,’ by Samuel Shellabarger, and ‘Gentleman’s Agreement,’ by Laura Hobson. John Gunther’s ‘Inside U.S.A.’ is the bestselling nonfiction book. Continue reading →

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July 27, 1947: Chinese Author Visits Dr. George Hodel

Posted on July 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 27, 1947: Chinese author Helena Kuo visits Dr. George Hodel. Continue reading →

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July 27, 1907: Mayor Harper Calls for More LAPD Officers, New Library, More Schools

Posted on July 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 27, 1907: Mayor Harper lists his 20 recommendations, including the Owens River aqueduct, more LAPD officers, a public library, more schools and ‘purification’ of billboards. Continue reading →

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July 24, 1907: Columbia University Professor Becomes an Explorer of the Occult

Posted on July 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1907: Former Columbia professor James H. Hyslop is trying to raise interest in a scientific approach to psychic research while debunking frauds and fakes. Continue reading →

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July 23, 1907: A Belated Tribute to Heroic Officer

Posted on July 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1907: Police capture a burglar who entered a jewelry store through a skylight. Continue reading →

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July 21, 1907: What the President Is Reading

Posted on July 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 21, 1908: President Theodore Roosevelt recommends reading the works of Octave Thanet, the pen name of LGBTQ author Alice French. Continue reading →

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June 27, 1947: Ray the Newspaper Boy Publishes First Book, ‘Dark Carnival’

Posted on June 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 27, 1947: Ray the newsboy, who once sold papers at Olympic at Norton, has published his first book: “Dark Carnival.” You might know him as Ray Bradbury. Continue reading →

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June 23, 1947: Jim Tully, Hobo Novelist and Prizefighter, Dies at 56

Posted on June 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 23, 1947: Jim Tully, hobo author of “Shanty Irish” and “Beggars of Life” dies at 56. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren’s Invented Memories of Elizabeth Short

Posted on June 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

It’s a bit sad when a superannuated actor writes a memoir about what they think they “remember” about old Hollywood. There’s no truth to Mamie Van Doren’s claim that she knew Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. It’s all imagined. Continue reading →

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June 18, 1907: Immigration Agent Accused of Poisoning Neighbor’s Dog

Posted on June 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1907: Hazel Schurger accuses neighbor J.J. Brady of poisoning her dog, Baby, with strychnine. Brady was freed after an examination showed that Baby was given a small dose of the poison, incapable of killing the dog immediately as Schurger described. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming June 16, 2026

Posted on June 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The next session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is June 16 at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch This time I will discuss the FBI files on the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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June 4, 1947: Television Comes to Los Angeles

Posted on June 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 4, 1947: Television comes to Los Angeles on T-Day (March 10, 1947) with KTLA and W6XAO. By June 4, the stations aired baseball, test patterns and Queen for a Day. Continue reading →

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June 3, 1907: Runaway Couple, Aided by Minister, Leave Parents at the Altar

Posted on June 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 3,1907: Dr. Harris Garcelon and Genevieve Smith dreaded the large, formal wedding her mother planned for them. After the rehearsal, the Rev. Baker P. Lee performed a small ceremony and the couple ran off to Salt Lake City, leaving Lee to inform Mrs. Smith of the couple’s flight. Continue reading →

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May 30, 1907: Hop Chung, Chinese Laundryman, Presses Zoning Case in Court

Posted on May 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 30, 1907: Hop Chung is arrested for opening a laundry in an area designated residential, but because he isn’t a U.S. citizen, he takes the case to federal court claiming there is no such thing as what we now know as zoning. Continue reading →

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May 23, 1947: Lloyd Osbourne Dies; Inspired Stepfather Robert Louis Stevenson to Write ‘Treasure Island’

Posted on May 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 23, 1947, L.A. Times, Lloyd Osbourne, who as a boy inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write “Treasure Island,” dies in Glendale. Continue reading →

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May 21, 1907: J.G. Fleenor ‘Barefoot Burglar’ Talks!

Posted on May 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 21, 1907: In a jailhouse interview before he is taken to San Quentin, James G. Fleenor, the barefoot burglar, sets the record straight on his escapes, his relationship with a white woman and how he began a life of crime. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming May 19, 2026

Posted on May 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will discuss Jack Webb’s 1958 book “The Badge” and the “Dragnet” radio show in the next session of the Black Dahlia Book Club, Tuesday, May 19, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at http://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch/streams Continue reading →

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May 1, 1907: Runaway Horses and a Fleeing Motorcyclist on the Dangerous Streets of L.A.

Posted on May 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 1, 1907: Miss Gertrude Young, who lives at No. 525 Wall St., was knocked down by a motorcycle yesterday as she stepped from a streetcar at 7th and Hope streets. The rider of the machine hastened away. Miss Young was taken to the Clara Barton Hospital. Continue reading →

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April 29, 1907: Blanche Hall Draws Crowds to Burbank Theater in ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’

Posted on April 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 29, 1907: Blanche Hall’s performance of ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’ draws a mile-long line of people hoping to buy tickets at the Burbank Theater at Main and 6th Street. Continue reading →

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April 27, 1907: Man Badly Injured in Attack by Mule

Posted on April 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 27, 1907: W.S. Stanton was attacked by a vicious mule at the California Truck Company’s stables last night and seriously injured. When he attempted to take the harness off the animal it leaped to one side and kicked him on the thigh, knocking him down, then walked over him, cutting and lacerating the calves of his legs. Continue reading →

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