Category Archives: Books and Authors

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, September 3, 1944

Posted on September 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 3, 1944: Phil Terry, the tall bespectacled young man whose career took a terrific nose dive just before and after his marriage to Joan Crawford, is on the beam again, Louella Parsons says. Continue reading →

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August 30, 1907: Rabbi Leads Campaign to Open Hebrew University in L.A.

Posted on August 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 30, 1907: Rabbi Alfred Arndt of Congregation Beth Israel leads an effort to open what The Times describes as “the only Hebrew university within the entire United States.” Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, August 27, 1944

Posted on August 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 27, 1944: Go to any Hollywood party and you will hear very little discussion about the newest marital rift or the latest cafe battle. But on every side you hear stories about babies, babies babies — by proud parents, Louella Parsons says. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, August 20, 1944

Posted on August 20, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 20, 1944: Hedy Lamarr hates the word “beautiful,” Louella Parsons writes. “History of Rome” and “I Never Left Home” top the bestsellers list. Continue reading →

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August 18, 1947: John Steven McGroarty, California Poet Laureate, Honored in Memorial Tribute

Posted on August 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 18, 1947: John Steven McGroarty, California’s poet laureate, is remembered with poems and stories. Continue reading →

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August 12, 1947: Distinguished UCLA English Instructor Dies in Plunge from S.F. Building; ‘He Was Not Married’

Posted on August 12, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 12, 1947: Dr. Stanley Dean Johnson, a specialist in the works of John Donne at UCLA, has been spending the summer at the Huntington Library. He is a brilliant scholar and popular with faculty and staff. But in August 1947 he plunged from the 15th floor of San Francisco’s Russ Building. He was 39 and “not married.” Continue reading →

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Aug. 7, 1907: Too Late for Wife to Repent Marriage to Abusive Husband, Judge Rules

Posted on August 7, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 7, 1907: Kate Conrad had known her husband since she was 13 and had been married to him for 18 years, so it was too late to decide she didn’t want to be married to him, even though he was an abusive drunk and she lived in fear of him, a judge rules. Continue reading →

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

Posted on August 3, 2025 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 24, 1907: Columbia University Professor Becomes an Explorer of the Occult

Posted on July 24, 2025 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, 2025 by lmharnisch

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

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Black Dahlia: Eli Frankel’s ‘Sisters in Death,’ a Fraudulent ‘Solution’ to the Black Dahlia Case and the Murder of Leila Welsh

Posted on May 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

Just how bad can a ‘true” crime book be? Here’s another entry: Eli Frankel’s ‘Sisters in Death’ linking the murders of Elizabeth Short and Leila Welsh. The work of a zealous amateur with staggering mistakes on almost every page. 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 →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Women Behind the Scenes in Early Film Photography

Posted on March 10, 2025 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory takes a look at women in the early days of Hollywood still photography. And she has a book coming out March 25 “First Women of Hollywood.” Continue reading →

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When Doctors Turn Deadly: Hallie Rubenhold’s ‘Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen’

Posted on March 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

An advance look at Hallie Rubenhold’s forthcoming “Story of a Murder.” Well-written and suspenseful!
@hallierubenhold.bsky.social Continue reading →

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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 →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The Three Lives Of Villa Aurora

Posted on January 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Cats have nine lives. People often experience second or third acts in their lives or careers. Some homes have multiple lives as well, like Villa Aurora, which has experienced three diverse lives, … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide: A Brief History of the Tom and Jerry

Posted on December 26, 2024 by lmharnisch

A recipe for the Tom and Jerry from the San Francisco Call, June 30, 1912. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Over on Facebook, Christopher McPherson asked whether the Tom and Jerry was named for the MGM cartoon … Continue reading →

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Al Martinez, a Dying Boy and Some Peaches — A (Non) Christmas Story

Posted on December 25, 2024 by lmharnisch

The history of a Al Martinez’s (non) Christmas story about a dying boy who wanted some peaches. Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide: ‘Making Black Los Angeles’

Posted on December 16, 2024 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2018. I only recommend books that I have read, which is why I haven’t listed Susan Orlean’s “The Library Book” or Stephen Gee’s “Los Angeles City Hall: An American Icon.” I look forward … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 11, 2024 by lmharnisch

The Daily Mirror Holiday Shopping Guide: David Lewis’ “The Creative Producer: A Memoir of the Studio System.” #Books Continue reading →

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