Category Archives: Books and Authors

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 →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

If you enjoy Mary Mallory’s columns (and our survey shows that readers do) you might like this anthology of Hollywood Heights called “Hollywoodland: Tales Lost and Found.” It’s available for the Kindle, but don’t forget that Amazon has a free … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

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

Matzo Brawl!

Posted on November 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project and I’m reposting it for newer readers. Nov. 29, 1907 Oh Those Shriners: Recall, if you will, the grisly train wreck that killed a large number of Shriners … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Religion, Streetcars | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A Little Something to Think About on a Sunday Morning

Posted on November 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

I suppose the venomous Cathy Seipp (d. 2007) is pretty much forgotten now. I hadn’t thought about her in a long time until the death of Wanda Coleman and remembered that Seipp took regular potshots at Coleman when she wrote … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Obituaries | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Blogging the Wolfe Book — Seven Years Later

Posted on November 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: In 2006, I devoted a daily blog to  fact-checking Donald Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files” on a molecular level. The project was so time-consuming – and “Dahlia Files” is such junk – that I stopped about Page 96 and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2006, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ — Part 11

Posted on November 6, 2013 by lmharnisch

David G.G. Bacon, far right, in “The Masked Marvel,” courtesy of Steven Bibb. So far, the David G.G. Bacon killing is relatively pristine, at least compared to the Black Dahlia case; the killing doesn’t appear in “Hollywood Babylon” or any … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — A. L. “Whitey” Schafer Simplifies Portraits

Posted on November 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

“Thou Shalt Not,” “Whitey” Schafer’s most famous image. In the very early days of the motion picture industry, stills photographers meant nothing to the moving picture companies. They asked their feature cameramen to work double duty, shooting scene stills after … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

A Letter From John Steinbeck

Posted on October 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

I’m always intrigued by the Zamorano Club’s publications. The Zamorano Club was established in 1928 by Los Angeles bibliophiles, named for Augustin Zamorano, California’s first printer, and treated its members to small press runs (often from the Ward Ritchie Press) … Continue reading →

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‘Turn Off the Sunshine’ by Timothy Turner

Posted on October 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

A copy of Timothy G. Turner’s “Turn Off the Sunshine” has been listed on EBay. Turner, you may recall, was the Times columnist who worked with artist Charles Owens on Rediscovering Los Angeles. Bidding on this copy of the book … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Books and Authors, Broadway, Downtown, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles — El Capricho de los Dorados

Posted on October 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 2, 1935: In this installment of Rediscovering Los Angeles, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit El Capricho de los Dorados, a tiny Mexican restaurant on Aliso “below Alameda Street.” Turner says: “These little places are generally … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Architecture, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Downtown, Food and Drink, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Rediscovering Los Angeles — El Capricho de los Dorados

‘The Clansman’ Comes to Los Angeles – 1908

Posted on October 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

A 1908 program from the Mason Opera House has been listed on EBay with an ad for an upcoming production of “The Clansman,” a play adapted from  Thomas  Dixon’s novels “The Leopard’s Spots” and “The Clansman” and turned into D.W. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, African Americans, Books and Authors, Broadway, Downtown, Film, Found on EBay, Stage | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Millennial Moment: Former Head of California NOW Charged in Killing

Posted on October 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

Oct. 11, 1983: Patt Morrison has the story of Ginny Foat, the former head of the state chapter of the National Organization for Women, who was charged with helping her ex-husband beat a man to death with a tire iron. … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Hollywood Tunesmith

Posted on September 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Long before Harold Arlen wrote “Lose That Long Face” for “A Star Is Born” starring Judy Garland, songwriter Carrie Jacobs-Bond practiced those words. Mostly forgotten today, Jacobs-Bond was one of the most successful composers of the 20th century. She endured … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Magazine From 1957 and 1958

Posted on September 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

What the vendor says are complete runs of the 1957 and 1958 issues of One magazine have been listed on EBay at $69.99 each. Individual issues often sell for $10-$20 or more, so this is actually a deal – if … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, 1958, Books and Authors, Found on EBay, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Sex Talk in Pasadena Canceled Due to Lack of Interest

Posted on September 12, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 12, 1953: Angry San Fernando Valley residents picket Lockheed’s plant in Van Nuys after a jet trainer crashed, killing Phyllis O’Kray, 16504 Chase St., Sepulveda. Lockheed executive Courtland S. Gross expressed regret over O’Kray’s death and noted that the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Aviation, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Escaped Soldier Denies Attacking Former Screen Star

Posted on September 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 11, 1943: The Times features the Los Angeles Times-Army Ordnance in Action Show being held at Exposition Park. The Times promised that “visitors will see the massive 32-ton Gen. Sherman tanks whose tough armor and deadly firepower blasted the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Music, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Los Angeles’ Forgotten J. B. Lankershim Monument

Posted on September 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Charles Owens’ drawing of the Lankershim monument in “Nuestro Pueblo.” Los Angeles’ Boy Scout Camp Arthur Letts is a distant memory today, a large getaway in the Hollywood Hills offering camping, drilling and country escapes by area Boy Scout troops. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, 1939, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Los Angeles’ Forgotten J. B. Lankershim Monument

‘Headline Happy’ by Florabel Muir

Posted on September 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

A copy of Florabel Muir’s “Headline Happy” has been listed on EBay for $75. Muir’s book is interesting, and tends to be priced high, but I would never pay that kind of money for a copy – especially with a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Headline Happy’ by Florabel Muir