Category Archives: Books and Authors

Victor Segno: Success Wave!

Posted on October 2, 2012 by lmharnisch

Prof. A. Victor Segno and a success wave (artist’s concept). My latest column for The Times deals with my favorite L.A. con man, Prof. A Victor Segno.

Posted in Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, History | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Reading Los Angeles: Glen Creason

Posted on September 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: “Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon” by Eduardo Obregón Pagán. In interviewing Los Angeles Public Library map librarian Glen Creason, I asked about his favorite books on Los Angeles. There wasn’t space to include the list with the story, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, History, Libraries, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Gypsy Rose Lee and ‘The G-String Murders’

Posted on September 24, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: Barbara Stanwyck in “Lady of Burlesque.” This post has been corrected. See note below for details. While being tops in your field can be exciting, an ambitious or intellectually curious person always looks for new ways to grow. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Bert Longworth and ‘Hold Still, Hollywood’

Posted on September 17, 2012 by lmharnisch

In the last forty years, movie collectors and photography connoisseurs have recognized the art and value of Hollywood still photography, most particularly in the gloriously lit and composed portraits of glamorous stars. For decades, however, many people, including industryites, failed … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | 8 Comments

Playwright Clifford Odets Held for DUI

Posted on September 8, 2012 by lmharnisch

Sept. 8, 1942:Playwright Clifford Odets of 8729 Lookout Mountain Ave. is arrested on charges of drunk driving and speeding on Roosevelt Highway (Pacific Coast Highway) at Topanga Canyon.  CHP officers say Odets refused to stop until they forced him off … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on August 20, 2012 by lmharnisch

This horse-drawn hearse has been listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $2,500 . Queen of the Dead – dateline August 20, 2012 •  Cosmo Girl Helen Gurley Brown—who died at 90 on August 13—was not a heroine of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Talking About the Onion Field

Posted on August 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

I was in a video chat yesterday with Joseph Wambaugh and Times City Editor Shelby Grad to talk about the the Onion Field case and the recent death of Gregory Powell.

Posted in 1963, Books and Authors, LAPD | 2 Comments

Mary Holland Kinkaid – Early Newspaperwoman

Posted on August 14, 2012 by lmharnisch

“The Man of Yesterday” by Mary Holland Kinkaid, has been listed on EBay. Kinkaid, who died in 1948, is forgotten today, but was city editor of the Herald and is probably the first woman city editor of a Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1948, Books and Authors, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on August 6, 2012 by lmharnisch

This photo of a horse-drawn hearse has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $8.99. Queen of the Dead – dateline August 6, 2012 •  Good gosh I am feeling old—fifty years on August 4/5 since Marilyn Monroe died, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Mickey Cohen on the Record – Talking With Author Tere Tereba

Posted on July 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: Tere Tereba’s “Mickey Cohen: The Life and Crimes of L.A.’s Notorious Mobster.”   Note: I have been talking with author Tere Tereba about her book “Mickey Cohen: The Life and Crimes of L.A.’s Notorious Mobster.” Was he nothing more  … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, History, Hollywood, LAPD, Mickey Cohen | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on July 23, 2012 by lmharnisch

A customized 1973 Oldsmobile hearse, listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $13,500. Queen of the Dead – dateline July 23, 2012 •   I adored Celeste Holm (who died on July 15, at 95) as an actress—she was warm … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Hollywood, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Man Held as ‘Orchid Bandit’

Posted on June 27, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 27, 1942: James D. Hannah liked orchids. He liked them so much that he usually gave several of them to his girlfriends to put in their hair, a habit that led to his arrest when robbery victim  Elva Sieburg … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Man Held as ‘Orchid Bandit’

Coming Attractions: Mary Mallory Signs ‘Hollywoodland’

Posted on June 14, 2012 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory, who writes Hollywood Heights for the L.A. Daily Mirror, will be signing copies of her book “Hollywoodland” on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Costco at 1051 Burbank Blvd. in Burbank. All profits from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Young Author Ray Bradbury Publishes ‘Dark Carnival,’ 1947

Posted on June 6, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 27, 1947: Young Ray Bradbury publishes a book of short stories titled “Dark Carnival.” Notice that he used to sell newspapers at Norton Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. Yes, that’s the same Norton Avenue where the Black Dahlia was found, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on May 21, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: A 2003 Cadillac hearse listed on EBay, with bids starting at $18,900. Queen of the Dead – dateline May 21, 2012 •   Restaurateur (The Forge and The Glen in Tulsa), racecar driver, military historian and coffee heir (McLaughlin’s Coffee … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Music, Nightclubs, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | 5 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on May 14, 2012 by lmharnisch

This photo of a horse-drawn hearse has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $250. Queen of the Dead – dateline May 14, 2012 •   One thing that none of the obits of Vidal Sassoon (who died at 84 on … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Fashion, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Miles Corwin – ‘Midnight Alley’

Posted on May 8, 2012 by lmharnisch

The Daily Mirror stopped by Vroman’s in Pasadena on Sunday to hear our old friend and former Times colleague Miles Corwin discuss his latest book, “Midnight Alley.”

Posted in Books and Authors, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on May 7, 2012 by lmharnisch

A 1968 Cadillac hearse attributed by the vendor to Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold has been listed on EBay. Queen of the Dead – dateline May 7, 2012 •  Two fashion models have left us. Lee Pepper Eliott, 86, died … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 26

Posted on April 20, 2012 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m doing a little fact-checking as I go through Scotty Bowers’ “Full Service.” This will be fairly tedious except to a research drudge. We have moved on, ever so slightly, to the further exploits … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 25 [Updated]

Posted on April 19, 2012 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m doing a little fact-checking as I go through Scotty Bowers’ “Full Service.” This will be fairly tedious except to a research drudge. Several regular readers have asked whether I have given up on … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , | 8 Comments