Category Archives: Books and Authors

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 9

Posted on March 7, 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. After digging through The Times, old phone directories and other resources … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 7

Posted on March 1, 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. What is it about “Full Service” that inspires people to get … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transportation | Tagged , , | Comments Off on ‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 7

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 6

Posted on February 29, 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. In our last installment, I didn’t do all that well on … Continue reading →

Posted in 1945, 1946, 1947, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, World War II | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Found on EBay – ‘Bert Williams: Son of Laughter’

Posted on February 28, 2012 by lmharnisch

Note: This post has been corrected. A rather bedraggled copy of “Bert Williams: Son of Laughter,” a tribute to the  vaudeville entertainer,  has been listed on EBay at $300. Although that might seem high, this is a fairly rare edition … Continue reading →

Posted in 1923, African Americans, Books and Authors, Found on EBay, Libraries, Stage | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 5

Posted on February 28, 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. I could probably spend another day on the intersection of Hollywood … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 4

Posted on February 24, 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. Yesterday, in Part 3, I was exploring the history of Hollywood … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transportation | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Random Shot: N.Y. = L.A.

Posted on February 23, 2012 by lmharnisch

Look what I found last night outside the Last Book Store at 5th and Spring.

Posted in Books and Authors, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Photography | Tagged , | 2 Comments

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 3

Posted on February 23, 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. You want to know about all the hot gossip in this … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 2

Posted on February 22, 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. Pages XI to X of “Full Service” set the scene on … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Libraries | Tagged , | 24 Comments

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 1

Posted on February 21, 2012 by lmharnisch

“Full Service,” by Scotty Bowers with Lionel Friedberg. One of the guiding principles at the Los Angeles Daily Mirror is that history is not the exclusive domain of straight, white, Protestant males. As long as I have been blogging about … Continue reading →

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

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on February 13, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: A coffin snuff box listed on EBay at $2,200. Queen of the Dead – dateline February 13, 2012 •  It is dangerous to call someone “the last living” whatever, as you will invariably be proved wrong. So I will … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, World War I | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

FBI Continues Raids on Japanese Homes

Posted on February 8, 2012 by lmharnisch

Feb. 8, 1942: FBI agents lead local law enforcement in the continuing raids on Japanese communities.  “Trunks and storerooms were ransacked, suspicious areas of newly turned earth were dug into and all buildings were carefully investigated,” The Times said. After … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Washington, World War II | Tagged | Comments Off on FBI Continues Raids on Japanese Homes

Stravinsky Premieres ‘Danses Concertantes’ in Los Angeles

Posted on February 1, 2012 by lmharnisch

Feb. 1, 1942: The Times serializes Hallett Abend’s “Japan Unmasked.” Abend (d. 1955) was The Times city editor from 1920 to 1924 and was later a Far East correspondent for the New York Times.  (Note: An interesting line from his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Books and Authors, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Black Dahlia at 65

Posted on January 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: Lobby of the Biltmore Hotel, Jan. 9, 2012, 6:30 p.m. Credit: Larry Harnisch/L.A. Daily Mirror. I wandered over to the Biltmore on Monday night to keep my annual appointment. I’m not compulsive about being there, and I don’t bother … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Downtown, Film, History, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , | 24 Comments

The Black Dahlia: Biltmore Hotel

Posted on January 11, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo 1: Biltmore Hotel, Jan. 9, 2012, 6:30 p.m. Credit: Larry Harnisch Photo 2: Biltmore Hotel, 1940s The top photo shows the old lobby of the Biltmore on Monday as it was on the anniversary of the night Elizabeth Short … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Interior Design, LAPD | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Carl and Jerry Get a Kindle Fire

Posted on December 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Gort: Tannenbaum baringa! Futurism in 1958. I bought a Kindle Fire a few days ago and since it arrived I’ve been thinking about John T. Frye W9EGV. Unless you are an electronics geek of a certain age, it’s likely you … Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, 1963, Books and Authors, Radio, Television | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Carl and Jerry Get a Kindle Fire

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on December 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Image of a horse-drawn hearse, part of a group of five pictures listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $300. Queen of the Dead – dateline December 19, 2011 •  Word has come in of the long-expected but still sad … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

The L.A. Daily Mirror Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on December 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here are some recommendations for things that might please a Daily Mirror reader. The out of print books can usually be found on Bookfinder.com. “Spencer Tracy: A Biography,” by Daily Mirror contributor James Curtis. “Hollywoodland,” by Daily Mirror contributor Mary … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Eve Golden, James Curtis, Marion Eisenmann, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Pearl Harbor and the Rose-Colored Rearview Mirror

Posted on December 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 10, 1942: Politics is politics, war or not. My distinguished colleague George Skelton, who understands Sacramento like a watchmaker knows the inner workings of a precision timepiece,   has gazed rather fondly into the rose-colored rearview mirror with a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , | Comments Off on Pearl Harbor and the Rose-Colored Rearview Mirror

Found on EBay – ‘Los Angeles in Blockprint’

Posted on December 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s a stunning discovery. You may recall the saga of Everett Ruess, the young vagabond artist, photographer and poet who vanished in 1935 while exploring southern Utah and whose life remains an inspiration for people intoxicated with the romance of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Found on EBay | Tagged , | 1 Comment