Category Archives: Books and Authors

#history, #museums, 8|8|2011 [Updated]

Posted on August 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Colonel Harland Sanders, 1976. Credit: KFC   The Edgar Allan Poe House in Baltimore is threatened with “Nevermore.” Kate Taylor in the New York Times. KFC has launched a website to collect people’s stories about Colonel Sanders. [Update: The … Continue reading →

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Frontiers of Learning: Brontë Sisters Power Dolls

Posted on August 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Brontë Sisters Power Dolls! No, they’re not real. But they are funny.

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Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on August 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 1948 Buick Roadmaster hearse for sale on EBay. Bidding starts at $9,102. Queen of the Dead—dateline August 1, 2011    • Elliott Handler, cofounder of Mattel, died on July 21, age 95. He and Harold Matson (thus the name: … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Books and Authors, Brain Trust, Comics, Eve Golden, Film, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Television | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

#books, #museums, #history 7|29|2011 [Updated]

Posted on July 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

NEWS [Updated at 7:25 a.m. The archives of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks reveal an account of an attempted rape by a white neighbor who employed her as a housekeeper. Associated Press via Washington Post.] Historian Barry Landau and assistant … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Chicago, Crime and Courts, History, Museums, New York | Tagged , , | Comments Off on #books, #museums, #history 7|29|2011 [Updated]

#art, #authors, #genealogy, #history, #museums 7|27|2011

Posted on July 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster. Credit: RM Auctions via the New York Times. SPOTLIGHT The University of Virginia has posted audio clips of William Faulkner recorded in 1957-58. The home page is here. If you have never heard … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Genealogy, Libraries, Museums, Nightclubs, Pasadena, Preservation, Television | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #art, #authors, #genealogy, #history, #museums 7|27|2011

‘Zoot Suit’ and History — Part 5

Posted on July 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

Cartoon: A troubling moment in “Mary Worth’s Family,” June 1, 1943. Credit: Los Angeles Times June 1, 1943: It is impossible to accurately determine, so long after the fact, why a May 31, 1943, brawl between zoot-suiters and sailors wasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Books and Authors, Fashion, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History — Part 5

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on July 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 1940 Ford Siebert hearse converted to a delivery sedan, $49,000 on Hemmings.com   Queen of the Dead—dateline July 25, 2011   • July 22 saw the death of the first Bond Girl, Linda Christian, 87. Her career was pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Brain Trust, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Music, Nightclubs, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | 1 Comment

#architecture, #books, #history, #museums, 7|23|2011 [Updated]

Posted on July 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photos: Josef Mengele’s notebooks. Credit: Alexander Autographs. RECOMMENDED Randy Kennedy of the New York Times catches up with famous/notorious graffiti artist/tagger TAKI 183 at a book signing for “The History of American Graffiti.” Rex Huppke’s ‘I Just Work Here’ Column … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, History, Immigration, Museums, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #architecture, #books, #history, #museums, 7|23|2011 [Updated]

Time Traveling With the L.A. Daily Mirror [Updated]

Posted on July 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Pier Angeli and friend with a reminder on Daylight Saving Time, 1958 I decided to import my old lmharnisch blog, devoted mainly to dissecting “The Black Dahlia Files” by Donald “Fake Document” Wolfe. Now there are posts going back … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2008, 2009, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Film, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

James Curtis: L.A. Voices

Posted on July 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Dick Lane and Helen Wallace in “Sioux City Sue,” 1946. In 1975, while still in college, I did a short series of interviews. There was no real purpose to these, other than they were with people who interested me … Continue reading →

Posted in 1975, Books and Authors, Film, Found on EBay, History, Hollywood, James Curtis, L.A. Voices, New York, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

How to Dress and Undress a Victorian Lady

Posted on July 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The Wall Street Journal’s slide show on “How to Dress a Victorian Lady.” Credit: Wall Street Journal. To make sure their bodices are correctly ripped (it’s harder than it looks),  the annual convention of the Romance Writers of America … Continue reading →

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

Bill James’ ‘Popular Crime’: Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on July 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

I have procrastinated about looking at Bill James’ “Popular Crime” because, as curious as it may seem, I don’t care much for “true” crime books. Even when they are well done (which is almost never) the subject matter is depressing … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Coming Attractions: L.A. Voices by James Curtis

Posted on July 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Dick Lane and Helen Wallace in “Sioux City Sue,” 1946. Coming up Wednesday: Biographer James Curtis shares his interviews in L.A. Voices, beginning with Part 1 of a 1975 Q&A with actor Dick Lane.

Posted in 1946, Books and Authors, Brain Trust, Coming Attractions, Film, Hollywood, Television | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Slash and Burn History: Mike Davis on Gen. Otis

Posted on July 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Times President Gen. Harrison Gray Otis. Credit: Press Reference Library, 1912 Gen. Harrison Gray Otis, the favorite pinata of Los Angeles historians, is the subject of a new biography by Mike “City of Quartz” Davis, now being serialized in … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Downtown, History, Libraries | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

#history, #museum 7|17|2011

Posted on July 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Mail sent by airplane from the 1912 Aviation Meet at Dominguez Field.  Credit: New York Public Library   7|17|2011DEATHSArdis Butler James, 85, co-founder of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum at the University of Nebraska. Margalit Fox in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1912, Aviation, Baseball, Books and Authors, History, Museums, Music, Obituaries | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #history, #museum 7|17|2011

Found on EBay – Louis Adamic and Aimee Semple McPherson

Posted on July 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

The disappearance and return of evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson made 1926 a prolific year for Los Angeles author Louis Adamic (d. 1951), best remembered today for his 1931 book “Dynamite.” Like Morrow Mayo and other writers in H.L. Mencken’s shock … Continue reading →

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7|14|2011 #LA, #history, #museums

Posted on July 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Los Angeles Public Library. Credit: LAPL FEATUREDA celebration will be held at the downtown library on Monday at 9:30 a.m. as the L.A. library system restores Monday service at all branches. Sunday closures are continuing, however. Saturday will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, Crime and Courts, Film, History, Libraries, Museums, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on 7|14|2011 #LA, #history, #museums

7|13|2011 #history, #museum

Posted on July 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Pierre Loti’s house. Credit: Discover Poitou Charentes RECOMMENDEDElaine Sciolino’s new travel column Lumiere in the New York Times takes a look at the house museum of Pierre Loti. Sciolino says: “On an unremarkable street in the unremarkable town, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, History, Hollywood, Museums, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on 7|13|2011 #history, #museum

From the Stacks: ‘Just One More!’

Posted on July 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

I picked up the 1961 edition of “Just One More!” by the Los Angeles Press Photographers Assn. and I’ve been enjoying it more than I expected. It’s a time capsule of press photography as it was 50 years ago, so … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Books and Authors, From the Stacks, Photography | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

7|11|2011 #history, #museum

Posted on July 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 26, 1936: Ambrose Schindler in The Times as USC and UCLA prepare to play for the first time in six years. My colleague Jerry Crowe at The Timeshas a nice profile of Ambrose Schindler, former USC quarterback, stuntman on … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Fashion, History, Museums | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments