Category Archives: Books and Authors

Mullen in Bad Plight

Posted on May 18, 2006 by lmharnisch

May 18, 1907Los AngelesWilliam Mullen, a black strikebreaker for the Pioneer Truck Company, was delivering a shipment of lumber when he realized that he had lost some of his load and retraced his route to look for it.At the Southern … Continue reading →

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To the Moon Alice!

Posted on May 17, 2006 by lmharnisch

May 17, 1907Los AngelesThe Le Canns continued their spat in court after Mrs. Le Cann showed Judge Chambers a piece of skin she said was torn from her lip when her husband, Fred (also listed as Ferdinand), shoved her as … Continue reading →

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Mason Opera House

Posted on May 15, 2006 by lmharnisch
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Those Sporting Ladies!

Posted on May 15, 2006 by lmharnisch

Los AngelesMay 15, 1907Curious neighbors noticed recently that a large number of well-dressed women have been taking the streetcar to the end of the line at 54th Street and South Central Avenue while still others are arriving in automobiles. Upon … Continue reading →

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History Deals a Deadly Hand

Posted on May 12, 2006 by lmharnisch

May 12, 1907 We’ve been having fun all week with the Shriners, parading around in their costumes, engaging in peculiar rites and pondering silly questions like “What Makes the Wildcat Wild?” Then in a moment, a train wreck at Honda … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars | 1 Comment

Paul Schrader’s 1971 Notes on Film Noir

Posted on May 11, 2006 by lmharnisch

Paul Schrader’s 1971 essay “Notes on Film Noir” in all its sappy, naive glory, with typos by me. In 1946, French critics, seeing the American films they had missed during the war, noticed the new mood of cynicism, pessimism and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Education, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Music, Native Americans, Photography, Streetcars | Comments Off on Paul Schrader’s 1971 Notes on Film Noir

A Murderous Sweep

Posted on May 10, 2006 by lmharnisch

All K. Tanimura wanted to do was clean the carpets at the Hotel Angelus at 407-411 S. Spring St. The sweeper, however, was broken so he sought help from the hotel’s carpenter, S.E. Thomas.Thomas was busy and told Tanimura (also … Continue reading →

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Shriners Present a Colorful Array

Posted on May 9, 2006 by lmharnisch

What, you might ask yourself, did Shriners do before the advent of those little cars and Harley-Davidson Electra Glides? The elaborately costumed men staged precision, close-order drills accompanied by marching bands.The effect, according to The Times, was stunning, inspiring the … Continue reading →

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Kissing, the Old-Fashioned Way

Posted on May 8, 2006 by lmharnisch

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DvwAAAG7ggqAHSiJjpW0D3w4aYTUdRcIXLmky9O8U6_vONbU1zj7VWoIKDBqEumfAiJPR79CNP6YfhWEi5W1A6TeWWG70kpPZ3phSoNZNVIpMpwihfPzG5a4hmA2cSmaxCYfMHzWjfpueiuI79ksSE4xI5kXVUmr3uq1vCARaxUjjTPYHcYKx5k1aCnP3A3qMUwHxV9yFozweG0OpTZDX1UIezAAN86pH49blMGzYCMar1DjQcRAxcF-ZyegAraJddKhbgQ%26sigh%3D79ZKVe-xTLnMOdTUe6bBqB1LZ8g%26begin%3D0%26len%3D230430%26docid%3D3267522221902069181&thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer%3Fapp%3Dvss%26contentid%3D15d563df4bf5209%26second%3D5%26itag%3Dw320%26urlcreated%3D1147097600%26sigh%3DxlOYIKx8RUpgNFN_MCJMJvSBizI&playerId=3267522221902069181

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A Poem for La Fiesta de los Flores

Posted on May 7, 2006 by lmharnisch

John Steven McGroarty, The Times columnist and staff poet, offered this tribute to the annual La Fiesta de los Flores, which coincided with the national Shriners convention.The fiesta featured four parades of vehicles decorated with electric lights. The Times described … Continue reading →

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Barney Oldfield’s Green Dragon Blazes Through Los Angeles

Posted on May 6, 2006 by lmharnisch

What is it about Angelenos that as soon as you put them behind the wheel of a car, they want to see how fast it will go?But it’s true. Great-grandpa was, in all likelihood, a speed demon and the old … Continue reading →

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The Shriners Ban Water Except for Bathing

Posted on May 5, 2006 by lmharnisch

Singing loud praises to Allah that strike a curious note in 2006, the special train of Shriners is flying across the Nevada desert brimming with Freemasons and their families pondering the ancient mystery: “What Makes the Wildcat Wild?”The official communique … Continue reading →

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Our Struggling Authors

Posted on May 4, 2006 by lmharnisch

In grappling with a novel about life in prison, writer Ernest Filer of Chicago decided that he should experience imprisonment for himself , thus he hatched the idea of breaking a window so he would be sent to jail.He selected … Continue reading →

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The Shriners Are Coming!

Posted on May 3, 2006 by lmharnisch

Preparations are nearly complete for the Shriners Convention, which begins May 7 with the city’s Al Malaikah Temple hosting the gathering.Among the events planned is a parade of Imperial Potentate Alvah P. Clayton from the Alexandria Hotel to the Scottish … Continue reading →

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Adventures in Dining

Posted on May 2, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nicholas “Nick” Schwegel (sometimes misspelled Schwegal), the city’s new restaurant inspector, issued a report to the Board of Health that left officials sick to their stomachs—so ill, in fact, that one board member asked that the report be tabled until … Continue reading →

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Time Clock

Posted on May 1, 2006 by lmharnisch

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DtgAAAG7ggqAHSiJjpW0D3w4aYTWZdBH9kuRADSI8YU-aG7aAE_m9yGA57nf2ODjGRKHoi6JrMeJJ2-YSyDm1xwkqHksLEEHMKUmbb6PSOG8eRX6bOfF_6S6NA0CpTzbtKEfVADwXFkcHngrv6q0WZfyHBNaGWu1AJbMZQ68IlYy7Y88CeG-xjqpZy2RSKNmlhBSsFHrds8SXlm2DpyUglrWCVTiaGyoGUArkxj6ja_fZPzG_LJhmkinthWqlQnxlvRvfPA%26sigh%3DnzVe6OTEIYvI1Cdu9T-Hay2LoB0%26begin%3D0%26len%3D135868%26docid%3D-6192111039462849611&thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer%3Fapp%3Dvss%26contentid%3D48f3b09e7847c106%26second%3D5%26itag%3Dw320%26urlcreated%3D1146508672%26sigh%3DtbtjMcE5v4EW7i9vy82JLZl7MVc&playerId=-6192111039462849611

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NEWS AND BUSINESS

Posted on May 1, 2006 by lmharnisch

Motorcycle Hits HerMiss Gertrude Young, who lives at No. 525 Wall St., was knocked down by a motorcycle yesterday as she stepped from a streetcar at 7th and Hope streets. The rider of the machine hastened away. Miss Young was … Continue reading →

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Blogging the Wolfe Book, The Two-Minute Executive Summary

Posted on May 1, 2006 by lmharnisch

From Feb. 3, 2006, to April 28, 2006, I devoted a daily blog to Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles.” In dealing with the 1947 murder of Elizabeth … 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 , , , , , | 1 Comment

When Knighthood Was in Flower

Posted on April 29, 2006 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles theatergoers are transfixed by the new production of “When Knighthood Was in Flower,” Paul Kester’s adaptation of Charles Major’s 1898 novel, forming a mile-long line to buy tickets at Morosco’s Burbank Theater at Main and 6th St.One reason … Continue reading →

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Blogging the Wolfe Book, Request Line XXII

Posted on April 28, 2006 by lmharnisch

I have ceased blogging in real time as I read Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles.” Wolfe uses the “Laura” format, in which the anonymous, butchered body is … 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