Category Archives: books

Matt Weinstock, Dec. 3, 1959

Posted on December 3, 2009 by lmharnisch

      Book Banning     In 1946 two Los Angeles booksellers were arrested for selling copies of Edmund Wilson's "Memoirs of Hecate County," which had been banned.  The book was ruled obscene and they were convicted.    Now, 13 years later, … Continue reading →

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Singer Pleads Not Guilty to Soliciting

Posted on December 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

Akron has remote-control dachshunds — “a zany plaything.” Johnnie Ray says he just invited a friendly undercover officer up to his room for a nightcap. Nothing indecent about that. Mr. Flynn, would you like gold plating on that nude statue … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #gays and lesbians, books, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Music, Rock 'n' Roll, Sports, Transportation | 1 Comment

Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on December 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

     Aug. 31, 1938: Joe Seewerker and Charles Owens visit the Southwest Museum. Although I’ve been to the museum many times, I always drive to the top, so I’ve never noticed this tunnel. Next time I’m there, I’ll look … Continue reading →

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November 30, 1959: Paul Coates – Confidential File

Posted on November 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

Nothing, but Nothing Is Sacred Any More It’s every reporter’s dream to lay aside his battered old felt hat, shred his press card into confetti, turn his World War II surplus trench coat over to the Salvation Army, take his … Continue reading →

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The Plot to Kidnap Roosevelt

Posted on November 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

    Nov. 29, 1959: Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr. writes in “Man of the World” about a purported plot by wealthy industrialists to kidnap President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the time he was reelected to a third term. Here's a perfect … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Politics | 2 Comments

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movie Columnist

Posted on November 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 24, 1961: “After the picture, we stepped into Jackie Gleason's Rolls-Royce, which he'd loaned us for the occasion, and drove to El Morocco for a bite to eat. There Hollywood producer Cubby Broccoli told me he will start … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Columnists, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Injured Diver Dies After Falling From Rescue Helicopter

Posted on November 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

“Mary and Pete Are Reunited.”   Skin diver Harold B. Gavenman dies after a tragic series of accidents in which he was struck by a boat propeller and fell 100 feet while being lifted to a rescue helicopter. Nov. 23, … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Sports, Stage | 2 Comments

Nuestro Pueblo – Chavez Ravine

Posted on November 18, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 24, 1938: Joe Seewerker and Charles Owens find evidence of an old brickyard in Chavez Ravine and touch on the Chinese Massacre.  Note: The original run of Nuestro Pueblo concluded in 1939. I’m going back and picking up … Continue reading →

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Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on November 18, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 19, 1938: Joe Seewerker and Charles Owens find a windmill on a farm at Garfield Avenue just north of Gage Street. Below, the area today, via Google maps’ street view.  It’s interesting to note that Seewerker refers to … Continue reading →

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Plane Crash Kills 42

Posted on November 17, 2009 by lmharnisch

Nov. 17, 1959: Investigators speculate on whether a bomb exploded on a National Airlines DC-7B that crashed in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 42 people. Ultimately, no cause was ever determined. … And  Gene Sherman reports on border drug traffic. … Continue reading →

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Nov. 16, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on November 16, 2009 by lmharnisch

Search for Better Brand of Justice Erle Stanley Gardner, you either like or dislike. He’s easy to categorize. If you don’t like him, he’s a troublemaker, a rebel who gets his kicks by destroying the public’s illusions concerning the integrity … Continue reading →

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Family Killed in Kansas Farm Town

Posted on November 16, 2009 by lmharnisch

  "The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call 'out there.' Some seventy miles east of the Colorado border, the countryside, with its hard blue skies and desert-clear … Continue reading →

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Beating Victim Identified

Posted on November 11, 2009 by lmharnisch

  A Senate subcommittee hears testimony about drug traffic from Mexico. Reading may become a lost art!   Nov. 11, 1959: Here’s a name that may sound familiar to people who follow the Black Dahlia case: Lillian Lenorak. You may … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Front Pages, Homicide | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – 1883 L.A. Directory

Posted on November 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

    Here’s an unusual item: An 1883 Los Angeles city-county directory has been listed on EBay.  As the vendor notes, there is only one copy listed in online catalogs and that’s at UCLA. As the vendor also notes, a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1883, books | Comments Off on Found on EBay – 1883 L.A. Directory

Cooking With the Junior League, Pasadena

Posted on November 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

 “It is a very special day in a young woman’s life when she makes her first ice box cake.  And as with the leg of lamb, I regret that they have declined in popularity, because it was delicious.”  This week … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Food and Drink | Comments Off on Cooking With the Junior League, Pasadena

Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on November 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 5, 1938: Joe Seewerker and Charles Owens feature the Bethlehem Baths at Vignes and Ducommun, which closed in 1926. Note: The original run of Nuestro Pueblo concluded in 1939. I’m going back and picking up the entries that … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – Los Angeles Examiner

Posted on November 3, 2009 by lmharnisch

  This book of Los Angeles Examiner front pages from World War II has been listed on EBay. I’ve only seen these books on EBay so I’m not positive but judging by the vendors’ photos, the reproduction appears to be … Continue reading →

Posted in @news, books | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Los Angeles Examiner

Found on EBay – ‘Quick, Watson, the Camera’

Posted on November 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

A copy of “Quick Watson, the Camera,” has been listed on EBay. Long out of print, “Quick Watson” is terrific survey of photographs by the Watson family and was edited by the late Delmar Watson, formerly of the Mirror-News. Bidding … Continue reading →

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Catching Up With ‘Twilight Zone’

Posted on October 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 4, 1959: I almost didn’t post this Cecil Smith column because it’s not terribly well done and is mostly Smith rambling to great length about ghost stories.  But I reminded myself that at this point, very few people … Continue reading →

Posted in books, broadcasting, Television | 1 Comment

Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on October 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 1, 1938: Joe Seewerker and Charles Owens visit Griffith Park and discover an old lime kiln left from mission days. Note: I posted most of the Nuestro Pueblo features when I was going through 1938-39, but I’m picking … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, books, Nuestro Pueblo | 1 Comment