Category Archives: books

Pages of History – Morrow Mayo’s ‘Los Angeles’

Posted on February 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Morrow Mayo didn’t do terribly well in the first page of his chapter on the 1927  Marion Parker case (“Strange Interlude”) in “Los Angeles.” Let’s see if the next page is any better. We find that once again, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Marion Parker, Pages of History | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – Matt Weinstock

Posted on February 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Matt Weinstock’s “My L.A.” and “Muscatel at Noon” have been listed on EBay. “My L.A.” is fairly common and is available in a modern reprint, but “Muscatel at Noon” is a little more difficult to find. Notice that “Muscatel” … Continue reading →

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Pages of History — Morrow Mayo’s ‘Los Angeles’

Posted on February 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

        Any day I can do research is a good day – even if I run into trouble, as I did on Tuesday. I stopped by the Los Angeles Public Library to delve into the microfilm on … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Marion Parker, Pages of History | 1 Comment

Pages of History — Morrow Mayo’s ‘Los Angeles’

Posted on February 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

    For many people, this will be an exercise in tedium. But I’m hopeful that the research fanatics among the Daily Mirror readers will find it engaging. I’m going to spend some time on Morrow Mayo’s “Los Angeles” to … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1927, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Marion Parker | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on February 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This photo stumped the brain trust! And perhaps with good reason. It was apparently never published in The Times and is from a somewhat obscure movie called “The Fixer,” which … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 5 Comments

Google — Don’t Be Annoying

Posted on February 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Last summer, I posted an item about “Los Angeles in 7 Days,” a guidebook written for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. I was happy to discover that the book had been scanned by Google and placed online. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932, books, Web/Tech | Comments Off on Google — Don’t Be Annoying

Pages of History — Morrow Mayo’s ‘Los Angeles’

Posted on February 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

       In one of my previous posts about Morrow Mayo’s “Los Angeles,” I said that The Times did not review it. In fact, The Times did review the book, but the item somehow manages to evade ProQuest’s search … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Another Good Story Ruined, books | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on February 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

         Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker/Bison Archives   Harry Medved, a Daily Mirror reader, sends along this picture. And stay tuned for more information! [Update: As many people realized, this is the filming of the 1958 movie … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 18 Comments

Pages of History — Morrow Mayo and ‘Los Angeles’

Posted on February 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Imagine how pleased I was to discover that by complete coincidence (and I do mean complete coincidence) Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne is planning a yearlong project called Reading L.A. that will begin with the same book I … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Pages of History | Comments Off on Pages of History — Morrow Mayo and ‘Los Angeles’

Recalling a Friend and a Great Librarian

Posted on February 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

        his is Elizabeth C. Franklin or Miss Franklin to those of us who worked for her. It wasn't until she loaned me her precious Film Index of 1941 with her name written inside that I learned … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Found on EBay — ‘They Call Them Camisoles’

Posted on January 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

A rather battered but interesting copy of “They Call Them Camisoles” has been listed on EBay. “Camisoles” was written by Wilma Carnes under the pen name Wilma Wilson and is a graphic first-person account of her time at Camarillo (“Camisoles” … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock, Jan. 23, 1961

Posted on January 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

       Jan. 23, 1961: A requisition for a book titled "The Bride Stripped Bare" came into the county museum accounting office and Margaret Hooker, a little uneasy, checked with Dorothy Martin of the museum reference library, who had … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, Jan. 23, 1961

Another Good Story Ruined – The Black Dahlia

Posted on January 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

    I was talking about the Black Dahlia case the other day to someone who pulled up this picture on a cellphone. Looks great, doesn’t it? But it’s a fake.  Here, I’ll show you. ALSO Another Good Story Ruined … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Photography | 3 Comments

Matt Weinstock, Jan. 16, 1961

Posted on January 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

        Jan. 16, 1961: More Mexicans are expected to cross the border for farm work this year, the Labor Department says. Matt Weinstock has an amusing item about a pool player and his wife … and an … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Immigration, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, Jan. 16, 1961

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Jan. 13, 1941

Posted on January 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

        Jan. 13, 1941: Author James Joyce dies at the age of 58 …. “Fantasia” is coming! The Dionne quints are finished actresses; 20th Century-Fox didn't renew their option, Jimmie Fidler says … also note the item … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Jan. 13, 1941

Dashiell Hammett Dies, Jan. 11, 1961

Posted on January 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

        Jan. 11, 1961: Dashiell Hammett dies at the age of 67. A Times editorial the next days wonders about a “slight odor of Communist mentality” in “The Maltese Falcon.” No, really! Also from The Times’ editorial … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | 2 Comments

Found on EBay — ‘Mother Goose-Step’

Posted on January 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

I watch for books from Lymanhouse, the Los Angeles publisher of “They Call Them Camisoles,” a graphic first-person account of being hospitalized at Camarillo. Lymanhouse also published “What Actors Eat — When They Eat.” Another Lymanhouse book, “Mother Goose-Step,” by … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, books | Comments Off on Found on EBay — ‘Mother Goose-Step’

Paul Coates, Jan. 10, 1961

Posted on January 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Jan. 10, 1961: Author Dashiell Hammett dies… Paul Coates didn’t get invited to the John F. Kennedy inaugural…. notice the Page 1 story on Frank Sinatra’s wardrobe for the Kennedy bash! 

Posted in books, Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates, Jan. 10, 1961

The Black Dahlia — Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on January 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

he anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s killing is Jan. 15, so I thought I would try to anticipate the annual rehash of fiction and mistakes with a post commenting on potential sources on the 1947 case.  People often ask me which … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | 6 Comments

Mrs. Eddy Will Rise Again, as Christ Did, Follower Says

Posted on December 30, 2010 by lmharnisch

        Dec. 30, 1910: The death of Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy on Dec. 3, 1910, left followers predicting her return. Christian Science leader Augusta E. Stetson said that "she believed the millennium is at hand, … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, books, Obituaries, Religion | 3 Comments