Category Archives: books

Charles Champlin on Dore Schary

Posted on March 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 7, 1980: Charles Champlin interviews former MGM executive Dore Schary, who talks about the declining role of the producer.  On the jump, Schary recalls giving advice to Louis B. Mayer about what he should do in retirement.

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In Support of Libraries and Librarians

Posted on March 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Carolyn Kellogg / Los Angeles Times The downtown public library, which survived a devastating fire, is now threatened with budget cutbacks and layoffs.   The Daily Mirror is a big supporter of libraries and librarians, and we’re utterly opposed … Continue reading →

Posted in books, City Hall | 2 Comments

Detective Connor and the Golden Rule

Posted on March 6, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 6, 1910: William Montgomery Clemens’ stories were a frequent feature in an era when newspapers published Sunday supplements. Clemens (1860-1931) was a nephew of Mark Twain.

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Lummis Quits Library Job

Posted on March 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 5, 1910: This was one of those days when there were too many good stories to focus on one: Charles Lummis resigns as city librarian … a veterinarian's assistant dies a horrible death after being bitten by a … Continue reading →

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‘The Tin Drum’ Opens Filmex 80

Posted on March 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Jim Murray on "They Call Me Assassin." More on the jump, plus Kevin Thomas on "The Tin Drum" for the opening of Filmex 80.

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Westbrook Pegler on F. Scott Fitzgerald

Posted on March 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Dec. 27, 1940: To most people living today, Westbrook Pegler is nothing more than a name – if that. His column on the death of F. Scott Fitzgerald will give you an idea of what he was like. “Peg” … Continue reading →

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A Romantic Entanglement for Future Times Columnist

Posted on February 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

     Feb. 28, 1920: My heart skipped a beat when I pulled up this story. Could this be our own  Lee Shippey, author of “The Great American Family” and “It’s an Old California Custom?” Yes it is.

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Research Question

Posted on February 25, 2010 by lmharnisch

Photo by Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times The Hall of Justice, closed after the Northridge earthquake.  The Daily Mirror has been contacted by an established writer working on his first novel who would like to interview anyone who worked … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – Manly Hall

Posted on February 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

 What is advertised as an autographed copy of Manly Hall’s collected writings has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $149.99.

Posted in books, Religion | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Manly Hall

Hearing on the Gas House, Part 2

Posted on February 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Sept. 8, 1959: This is the second part of a transcript of testimony by “Holy Barbarians” author Lawrence Lipton before the the Los Angeles Police Commission on the Gas House, the Beat hangout in Venice.  Part 1 is … Continue reading →

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The White Man’s Burden

Posted on February 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Feb. 16, 1920: The Times says of “The White Man’s Burden,” “It is a pity that this phrase, popularized by Rudyard Kipling twenty years ago and used to enunciate a great truth, should be in danger of deterioration through … Continue reading →

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Hearing on the Gas House, Part 1

Posted on February 14, 2010 by lmharnisch

     Sept. 8, 1959: This is the first part of a transcript of testimony by “Holy Barbarians” author Lawrence Lipton before the the Los Angeles Police Commission on the Gas House, the Beat hangout in Venice. I’ll be posting … Continue reading →

Posted in books, LAPD, Music, Nightclubs | 2 Comments

The Underbelly of California

Posted on February 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

Christina House / For The Times Richard Rayner at the Festival of Books, 2009 If you have a good memory, you may recall a panel at last year’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on “The Underbelly of California,” moderated … Continue reading →

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Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on February 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Sept. 28, 1938: Charles Owens re-creates a scene he discovered in the Arroyo Seco when he arrived in Los Angeles in 1908 – an outdoor kitchen. The original run of Nuestro Pueblo ended in 1939. I’m going back and … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – A. Victor Segno

Posted on February 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

  A. Victor Segno sends out a success wave. Note the beautiful hair. Isn’t this great? A. Victor Segno, one of my favorite Los Angeles con men who sent out “success waves” for $1 a month, had his book on … Continue reading →

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Joseph Wambaugh on the ‘Onion Field’ [Updated]

Posted on January 27, 2010 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Don Cormier / Los Angeles Times March 11, 1963: Jimmy Lee Smith returns to the crime scene to reenact the “Onion Field” killing. From left, Sgt. Danny Galindo as Officer Karl Hettinger;  Sgt. G.H. Bates as Officer Ian … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | 2 Comments

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movie Columnist

Posted on January 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Jan. 26, 1964: Hedda Hopper’s profile of Evadne Baker was far more interesting than I expected. A quick check of imdb reveals that she died Jan. 17, 1995 … but wait. She was born Nov. 27, 1897? That would … Continue reading →

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Diana Barrymore Dies at 38

Posted on January 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Nice headline – does that make the nun a college girl? And I guess Kennedy isn’t a headline name yet. Jan. 26, 1960: The trial of Dr. R. Bernard Finch and Carole Tregoff in the killing of Barbara Jean … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, books, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, JFK, Obituaries, Politics, Stage | Comments Off on Diana Barrymore Dies at 38

The ‘Onion Field’ Remembered [Update]

Posted on January 25, 2010 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Don Cormier / Los Angeles Times March 11, 1963: Jimmy Lee Smith returns to the crime scene to reenact the “Onion Field” killing with Sgt. G.H. Bates, left, as Officer Ian Campbell; Sgt. Danny Galindo, center, as Officer … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1963, books, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | 7 Comments

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movie Columnist

Posted on January 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

     Jan. 22, 1960 – Hedda Hopper says: “Jerry Wald's finally got his "Return to Peyton Place" players all set: Joan Crawford plays the mother-in-law who plans the murder of her daughter-in-law, Carol Lynley, who gets wind of the … Continue reading →

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