Category Archives: Cold Cases

The Black Dahlia: Biltmore Hotel

Posted on January 11, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo 1: Biltmore Hotel, Jan. 9, 2012, 6:30 p.m. Credit: Larry Harnisch Photo 2: Biltmore Hotel, 1940s The top photo shows the old lobby of the Biltmore on Monday as it was on the anniversary of the night Elizabeth Short … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Interior Design, LAPD | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Occvpy Mvsevms? (How’s that for a non-SEO hed?)

Posted on October 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Maura Judkis of the Washington Post writes about a new trend in the Occupy movement: Occupy Museums. Protesters had planned demonstrations Thursday at the Museum of Modern Art, the Frick Collection and New Museum. Philip Boroff and Katya Kazakina of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cold Cases, Museums | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Occvpy Mvsevms? (How’s that for a non-SEO hed?)

Black Dahlia Scavenger

Posted on October 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

“Black Dahlia Avenger” CSI forensics edition! I was in Vroman’s in Pasadena, my favorite independent bookstore, and when I wandered by the “true” crime section, I noticed that Steve Hodel’s “Black Dahlia Avenger” was – rather quaintly, I thought — … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , | 5 Comments

‘Art Along the Hyphen’ Opens at the Autry

Posted on October 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Latinas in the New World, a new online exhibit.   Dahleen Glanton, writing in the Chicago Tribune, uses the death of the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth to examine the idea that teaching about the American civil rights movement has been … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Latinos, Museums | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

This Week on the L.A. Daily Mirror

Posted on September 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The Hollywoodland Sign. Credit:Hope Anderson @www.underthehollywoodsign.com  On Monday, we have Eve Golden’s roundup of unusual obituaries in Queen of the Dead and Mary Mallory looks at the history of the Hollywood Sign in Hollywood Heights. On Tuesday, join author … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, 1941, 1943, Cold Cases, Coming Attractions, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, LAPD, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Silver Lake Hammer Murder – Part 3

Posted on September 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 19, 1941: Valverda Booth visits her husband, Ernest Booth, while he is in custody in the Silver Lake Hammer Murder of heiress Florence Stricker. Is there anything more delightful to the heart of a research drudge than a notice … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, 1929, 1941, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Libraries | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Silver Lake Hammer Murder – Part 2

Posted on September 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 16, 1941: The Silver Lake Hammer Murder turned out to be far more complicated than I expected. This segment looks at the lives of victim Florence Stricker and her husband, Dr. George H. Stricker, up to the time of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Heiress Beaten to Death in Silver Lake

Posted on September 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

2153 Moreno Drive, via Google’s street view. Sept. 15, 1941: The murder house is on one of those narrow, curving streets above Silver Lake Reservoir, 2153 Moreno Drive. Her husband came home from work and found her beaten to death … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Cold Cases, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, World War II | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Voices: Police Capt. Ed Jokisch, 1914 – 2011, Part 3

Posted on August 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Ed Jokisch retires, Feb. 18, 1972. Retirement cartoons are an LAPD tradition. This is what they looked like in the 1970s. Credit: Ed Jokisch family. This is Part 3 of my interview with the late Ed Jokisch. Note: Toward … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Voices: Police Capt. Ed Jokisch, 1914 – 2011, Part 3

Voices: Police Capt. Ed Jokisch, 1914 – 2011, Part 2

Posted on August 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Capt. Ed Jokisch. Credit: Jokisch family   This is Part 2 of my interview with the late Ed Jokisch.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Obituaries, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

#art, #black dahlia, #books, #courts, #crime, #history, #railroads, 8|10|2011

Posted on August 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: BMW M1. Credit: Bonhams A BMW M1 painted by Frank Stella is being auctioned at the Quail Lodge Sale, Aug. 18-19, in Carmel. The BWM belonged to racecar driver Peter Gregg, who committed suicide after an accident left him … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, History, Motorsports, Museums, Politics, Transportation, Washington | 2 Comments

#architecture, #art, #black dahlia, #history, #religion, 8|9|2011

Posted on August 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 130 W. 30th, via Google maps’ street view. SPOTLIGHT David W. Dunlap, writing in the New York Times’ City Room, tells the story of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah,  sometimes called the “gay synagogue,” which is moving into a building … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Genealogy, Libraries, Music, New York, Religion, Stage | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A Shot in the Dark

Posted on July 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2007 for the Daily Mirror when it was on latimes.com. I’m gradually transferring material over to the L.A. Daily Mirror.   April 28, 1957 Los Angeles Let’s park here and sit in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, 2007, Cold Cases, Homicide | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Leesa Jo Shaner Killing: Wisconsin Inmate Convicted [Updated]

Posted on July 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

William Floyd Zamastilwas convicted in federal court in Tucson on Thursday of kidnapping and killing Leesa Jo Shaner on May 29, 1973. Her remains were found Sept. 16, 1973, buried on the grounds of Ft. Huachuca, Ariz., a remote military … Continue reading →

Posted in 1973, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

El Segundo Revisited

Posted on July 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

orman Frederick Gagnon looks like an excellent suspect in the unsolved killing of two El Segundo police officers last year. In an incident quite similar to the El Segundo case, Charles H. May and a female companion (The Times, fortunately, … Continue reading →

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Death in El Segundo

Posted on July 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

July 22, 1957Los Angeles Note: This is a post from 2007. We’re heading west on Rosecrans Avenue. It’s early Monday morning, a few moments after 1:30 a.m., and the streets are dark. There’s nobody out but a few drunks and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

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

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

Leesa Jo Shaner – Update

Posted on July 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Leesa Jo Shaner An attempt to resolve one of the nation’s most baffling unsolved crimes is quietly unfolding in federal court in Tucson: The mystery of Leesa Jo Shaner, who vanished May 29, 1973,  on her way to the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1973, Cold Cases, Homicide | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Attorney Storms Office, Seizes D.A.’s Bugging Equipment

Posted on July 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

July 15, 1941: Defense attorney Samuel Rummel (shot to death Dec. 11, 1950) breaks a door and seizes a dictograph wired to a microphone in his office in the William Fox Building, 608 S. Hill. Rummel was defending Deputy Charles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Cold Cases, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Jimmie Fidler, Lee Shippey, Mickey Cohen, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Attorney Storms Office, Seizes D.A.’s Bugging Equipment