Category Archives: Columnists

January 24, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 24, 1959: Paul Coates has the story about the fight over the body of Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer between his parents and his ex-wife. In the meantime, Switzer’s body remains in the morgue. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Paul Coates, Television | Leave a comment

January 23, 1958: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 23, 1958: The way one writer analyzes the present situation, the public’s appetite for gossip and scandal, whetted by Confidential, is now being satisfied by the so-called conservative magazines. Editors insist writers get full confessions, regardless of whose privacy is invaded, or no sale. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Transportation, UFOs | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

January 23, 1958: Paul Coates

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 23, 1958: Paul Coates writes about the plight of Marines’ wives who are banned from joining their husbands stationed in Japan. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Paul Coates | Leave a comment

January 21, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 21, 1959: Matt Weinstock tells of a Russian speaker who had her own thoughts about the recent visit of Anastas Mikoyan. And Weinstock has the story of another elaborate party prank. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Leave a comment

January 21, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 21, 1959: Paul Coates has the story of a boy who received a mail solicitation for a package of nude photos, and a model who did some pinup photos and a recording that a jury deemed “obscene.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Paul Coates | Leave a comment

January 19, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1959: The hosts of a Beverly Hills party horrify their guests by trying to show that their antique glassware is unbreakable and end up smashing most of it. But it’s all a joke, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Leave a comment

January 19, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1959: Paul Coates gets a call Max Factor’s studio in response to a column about a toupee thief. The hair specialist assures Coates that he “hasn’t got enough time left to get completely bald.” Coates died nine years later at the age of 47. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Paul Coates | Leave a comment

January 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock recounts the war story of a wounded sailor, expected to die, who was revived by a glass of brandy from a nurse. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Music | Comments Off on January 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock

January 16, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 16, 1959: Paul Coates on the story of Butch Harris, who was refused admission to the Cub Scouts because he was Black. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1959, Columnists, Countdown to Watts, Freeways, Paul Coates | Comments Off on January 16, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

January 14, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 14, 1959: A man asks Matt Weinstock to evaluate a theory culminating 15 years of work. It involves the electron, and Weinstock shrugs. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Education, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on January 14, 1959: Matt Weinstock

January 14, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 14, 1959: Paul Coates has an update on three boys, the oldest age 10, who killed their father as he slept. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1959, Columnists, Homicide, Paul Coates | Comments Off on January 14, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

January 8, 1958: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 8, 1958: Los Angeles experiences a “once in a green moon” and Matt Weinstock has the story. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on January 8, 1958: Matt Weinstock

January 8, 1958: Paul Coates

Posted on January 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 8, 1958: A little girl with a severe illness had one wish: to meet Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. The first attempt was a fiasco (Rogers never knew about it) but Roy and Dale called the girl and sent her a box for Christmas, Paul Coates writes. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Paul Coates, UFOs | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on January 8, 1958: Paul Coates

January 7, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 7, 1959: A group of grimly playful fellows at USC have changed their names from Asthmatics Anonymous to Asthmatics Militant, bringing a report from Detroit about the new Flatulente Four Fifty auto, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Environment, Freeways, Matt Weinstock, Transportation | Comments Off on January 7, 1959: Matt Weinstock

January 7, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 7, 1959: Tiger Small steals toupees, but it’s only a sideline Paul Coates writes. Small stole his first toupee as a favor for a chorus girl and it took off from there. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Paul Coates | Comments Off on January 7, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

January 5, 1962: Examiner, Mirror Fold; L.A. Becomes Two-Newspaper Town

Posted on January 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 5, 1962: A dark day in the world of Los Angeles journalism. Overnight, the city loses two of its daily papers, Hearst’s morning Examiner and the Times evening Mirror. Continue reading →

Posted in 1962, Columnists, Front Pages | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on January 5, 1962: Examiner, Mirror Fold; L.A. Becomes Two-Newspaper Town

January 1, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 1, 1959: Matt Weinstock looks at the origins of the “little old lady from Pasadena.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Downtown, LAPD, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on January 1, 1959: Matt Weinstock

January 1, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 1, 1959: Paul Coates looks back at some of his major stories of 1958, including new evidence that won a reprieve from the gas chamber for Remmel Wayne Brice. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1958, 1959, Columnists, Paul Coates | Comments Off on January 1, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

December 31, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on December 31, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 31, 1959: Publicist Doris Hellman has taken over the job of returning abandoned shopping carts to the five stores in her neighborhood, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on December 31, 1959: Matt Weinstock

December 31, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on December 31, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 31, 1959: Do names affect a person’s destiny? Paul Coates reveals that he was nearly named Percival. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Paul Coates | Comments Off on December 31, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File