Category Archives: Columnists

Al Martinez, a Dying Boy and Some Peaches — A (Non) Christmas Story

Posted on December 20, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2015. Jim Romenesko, for those who aren’t in the news business, runs an essential blog that serves as a clearing house for information, gossip, bad headlines and assorted gaffes. A Jan. 6 post … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, 1958, Books and Authors, Columnists | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Al Martinez, a Dying Boy and Some Peaches — A (Non) Christmas Story

Posted on December 21, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2015. Jim Romenesko, for those who aren’t in the news business, runs an essential blog that serves as a clearing house for information, gossip, bad headlines and assorted gaffes. A Jan. 6 post … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, 1958, Books and Authors, Columnists | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Pearl Harbor Survivor Kills Himself

Posted on December 7, 2020 by lmharnisch

Can’t draw? You too can be a famous cartoonist. Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Jan. 10, 1942:  Pearl Harbor survivor William Parks kills himself in San Francisco after going AWOL. “His note to his wife indicated that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Immigration, Religion, Tom Treanor | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Navy Releases Accounts of Pearl Harbor

Posted on December 7, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Dec. 22, 1941: The Navy releases three personal accounts of the Pearl Harbor attack. Many acts of heroism are described, and these few lines shed more light on the presence of African … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, African Americans, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

War Cancels Rose Parade, Dec. 14, 1941

Posted on January 1, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post from 2011. Dec. 14, 1941: The Rose Parade is canceled and the Rose Bowl – between Duke and Oregon State – is moved to Durham, N.C. The streets of Pasadena were oddly quiet on New … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II | Leave a comment

Al Martinez, a Dying Boy and Some Peaches — A (Non) Christmas Story

Posted on December 25, 2019 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2015. Jim Romenesko, for those who aren’t in the news business, runs an essential blog that serves as a clearing house for information, gossip, bad headlines and assorted gaffes. A Jan. 6 post … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, 1958, Books and Authors, Columnists | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

April 3, 1957: Matt Weinstock

Posted on April 3, 2019 by lmharnisch

And here’s what the Daily Mirror looked like when debuted at the latimes in 2007. Matt Weinstock’s complete column is here.

Posted in 1957, 2007, Columnists, Downtown, Matt Weinstock | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Feb. 14, 1959: Matt Weinstock (Almost) All Bets Are Off at Raided Bookie Joint

Posted on February 14, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 14, 1959: Matt Weinstock ends his week with an assortment of amusing stories, a poem and a bit of literature. Weinstock had an impressive number and variety of people feeding items to him. He made it look easy. Weinstock’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Books and Authors, Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Feb. 14, 1959: Paul Coates Gets Some Reader Feedback

Posted on February 14, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 14, 1959: It’s Saturday in 1959, and Paul Coates ends the week with some letters, a typical ploy in the days when columnists published six times a week, a punishing schedule. And there is a Parkey Sharkey alert! Also … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Mickey Cohen, Paul Coates, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Feb. 13, 1959: Matt Weinstock and Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 13, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 13, 1959: Matt Weinstock ends the day with a few thoughts about Valentine’s Day. Plus the usual assortment of short poems and amusing stories. The Mirror’s copy desk must have had some wags. I was about to say that … Continue reading →

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Feb. 13, 1959: Paul Coates — Behind Bars in a Mexican Jail

Posted on February 13, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 13, 1959: Paul Coates takes another look at Americans held in jail in Tijuana. Those who were arrested in a raid on a Rosarito Beach casino were the elite. A man who was being held for running a red … Continue reading →

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Feb. 12, 1959: Paul Coates – When VD Was ‘Cured’

Posted on February 12, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 12, 1959: After World War II, many Americans assumed that penicillin had eliminated venereal disease (STDs to you youngsters). And, no, it was still around. This column originally appeared in the L.A. Mirror in 1959 and was republished on … Continue reading →

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

Feb. 6, 1959: Matt Weinstock – Looking for the Real ‘77 Sunset Strip’

Posted on February 7, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 6, 1959: The wildly popular Warner Bros. TV show “77 Sunset Strip” has people visiting the location at 8532 Sunset Blvd., next to Dino’s, and writing letters. Lots of letters. Kookie, man. Weinstock’s column was originally published in the … Continue reading →

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Feb. 6, 1959: Paul Coates — Butch Harris Joins Cub Scouts at Last

Posted on February 7, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 6, 1959: Paul Coates writes a happy ending to the Lewis “Butch” Harris saga. This comes after the Sentinel reported a different outcome. Coates’ column originally appeared in the L.A. Mirror in 1959 and was republished on latimes.com in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, African Americans, Columnists, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Feb. 4, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘A Taxpayer Votes No!’

Posted on February 5, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 4, 1959: Anecdotes, a poem and some amusing stories. Another light column to finish the day at the L.A. Mirror, courtesy of Matt Weinstock. The column originally appeared in the L.A. Mirror in 1959 and was published on latimes.com … Continue reading →

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Feb. 4, 1959: Paul Coates Visits Americans Jailed in Raid on Mexican Casino

Posted on February 5, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 4, 1959: Paul Coates does more reporting on the case of Americans being held in Tijuana after a raid on a gambling casino in Rosarito Beach. The story originally appeared in the L.A. Mirror in 1959 and was republished … Continue reading →

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Feb. 3, 1959: Matt Weinstock on Pool Sharks, Young and Old

Posted on February 4, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 3, 1959: Matt Weinstock on difference between looking good on a dinky bar-sized pool table and a regulation table. This post originally appeared in the L.A. Mirror in 1959 and was republished on latimes.com in 2009. It is available … Continue reading →

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Feb. 3, 1959: Paul Coates on Americans Held in Raid on Mexican Casino

Posted on February 4, 2019 by lmharnisch

Feb. 3, 1959: Paul Coates could dig into real reporting and in this column he is looking at the case of 20 Americans seized in a raid on a casino and held in an unheated city jail in Tijuana  — … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jan. 24, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘The Business of Sex’

Posted on January 24, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 24, 1959: Matt Weinstock has an item on an Edward R. Murrow broadcast “The Business of Sex.” Murrow said that “For Los Angeles, even though the arrest figure was 212 for the year 1957, the estimates varied from 3,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Matt Weinstock, Radio | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jan. 24, 1959: Law Delays ‘Alfalfa’ Burial

Posted on January 24, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 24, 1959: One of the best parts of doing the blog at latimes.com was having UCLA and Cal State Northridge interns who, among other tasks, transcribed the Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock columns. Sometimes I transcribed them myself (this … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment