Category Archives: Columnists

Matt Weinstock — July 25, 1959

Posted on July 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 25, 1959: Matt Weinstock tells of a writer s adventures in Cuba while working on a film about Fidel Castro. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Matt Weinstock | 5 Comments

Paul V. Coates — Confidential File, July 24, 1959

Posted on July 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

Paul Coates, July 24, 1959: Tonight Show host Jack Paar says his wife is sexy ‘in a Republican sort of way.’ Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock — July 24, 1959

Posted on July 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

Matt Weinstock, July 24, 1959: On the search for Miss U.S.A. of 1957. Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates — Confidential File, July 23, 1959

Posted on July 23, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1959: Columnist Paul Coates on trying to interview Simon Rodia about the Watts Towers. Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock — July 23, 1959

Posted on July 23, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1959: Matt Weinstock writes about Don Quinn, who is writing a companion piece to Hawaii’s “Wedding Song.” Quinn calls it “The Divorce Song.” Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, July 23, 1944

Posted on July 23, 2025 by lmharnisch

Louella Parsons dishes Tinseltown secrets, July 23, 1944. Continue reading →

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

Posted on December 25, 2024 by lmharnisch

The history of a Al Martinez’s (non) Christmas story about a dying boy who wanted some peaches. Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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.

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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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