Category Archives: Columnists

Jan. 10, 1959: Paul Coates Confidential File – Mash Notes and Comments

Posted on January 10, 2019 by

Jan. 10, 1959: Paul Coates runs a letters column – and has an interesting item about Herman Hover’s efforts to reopen Ciro’s (Coates covered L.A. nightlife and restaurants before he became a columnist).. The entire column appeared in the L.A. … Continue reading →

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Jan. 9, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘Rugged Fisherman’

Posted on January 9, 2019 by

Jan. 9, 1959: Boats in Santa Monica harbor break from their moorings under high winds and Weinstock has a story. Also poems. Weinstock loved to run little poems. And Sports Illustrated holds a dinner to honor UCLA’s Rafer Johnson.. One … Continue reading →

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Jan. 9, 1959: Confidential File ‘Madame Guillotine,’ Alias Pierre Coates

Posted on January 9, 2019 by

Jan. 9, 1959: Paul Coates helps his daughter with her homework. Make that “help.”. This column originally appeared in the L.A. Mirror in 1959 and was republished on latimes.com in 2009. It’s available via Archive.org.

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Jan. 8, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘Dogs, Diapers, Taxes’

Posted on January 8, 2019 by

Comes now that hiatus between cries, when the feverish race begins to clear away Christmas bets in time to pay for auto license renewals by Feb. 4 and then face up to income taxes in April. “Any changes in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Radio | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jan. 8, 1959: Paul Coates Confidential File – Wife Tells of Mate Who Died, and Lived

Posted on January 8, 2019 by

Note: This column originally appeared in the L.A. Mirror in 1959 and was republished on latimes.com in 2009.  Also at Archive.org..

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Jan. 7, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘News From Detroit’

Posted on January 7, 2019 by

A group of grimly playful fellows at SC who call themselves Asthmatics Anonymous advise that at a raw-lunged meeting in the basement which serves as headquarters they have regrouped as Asthmatics Militant. First move was to change the association’s motto … Continue reading →

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Jan. 7, 1959: Paul Coates — Stolen Toupees, a New Kind of Hair Loss

Posted on January 7, 2019 by

I don’t know what you do for kicks, but my friend Tiger Small snatches toupees. Not just anybody’s toupees, understand. The Tiger’s selective. He’s been working the Catskill-Manhattan-Miami circuit for years, dealing only with the best people. The cream of … Continue reading →

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Jan. 6, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘Law Is Upheld’

Posted on January 6, 2019 by

A very upsetting ruling came down recently from Appellate Justice Paul Vallee. Shocked by the discovery that three men were held in jail for five days before being arraigned, he stated in an opinion, “It appears the police are permitted … Continue reading →

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Jan. 6, 1959: Paul Coates Confidential File – My Responsibilities as Your Reporter

Posted on January 6, 2019 by

Jan. 6, 1959: Paul Coates writes about protecting his sources, citing the case of New York Herald Tribune writer Marie Torre, who was sentenced to 10 days in jail for refusing to reveal her source for a story about Judy … Continue reading →

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Jan. 5, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘Men of Good Will’

Posted on January 5, 2019 by

Matt Weinstock was a master of stringing little vignettes into a column. He didn’t do major reporting, like Paul Coates, but had a nice, light touch and occasionally stirred the heartstrings of Los Angeles. He also delved into L.A. history … Continue reading →

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Jan. 5, 1959: Paul Coates Confidential File – Desmond Slattery Is Home

Posted on January 5, 2019 by

Along with Parkey Sharkey, Desmond Slattery was one of the colorful characters in Paul Coates columns.. The entire piece is here, via Archive.org.

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Jan. 2, 1959: Paul Coates ‘Repeal the Mann Act?’

Posted on January 2, 2019 by

Jan. 2, 1959: Long before Nate Silver launched 538, Paul Coates was skeptical of polls and to prove his point formed his own polling concern: the Los Angeles Survey Institute. His question: “Do you think the Mann Act deters or … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, 2009, Columnists, Paul Coates | 3 Comments

Jan. 2, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘Reader’s Choice’

Posted on January 2, 2019 by

The old-school newspaper columnists were tough, writing six pieces a week. Six-day-a-week columnists like Matt Weinstock and Paul Coates took it easy by making their Saturday columns a roundup of readers’ letters. In those days, apparently, newspaper columnists received interesting … Continue reading →

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Jan. 1, 1959: Matt Weinstock, ‘Unsung Heroines’

Posted on January 1, 2019 by

The other joy of doing the Daily Mirror was reintroducing readers to the columns of Matt Weinstock, taken from the Mirror (d. 1962). Weinstock is remembered today for the 1947 book “My L.A.” (I have enough copies, thank you), which … Continue reading →

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Jan. 1, 1959: Paul Coates, Confidential File ‘Looking Back at ‘58; Looking Ahead to ‘59’

Posted on January 1, 2019 by

One of my particular joys in doing the Daily Mirror at the Los Angeles Times was rerunning Paul Coates’ columns, which originally appeared in the Mirror (d. 1962). I was particularly fortunate to have several excellent interns who transcribed them. … Continue reading →

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

Posted on December 13, 2018 by

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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Roosevelt Declares Early Thanksgiving

Posted on November 22, 2018 by

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Nov. 9, 1941: Amid the gathering clouds of World War II, President Roosevelt declares what will be the last peacetime Thanksgiving. Noting American aid to nations fighting the Axis, Roosevelt says: “Let … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Oct. 18, 1907: Newspaper Cartoonist Ted Gale Makes His Point

Posted on October 18, 2018 by

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 18, 1907 Los Angeles For the last month, the pages of The Times have been peppered with pen-and-ink cartoons signed Gale—in fact some of them have already appeared in the blog, … Continue reading →

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Oct. 1, 1947: Meet Matt Weinstock, Author of ‘My L.A.’

Posted on October 1, 2018 by

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Everybody’s parents or grandparents seem to have purchased this little red-bound book with the blue title on the spine. There was a time when you could … Continue reading →

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Sept. 12, 1947: L.A. Times Columnist Lee Shippey

Posted on September 12, 2018 by

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Henry R. Wagner of San Marino will be 85 years old Sept. 27 but the Zamorano Club couldn’t wait that long. In order to surprise Dr. … Continue reading →

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