Category Archives: Columnists

November 27, 1941: Streetcar Companies Ask Council to End Bus Ban in Downtown L.A.

Posted on November 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

November 27, 1941: The Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Railways ask the City Council to repeal a ban against buses operating in downtown Los Angeles. Pacific Electric officials said the ban prevented them from routing the line from Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Streetcars, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

On the Frontiers of Science – The Virgin Rabbit

Posted on November 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 23, 1941: Dr. Herbert Shapiro of the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia has discovered that if you place a bag of ice cubs on the side of a rabbit for 90 minutes, the rabbit may become pregnant. “The ice … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Animals, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Medicine | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Duchess Spinelli, Doomed to Gas Chamber: ‘No Christian Will Kill!’

Posted on November 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 21, 1941: Juanita “The Duchess” Spinelli arrives at San Quentin to be executed in the gas chamber – the first woman legally executed in California’s history. “No one who is a Christian will kill!” the 52-year-old mother of three … Continue reading →

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Hollywood Model Dies of Botched Abortion, Nov. 19, 1941

Posted on November 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

This post has be edited. See note at bottom for explanation. Nov. 19, 1941: Angelka Rose Gogich was 18 when she died at Glendale Emergency Hospital after undergoing an abortion. She had be working as a model, hat check girl … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Abortion, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Medicine, Obituaries | Tagged | 1 Comment

Private Detective Held in ‘Love’ Killing, Nov. 18, 1941

Posted on November 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 18, 1941: Jimmie Fidler says that new Alan (Paramount white hope) Ladd and Sally Wadsworth romance won’t please his studio, which is readying a “wolf” buildup.

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Women Reporters

Posted on November 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 17, 1941: Reporter Mary Shaw Leader is honored posthumously for her work in covering Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Leader, a reporter for the Hanover Spectator, walked 15 miles to Gettysburg, Pa., to cover the Lincoln’s talk. “She carried his … Continue reading →

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U.S. Prepares to Round Up Japanese in Event of War, Nov. 13, 1941

Posted on November 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 13, 1941: An FBI investigation into the Los Angeles Japanese Chamber of Commerce and the Central Japanese Assn. reveals monthly donations of $4,000 to $5,000 to the Japanese government “for the army and navy,” The Times says. Atty. Gen. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Crowds Line Broadway for Armistice Day Parade, Nov. 12, 1941

Posted on November 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

We just don’t get deep thoughts in comics anymore. Nov. 12, 1941: Crowds line Broadway in downtown Los Angeles for the annual Armistice Day parade, which marked the end of what used to be called the Great War or the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, A Kinder, Simpler Time, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Streetcars, Theaters, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Man Says He Shot Wife With ‘Unloaded’ Rifle

Posted on November 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The 600 block of West 87th Street via Google’s Street View. Nov. 10, 1941: A week after Kenneth and Betty met at a malt shop, the 20-year-olds drove to Yuma, Ariz., to get married. They moved in with his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Religion | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

In Praise of Libraries

Posted on November 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Take a moment to read Steve Lopez’s column about his son, a librarian working to restore services that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina: The notion that libraries could be replaced by Google is tantamount to suggesting that Americans are better … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Libraries | Tagged | 1 Comment

Roosevelt Declares Early Thanksgiving

Posted on November 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

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 us ask the divine blessing of our decision … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Test Pilot Dies as P-38 Crashes Into Glendale House, Nov. 5, 1941

Posted on November 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

Witnesses said the twin-engined, double fuselaged ship was booming westerward at near-maximum speed (unofficially reported to be between 400 and 500 mph) when the duralumin tail assembly “simply floated away.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Aviation, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Theaters, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Wingy Manone Puts the Swing in Swing Shift — Nov. 3, 1941

Posted on November 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 3, 1941: Tom Treanor goes to a dance at the Glendale Civic Auditorium for swing shift workers, about 5,000 of them, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Most of the couples are married, he says, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Dance, Film, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Wingy Manone Puts the Swing in Swing Shift — Nov. 3, 1941

L.A.’s Traffic Nightmare Threatens Downtown’s Future! Oct. 28, 1941

Posted on October 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 28, 1941: Lee Shippey writes about Los Angeles’ congested streets (no, traffic is not a new problem – it’s a very old one that we are still trying to solve). Notice that Shippey says streetcars and automobiles do not … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Obituaries, Streetcars, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Franchot Tone Marries Jean Wallace, 1941

Posted on October 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 19, 1941: Franchot Tone marries Jean Wallace in Yuma, Ariz. Wallace and Tone divorced in 1948 and in 1951 Tone was badly injured in a fight with Tom Neal at the home of Tone’s ex-fiancee, actress Barbara Payton. Tom … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Franchot Tone Marries Jean Wallace, 1941

Buddy Rogers Denies Rift With Mary Pickford

Posted on October 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 12, 1941: Tom Treanor writes about the era when mourners could board a special funeral car that also carried the casket to the cemetery. C.V. Means, general traffic agent of the Los Angeles Railway, says that anyone can still … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Stage, Streetcars, Tom Treanor | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Errol Flynn: ‘Everything Went Black’ in Mocambo Brawl

Posted on October 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 1, 1941: Errol Flynn promises he won’t punch Hollywood columnist Jimmie Fidler anymore. The actor invoked the famous “everything went black” defense for the melee at the Mocambo, in which Fidler’s wife stabbed him with a fork.

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Judge Urges U.S. to Deport Union Leader Harry Bridges

Posted on September 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Sept. 30, 1941: A judge recommends the deportation of Harry Bridges, head of the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union, a decision that was cheered by The Times. Of course, Bridges was never deported, despite a prolonged campaign to send … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Obituaries, Tom Treanor | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Columnist’s Wife Stabs Errol Flynn With Fork in Nightclub Brawl!

Posted on September 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 22, 1941: Oh look what I found! Our own Jimmie Fidler mixing it up with Errol Flynn at the Mocambo.  And Fidler’s wife, Bobbe, stabs Flynn with a fork!

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Keith Thursby: Dodgers Wrap It Up at the Coliseum

Posted on September 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 21, 1961 The Dodgers ended their fourth and final season in the Coliseum with a 3-2, 13-inning victory over the Chicago Cubs. According to the Times’ coverage before and after the game, the Dodgers left their first Los Angeles … Continue reading →

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