Category Archives: Columnists

Paul Coates, Dec. 13, 1960

       Dec. 13, 1960: Paul Coates has an update on the story of John Howard Griffin, whose book “Black Like Me,” about his experiences pretending to be African American, shocked many white readers. Notice Paul Weeks' byline out … Continue reading

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Dec. 13, 1941

           Dec. 13, 1941: The better local niteries are frowning on femmes who step out in slacks, Jimmie Fidler says.

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Matt Weinstock, Dec. 12, 1960

    Dec. 12, 1960: Matt Weinstock has the story of identity theft as it was done 50 years ago. DEAR ABBY: I am a barber with 30 years' experience and that barber who wrote to you should be kicked … Continue reading

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Paul Coates, Dec. 12, 1960

    Dec. 12, 1960: Paul Coates updates the story of a Beverly Hills physician who had hit bottom and was in a mental hospital when he saved the life of an inmate.  Coates interviews the doctor, who has been … Continue reading

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Dec. 12, 1940

           Dec. 12, 1940: Nominated for the odd job championship: Brian Kilgore, former Chicago mortician, who bills himself as a technical director for gangster funerals, Jimmie Fidler says. 

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Dec. 11, 1940

           Test pilot Rudolph B. Lechner, 37, is killed when his  SBC-2 Navy bomber fails to come out of a test dive. Dec. 11, 1940: Eleanor Powell has invented a tap-dancing shoe that quadruples the number … Continue reading

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | 1 Comment

Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, Dec. 10, 1960

       Dec. 10, 1960: Matt Weinstock has the story of English instructor James Durbin, who  read poems to USC’s English Club without disclosing the poets' names. The works were written by Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, Ezra Pound, e.e. … Continue reading

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Dec. 10, 1940

        Dec. 10, 1940: That old rumor about Jackie Cooper being a midget should be thoroughly exploded by now, Jimmie Fidler says.  

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor | 1 Comment

Paul Coates, Dec. 9, 1960

         Dec. 9, 1960: Paul Coates has a curious tale about an aspiring actor making a sort of debut – in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. On the jump, more about the killing of LAPD Detective Richard Kent.

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Dec. 9, 1940

              Dec. 9, 1940:  Jimmie Fidler asks,  “How can actors who are such nice people on the way up and on the way down, be such insufferable asses while they're on top?” Note to … Continue reading

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Matt Weinstock, Dec. 8, 1960

       Dec. 8, 1960: Matt Weinstock takes a look at the spiraling costs of public transportation – first, raises for union workers who go out on strike, then fare increases to pay for the raises. He has his … Continue reading

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Paul Coates, Dec. 8, 1960

       Dec. 8, 1960, Richard Duket writes a 22-page letter to Paul Coates describing his descent into a life of crime…. And Marilyn Monroe says one reason she divorced Joe DiMaggio is because he watched TV instead of … Continue reading

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Dec. 8, 1941

           Dec. 8, 1941: Boris Karloff dislikes horror and mystery books, Jimmie Fidler says.

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Matt Weinstock, Dec. 7, 1960

    Dec. 7, 1960: The employees of Baker Oil Tools decide that instead of sending one another Christmas cards, they would pool the money and give it to a charity. Last year, they selected Rancho Los Amigos, a facility … Continue reading

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Dec. 7, 1940

            Dec. 7, 1940: Yes, the bell on traffic semaphores in the old Warner Bros. cartoons wasn’t a joke. Today, we just honk since drivers are usually checking their BlackBerrys when the light turns green. … Continue reading

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Matt Weinstock, Dec. 6, 1960

       Dec. 6, 1960: A sign at a dry cleaners in Arcadia says: “Stop! Blood is hard to remove,” Matt Weinstock says. DEAR ABBY: My little brother learned a Thanksgiving prayer at school and he said it at … Continue reading

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Paul Coates, Dec. 6, 1960

       Dec. 6, 1960: Paul Coates writes about a Soviet woman he calls Tanya and describes the hardships of her daily life. It’s marriage for Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe in Maurice Zolotow’s “The Real Marilyn Monroe.”

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Dec. 6, 1940

           Dec. 6, 1940: Latest candidate for the plum lead in "For Whom the Bell Tolls" is Ingrid Bergman, who'll get it if boss David O. Selznick says yes, Jimmie Fidler says.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | 4 Comments

Matt Weinstock, Dec. 5, 1960

       Dec. 5, 1960: Two L.A. gendarmes and a highway patrolman have "retired" after being caught by a vice squad officer in the company of a bad gal, Matt Weinstock says. DEAR ABBY: I just found out that … Continue reading

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Paul Coates, Dec. 5, 1960

       Dec. 5, 1960: Paul Coates writes about the curious contrasts in Soviet society, between the advanced technology in its space program and the shortcomings of its commercial aircraft, and notes the first-rate department stores stocked with fourth-rate … Continue reading

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates | 1 Comment