Category Archives: Comics

LAPD Losing Staff to War Effort

Posted on August 1, 2012 by lmharnisch

Aug. 1, 1942: Chief C.B. Horrall announces that the LAPD has lost 22 men and two women to the armed services. By the end of the war, many more officers and staff will have gone into the military, leaving the … Continue reading →

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Gang Members Seize Prisoners in Police Brawl

Posted on July 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1942: A brawl breaks out at Pomeroy Avenue and Mark Street  when LAPD officers try to break up a dice game involving gang members. The group took three prisoners from police officers, injuring a officer’s hand, sprayed police … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, LAPD, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Lana Turner Elopes!

Posted on July 18, 2012 by lmharnisch

July 18, 1942: Lana Turner elopes to Las Vegas with Stephen Crane in a marriage performed by the same judge who did her marriage to Artie Shaw in 1940. Turner is 22 and Crane is 27. It is the second … Continue reading →

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Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on July 16, 2012 by lmharnisch

A model of the Jaguar XKE hearse from “Harold and Maude” has been listed on EBay with bids starting at 125 GBP. Queen of the Dead – dateline July 16, 2012 •  I’m a real bear on architectural preservation, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Comics, Eve Golden, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Museums, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Casablanca’ Cast Honors Michael Curtiz’s 15 Years in U.S.

Posted on July 7, 2012 by lmharnisch

July 7, 1942:Twin brothers Walter and Sol Brundo, jazz musicians, join a military band stationed at Camp Haan in Riverside County.   I can’t find any trace of Sol and Walter. I wonder what became of them. “The Magnificent Ambersons”opens at … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Music, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Keaton Sons Change Names to Talmadge

Posted on June 30, 2012 by lmharnisch

July 2, 1942: Buster Keaton’s sons Robert, 18, and James, 20, legally change their last names to Talmadge after a petition to the court by Keaton’s ex-wife Natalie Talmadge. Lee Gilcrease, 29, kills his wife, Ethel, and commits suicide in … Continue reading →

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Man Held as ‘Orchid Bandit’

Posted on June 27, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 27, 1942: James D. Hannah liked orchids. He liked them so much that he usually gave several of them to his girlfriends to put in their hair, a habit that led to his arrest when robbery victim  Elva Sieburg … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Man Held as ‘Orchid Bandit’

Drunken Brawl at Errol Flynn’s Birthday Party

Posted on June 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1942: A brawl at Errol Flynn’s  32nd birthday party involves Barbara Hutton’s butler – Eric Gosta Hadler —  and Flynn’s secretary and stand-in, James Fleming. Hadler says: “It all happened so suddenly I can’t remember what happened.” Judging … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | 1 Comment

Eurasian Held on Suspicion of Being Japanese

Posted on June 23, 2012 by lmharnisch

    June 23, 1942: Meet Stanwood Gertz Jr., who was arrested because he was suspected of being Japanese. Gertz told detectives he was German, Chinese and Hawaiian – and his dyed hair presumably made him even more suspicious. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Hedy Lamarr’s Sarong: S’awright!

Posted on June 22, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 22, 1942: Hedda Hopper says: Joan Crawford got a mighty entertaining picture in “They All Kissed the Bride.” I’ve always liked Joan. She says, “I love being a star and everything that goes with it. I love the work, … Continue reading →

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Women Abandon Housework for Overalls and Higher Pay

Posted on June 21, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 21, 1942: Women are taking jobs formerly held by men, and they prefer them, especially the higher wages, The Times finds. “How do they like exchanging summer frocks for overalls and aprons for masculine livery? The collective and undisputed … Continue reading →

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Judge Cites ‘Right of Battle’ in Sentencing Conscientious Objector

Posted on June 16, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1942:  Robert Lee Allen is sentenced to five years in federal prison for refusing to enlist in the Army. Judge Jeremiah Neter, 80, noted that Allen had not used the available provisions to file for conscientious objector status … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Music, Religion, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mexican Workers Sought to Fill California’s Farm Labor Shortage

Posted on June 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 15, 1942:  The Japanese who operated farms have been evacuated to internment camps, many farm workers have taken defense jobs and still more have been drafted. So to get farm labor, California turns to …  guess where: Mexico! Times … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Immigration, World War II | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Gang Member Held in Shooting That Sparked Coliseum Riot

Posted on June 14, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 14, 1942:   Police arrest Oscar Fierro, 18, an alleged member of the East First Street Gang, in the shooting of Frank Torres, a purported member of the Clanton Street Gang, who was wounded in the head while leaving the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Westlake Park Renamed in Tribute to Gen. MacArthur

Posted on June 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 13, 1942:Westlake Park is being renamed as part of the city’s observances to honor Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commemorating the day he entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Marines at Camp Elliott are shocked to see women … … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, City Hall, Comics, Parks, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Now Hiring: Douglas Aircraft of Santa Monica

Posted on June 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 12, 1942: The Douglas plant in Santa Monica is hiring men – and women! Betty Rowland, the Ball of Fire, is at the Follies Theatre. Lionel Atwill refuses to testify before the Los Angeles County Grand Jury about charges … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1942, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Theaters, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

32 Taverns and Bars Declared Off-Limits

Posted on June 7, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 7, 1942: The Navy declares 32 bars and taverns off limits in Los Angeles. Most of them are on Main Street and East 5th with a few in Hollywood. The posts on the Zoot Suit Riots have more information … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Food and Drink, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Doolittle Visits North American Plant, Praises Workers for Bombers Used in Tokyo Raid

Posted on June 2, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 2, 1942: In a visit to the North American aircraft plant, Brig. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle praises workers who built the bombers used in his raid on Tokyo. Otis W. Hall is accused of killing his estranged wife and sending … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Doolittle Visits North American Plant, Praises Workers for Bombers Used in Tokyo Raid

John Barrymore Dies at 60

Posted on May 30, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 30, 1942:  Actor John Barrymore, known as “the Great Profile,” dies at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital 10 days after collapsing during a rehearsal for Rudy Vallee’s radio program. He was 60 and was suffering from liver and kidney problems, plus … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Stage | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Louis B. Mayer, Clark Gable Lead in U.S. Salaries

Posted on May 29, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 29, 1942: The highest-paid executive in America is Louis B. Mayer, who earned $704,426.60 ($11,025,713.90 USD 2012) in 1941. The next-highest is Clark Gable, who earned $357,500 ($5,595,604.59 USD 2012) and Nicholas M. Schenck is third at $334,204.54 ($5,230,983.10 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , | 1 Comment