Category Archives: Comics

September 11, 1947: Driver of Beer Wagon Gets Revenge on Streetcars

Posted on September 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 11, 1947: Joseph P. Johnston is a career safecracker who gave up his trade during World War II, considering it unpatriotic, but is up to his old ways. And a flashback to 1905, when a beer truck driver gets revenge on L.A.’s sainted streetcars by blocking the tracks. Continue reading →

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September 11, 1943: Escaped Soldier Denies Attacking Former Screen Star

Posted on September 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 11, 1943: Pvt. George P. Rimke, who was convicted of “attacking” screen dancer and actress Lina Basquette (d. 1994), escapes from March Field, but surrenders to attorney S.S. Hahn.   Continue reading →

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September 10, 1947: In Love but Unable to Marry First Cousin, 17, Man Shoots Himself

Posted on September 10, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 10, 1947: David Everett, a 30-year-old mechanic, is in critical condition at Torrance General Hospital after shooting himself in the head and neck in despondency over his frustrated love for his 17-year-old first cousin Janet. And yes, she lives in a trailer park. Continue reading →

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September 7, 1947: The Comics Pages

Posted on September 7, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 7, 1947: A stroll through the comics pages. There’s Dick Tracy, Red Ryder, Aggie Mack and, of course Nancy and Sluggo. Continue reading →

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September 6, 1953: Barbara Graham Sobs During Son’s Visit to Jail

Posted on September 6, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 6, 1953: Barbara Graham, on trial in the Mabel Monahan killing, sobs “almost hysterically” as she holds her 18-month-old son, Tommy, during a visit at the Hall of Justice, The Times says. He was in the custody of his grandmother Anne Webb. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, September 5, 1944

Posted on September 5, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 5, 1944: “One Touch of Venus” has been sold to the movies, with Mary Pickford obtaining the rights. Continue reading →

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September 5, 1944: Left in Car While Mother Goes Dancing, Boy, 6, Drinks Fatal Shot of Whiskey

Posted on September 5, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 5, 1944: Maria Fierro goes dancing with Robert Fierro and Robert Gomez. Her children weren’t allowed in the cafe, so she left them in the car. Her daughter, Stella, went to get a bottle of soda, but her son, Rudolfo, found a bottle of whiskey and drank enough to kill him.
Continue reading →

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September 5, 1943: Union Pleads With Streetcar Workers Not to Strike

Posted on September 5, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 5, 1943: The head of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen pleased with Pacific Electric workers not to strike. Eight to 10 streetcar workers are quitting every day to take better jobs. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, September 4, 1944

Posted on September 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 4, 1944: “Mildred Pierce” is shelved until Jack Warner is satisfied with the script, which means Joan Crawford is out of a picture, so she is taking a trip to New York, Louella Parsons says. Continue reading →

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September 4, 1933: Man Kills Wife and Daughter, Commits Suicide Over Pink Bedroom

Posted on September 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 4, 1933: A man fatally stabs his estranged wife and daughter, then slits his throat after an argument because his wife had the bedroom painted pink. Continue reading →

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September 3, 1941: Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer

Posted on September 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 3, 1941: Maj. George Tucker of Ft. MacArthur, stabbed several times in the abdomen, says the knife slipped. His widow (yes, the wounds were fatal) says they had been drinking heavily and she didn’t remember exactly what happened. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, September 2, 1944

Posted on September 2, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 2, 1944: Michael Todd has discovered an unpublished score by Victor Herbert and signed Jeannette MacDonald to star in the operetta, Louella Parsons says. Continue reading →

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September 1, 1941: Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood

Posted on September 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 1, 1941: Tears over MGM’s cancellation of the Maisie series, Jimmie Fidler says. Donoho Hall, technical advisor on “Sergeant York,” says “the problem of the 5 million uneducated hillbillies in the South should be more America’s problem than any foreign missions.” Continue reading →

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August 30, 1953: Barbara Graham Defense Wins Delay After Prosecution Bombshell

Posted on August 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 30, 1953: Judge Charles Fricke grants a delay to attorneys for Barbara Graham after the prosecution discloses a recorded conversation between Graham and an undercover police officer. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, August 29, 1944

Posted on August 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 29, 1944: Jack Warner bought the rights to “The Visitor” before it even opened on Broadway, Louella Parsons says. Virgo: Be optimistic in romance, home affairs. Continue reading →

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August 29, 1943: Parents Sue Doctor Who Said Baby Girl Was a Boy!

Posted on August 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 29, 1943: Dr. John M. Andrews is being sued for $500,000 by Mr. and Mrs. Harry J. Hartwig after delivering a baby and telling the family that it was a boy, whom they named Richard Allen Hartwig — when it was actually a girl. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, August 28, 1944

Posted on August 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 28, 1944: MGM pays $60,000 for Joseph Pennell’s novel “The History of Rome Hanks!” and D.W. Griffith screens “Birth of a Nation” and “Intolerance” for Preston Sturges, Louella Parsons says. Virgo: Enjoy wholesome pleasures in free time. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, August 26, 1944

Posted on August 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 26, 1944: William Bendix repays a loan from his father-in-law by setting up a hardware store for him, Louella Parsons says. Virgo: Put today in your happy medium column. Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Aug. 22, 1944

Posted on August 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 22, 1944: “Citizen Tom Paine” will be a story of the Revolution, but won’t go into his religious beliefs nor his tendency toward atheism, Louella Parsons says. Leo: The sort of day on which your talents should shine. Continue reading →

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1944 in Music — Oscar Levant and Leonard Bernstein at the Hollywood Bowl, August 22, 1944

Posted on August 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 22, 1944: The Times encourages readers to save copies of the paper for reuse in the war effort. Let’s hear it for recycling! Continue reading →

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