Category Archives: Comics

Father Turns in Son in Fatal Stabbing, May 22, 1959

Posted on May 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

"Just Wait There!  — I'll Come Right Down." Kenneth A. Merriam is accused of helping to kill the two children of his girlfriend, Wanda Brogdon. Evidently, both of them were mentally disabled. At right, Ernie Kovacs needs a 100-foot piano … Continue reading →

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Highway Patrol Rounds Up Missing Legislators, May 21, 1939

Posted on May 21, 2009 by lmharnisch

"Teach me to dance, Dragon Lady." View this page At left, my kind of story. The Assembly sends the Highway Patrol to track down legislators who skipped their session on the last day they got paid. Among the missing is … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Fashion, Film, Freeways, Front Pages, Hollywood, Nuestro Pueblo, Transportation | 1 Comment

State Athletic Commission Investigates Boxing, Cartoon Death Match, May 20, 1959

Posted on May 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

Isn't the Ambassador Hotel great? Oh wait, we let L.A. Unified tear it down. View this page Gangster Squad Officer J.J. "Jack" O'Mara calls on Joe Sica with a subpoena. Unfortunately, the runover of the story didn't get microfilmed. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Comics, Education, Fashion, LAPD, Music, Nightclubs, Politics, Richard Nixon, Transportation | Comments Off on State Athletic Commission Investigates Boxing, Cartoon Death Match, May 20, 1959

May 19, 1939: Soldier Killed, Hundreds Hurt in Holy Land Riots

Posted on May 19, 2009 by lmharnisch

I can accept a talking cartoon pelican. I can even accept a talking cartoon pelican that has human hands. But I’m having a hard time with a talking cartoon pelican carrying a machine gun. Maybe it’s just me.

Posted in 1939, Comics, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports, Stage | 2 Comments

The Era of Fear and Prophesies of Doom, May 17, 1959

Posted on May 17, 2009 by lmharnisch

Gaaah! What were they thinking? No wonder these were on sale! This Sunday paper is an alarming time capsule with fear and anxiety on every page, plus a little sex here and there. At left, "What We Must Know About … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, books, Comics, Dodgers, Downtown, Film, Freeways, Front Pages, Hollywood, LAPD, Religion, Richard Nixon, Transportation | Comments Off on The Era of Fear and Prophesies of Doom, May 17, 1959

Millionaire Picked Up for DUI, Episcopalians Call Atomic Power Part of God’s Creation, May 16, 1959

Posted on May 16, 2009 by lmharnisch

Kim Novak and Cary Grant dance until dawn at Cannes. The Geneva summit talks provide a little humor for our favorite Pasadena gun dealer. Some of the Arechigas are still in Chavez Ravine. Evidently it takes time to build new … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Dodgers, Film, Hollywood, Religion, Sports | 1 Comment

Top Comedian Goes Crazy in San Francisco! May 14, 1959

Posted on May 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

Winters later used his hospitalization in some of his routines. The Arechiga family, featured in the news because members were forcibly removed from two homes in Chavez Ravine, own 11 homes, The Times says. Mayor Norris Poulson angrily says: "The … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, City Hall, Comics, Dodgers, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Jack Smith, Politics, Sports | 2 Comments

31 Die When Plane Explodes in Midair, May 13, 1959

Posted on May 13, 2009 by lmharnisch

Emergo was a fake skeleton hanging from a wire that was pulled out into the audience. My little hometown theater didn't have it, alas. There's no shortage of interesting items today. A Capital Airlines  plane en route from New York … Continue reading →

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Bianchi Charged as Hillside Strangler; Nolan Ryan on Baseball, May 10, 1979

Posted on May 10, 2009 by lmharnisch

May 10, 1979: Gas rationing, a SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) agreement with the Soviets and Dial Torgerson reports from Jerusalem that U.N. troops turn back an Israeli force pursuing Palestinian guerrillas into Lebanon. Former security guard Kenneth Allesio Bianchi, … Continue reading →

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Union Station Preview, May 2, 1939

Posted on May 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

"That I love peace is perhaps best shown by my work." –Adolf Hitler Tim Turner covers Al Smith's arrival in Los Angeles, featuring quotes from a Negro porter and a Mexican bootblack … in dialect: "Ahl Esmeeth."  The Times runs … Continue reading →

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Police Hunt Gunmen as Officer Fights for Life; Dodgers Win, May 1, 1959

Posted on May 1, 2009 by lmharnisch

May 1, 1959: Another LAPD officer is shot in the line of duty. Robert D. Cody will survive being hit in the stomach with a shotgun blast because his Sam Browne belt blocked some of the pellets.  A police commissioner … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Dodgers, Front Pages, Mickey Cohen, Politics, Richard Nixon, Sports | Comments Off on Police Hunt Gunmen as Officer Fights for Life; Dodgers Win, May 1, 1959

April 30, 1939: Los Angeles Prepares for Opening of Union Station

Posted on April 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

The city made a special effort to examine and celebrate its past during the opening of Union Station. Officials mounted a much more elaborate “parade of progress” than I suspect we would see today.

Posted in 1939, Comics, Countdown to Watts, Downtown, Music, Transportation | Comments Off on April 30, 1939: Los Angeles Prepares for Opening of Union Station

Mayor Slashes Budget for Libraries and Parks; Spring Training in Arizona, April 29, 1959

Posted on April 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Senate approves Clare Boothe Luce as ambassador to Brazil, but her husband, Time publisher Henry Luce, asks her to resign, saying that her prestige and authority have been impaired by a political vendetta. During her confirmation hearing, Clare Boothe … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Politics, Stage | 1 Comment

Hitler Reviews Nazi Troops, Hollywood Celebrates Barrymore’s Birthday, April 28, 1939

Posted on April 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sending photos in the old days: By ship. At left, you're wondering what a statue of a naked babe has to do with freedom of the press? According to news accounts, it represented "the unadorned truth." It was part of … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Sports | 1 Comment

Masked Mob Seizes Black Rape Suspect From Mississippi Jail, April 26, 1959

Posted on April 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Times takes a look at the 1910 Aviation Week at Dominguez Hills. Here's a post from last year about J.S. Zerbe.   Gunmen wearing masks and gloves raided the jail in Poplarville, Miss., and seized Mack Charles Parker, 23, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, books, Comics, Countdown to Watts, Dodgers, Film, health, Hollywood, Homicide, Music, Politics, Richard Nixon, Science, Stage, Transportation | Comments Off on Masked Mob Seizes Black Rape Suspect From Mississippi Jail, April 26, 1959

Honor Farm Opens to Ease Jail Crowding, April 25, 1939

Posted on April 25, 2009 by lmharnisch

Corrections and rehabilitation as practiced in 1939. The honor farm will house 600 men who would otherwise be held in jail.   At left, Werner Philipp's portrait of Katherine Dunham, which was found in a Ventura antique store. Read more … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, Comics, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Religion | Comments Off on Honor Farm Opens to Ease Jail Crowding, April 25, 1939

Changing the Pledge of Allegiance, April 24, 1939

Posted on April 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

Above, the Merced Theater in 1939 and, below, courtesy of Wikipedia. You may recall this photo from April 10, 1938. It shows newsboys giving the Pledge of Allegiance with their arms outstretched. April 24, 1939: David Cheverton shows the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Film, Hollywood, Sports, Stage | 1 Comment

Irish Firebrand Takes Seat in Parliament, Lakers Showdown With the Celtics, April 23, 1969

Posted on April 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1969: In case you don't recognize this building, it is the former Earl Carroll theater, now the Nickelodeon building, on Sunset Boulevard. The concrete slabs with movie stars' signatures were removed to make room for this huge mural, … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Music, Nightclubs, Stage | 2 Comments

Court Upholds Deal on Chavez Ravine; Moratorium on Death Penalty Fails, April 22, 1959

Posted on April 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph by John Malmin / Los Angeles Times People cluster between homes on Malvina Avenue in Chavez Ravine for word on being evicted. The battle over Chavez Ravine reads like the same story after a while — a long court fight … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Comics, Dodgers, Downtown, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Police Raid Venice ‘Love-In’; Lakers Win Western Division, April 21, 1969

Posted on April 21, 2009 by lmharnisch

April 21, 1969: A "love-in" on Venice Beach turns into brawl when the crowd of 7,000 starts throwing rocks and bottles after police arrest several people. Assemblyman John Burton is elected head of the California Democratic Council, which backs student … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Comics, LAPD, Music, Richard Nixon | Comments Off on Police Raid Venice ‘Love-In’; Lakers Win Western Division, April 21, 1969