Category Archives: Countdown to Watts

December 4, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on December 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 4, 1959: Paul Coates has the story of Roger “The Terrible” Touhy, Prohibition gangland boss who was finally released from prison. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Countdown to Watts, Mickey Cohen, Paul Coates | Leave a comment

November 9, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on November 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 9, 1959: Clearly it’s no more possible to control the gags about the quiz show scandal than it is to control the mushrooming scandal itself, and the other day a group of coffee break philosophers of my acquaintance got around to the subject, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Countdown to Watts, health, Matt Weinstock | 1 Comment

September 29, 1919: Omaha Mob Burns Courthouse, Tries to Kill Mayor Before Lynching Black

Posted on September 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

Sept. 29, 1919: Trigger Warning: Graphic coverage of a lynching in Omaha, Nebraska. A mob burns the courthouse, tries to lynch the mayor and murders a Black man accused of assaulting a white woman. Many women take part in the lynching, saying the mayor didn’t do enough to guard their virtue Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Countdown to Watts, Front Pages | Comments Off

September 22, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on September 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 22, 1959: Matt Weinstock has the story of a police officer who gave a marooned freeway driver a lift and loaned the motorist money for gas. The city library system is recovering from controversial cuts with the city librarian hoping to restore Saturday service and add 11 new branches. Continue reading →

Posted in books, Columnists, Countdown to Watts, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off

September 21, 1959: Paul V. Coates — Confidential File

Posted on September 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 21, 1959: Paul Coates writes about the effects of Little Rock, Ark., closing its schools over integration. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Countdown to Watts, Paul Coates | Comments Off

Feb. 23, 1938 — Editorial: U.S. Doesn’t Need Anti-Lynching Law

Posted on February 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

Feb. 23, 1938: The Los Angeles Times editorializes that the U.S. doesn’t need a federal anti-lynching law. Backed by New Dealers, it’s merely an appeal to Black voters and lynchings hardly ever happen anyway, The Times says. And a pig test out San Quentin’s new gas chamber. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Countdown to Watts, Front Pages, LAPD | Tagged #Hitler, 1938, Chamberlin, Churchill, Harry Raymond, Mussolini | Comments Off

The Daily Mirror Is Moving

Posted on June 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

I’m moving to LADailyMirror.com Henry Fuhrmann, one of the assistant managing editors at The Times, likes to say: “Always take the high road. The view is nicer up there.” Henry is my friend, as well as my supervisor, and he … Continue reading →

Posted in Countdown to Watts, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, UFOs, World War II | 23 Comments

Mayor Accuses LAPD of Spying on Political Supporters

Posted on June 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 9, 1961: Mayor-elect Sam Yorty comes out swinging, with charges that the LAPD was spying on his supporters, and he takes a little shot against The Times. Police Chief William H. Parker quickly disputed Yorty’s allegations, saying they were … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, art and artists, Comics, Countdown to Watts, Crime and Courts, LAPD | Comments Off

Yorty Elected Mayor!

Posted on June 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 1, 1961: Sam Yorty defeats Norris Poulson in the mayor’s race. Poulson says one reason for his loss was the Memorial Day riot in Griffith Park in which a mob of African Americans … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, art and artists, Comics, Countdown to Watts, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, LAPD, Parks and Recreation | Comments Off

Freedom Rider: ‘We Were All Prepared to Die’

Posted on May 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

May 22, 1961: Susan Herrmann, 20, an exchange student from Whittier College at Fisk University, Nashville, majoring in psychology, was one of two white girl "freedom riders" mobbed in Montgomery's race riot. Here is her account … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Countdown to Watts | 5 Comments

Jim Murray, May 11, 1961

Posted on May 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

May 11, 1961: The horse player is the hardest guy I know to please in the whole world of sports. He is grumpy, cynical, suspicious. He never smiles. No matter what happens he is … Continue reading →

Posted in #Jim Murray, 1961, art and artists, Countdown to Watts, Sports | Comments Off

Elijah Muhammad Calls for Separate Black Nation

Posted on April 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

April 14, 1961: "Elijah Muhammad, 63-year-old leader of the politico-religious cult known as the Muslims, today held his first press conference in 30 years and asked for a part of America to form his own country," … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Countdown to Watts, Front Pages, RFK | Comments Off

Faith and the Negro ‘Question’

Posted on February 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 25, 1911: Religion columnist William T. Ellis has a few things on his mind about the Negro “question,” but none of them involve defining what the “question” might be. Presumably it was so familiar to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, Countdown to Watts, Religion | 1 Comment

Paul Coates, Feb. 22, 1961

Posted on February 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 22, 1961: Longtime readers of the Daily Mirror may recall Paul Coates’ 1959 columns about a young African American boy named Butch Harris, who faced exclusion from the Cub Scouts because of his race. Today, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Columnists, Countdown to Watts, Front Pages | Comments Off

Wife Seeks Divorce After Learning Mother-in-Law is Black

Posted on January 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Jan. 25, 1911: Divorce proceedings reveal the peculiar tale of Elda P. Kenny/Kenney and her husband, Robert. The Kenneys married in Cleveland in 1902 and moved to Los Angeles shortly thereafter, The Times says. In … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Countdown to Watts, Crime and Courts | 7 Comments

Death Reveals ‘Burglar’ Is Suspicious Husband in Disguise

Posted on January 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Jan. 18, 1911: Jealousy takes a tragic turn in Long Beach as a suspicious husband tries to catch his wife cheating on him with a house guest and is shot to death when the … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Countdown to Watts, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Long Beach | Comments Off

Black Politics in L.A., 1913

Posted on January 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 22, 1913: Councilman Robert M. Lusk died in office and the African Americans of Los Angeles called on the council to appoint one of several black contenders to complete his term. Charles C. Flint, a … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Countdown to Watts, Politics | Comments Off

Amazing Predictions for 1961!

Posted on December 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

hile the rest of the news business spends the final days of December looking back at the major events of the year, the Daily Mirror is peering forward, and for us at least, the future is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930, 1960, 1980, Another Good Story Ruined, Countdown to Watts, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Matt Weinstock, Paul Coates, Thelma Todd, Tom Treanor, Weblogs | 6 Comments

Paul Coates, Dec. 13, 1960

Posted on December 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

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 →

Posted in books, Columnists, Countdown to Watts, Film, Front Pages, Paul Coates | Comments Off

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 16, 1940

Posted on November 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

Nov. 16, 1940: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard are packing for a trailer trek to Nebraska, where they'll visit her relatives, Jimmie Fidler says.

Posted in Countdown to Watts, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off