Category Archives: #courts

June 4, 1941: Burbank Man Invents Death Ray!

Posted on June 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 4, 1941: I’ll admit I’m a sucker for stories about death rays. Evidently The Times’ editors were too since they put this item on Page 1. Promoter Kurt Van Zuyle credited L.E. Riley of Burbank as the inventor. It … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1941, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Death Rays, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on June 4, 1941: Burbank Man Invents Death Ray!

From the Stacks – ‘Facts You Should Know About California’

Posted on June 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Since March, when I examined Louis Adamic’s “The Truth About Los Angeles,” I have been hunting the other pamphlets he wrote for E. Haldeman-Julius. A box of a dozen musty tracts arrived Friday, courtesy of EBay, and I … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1927, 1928, books, Crime and Courts, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Zombie Reading List | 3 Comments

Jim Murray, June 1, 1961

Posted on June 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

           June 1, 1961: Among those celebrating the convictions of Blinky Palermo and Frankie Carbo is a Boyle Heights prizefight manager named Harry Shall. Harry gave the government a chance to throw the book at Blinky … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #Jim Murray, 1961, boxing, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Sports | Comments Off on Jim Murray, June 1, 1961

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 on Yorty Elected Mayor!

Jimmie Fidler, May 26, 1941

Posted on May 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

           May 26, 1941: PITTSBURGH, May 25 (AP) — A man's leg was found along the Ohio River at suburban Moon Township tonight and detectives seeking the remainder of the body said it was probably "another … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler, May 26, 1941

Bullet of Mystery – Part 5

Posted on May 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m posting a small case study of research I did with Caroline Comport on her grandfather Lionel Comport for her master’s thesis. Researching Los Angeles is a treasure hunt, and every time I dig … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Crime and Courts, Film, From the Stacks, health, Hollywood, Pages of History, Zombie Reading List | 3 Comments

Bullet of Mystery – Part 4

Posted on May 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m posting a small case study of research I did with Caroline Comport on her grandfather Lionel Comport for her master’s thesis. Researching Los Angeles is a treasure hunt, and every time I dig … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Architecture, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Real Estate | Comments Off on Bullet of Mystery – Part 4

Bullet of Mystery — Part 3

Posted on May 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m posting a small case study of research I did with Caroline Comport on her grandfather Lionel Comport for her master’s thesis. Researching Los Angeles is a treasure hunt, and every time I dig … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Architecture, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Real Estate | Comments Off on Bullet of Mystery — Part 3

Bullet of Mystery – Part 2

Posted on May 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m posting a small case study of research I did with Caroline Comport on her grandfather Lionel Comport for her master’s thesis. Researching Los Angeles is a treasure hunt, and every time I dig … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Crime and Courts, Pages of History | Comments Off on Bullet of Mystery – Part 2

Bullet of Mystery – Part 1

Posted on May 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Los Angeles history in the 1900s is an acquired taste. Most people limit themselves to  the Raymond Chandler era, the 1930s through the 1950s, as if Philip Marlowe moonlighted as a historian. Perhaps they find the city’s horse-and-buggy … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Animals, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Raymond Chandler | 1 Comment

Libel Suit in L.A. Mayor’s Race!

Posted on May 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

        May 12, 1961: Mayor Norris Poulson accused challenger Sam Yorty of being “backed by the underworld” and Yorty responded with a libel suit.   The basis of Poulson's charge was that as an Assemblyman, Yorty supported a … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, art and artists, City Hall, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Politics | Comments Off on Libel Suit in L.A. Mayor’s Race!

Another Good Story Ruined — The Black Dahlia

Posted on May 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

    The Black Dahlia has become so thoroughly transformed into a myth about what happens to nice, small-town girls in big, bad Hollywood  (“achieving in death the fame that eluded her in life”) that it’s almost impossible to write … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Crime and Courts | 4 Comments

Yorty Seeks to Limit L.A. Mayors to Two Terms

Posted on May 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

        May 3, 1961: The Times editorial page backs Mayor Norris Poulson, who lost to  challenger Sam Yorty. Although Yorty advocated a two-term limit for mayors, he served three terms and was seeking a fourth when he … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, art and artists, Caryl Chessman, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Comments Off on Yorty Seeks to Limit L.A. Mayors to Two Terms

From the Stacks – ‘Portraits of Crime’ (1977)

Posted on April 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Two years after writing about  LAPD Det. Ector Garcia, I finally located a copy of his book, “Portraits of Crime,” which arrived in the mail from the U.K. while I was on vacation. No one will ever mistake … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1977, books, Crime and Courts, Downtown, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD, Pages of History, San Fernando Valley, Venice Division, West Hollywood, Zombie Reading List | 1 Comment

‘The Chinese Murder,’ April 29, 1891

Posted on April 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

               April 29, 1891: The Times reports the death of a Chinese woman named Ah Gue/Goot Gue, who was shot in the abdomen by her husband, Wong Ark/Gam Duck, outside a brothel on Apablasa Street. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1891, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on ‘The Chinese Murder,’ April 29, 1891

UC May Have to Charge Tuition – Someday

Posted on April 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

          April 27, 1961: The Senate Education Committee turns down a proposed tuition fee for University of California students but says one may have to be imposed — eventually.

Posted in #courts, 1961, Adolf Eichmann, art and artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Education | Comments Off on UC May Have to Charge Tuition – Someday

Last Showing of ‘Heaven Is Here!’

Posted on April 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

  http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-382479120564900203&hl=en&fs=true   Google has announced that it will be removing its uploaded videos on April 29. I made this little movie about the Black Dahlia case four years ago and at 21 minutes, it's too long to upload anywhere … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1947, Crime and Courts, Film, LAPD | 3 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 18, 1941

Posted on April 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

            April 18, 1941: Lee Shippey is hospitalized after what The Times vaguely referred to as “major surgery.” His column continued to appear with guest writers filling in. On the jump: Benjamin “Bugsie” Siegel is … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 18, 1941

‘The Apartment’ Wins Oscars for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director

Posted on April 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

           April 18, 1961: In a ceremony held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented awards to Elizabeth Taylor for “Butterfield 8,” Burt Lancaster for “Elmer Gantry” and … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Adolf Eichmann, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on ‘The Apartment’ Wins Oscars for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director

Paul Coates, April 13, 1961

Posted on April 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

    April 13, 1961: An Anaheim man found some gold-colored flecks in the backyard and tested them for gold by putting them in a half-teaspoon of mercury that he heated over the stove, poisoning his family, Paul Coates says. “Spade … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Homicide, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 13, 1961