Category Archives: Crime and Courts

Sinatra Makes Film Debut, Jan. 29, 1944

Posted on January 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 29, 1944: The Times reports Frank Sinatra’s film debut in “Higher and Higher”: A generous quota of young girls attended the first showings and their ecstatic whinnyings recorded each and every appearance of their hero. In one house, at … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, African Americans, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Music, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Flo Ash — The ‘Cutest Little Nudist’ — Gets a Divorce

Posted on January 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 26, 1944: “Flo Ash” is one of my favorite names from 1940s Los Angeles.  In 1940, she sued the Florentine Gardens and producer Nils T. Granlund over use of the nickname “Cutest Little Nudist.”

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Nightclubs, World War II | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

What to Expect in 1944

Posted on January 17, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 1, 1945: We jumped ahead to see what The Times considered the top stories of 1944, the year we’re going to focus on in 2014. The D-Day (current Times style being D-day) invasion is the most important story, followed … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on What to Expect in 1944

Harvey Glatman: The Early Years — Part 3

Posted on January 8, 2014 by lmharnisch

The story so far: In the summer of 1946, Ophelia Glatman received permission from the Colorado courts to take her son, Harvey, to stay with relatives named Feldman in New York. Harvey Glatman had been arrested in Colorado in 1945 … Continue reading →

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Los Angeles County Sheriffs — Biscailuz, Pitchess, Block and Baca

Posted on January 7, 2014 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles County Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz, left, actor Leo Carrillo, center, and Gov. Earl Warren from “Biscailuz: Sheriff of the New West.” The impending retirement of Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is a good time to dip into the … Continue reading →

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Harvey Glatman: The Early Years — Part I

Posted on January 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

Aug. 27, 1946: Harvey Glatman in the Yonkers, N.Y., Herald Statesman. Whenever I am contacted by TV producers about appearing on a crime show, I always caution them that I’m a specialist not a generalist. I don’t do Sal Mineo, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, 1957, 1958, 1959, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Television | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Harvey Glatman: The Early Years — Part I

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files — Slaughter at Bob’s Big Boy, Part II

Posted on December 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

1980 was a bloody year in Los Angeles, with more than 1,000 killings for the first time in its history. For the LAPD, homicides increased 30% from 1979 to 1,038 in 1980.  The Sheriff’s Department also a reported a 7.9% … Continue reading →

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LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files — Slaughter at Bob’s Big Boy

Posted on December 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

  Suspect 1, DR-80-585-895 Suspect 2, DR-80-585-895 Dec. 14, 1980: The takeover robbery of Bob’s Big Boy at 1845 S. La Cienega Blvd. was part of a rising tide of violence in the 1980s. As The Times noted, “the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in 1980, Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | 2 Comments

Ahem

Posted on December 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

To the person searching for “clod cases in San Francisco”: Check your spelling. On the other hand, you might be able to find a clod case in San Francisco. Or two.

Posted in Cold Cases, Crime and Courts | Tagged | Comments Off on Ahem

‘I Took the Gun and Shot Him Once in the Leg, Just for Fun’

Posted on December 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

Maybe it was murder. Maybe it never happened at all. Was she telling the truth or was it all a lie? Early on the morning of Nov. 20, 1953, acting on a tip, LAPD Detectives John Olsen and P.R. Brooks … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Homicide, LAPD, Main Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bonnie and Clyde — The FBI Files

Posted on December 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Speaking of FBI files, here’s an image of Clyde Barrow’s funeral found in his FBI file. Bonnie and Clyde’s FBI files are also online in seven sections.

Posted in 1934, Crime and Courts, Television | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Millennial Moment: Man Killed in Toilet Tank Murder

Posted on December 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Starting tomorrow: “Silkwood.” At 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11, 1983, a maid cleaning rooms at the Inn at Laguna on Coast Highway found the body of Ronald Jay Murphy. Murphy, 22, who worked for an oil company in Santa … Continue reading →

Posted in 1983, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Millennial Moments | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Millennial Moment: Man Killed in Toilet Tank Murder

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer Tells of Fighting on Tarawa

Posted on December 12, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 12, 1943: Times columnist Tom Treanor, who will be killed in August 1944 covering the liberation of France, files a story about fighting between U.S. and Nazi troops around Filignano, Italy, about 100 miles southeast of Rome.   Crawling in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Animals, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Photography, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files

Posted on December 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

I was given a box of material that was cleaned out of the old press room at the LAPD’s Parker Center headquarters, sometimes called “the cop shop.” The box was a jumble of press releases, photographs, artists’ sketches and other … Continue reading →

Posted in 1965, 1973, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Matzo Brawl!

Posted on November 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project and I’m reposting it for newer readers. Nov. 29, 1907 Oh Those Shriners: Recall, if you will, the grisly train wreck that killed a large number of Shriners … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Religion, Streetcars | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Slaughter of the Innocent

Posted on November 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I originally wrote for the 1947project in 2006. Nov. 23, 1907 South Pasadena Warning: This is a grotesque, tragic story with graphic details. Pasadena Detective Wallace H. Copping is investigating the murder of a young … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Pasadena | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Fatal Fury

Posted on November 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a story I originally wrote in 2006 for the 1947project and I’m reposting it for newer readers. Nov. 16, 1907: Mrs. Amanda Cook (she is also identified as Jennie and Mary) came to Los Angeles from Boston … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files — A Research Question on LAPD Case Numbering

Posted on November 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

While I’m on the subject of the LAPD Cop Shop Files, let me see if there’s anyone among the Daily Mirror Brain Trust who is familiar with LAPD case numbers. It seems that after many years of following the protocol … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files – Starting Next Week

Posted on November 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

The “Remorseful Rapist” from 1965, one of the items from the Cop Shop Files. Several weeks ago, I was given a box of material that was cleaned out of the old press room at the LAPD’s Parker Center headquarters, sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in 1965, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

‘Love Child’ Abandoned in Movie Theater as Parents Die in Suicide Pact

Posted on November 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 8, 1933: Los Angeles history is so rich that all you need to strike gold is to poke a stick in the ground, and today is a perfect example. We have the story of Jack Bodin Sr., 41, who … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, 1936, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Suicide, Theaters | 4 Comments