Category Archives: Crime and Courts

British Library Digitizes Lewis Carroll’s Original ‘Alice’

Posted on September 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Page 37 of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures Under Ground,” digitized by the British Library. Henry Chu writes a nondupe in the Los Angeles Times about unsuccessful attempts to gain access to Scotland Yard’s records in the Jack the Ripper … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Immigration, Libraries, Museums | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Columnist’s Wife Stabs Errol Flynn With Fork in Nightclub Brawl!

Posted on September 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 22, 1941: Oh look what I found! Our own Jimmie Fidler mixing it up with Errol Flynn at the Mocambo.  And Fidler’s wife, Bobbe, stabs Flynn with a fork!

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Coming Attractions: Lunch With the Daily Mirror

Posted on September 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Monument to Eliza A. Otis, 1833 – 1904, wife of Gen. Harrison Gray Otis, Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com Karie Bible has agreed to give the Daily Mirror’s Brain Trust a tour of Hollywood Forever Cemetery on a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910, Brain Trust, Coming Attractions, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Obituaries | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Necklace Stolen From Titanic Exhibit

Posted on September 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Writing in the New York Times, Roberta Smith pleads for the preservation of the American Folk Art Museum. Two posts in Lens, the New York Times’ photography blog, are worthwhile reading. The first is a question and answer with Pete … Continue reading →

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‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 9

Posted on September 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Isadore Bernstein’s name appears on a list of  undesirables.  Credit: The National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer in the Last … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, 1943, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Fashion, Film, History, Hollywood, Latinos, Libraries, Stage, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 9

Shofar Flash Mob!

Posted on September 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The Volute Krater, which is being  returned to Italy. Credit: Minneapolis Institute of Arts Adam Nagourney of the New York Times explores the different philosophies of treating history at the Reagan and Nixon presidential libraries. But another exhibition that … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Baseball, Crime and Courts, Libraries, Museums, Religion | Tagged | Comments Off on Shofar Flash Mob!

John Wayne Gacy Victim May Be Exhumed

Posted on September 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The last Crown Vic rolls off the Ford assembly line. Leslie Luebbers,the director of the Art Museum at the University of Memphis and head of the Paul Revere William Project will give a lecture on the famed African American … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Architecture, Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Music, Preservation, Transportation | Tagged , , | Comments Off on John Wayne Gacy Victim May Be Exhumed

Silver Lake Hammer Murder – Part 2

Posted on September 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 16, 1941: The Silver Lake Hammer Murder turned out to be far more complicated than I expected. This segment looks at the lives of victim Florence Stricker and her husband, Dr. George H. Stricker, up to the time of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Hasbro Cooking … Without a Light Bulb

Posted on September 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Hasbro Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven. Credit: Hasbro. Many people have wondered what would become of Hasbro’s Easy-Bake oven with the demise of the incandescent light bulb. The answer is a complete redesign with a heating element. Associated Press via Washington … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Museums, Music, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Coming Attractions: Cheryl Crane

Posted on September 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Cheryl Crane and Lana Turner in court. Credit: Los Angeles Examiner collection, USC. April 5, 1958: Cheryl Crane is held in the death of Johnny Stompanato. Mary Mallory points out that Cheryl Crane will be discussing her new book, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Database of Slave Names Going Online

Posted on September 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: “Christ Carrying the Cross Dragged by a Rogue.” The Virginia Historical Society is compiling a database of slaves and owners. The database, which will go online Wednesday, contains the names of 1,400 slaves and 180 owners, according to Eve … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, Genealogy, History, Libraries, Museums, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Database of Slave Names Going Online

John Wilkes Booth Site for Sale – Civil War Reenactors Not Included

Posted on September 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Cleydael. Credit: Motley’s Auction and Realty Group. Three historic buildings in Texas’ Bastrop State Park were lost in the recent wildfire, but many other structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps have survived, according to Ben Wear of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1859, Architecture, Crime and Courts, Film, Homicide, Stage, Theaters | Tagged , | 3 Comments

International Spy Museum Is Hiring!

Posted on September 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The International Spy Museum offers “Dinner With a Spy.” Credit: International Spy Museum. The International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., has a job opening for director of guest services (and security!) The ideal applicant must have excellent team building … Continue reading →

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‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Navy Reports

Posted on September 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 6, 1942: Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox warns against “loose talk.” Credit: National Archives. I returned from Saturday’s trip to the National Archives in Riverside with more than 200 images of historic documents. It’s going to take some … Continue reading →

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Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer, Sept. 3, 1941

Posted on September 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 3, 1941: OK, Maj. Tucker,  let me get this straight. You and your wife, Marie, got home from  a party, where both of you had been drinking. She was in the bedroom and you were in the kitchen making … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer, Sept. 3, 1941

Revival of Wet-Plate Photography

Posted on September 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: “Heather,” done in a wet-plate process. Credit: Robert Christian Malmberg We will be drinking nothing but clear liquids at the Daily Mirror HQ today in memory of Dr. William Wolff, who helped develop the colonoscopy. Yes, they’re annoying, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Medicine, Obituaries, Photography, San Francisco, Washington | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 7

Posted on August 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: June 8, 1943 — A mob of servicemen stop a streetcar on Main Street to remove a passenger wearing a zoot suit. Here’s a second radio address by Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron, delivered June 16, 1943, on the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Radio, San Francisco, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 7

New Light on the Death of Joe Hill

Posted on August 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 20, 1915: The Times publishes the account of the execution of Joe Hill (Joe Hillstrom)  by firing squad.   The New York Times has two terrific stories that are well worth your time. The first is Rachel Donadio’s feature … Continue reading →

Posted in 1915, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Labor, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

An Inquiry Into Photographic Truth

Posted on August 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: The Las Vegas Mob Experience. Nancy Trejos of the Washington Post visits the Las Vegas Mob Experience, an interactive museum/theme park,  (tickets $30) at the Tropicana. As I bought my ticket, the young lady behind the counter said, in … Continue reading →

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Texas Cattle Rustler Gets 99 Years

Posted on August 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assn. Special Rangers Scott Williamson and Marvin Wills along with Carl Wade Curry. Credit: Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assn. Carl Wade Curry of Athens, Texas, was sentenced to 99 years for cattle rustling. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment