Category Archives: Crime and Courts

Paul Coates, April 11, 1961

Posted on April 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

        April 11, 1961: Mayoral candidate Sam Yorty sues Mayor Norris Poulson for slander! Life is good (if you’re a newspaper)!  Al Capp interviews a stewardess for American Airlines – none of this flight attendant stuff in … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Adolf Eichmann, City Hall, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Paul Coates, Politics | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 11, 1961

Liz Renay Sentenced to Prison

Posted on April 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

            April 11, 1961: Liz Renay (d. 2007) is sentenced to prison for violating the terms of her probation for perjury in Mickey Cohen’s tax evasion case. She later said: "I have paid a dear … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Comics, Crime and Courts, Mickey Cohen | 2 Comments

Matt Weinstock, April 10, 1961

Posted on April 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

    April 10, 1961: Lawrence Clark Powell, head of UCLA’s library school, surveys students’ attitudes on reading and touches off an interesting exploration of their reading habits. Many say they don’t have time to read for pleasure or that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Adolf Eichmann, books, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Education, Matt Weinstock, Zombie Reading List | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, April 10, 1961

Paul Coates, April 10, 1961

Posted on April 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

      April 10, 1961: Notice the Spade Cooley story. It vanished from later editions, and I couldn’t find the jump, just the Page 1 portion. Paul Coates writes about two Beverly Hills police officers' problems with Police Chief … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, books, Columnists, Crime and Courts, From the Vaults, Homicide, Paul Coates, Zombie Reading List | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 10, 1961

Israel Prepares for Eichmann Trial

Posted on April 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

         April 10, 1961: Israel is preparing for the trial of Adolf Eichmann, the former Nazi Gestapo chief of Jewish affairs, who is accused of crimes against the Jewish people and crimes against humanity. Eichmann’s trial lasted … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Crime and Courts | 1 Comment

Matt Weinstock, April 7, 1961

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

       April 7, 1961:  A bail bondsman takes a lesson from “The Untouchables” and finds his missing client in a barber chair, Matt Weinstock says. CONFIDENTIAL TO "HAVING OUR TROUBLES": A very wise woman once told me that … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, April 7, 1961

Paul Coates, April 7, 1961

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

               April 7, 1961: I came across a letter to the editor (on the jump) about Gov. Pat Brown’s grant of clemency for William Erwin “Machine Gun” Walker, which I overlooked (so many stories, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 7, 1961

Daily Mirror Readers — ‘The Brain Trust’

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo courtesy of Howard Decker Most Daily Mirror readers know him as Fibber. His real name is Howard Decker, and here’s a picture of him covering the Spade Cooley trial. He’s the fellow in the background on the right. Howard … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Photography | 3 Comments

Paul Coates, April 6, 1961

Posted on April 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

    April 6, 1961: Paul Coates has an update on Synanon, which was praised for the way it treated drug addiction. Later on, as many may remember, Synanon developed into a notorious cult.

Posted in 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Paul Coates | 2 Comments

Spade Cooley: ‘I’m not sure, but I think Ella Mae is dead’

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   Oct. 15, 1949: Spade Cooley and his daughter Melody pose for a publicity photo aboard his yacht.     April 5, 1961: In a switch from its usual policy of keeping … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Music, Photography | 4 Comments

Found on EBay — ‘Headline Happy’

Posted on April 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Los Angeles Times file photo   A somewhat distressed copy of “Headline Happy” by Florabel Muir  has been listed on EBay. You may recall that Muir, above, has a terrific description of the Busgy Siegel crime scene and, yes, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, books, Crime and Courts, Mickey Cohen, Zombie Reading List | Comments Off on Found on EBay — ‘Headline Happy’

Private Investigator Held in Extortion

Posted on March 31, 2011 by lmharnisch

        Private investigator Charles R. Chase decided to make a little extra money by squeezing an extra $900 out of a teenager who stole $100 from the  drugstore where he worked. The police set a trap and … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1931, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Comments Off on Private Investigator Held in Extortion

Ex-Columbia Student Blames Drugs for Shooting at Actress

Posted on March 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

            March 23, 1901: The Times has grown to an 18-page paper. One front-page story reports a shooting in the Rathskeller of the Pabst Hotel (d. 1902) at 42nd Street and Broadway in New York, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Crime and Courts, Fashion, Stage | 1 Comment

Minister Accused of Trying to Rape Danish Nanny

Posted on March 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

        March 21-22, 1891: It has been far too long since I paid a visit to 1891, when The Times was a 12-page paper with offices at 1st and Broadway. The Rev. Samuel J. Fleming of South … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1891, art and artists, Crime and Courts, Religion | 2 Comments

Man Paralyzed in Shooting Over a Can of Beer, March 21, 1981

Posted on March 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

        March 21, 1981: Times reporter Bill Farr (d. 1987) has the story of Josephus Jackson, who was partially paralyzed from being shot in the back by a liquor store clerk over a 55-cent can of beer. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1981, art and artists, Comics, Crime and Courts | 1 Comment

Architectural Ramblings — The Sowden House

Posted on March 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Drawing by Charles Owens/Los Angeles Times   The Sowden House by architect Lloyd Wright at 5121 Franklin Ave. is on the market for $4.2 million. You may recall that this was the purported murder HQ of Dr. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1947, Architecture, art and artists, books, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Nuestro Pueblo, Real Estate | 1 Comment

Voices: Warren Christopher, 1925 — 2011

Posted on March 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

“When human beings are forcibly abducted from their homes, interrogated incessantly at the pleasure of their captors and prodded with electrodes or held under water to the point of drowning — when such things are happening around the world, as they are, all who truly value human rights must speak out.”
Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, LAPD, Obituaries, Politics | Comments Off on Voices: Warren Christopher, 1925 — 2011

Austrians Plan Worldwide War Against Judaism, March 16, 1921

Posted on March 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

          March 16, 1921: Edna Wallace Hopper, who about two wives ago was the wife of De Wolf Hopper, is in the city. She is reported as forming her own picture company and said yesterday that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, art and artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Religion | Comments Off on Austrians Plan Worldwide War Against Judaism, March 16, 1921

Another Good Story Ruined — The Black Dahlia

Posted on March 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

I received a news alert the other day about an upcoming play titled “The Chanteuse and the Devil’s Muse” in which Daniele Watts will portray Mady Comfort, at left, purportedly “Elizabeth Short's best friend.” I honestly don’t know how such … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Coming Attractions, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Stage | 6 Comments

Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, March 11, 1961

Posted on March 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

        March 11, 1961: The unemployed man who turned in $240,000 that fell from a Brink’s armored car gets a job offer! An overturned propane trailer causes a five-hour jam on the Hollywood Freeway, Matt Weinstock says, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Matt Weinstock, Paul Coates, Transportation | Comments Off on Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, March 11, 1961