Category Archives: Film

60% Chance of Immediate War With Japan, Dec. 6, 1941

Posted on December 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dec. 6, 1941: Burt Lancaster gets an important phone call from Deborah Kerr. Edgar Ansel Mowrer of the Chicago Daily News Foreign Service says “… well-informed American officials are still convinced that Japan will start a fight in the near … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, Vietnam, Washington, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on 60% Chance of Immediate War With Japan, Dec. 6, 1941

Japan Ready to Reject U.S. Terms

Posted on December 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dec. 5, 1941: There’s almost too much interesting news on Pearl Harbor Day minus 2. Josephine Trout Barnes is reunited with her baby girl Camelia/Camellia/Carmelia (newspapers in the Linotype era sometimes had a fluid sense of spelling when it came … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Books and Authors, City Hall, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on December 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 1955 Cadillac hearse, listed on EBay at $7,500. Queen of the Dead—dateline December 5, 2011 •  With Loretta Young and Clark Gable as parents, Judy Lewis was bound to be a knockout—and since she looked like a Photoshop mash-up … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Eve Golden, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Television | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Found on EBay – ‘Salome’

Posted on December 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

What is advertised as original still No. 25-17 of Theda Bara from the lost film “Salome” has been listed on EBay. I have seen enough of these photos to confirm that the production code begins with “25-XX.” The Witzel studios … Continue reading →

Posted in 1918, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Witzel | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on December 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: This is Mona Barrie.] Here’s another mystery lady from the collection of Steven Bibb. There’s a new photo on the jump!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Peace Talks Between U.S., Japan on Verge of Collapse

Posted on December 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dec. 4, 1941:Dr. Richard A. Carter, head of the Carter Neurological Clinic in Garden Grove, is accused of negligence in administering a fatal dose during insulin shock treatments for Virginia Lamb, 22, of Anaheim for dementia praecox. It’s unclear from … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Medicine, Tom Treanor, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Peace Talks Between U.S., Japan on Verge of Collapse

L.A. County Pays Immigrants on Welfare to Go Back to Mexico

Posted on December 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dec. 3, 1941: Here’s how Los Angeles County once handled immigration. Officials paid families on welfare $100 ($1,464.25 USD 2010) over 10 months to go back to Mexico. Since 1930-31, more than 4,000 families had gone back to Mexico under … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Immigration, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. County Pays Immigrants on Welfare to Go Back to Mexico

Army Is Prepared, but Needs to Toughen Up for War, General Says

Posted on December 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dec. 1, 1941: With the attack on Pearl Harbor six days away, Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair says U.S. troops are ready to fight, but would suffer heavy losses with only six months of field training. “Properly trained units cannot … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Music, Radio, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Army Is Prepared, but Needs to Toughen Up for War, General Says

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on November 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery photo from the amazing collection of Steven Bibb! [Update: This is Natalie Thompson, who appeared in “The Vanishing Virginian.” ]

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Dying Man Found on Main Street

Posted on November 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 30, 1941:President Roosevelt says the U.S. may be at war in a year – actually, it was a week later. Bartender Eddie Watton was closing up at the Theatre Cafe, 324 S. Main St., and wanted the man at … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1942, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

How to Wear a Hat – Newsboy Cap Edition

Posted on November 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Jack Huston in “Boardwalk Empire.” Credit: Macall Polay HBO via the Los Angeles Times. I was watching “Emperor of the North” and thought a post on newsboy caps might be a good follow-up on How to Wear a Hat … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, 1973, Fashion, Film, Hollywood | Tagged | 4 Comments

November 27, 1941: Streetcar Companies Ask Council to End Bus Ban in Downtown L.A.

Posted on November 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

November 27, 1941: The Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Railways ask the City Council to repeal a ban against buses operating in downtown Los Angeles. Pacific Electric officials said the ban prevented them from routing the line from Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Streetcars, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Man Takes Fight Over Dog License to U.S. Supreme Court

Posted on November 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The 1200 block of Innes Avenue, home of the George F. Harrington/Kitty HQ, via Google Street View. Nov. 26, 1941: Kitty may not be a typical name for a dog – but then George F. Harrington is an unusual … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Animals, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on L.A. Man Takes Fight Over Dog License to U.S. Supreme Court

Movieland Mystery Photos – Special Edition [Updated]

Posted on November 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: I thought it might be helpful if I enlarged the faces of our mystery gents. My hunch is that the fellow on the right is Laurence Olivier. [I have also received three more photos and I now suspect that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1952, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography, Politics | Tagged , | 23 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on November 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s a mystery couple!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

On the Frontiers of Science – The Virgin Rabbit

Posted on November 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 23, 1941: Dr. Herbert Shapiro of the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia has discovered that if you place a bag of ice cubs on the side of a rabbit for 90 minutes, the rabbit may become pregnant. “The ice … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Animals, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Medicine | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on November 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s today’s mystery chap, courtesy of Steven Bibb!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Duchess Spinelli, Doomed to Gas Chamber: ‘No Christian Will Kill!’

Posted on November 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 21, 1941: Juanita “The Duchess” Spinelli arrives at San Quentin to be executed in the gas chamber – the first woman legally executed in California’s history. “No one who is a Christian will kill!” the 52-year-old mother of three … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Religion | Tagged , | Comments Off on Duchess Spinelli, Doomed to Gas Chamber: ‘No Christian Will Kill!’

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on November 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: A model of a 1959 Cadillac hearse, listed on EBay for $599.99. Queen of the Dead—dateline November 21, 2011 •  “The Baroness Huntingtower died on the 8 th inst.,” said Lady Prudence Fairfax. “Not Katherine Grant of Rothiemurchus, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Fashion, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on November 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery chap, courtesy of Steven Bibb. [Update: This is Robert Beatty. Please congratulate Don Danard and Rotter for identifying him. Here’s his obituary in the Los Angeles Times | New York Times ]

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments