Category Archives: Film

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This 1989 photo allegedly shows the filming of that masterpiece “Beverly Hills Corpse,” a film I cannot locate.  [However the director, David "Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama," DeCoteau, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 8 Comments

Paul Coates, Feb. 15, 1961

      Feb. 15, 1961: Paul Coates writes about a house for rent, “an ornate, slightly garish Mediterranean-style home on a hill overlooking Hollywood” built in the ‘20s by a movie star. “Never heard of her,” says one prospective … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 15, 1941

        Feb. 15, 1941: Tom Treanor, who died covering World War II for The Times, has an interesting and, in fact, prophetic piece about the difficulty of any attack on the oilfields of Romania to keep the … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This is director James Goldstone and George Segal filming “Rollercoaster” in a photo taken Dec. 2, 1976. ] I blacked out the slate so this photo won’t be too easy….

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

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 14, 1941

          Feb. 14, 1941: “Gasoline Alley” celebrates the 20th anniversary of the arrival of Skeezix Wallet. And here’s a mystery for cartoon historians: Although the anniversary is usually listed as Feb. 14, 1921, the actual publication … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, 1941, art and artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This is the filming of “Walker,” in a photo taken April 5, 1987. And no, we’re not on an Ed Harris theme even though we had “Swing Shift” yesterday. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 3 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 13, 1941

           Feb. 13, 1941: Tom Treanor says that watching America from overseas is something like seeing yourself in a home movie. “You're quite surprised at how you look, a little displeased and completely fascinated,” he says. … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo       [Update: This is the set of “Swing Shift” published March 20, 1983, for a feature on a day in the life of Hollywood.] Here’s a street scene that has … Continue reading →

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

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 12, 1941

            Feb. 12, 1941: Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II for The Times, writes about his experiences in Romania. “Poor old beautiful, callous, hard-luck Rumania, a happy-go-lucky country trying not to be … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo         Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This is “What’s Up Doc?” with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal, as most people realized. ] For all those Daily Mirror … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 19 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 11, 1941

           Feb. 11, 1941: Tom Treanor, recently returned from Europe, says: There is no place so confusing and so dismal as a grimy old European railroad station, where you're getting your legs knocked by bags and … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Time file photo   [Update: This is what my friends in Orange County used to call “the condo made of stone-a” (look it up, young people) next to the Santa Ana Freeway in City of … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 15 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 10, 1941

           Feb. 10, 1941: Tom Treanor writes about Europeans’ attitudes toward America. “The impending clash between America and Germany fills the Europeans with a sort of dreadful and delightful anticipation. It's so tremendous as to be … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo       6th Street and Rampart Boulevard via Google maps’ street view. [Update: This is the filming of “Car Wash” at 6th Street and Rampart Boulevard in a photo by Marilyn … Continue reading →

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

Paul Coates, Feb. 9, 1961

      Feb. 9, 1961: Paul Coates takes a humorous look at the written driver’s test but his column includes some interesting details. To take the written in Spanish one must first take (and fail) the written test in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Columnists, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This is the filming of “The Domino Principle” in the mess hall at San Quentin in a photo stamped May 7, 1976. On the jump, Roderick Mann’s first-rate profile of … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography, Roderick Mann | 21 Comments

Paul Coates, Feb. 8, 1961

         Feb. 8, 1961: Paul Coates has this problem with remembering names. It’s easy for him to recall most folks, but when it comes to the city’s movers and shakers … well, let him tell it.

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 8, 1941

            Feb. 8, 1941: Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II for The Times, tells the story of Harry the deck steward on the S.S. Exeter from Lisbon, Portugal, to New York – … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Animals, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 8, 1941

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This photo stumped the brain trust! And perhaps with good reason. It was apparently never published in The Times and is from a somewhat obscure movie called “The Fixer,” which … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 5 Comments

Paul Coates, Feb. 7, 1961

Feb. 7, 1961: Is it possible to write anything more about the Lady in Black? Actually, it is. Movie publicist Russell Birdwell tells Paul Coates that he hired an extra to “mourn” at Valentino’s crypt to  heighten the dramatic effect … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Cemeteries, Columnists, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Paul Coates | 1 Comment