Category Archives: Film

January 19, 1942: Lombard’s Body Recovered From Crash

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1942: The bodies of actress Carole Lombard and eight other people are recovered from the wreckage of a DC-3 that crashed in Nevada. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow. Mystery movie update: The consensus has been to keep doing what I’ve been doing, but perhaps include more recent films. And so I will. Thank you for playing! Continue reading →

Posted in 1973, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

January 16, 1947: Teachers Call ‘Song of the South’ Racist Propaganda

Posted on January 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 16, 1947: Local 27 of the American Federation of Teachers, meeting in Washington, called the Disney feature film “Song of the South” “insidious and subtle propaganda against the Negro.” Continue reading →

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January 12-13: Soviet leader visits Los Angeles

Posted on January 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 12-13: Soviet leader Anastas Mikoyan spends two days in Los Angeles, where he meets… Jerry Lewis! Continue reading →

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Voices — Christine Collins, January 12, 1933

Posted on January 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 12, 1933: A letter informing Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz that the prisoner is dead concludes documents telling the unfortunate saga of Walter and Christine Collins, the inspiration for the Clint Eastwood film ‘Changeling.’ Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1949 movie Tulsa, with Susan Hayward, Robert Preston, Pedro Armendariz, Lloyd Gough, Chill Wills, Edward Begley, Jimmy Conlin and Roland Jack.

Posted in 1949, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 32 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday’s mystery photo, we have a mysterious fellow. Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

January 4, 1928: Voices — Christine Collins

Posted on January 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 4, 1928: Christine Collins, whose life inspired the Clint Eastwood film ‘Changeling,’ writes to the warden urging parole for her husband, Walter. Continue reading →

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Mary Astor’s Lost Film ‘New Year’s Eve’

Posted on December 31, 2025 by lmharnisch

Our annual look at Mary Astor’s lost 1929 film “New Year’s Eve.” It was a silent with music and sound effects and apparently disappeared after 1930. Continue reading →

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December 30, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on December 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 30, 1959: Paul Coates takes his children to see “Solomon and Sheba,” and finds it a Hollywood treatment of the biblical story. Continue reading →

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December 30, 1941: L.A. Women Are Slackers in Fighting the Axis!

Posted on December 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 30, 1941: December 30, 1941: It seems that local women didn’t get the memo about the being the “Greatest Generation.” They’re a bunch of slackers in the war against the Axis and don’t want to work as air-raid wardens. Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Streetcars, Theaters, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on December 30, 1941: L.A. Women Are Slackers in Fighting the Axis!

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Mack Sennett’s Rose Parade Gag

Posted on December 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

In honor of the Rose Parade, Mary Mallory writes about Mack Sennett’s entry in the 1913 edition for the film “Sleuths at the Floral Parade.” Continue reading →

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December 29, 1938: Bookie shot to death in Hollywood

Posted on December 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

By the end of 1938, Weldon sensed that he was a marked man and that death was not far off. He could have stayed out of Los Angeles and maybe he would have lived–at least for a while. But he … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1957 Warner Bros. film Top Secret Affair, with  Susan Hayward, Kirk Douglas, Paul Stewart, Jim Backus, John Cromwell, Roland Winters, A.E. Gould-Porter, Michael Fox, Frank Gerstle and Charles Lane.

Posted in 1957, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 31 Comments

December 28, 1958: Movie stars to watch in the new year, tribute to Archie Moore

Posted on December 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 28, 1958: Hedda Hopper’s predictions for the next crop of movie stars bypasses the cast of the 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Music | Comments Off on December 28, 1958: Movie stars to watch in the new year, tribute to Archie Moore

December 27, 1947: Youth Questioned in Georgette Bauerdorf Killing

Posted on December 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 27, 1947: Sheriff’s detectives question Robert White in the 1944 killing of Georgette Bauerdorf. Continue reading →

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Movieland Silent Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

For this week’s silent mystery movie, we have a mysterious couple. Continue reading →

Posted in 1925, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

December 21, 1930: Voices — Christine Collins

Posted on December 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 21, 1930: Christine Collins, whose experiences inspired the movie “Changeling,” writes to the warden wishing him a Merry Christmas, even though parole was denied for her husband. Continue reading →

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December 19, 1941: Japanese Spy Ring Smashed, FBI Says

Posted on December 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 19, 1941: The suicide of Dr. Rikita Honda, who slashed his wrists while in custody at Terminal Island, revealed that he was the director of a vast spy ring, the FBI says.  Honda was head of the Imperial Comradeship Society, which allegedly had 4,800 members in Western states, including California and Arizona. Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Suicide, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on December 19, 1941: Japanese Spy Ring Smashed, FBI Says

December 18, 1941: Academy Awards Banquet Canceled; Oscars Postponed Due to War

Posted on December 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 18, 1941: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences cancels its annual banquet, due to the war. The awards will be given out later in some informal gathering, Edwin Schallert writes. Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on December 18, 1941: Academy Awards Banquet Canceled; Oscars Postponed Due to War