Category Archives: Film

July 15, 1957: The laughter dies

Posted on July 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

  July 15, 1957Los Angeles They had been through triumph and tragedy, and spent more time together than many married couples. But it was time for a change. The scripts were lousy and getting worse. One of them wanted to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

The Nina mystery

Posted on July 14, 2007 by lmharnisch

July 11, 1957 Los Angeles Here’s a vintage Al Hirschfeld drawing done for “The Pride and the Passion,” starring Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren and Cary Grant. Hirschfeld is famous not only for being a fabulous artist but for hiding the … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Film | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

Posted on July 10, 2007 by lmharnisch

July 10, 1957 Since my boyhood days in the wheat fields of Manhattan I have steadfastly held Hollywood in veneration. I feigned interest in Lou Gehrig and Carl Hubbell and Hank Greenberg and the rest of their sweaty ilk to … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A few golden hours

Posted on July 10, 2007 by lmharnisch

July 10, 1957 Los Angeles Let’s suppose you are a famous comedian with a hit TV show. Fame and wealth are yours–more than you could have ever imagined. You are recognized wherever you go. Now let’s suppose that the doctors … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Forest Lawn, Hollywood, Mickey Cohen, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gail Russell–in memoriam

Posted on July 5, 2007 by lmharnisch

Photographs by the Los Angeles Times Sgt. C.H. Specht examines damage to Jan’s Restaurant, 8424 Beverly Blvd., caused by Gail Russell’s convertible.  Below right, Russell fails a test for intoxication administered by Specht. July 6, 1957 Los Angeles You poor … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Cemeteries, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Now showing!

Posted on June 24, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 24, 1957Los Angeles Now playing at the Million Dollar: "Tropicana" and  "Serenata en Mexico."

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Seven Samurai

Posted on June 24, 2007 by lmharnisch

Trivia note: Akira Kurosawa’s "Seven Samurai" premiered in Los Angeles at the late Linda Lea Theater in 1956.

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Not on Netflix

Posted on May 16, 2007 by lmharnisch

  "Voodoo Woman" Bad things happen when treasure hunters set foot in voodoo country. Look for Mike "Panic Button" Connors as "Touch Connors."  "This story has been done a thousand times instead of just a hundred and frequently much better."  … Continue reading →

Posted in Film | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Drivers’ Ed Theatre

Posted on May 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

"Frigidaire Finale," 1957 Bad things happen when a choreographer is turned loose with two dancers and a bunch of appliances.

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Drivers’ Ed Theatre

Posted on May 8, 2007 by lmharnisch

Last Date, 1949 "Dear Margo, they finally released me from the hospital.  And now I’m home again.  But  in a way I almost wished I had died in there…. I’ve had my last date." With Dick York

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Not on Netflix

Posted on April 26, 2007 by lmharnisch

               Note: Plot summaries are based on a variety of sources since it’s difficult to find viewing copies of these cinematic gems from 1957. "China Gate." Bad things happen in Viet-Nam when an American … Continue reading →

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Blogging the Wolfe Book, Our Story So Far

Posted on February 8, 2007 by lmharnisch

Larry Harnisch (described by James Ellroy as a Dahlia scholar/Dahlia freak, take your pick) is blogging in real time as he reads Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles.” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Film, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Whats in That Embalming Fluid?

Posted on December 18, 2006 by lmharnisch

Dec. 18, 1907Los AngelesLos Angeles County Coroner Roy S. Lanterman was arrested on charges of being drunk and disorderly at the Navajo, a bordello run by Ida Hastings, 309 Ord St. Hastings called police, who arrested Lanterman.A Mills Seminary graduate … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1909, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Photography, Streetcars | Comments Off on Whats in That Embalming Fluid?

L.A. Rising

Posted on December 15, 2006 by lmharnisch

Dec. 15, 1905Los AngelesAnybody who sets out to study the development of the city’s neighborhoods can expect to do lots of driving. My recent travels have taken me to an obscure area of South Los Angeles to look for 1907-era … Continue reading →

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Roving to Monrovia

Posted on November 25, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 24, 1907Monrovia The Times real estate section takes a look at what was then the distant suburb of Monrovia, 22 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The writer notes the increasing use of concrete and stone, explaining that the cost … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1911, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Downtown, Education, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, LAPD, Real Estate, Streetcars | Comments Off on Roving to Monrovia

Religious Recycling

Posted on November 18, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 18, 1907South PasadenaCalvary Presbyterian Church at Center (now El Centro) and Fremont was dedicated in a service featuring prominent local religious leaders, including Dr. John Willis Baer, president of Occidental College.The Times notes that the original church building was … Continue reading →

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Curb Appeal

Posted on November 3, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 3, 1907Los AngelesMrs. E.N. Eskey is building this 10-room house in Pico Heights, on Van Ness just south of Pico.According to The Times, the two-story house (with basement) has a first floor divided into a reception hall with an … Continue reading →

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Not a Pretty Moment

Posted on September 21, 2006 by lmharnisch

Sept. 21, 1907 Los Angeles It is one thing to know in the abstract about racial intolerance at the turn of the 20th century and quite another to have to read it in the daily paper. I will spare you … Continue reading →

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Paul Schrader’s 1971 Notes on Film Noir

Posted on May 11, 2006 by lmharnisch

Paul Schrader’s 1971 essay “Notes on Film Noir” in all its sappy, naive glory, with typos by me. In 1946, French critics, seeing the American films they had missed during the war, noticed the new mood of cynicism, pessimism and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Education, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Music, Native Americans, Photography, Streetcars | Comments Off on Paul Schrader’s 1971 Notes on Film Noir