Category Archives: Film

Black L.A. 1947: USC Film Student Refuses ‘Uncle Tom’ Role in Radio Play

Posted on June 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1947: USC film student James C. Johnson, a member of the Delta Kappa Alpha cinema fraternity, said he would not play a role in a student’s radio play because it depicted “the Negro as stereotype,” the Sentinel said. Continue reading →

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June 4, 1947: Television Comes to Los Angeles

Posted on June 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 4, 1947: Television comes to Los Angeles on T-Day (March 10, 1947) with KTLA and W6XAO. By June 4, the stations aired baseball, test patterns and Queen for a Day. Continue reading →

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June 4, 1941: Burbank Man Invents Death Ray!

Posted on June 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 4, 1941: A Burbank man claims to have invented a death ray that will kill rabbits at 100 yards. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1941, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Death Rays, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on June 4, 1941: Burbank Man Invents Death Ray!

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on June 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious girl. Continue reading →

Posted in 1945, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Radio | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on May 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious girl and Back of the Head Woman. Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 29 Comments

May 19, 1939: Soldier Killed, Hundreds Hurt in Holy Land Riots

Posted on May 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 19, 1939: A British soldier is killed and at least 200 are injured by rioting in the Holy Land as Jews protest Britain’s plan for Palestine. Also a talking pelican with a machine gun. Continue reading →

Posted in 1939, Comics, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports, Stage | Comments Off on May 19, 1939: Soldier Killed, Hundreds Hurt in Holy Land Riots

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on May 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious surgeon — yes, another one! Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 29 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, May 13, 1944

Posted on May 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 13, 1944: Louella Parsons says that D.W. Griffith is so impressed with Preston Sturges’ “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek,” that Griffith sent Sturges a treatment of Louis Bromfield’s “Up Ferguson Way,” at the insistence of Lillian Gish. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on May 11, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow. Continue reading →

Posted in 1920, Film, From the Vaults, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Where True Art Transcends Time

Posted on May 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival returns to the newly renovated Castro Theatre May 6 through 10 for a trip back in time and history, with screenings of newly restored and classic movies from around the worlld. These films transport … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on May 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, our mysterious leading man examines a hypodermic needle. Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Noir City on the Downbeat

Posted on April 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory writes about the recent Noir City Hollywood, which paired film noir and jazz. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have two Back of the Head Guys in a mysterious foreign film. Continue reading →

Posted in 1979, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Voices — Christine Collins, April 23, 1931

Posted on April 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1931: Walter Collins is “in good condition,” a prison report says. Collins was the husband of Christine Collins, whose story inspired the Clint Eastwood movie “Changeling.” Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1931, Changeling, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Comments Off on Voices — Christine Collins, April 23, 1931

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious surgical team. Continue reading →

Posted in 1973, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood by Sidney Skolsky, April 15, 1944

Posted on April 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 15, 1944: Theater owners gripe about films they are showing. Sample: “My patrons like corn, green, ripe, in muffins, cans or jugs, and I simply have got to give it to them and that’s what they are going to get from now on. This picture business is getting me, or has it got me?” Continue reading →

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April 11, 1958: Johnny Stompanato inquest

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 11, 1958: The Mirror publishes excerpts from the inquest of Johnny Stompanato. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious woman who does not approve of such goings-on. Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood’s Salute to Atmosphere – The Afton Arms

Posted on April 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory writes about the Afton Arms Apartments in an encore post from 2019. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood’s Salute to Atmosphere – The Afton Arms

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on April 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious woman driving a mysterious horseless carriage. Continue reading →

Posted in 1964, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 32 Comments