Category Archives: Film

Black Dahlia: Gloria Swanson Photo Inscribed to Mark Hansen on EBay

Posted on June 13, 2014 by lmharnisch

Here’s another item that is tangentially related to the Black Dahlia case: A photograph of Gloria Swanson inscribed to Florentine Gardens business manager Mark Hansen. Hansen was a small-time operator of movie theaters and news accounts of the Black Dahlia … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

U.S. Troops Report Nazi Atrocities During Invasion, June 13, 1944

Posted on June 13, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 13, 1944 The Times reports the death of pilot Maj. Joseph D.R. Shaffer, 26, of Long Beach, who received the Silver Star and the  Distinguished Service Cross for shooting down a Nazi bomber near Reykjavik — the first German … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Columnists, Comics, Film, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip By Louella Parsons, June 13, 1944

Posted on June 13, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 13, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 12 — There isn’t a chance of MGM making the same mistake with 14-year-old Jane Powell they made with Deanna Durbin. Deanna slipped through their fingers and then made “Three Smart Girls” for Charles Rogers … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, June 12, 1944

Posted on June 12, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 12, 1944 Life’s cover photo shows 500-pound bombs falling on an oil refinery in Leghorn, Italy. Where does Al Capp get ideas for his characters? Would you believe Veronica Lake? A feature on Humphrey Bogart says that while filming … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, June 12, 1944

Posted on June 12, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 12, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 11 — Right out of New York comes word Jack Warner has added “The Two Mrs. Carrolls” to his list of New York plays. Jack, who has spent money unstintingly for New York hits, is … Continue reading →

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‘Saving Mr. Banks’ on Heritage Square

Posted on June 11, 2014 by lmharnisch

I was underwhelmed by “Saving Mr. Banks,” but look what I found! It’s Heritage Square, which (for out-of-town readers) is just off the Arroyo Seco Parkway. Here’s Heritage Square as shown on Google Street View.

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, June 10, 1944

Posted on June 11, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 10, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 9 — There has been so much talk that Joan Fontaine would take her troubles to court and ask to have her David Selznick contract canceled that I did a little investigating. I talked to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo ( Updated + + + + )

Posted on June 9, 2014 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was “Black Angel,” as requested by B.J. Merholz. Thanks, B.J. And if you have a mystery movie request, email me here.  

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 36 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, June 6, 1944

Posted on June 6, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 6, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 5 — When Harriet Parsons (a young producer I know very well — in fact she used to put the bite on me for ice cream sodas) finishes “The Enchanted Cottage” she takes over her … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: San Francisco Silent Film Festival Travels World

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

  A still from “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” listed on EBay at $14.95. The 2014 San Francisco Silent Film Festival acts as a mini United Nations with its smorgasbord of films and accompaniment, offering a little something for every … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 6

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oh dear. Here we are at the sixth installment on the making of the film “Laura” and novelist Vera Caspary is barely out of diapers. Be assured that the actors will eventually be cast, the sets will be built, the … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, June 5, 1944

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 4 — Erich Pommer, one time high mogul of UFA productions in Berlin, became an American citizen last week and celebrated by signing for two pictures with Producers Corp. of America. Years ago, before the … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, June 5, 1944

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1944 Reporter Charles Christian Wertenbaker says: The spring of 1944 will be remembered by those who passed it in England as a time when nerves were tauter than during the blitz. All spring long the tension grew until … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — People Who Write in Library Books Should Be Shot

Posted on June 4, 2014 by lmharnisch

In researching “Laura,” I borrowed Gerald Pratley’s “The Cinema of Otto Preminger” from the Los Angeles Public Library, only to discover that some idiot had scrawled through the entire book. The individual who committed this crime spent lots of time … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Libraries | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip, by Louella Parsons, June 4, 1944

Posted on June 4, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 4, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 3 — Paulette Goddard, in the past, has been a girl to keep her emotions to herself. I suppose I have written a dozen or so interviews with her and always she has obviously talked … Continue reading →

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‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 5

Posted on June 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944,  item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as director of “Laura” to do a bit of digging into the production of this film noir classic – however one … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo ( Updated + + + + )

Posted on June 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

This is “Princesse Tam Tam”  with Josephine Baker. You can also find it online, although there are no subtitles. And thanks to glcrumpacker for the suggestion. If you would like to request a mystery movie, drop me a line. “Princesse … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Crossroads of the World Welcomes All

Posted on June 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

The interior of Crossroads of the World, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Long before the Grove or Americana on Brand, the Crossroads of the World existed as a retail center replicating simpler times and more glamorous surroundings. It sprang from tragedy … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo — Request Time

Posted on May 31, 2014 by lmharnisch

His Excellency wants to know if you have a request for an upcoming mystery movie. The Daily Mirror archives are spotty, so I can’t guarantee that I’ll have a copy, but if you have a request, drop me an email.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Classic Film Noir, Part 4

Posted on May 30, 2014 by lmharnisch

  In case you just tuned in, I’m using the May 15 post by Louella Parsons on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced by Otto Preminger as director of “Laura” to spend some time examining the production of the film noir classic. … Continue reading →

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