Category Archives: Front Pages

Shostakovich Visits L.A.!

Posted on October 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

Shostakovich meets the press at the Ambassador Hotel. Wouldn’t it be great to go see it? Oh, wait, we let L..A. Unified tear it down. Oct. 20, 1959: Dmitri Shostakovich leads a group of Soviet composers on a tour … Continue reading →

Posted in classical music, Front Pages, Music, Sports, Stage | 1 Comment

Lili St. Cyr Remarries

Posted on October 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

Charles Van Doren reportedly confesses to getting answers for the TV game show "Twenty-One.' Oct. 29, 1959: Americans are ashamed that the U.S. is behind the Soviets in the space race … And Lili St. Cyr is … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Front Pages, health, Television | Comments Off

Women in Little Tokyo Charged as B-Girls

Posted on October 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

And all this time, I thought people were joking about winning the Irish Sweepstakes. The prolonged steel strike puts 6,100 local General Motors employees out of work. The affected factories are GM's Chevrolet, Fisher Body and truck plants in the … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, Front Pages | 1 Comment

Grand Jury to Investigate USC Fraternity Hazing Death

Posted on October 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 27, 1959: General Motors lays off 2,103 autoworkers in Los Angeles because of the continuing steel strike … And the grand jury will investigate the death of Kappa Sigma pledge Richard Swanson.

Posted in #courts, Front Pages | Comments Off

Dark Side of the Moon!

Posted on October 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 27, 1959: In another setback for America in the space race, the Soviets release a photo of the hidden side of the moon, while two U.S. satellites plunge from orbit.

Posted in Front Pages, Science | Comments Off

TV Star’s Wife Returns After Suicide Attempt

Posted on October 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

Reporters meet Virginia Arness at the airport and follow her home. Photographers ask James Arness, the star of "Gunsmoke," to pose with her, but he refuses. Oct. 26, 1959: The front page teases a story about the Lions getting … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Front Pages, Sports, Television | Comments Off

Brubeck Quartet at Reseda High School

Posted on October 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

Dave Brubeck at Reseda High School: $2. Oct. 24, 1959: Don’t worry. That train crash is actually in Canada … The New York district attorney is considering perjury charges against Charles Van Doren and Hank Bloomgarden, who voluntarily made substantial … Continue reading →

Posted in #Jazz, Environment, Front Pages, Transportation | Comments Off

L.A. County Seeks to Curb Smog

Posted on October 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 24, 1959: Smog continues to blight Los Angeles. City Hall is barely visible from Temple and Hill streets. And Walter O'Malley promises that Dodger Stadium will be dignified.

Posted in Dodgers, Downtown, Environment, Front Pages, Transportation | Comments Off

Smog Alert!

Posted on October 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

Funeral services for quintuplets born a few days earlier. Oct. 23, 1959: A pall of smog covers the city as county supervisors plan to send a representative to talk to Detroit auto executives about emission controls.

Posted in broadcasting, Environment, Front Pages, Television | 2 Comments

Fidel Castro Survives Assassination Attempt

Posted on October 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 23, 1959: The courts refuse to halt the steel strike … And Shostakovich is coming. Farah Dibah, on a shopping trip to Paris, refuses to confirm reports that she is engaged to marry the shah of Iran. Harper Poulson, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Politics, Richard Nixon, Sports | 2 Comments

Cleaning Up L.A.’s Dirty Air

Posted on October 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Mirror has three Page 1 stories about smog. Oct. 22, 1959: Anti-smog devices are available for cars starting with the 1961 model year.

Posted in Environment, Front Pages | Comments Off

As Undercover Agent, Housewife Spied on Communists

Posted on October 21, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 21, 1959: Moiselle Clinger describes spying on Communists for the FBI. Truck driver Gordon Powell says he robbed a bank after losing work because of the steel strike. A new appeal seeks to block the execution of Caryl Chessman. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Caryl Chessman, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Politics, Sports | 1 Comment

Quints Born in Texas

Posted on October 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 20, 1959: Former Secretary of State and Defense Gen. George C. Marshall is buried at Arlington. Former President Truman says: "I sincerely hope that when it comes my time to cross the great river, Gen. Marshall will place me … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Caryl Chessman, Front Pages | Comments Off

Caryl Chessman Wins Delay

Posted on October 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 21, 1959: Caryl Chessman gets a stay of execution.

Posted in #courts, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood | Comments Off

Supreme Court OKs Dodger Stadium

Posted on October 19, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 19, 1959: Few attend Errol Flynn’s funeral … "Men will walk on the moon before there is a woman president," says Mrs. Claire B. Williams, assistant chairman of the Republican National Committee in charge of women's activities. Dodger Stadium … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | Comments Off

Errol Flynn Dies in Canada

Posted on October 15, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 15, 1959: The Mirror isn’t quite so dainty about calling Beverly Aadland a “protege.” Aug. 19, 1979: Beverly Aadland writes to The Times and says she's living in the Antelope Valley.

Posted in Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Obituaries | Comments Off

Fire Closes in on Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Posted on October 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 14, 1959: The Mirror brings out an extra on the La Canada fire, which is within a mile and a half of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The story says the fire moved half a mile in five minutes … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Front Pages, Television | 1 Comment

Forest Service Worker Admits Setting Fatal Fire

Posted on October 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

This is how we did fire maps 50 years ago. The map is hard to read, but compare it with the one we did for the Station fire. Oct. 14, 1959: The Times brings out an extra on the … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Front Pages | 1 Comment

Time Running Out for Caryl Chessman

Posted on October 13, 2009 by lmharnisch

Eleanor Roosevelt urges clemency for Caryl Chessman. An evocative story by the late Paul Weeks about a teenager who died in a spectacular car crash while running from the police. Eleanor Roosevelt, Aldous Huxley, Ray Bradbury, Steve Allen and … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Caryl Chessman, Environment, Front Pages | Comments Off

Writers Guild Strikes Over TV Residuals