Category Archives: Hollywood Division

From the Stacks – ‘Portraits of Crime’ (1977)

Posted on April 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Two years after writing about  LAPD Det. Ector Garcia, I finally located a copy of his book, “Portraits of Crime,” which arrived in the mail from the U.K. while I was on vacation. No one will ever mistake … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1977, books, Crime and Courts, Downtown, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD, Pages of History, San Fernando Valley, Venice Division, West Hollywood, Zombie Reading List | 1 Comment

Dinosaur Expert Roy Chapman Andrews Dies

Posted on March 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 12, 1960: Roy Chapman Andrews is not an author I think about very often anymore, but he wrote one of the favorite books of my childhood, “All About Dinosaurs.” I suppose he’s one reason I took all those … Continue reading →

Posted in books, broadcasting, Film, Hollywood Division, Obituaries, Sports | Leave a comment

Coming Attractions — Mexican Science Fiction Films

Posted on August 25, 2009 by lmharnisch

Regular Daily Mirror reader Mary Mallory notes that former Mystery Movie Star Ana Bertha Lepe, left, will be featured in "La Nave de los Monstruos" ("The Monsters' Ship") at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Hammer Museum. The plot summary: … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood Division, Mystery Photo, UFOs | 1 Comment

SLA Pipe Bombs Revisited

Posted on April 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

Aug. 23, 1975: Bombs are found under two LAPD cars. In the last 33 years, The Times has published varying accounts of the August 1975 incident in which the Symbionese Liberation Army planted pipe bombs under two LAPD cars — … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, LAPD | Leave a comment

Intruder kills former actress, August 28, 1958

Posted on August 28, 2008 by lmharnisch

She is one of those cold cases that leave all kinds of unanswered questions even when the killer is finally caught, convicted and sent to prison. Nothing about it passes the sniff test. We know her name was Helene Funk … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Cemeteries, Dodgers, Film, Forest Lawn, Front Pages, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD, Sports | 1 Comment

Christmas past

Posted on December 8, 2007 by lmharnisch

Dec. 22, 1968 Los Angeles   Photograph by Boris Yaro / The Los Angeles Times Police Officer John Boddie of the Hollywood Division hands a doll to one of 250 youngsters who received Christmas presents after officers took up collection … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood, Hollywood Division, LAPD | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Drug bust

Posted on October 19, 2007 by lmharnisch

Oct. 19, 1957 Los Angeles Perhaps you remember publicist Desmond Slattery from Paul Coates’ Aug. 22, 1957, column. In brief, he was selling crickets as pets. This time, however, his problem is roaches–or rather, a roach. Slattery and his roommate, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Hollywood, Hollywood Division | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Requiem

Posted on September 16, 2007 by lmharnisch

  Sept. 16, 1957 Los Angeles Franklyn West Storer, 50, woke up on a Saturday morning to discover that his beloved 16-year-old daughter, Mary Alice, had taken a fatal overdose of sleeping pills. In despair, he also took a fatal … Continue reading →

Posted in classical music, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, LAPD, Music, Suicide | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mystery guest revealed

Posted on September 11, 2007 by lmharnisch

Anthony Brancato, killed Aug. 6, 1951, 1648 N. Ogden Drive, Hollywood, along with Anthony Trombino in the “Two Tonys Murder.” Jimmy “The Weasel” Fratianno eventually confessed to the killings.

Posted in #courts, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD, Mickey Cohen | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Women attacked

Posted on July 31, 2007 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1957Los Angeles In the continuing assaults across the city, a North Hollywood housewife fought off an intruder while a 60-year-old Hollywood woman was saved from strangling by the staff of her Hollywood apartment building after she was grabbed … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD, San Fernando Valley | 1 Comment

Hipperson suspect

Posted on July 9, 2007 by lmharnisch

  July 9, 1957 Los Angeles Detectives investigating the killing of nurse Marjorie Hipperson are questioning a con artist with ulcers who was an orderly at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, where Hipperson and her fiance, Dr. Walter Deike, worked. Monte Melvin … Continue reading →

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Prowler terrorizes L.A.

Posted on July 1, 2007 by lmharnisch

  July 1, 1957 Los Angeles Detective Sgts. W.R. "Bud" Schottmiller and J.B. Close of the Hollywood Division have little to go on after a prowler broke into an apartment to rape a young woman somewhere on Irving Boulevard (the … Continue reading →

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Dead end

Posted on June 24, 2007 by lmharnisch

  June 24, 1957 Los Angeles Police Capt. Walter R. Koenig was out walking his dog in the 5500 block of Green Oak Drive, where it dead ends in the Hollywood Hills, when he found Baby Boy Doe.  He was … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock

Posted on June 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 15, 1957 It can now be revealed that a dark plot against the Stanfords by the Uclans–an offshoot of the feuding between the two universities as a result of PCC [Pacific Coast Conference] penalties–has been inadvertently thwarted. Not long … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Downtown, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Matt Weinstock | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Hollywood’s peeping Toms

Posted on June 12, 2007 by lmharnisch

June 12, 1957 Los Angeles

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Strangler attacks

Posted on June 11, 2007 by lmharnisch

  June 11, 1957 Los Angeles We’re parked outside a two-story apartment house at 3737 Los Feliz Blvd. It’s late, after 1 a.m. I’ll warn you before we go in: I hate this case. I can’t say I like any … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Voices

Posted on April 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

Cliff Dektar was a copy boy for The Times in 1943. He worked for the Mirror from 1950 to 1956, when he left for ABC-TV. On Jan. 2, 1951, Photographer Bud Gray and I were working the overnight Mirror radio … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood Division, Mickey Cohen | Leave a comment