Category Archives: Hollywood

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on November 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s a mystery couple!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

On the Frontiers of Science – The Virgin Rabbit

Posted on November 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 23, 1941: Dr. Herbert Shapiro of the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia has discovered that if you place a bag of ice cubs on the side of a rabbit for 90 minutes, the rabbit may become pregnant. “The ice … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Animals, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Medicine | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on November 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s today’s mystery chap, courtesy of Steven Bibb!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Duchess Spinelli, Doomed to Gas Chamber: ‘No Christian Will Kill!’

Posted on November 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 21, 1941: Juanita “The Duchess” Spinelli arrives at San Quentin to be executed in the gas chamber – the first woman legally executed in California’s history. “No one who is a Christian will kill!” the 52-year-old mother of three … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Religion | Tagged , | Comments Off on Duchess Spinelli, Doomed to Gas Chamber: ‘No Christian Will Kill!’

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on November 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: A model of a 1959 Cadillac hearse, listed on EBay for $599.99. Queen of the Dead—dateline November 21, 2011 •  “The Baroness Huntingtower died on the 8 th inst.,” said Lady Prudence Fairfax. “Not Katherine Grant of Rothiemurchus, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Fashion, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on November 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery chap, courtesy of Steven Bibb. [Update: This is Robert Beatty. Please congratulate Don Danard and Rotter for identifying him. Here’s his obituary in the Los Angeles Times | New York Times ]

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

California Prepares to Execute Juanita ‘The Duchess’ Spinelli, Nov. 20, 1941

Posted on November 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 20, 1941: California prepares to execute Juanita “The Duchess” Spinelli at San Quentin. Spinelli, her boyfriend Mike Simeone, Gordon Hawkins and Albert Ives were convicted of drugging and drowning Robert Sherrard to keep him from informing on them about … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Hollywood Model Dies of Botched Abortion, Nov. 19, 1941

Posted on November 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

This post has be edited. See note at bottom for explanation. Nov. 19, 1941: Angelka Rose Gogich was 18 when she died at Glendale Emergency Hospital after undergoing an abortion. She had be working as a model, hat check girl … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Abortion, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Medicine, Obituaries | Tagged | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on November 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s today’s mystery photo, courtesy of Steven Bibb!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged | 7 Comments

Private Detective Held in ‘Love’ Killing, Nov. 18, 1941

Posted on November 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 18, 1941: Jimmie Fidler says that new Alan (Paramount white hope) Ladd and Sally Wadsworth romance won’t please his studio, which is readying a “wolf” buildup.

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood | Tagged | Comments Off on Private Detective Held in ‘Love’ Killing, Nov. 18, 1941

Women Reporters

Posted on November 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 17, 1941: Reporter Mary Shaw Leader is honored posthumously for her work in covering Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Leader, a reporter for the Hanover Spectator, walked 15 miles to Gettysburg, Pa., to cover the Lincoln’s talk. “She carried his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Immigration, Obituaries, World War II | Tagged , | Comments Off on Women Reporters

How to Wear a Hat – Noir Edition

Posted on November 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

One thing that drives me crazy about the current crop of period films is that men usually don’t know how to wear hats. “The Black Dahlia” (with costume design by Jenny Beavan) is a particularly excruciating lesson in unfortunate hat … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, 1947, Black Dahlia, Fashion, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , | 13 Comments

Found on EBay – Mae Murray

Posted on November 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

A 1923-24 guide to Metro pictures, published for theater managers, has been listed on EBay. Full-color printing was quite expensive in this era, and it’s always interesting to see how much mileage a commercial artist could get from two colors. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1923, Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Photography | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

When Hollywood Goes Wrong — ‘The Black Dahlia’

Posted on November 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

There are so many things that Brian De Palma got wrong in “The Black Dahlia” that a list of mistakes would fill a long book. I had forgotten that the movie starts out with what is purportedly the Zoot Suit … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated ++]

Posted on November 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s today’s mystery lady…. Update: This is Cobina Wright Jr., who recently appeared in Eve Golden’s Queen of the Dead.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on November 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 1997 Cadillac hearse for sale on EBay. Bidding starts at $3,800. Queen of the Dead—dateline November 14, 2011 •  Family Circus has long been one of those legacy comics you love to hate. But I was sad when creator … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Eve Golden, Fashion, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Sports | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

W.C. Fields and the Los Angeles Public Library — Mystery Photo

Posted on November 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Last night, I was watching “The Bank Dick,” as I have  many times before, but this was the first with my new plasma TV, so I was much more aware of the detail. I spotted a photo of what looked … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, Film, Hollywood, Libraries, Location Sleuth, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

U.S. Prepares to Round Up Japanese in Event of War, Nov. 13, 1941

Posted on November 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 13, 1941: An FBI investigation into the Los Angeles Japanese Chamber of Commerce and the Central Japanese Assn. reveals monthly donations of $4,000 to $5,000 to the Japanese government “for the army and navy,” The Times says. Atty. Gen. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on November 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

Update: This is Eve Miller (d. 1973). Here’s a mystery woman, courtesy of Steven Bibb.

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

Crowds Line Broadway for Armistice Day Parade, Nov. 12, 1941

Posted on November 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

We just don’t get deep thoughts in comics anymore. Nov. 12, 1941: Crowds line Broadway in downtown Los Angeles for the annual Armistice Day parade, which marked the end of what used to be called the Great War or the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, A Kinder, Simpler Time, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Streetcars, Theaters, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , | 2 Comments