Category Archives: Hollywood

Monsters of the Silver Screen Commemorative Bills

Posted on October 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

OK, it’s only the Onion. But it’s cool. And just in time for Halloween.

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Coming Attractions: This Week on the Daily Mirror

Posted on October 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

On Monday, Eve Golden will have her roundup of unusual obituaries in Queen of the Dead, and in Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory will take a look at Photoplayers – mechanical instruments that smaller theaters used to accompany silent films. Other … Continue reading →

Posted in Coming Attractions, Eve Golden, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: This Week on the Daily Mirror

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated +]

Posted on October 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update 2: This is Charles Dingle (d. 1956). He appeared in the 1941 stage and film versions of Lillian Hellman’s “The Little Foxes.”] Here’s another photo, courtesy of Steven Bibb.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

L.A.’s Traffic Nightmare Threatens Downtown’s Future! Oct. 28, 1941

Posted on October 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 28, 1941: Lee Shippey writes about Los Angeles’ congested streets (no, traffic is not a new problem – it’s a very old one that we are still trying to solve). Notice that Shippey says streetcars and automobiles do not … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Obituaries, Streetcars, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on October 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery photo, courtesy of Steven Bibb. [Update: After fifteen years, Esther Ralston, former Paramount star, stages a reunion with Adolph Zukor, chairman of the board of directors of Paramount Productions, the man who discovered her and put her … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on October 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: This is Lina Basquette] Here’s a mystery gal with a mystery companion, courtesy of Steven Bibb.

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

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on October 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: I’m tempted to give half credit to Cold in Phoenix, who guessed that this is Lupe Velez. It’s actually her sister Reina.] Here’s today’s mystery lady, courtesy of Steven Bibb.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Found on EBay – ‘For the Life of Me’

Posted on October 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

A copy of Jim Richardson’s flawed autobiography “For the Life of Me” has been listed on EBay. Richardson was the notorious city editor of the Examiner who orchestrated its coverage of the Black Dahlia case. He was legendary for his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on October 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: This is George Barbier (d. 1945). Please congratulate Eve Golden, Mary Mallory,  Mike Hawks, Don Danard, “Maltese Falcon” fan Floyd Thursby, and Megan Lee and Thom for identifying him. Here’s another mystery photo, courtesy of Steven Bibb.

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

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on October 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

Horse-drawn hearse for sale on EBay – listed as Buy It Now for $8,000. Queen of the Dead—dateline October 24, 2011 •  A 68-year-old literary scholar and media theorist died on Oct. 18, which is very sad, of course, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Next Week on the L.A. Daily Mirror

Posted on October 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 24, 1871: Riot and Massacre of Chinese in Los Angeles. Daily Southern Cross of Auckland, New Zealand, Dec. 9, 1871 Coming up this week on the Daily Mirror: On Monday,  Eve Golden has a roundup of unusual obituaries in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, Chinese Massacre, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

An EBay Lesson – Part 2

Posted on October 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: A happy couple in the Zanzibar Room of the Florentine Gardens, Sept. 6, 1944. In case you’re wondering, I contacted the vendor of the bogus EBay picture I recently acquired. He said he got it from an estate in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, African Americans, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Photography | Tagged , | Comments Off on An EBay Lesson – Part 2

Movieland Mystery Photo – Witzel Edition

Posted on October 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

This unidentified Witzel photo has been listed on EBay. The vendor has no idea who this actress is, which makes it a perfect mystery photo. Bidding, by the way, starts at $9.99.

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Witzel | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

[Update: This is Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance and Rob Wagner (d. 1942) in Hawaii in 1918, courtesy of …. Rob Wagner, who provided us with this photograph of his great-grandfather, who was Chaplin’s publicist. He was later the publisher of … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Obituaries, Photography | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Former Mystery Guest Barbara Kent Dies at 103

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Former mystery guest Barbara Kent has died at the age of 103. Los Angeles Times | New York Times

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Obituaries | Tagged , | 2 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 14

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Cover letter on the June 22, 1943, report on the Zoot Suit Riots. Credit: National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Theaters, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Found on EBay – Earl Carroll’s

Posted on October 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s an unusual item from Earl Carroll’s in Hollywood – a two-deck set of playing cards. I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like this. I’m still hunting for a five-suit deck like the one I wrote about several years … Continue reading →

Posted in Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Steve Hodel and James Ellroy

Posted on October 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Images: James Ellroy’s inscribed copies of “Black Dahlia Avenger” are sold on EBay. Classy, no? Several people have written to me about James Ellroy’s onetime support of Steve Hodel and the whole “Black Dahlia Avenger” nonsense. Here’s the story: I … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Franchot Tone Marries Jean Wallace, 1941

Posted on October 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 19, 1941: Franchot Tone marries Jean Wallace in Yuma, Ariz. Wallace and Tone divorced in 1948 and in 1951 Tone was badly injured in a fight with Tom Neal at the home of Tone’s ex-fiancee, actress Barbara Payton. Tom … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Franchot Tone Marries Jean Wallace, 1941

Parole Rejected for ‘Onion Field’ Killer

Posted on October 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

The Board of Parole Hearings has recommended against releasing Gregory Powell, who was convicted in the 1963 “Onion Field” killing of Officer Ian Campbell. Powell, who has prostate cancer, was seeking a compassionate release, reserved for inmates with serious illnesses. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , | 2 Comments