Category Archives: Hollywood

Bullet of Mystery – Part 1

Posted on May 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Los Angeles history in the 1900s is an acquired taste. Most people limit themselves to  the Raymond Chandler era, the 1930s through the 1950s, as if Philip Marlowe moonlighted as a historian. Perhaps they find the city’s horse-and-buggy … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Animals, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Raymond Chandler | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 18, 1941

Posted on May 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

          May 18, 1941: Nazi sky fleet?  Lee Shippey returns for a Sunday column. Tom Treanor says: Americans are here developing Venezuela's oil resources for just one reason. They have the capital and the know-how for … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo – Special Edition [Updated]

Posted on May 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

    There’s a saying at the Daily Mirror HQ: “Any day I can do research is a good day.” And Tuesday was certainly an excellent day. I spent the morning with Caroline Comport discussing her research project on her … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 15 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 17, 1941

Posted on May 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

        May 17, 1941: Allen Rivkin fills in for Lee Shippey with a column about problems at the post office in Westwood. Notice that even in the glory days of the streetcars, traffic was still a problem. … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on May 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: STRANGE CASE — Dan Barton plays the central figure in a homicide with an unusual twist in "A Matter of Degree," Goodson-Todman's production in the new "The Web" telefilm series … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography, Television | 10 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 16, 1941

Posted on May 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

        May 16, 1941: Richard Macaulay, a screenwriter on “The Roaring Twenties” and “They Drive by Night,”  fills in for Lee Shippey, who is still recovering from surgery. Tip Jimmy Stewart that his ol' pal, Franchot Tone, … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on May 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update 2: This is Bramwell Fletcher (d. 1988), whom most people recognize from “The Mummy.”  This publicity photo is stamped Oct. 7, 1930.] [Update: Please congratulate Anne Papineau, Pamela Porter, Lee … Continue reading →

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

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 15, 1941

Posted on May 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

           May 15, 1941: Harry Bedford-Jones, “one of America’s most prolific writers” (and no, I’ve never heard of him either,) is filling in for Lee Shippey, who is recovering from surgery. Nobody lives in Texas anymore. … Continue reading →

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 14, 1941

Posted on May 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

           May 14, 1941: Harold Lamb fills in for Lee Shippey, who is recovering from surgery. Tom Treanor files a report from Caripe, Venezuela, where he manages to find a cold beer kept in a refrigerator … Continue reading →

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Gary Cooper Dies of Cancer at 60

Posted on May 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

           May 14, 1961: Gary Cooper dies of cancer at his home, 200 Baroda Drive, Holmby Hills. He was 60. “Cooper, Hollywood's homespun hero, was another product of its big star era — the same era … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | 1 Comment

Hitler Aide Rudolf Hess Flees to Scotland!

Posted on May 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

             May 13, 1941: Rudolf Hess, the Nazis’ No. 2 deputy, bails out  of his Messerschmitt over Scotland. He will commit suicide in Spandau prison in 1987. Ralph Bellamy fills in for Lee Shippey, who … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Hitler Aide Rudolf Hess Flees to Scotland!

Found on EBay – Frank Sinatra

Posted on May 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

A 33 rpm album of the audio from an uncompleted animated feature of “Finian’s Rainbow,” featuring Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, has been listed on EBay. According to The Times’ clips, this project was begun by Maurice Binder … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Music | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Frank Sinatra

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 12, 1941

Posted on May 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

        May 12, 1941: Producers have a new name for their movie: “Bahama Passage.” The working title may have provoked some unwanted reaction.    Garner Curran fills in for Lee Shippey, who is recovering from surgery, and writes … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Ronald Reagan, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 12, 1941

Lugosi to Appear as Weird Scientist

Posted on May 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

        Feb. 17, 1953: This is how I got here. I started researching the Lionel Atwill sex scandal of 1941 and discovered that before his career was derailed, Atwill planned to produce a film of the novel … Continue reading →

Posted in #gays and lesbians, 1953, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 11, 1941

Posted on May 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

               May 11, 1941: We decided to poll a vote to decide which of the "funny men" are really funny. Bob Hope won the majority vote for originality. Milton Berle was classed as the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 11, 1941

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 10, 1941

Posted on May 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

        May 10, 1941: Times Managing Editor L.D. Hotchkiss has a long piece against using material that is off the record. He says: “The moment any speaker or person being interviewed announces ‘this is off the record,’ … Continue reading →

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Architectural Rambling

Posted on May 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

        I found this postcard of Dr. Alfred G. Schloesser’s Castle Sans Souci in Hollywood (the Times used the addresses 1831 and 1901 Argyle Ave.) and dug into the clips for a little more information.  The castle … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Found on EBay, health, Hollywood, Photography | 1 Comment

‘Citizen Kane’ Opens in L.A.!

Posted on May 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

            May 9, 1941: “Citizen Kane” opens at the El Capitan and the RKO Hillstreet. “Orson Welles strikes out in a dozen new directions with his technique of ‘Citizen Kane.’ Yet what he does can … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Ronald Reagan, Tom Treanor | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 8, 1941

Posted on May 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

        May 8, 1941: John J. McNamara, one of the key figures in the 1910 bombing of the Los Angeles Times and the bombing of the Llewellyn Iron Works , dies in Montana. His brother James had … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910 L.A. Times bombing, 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | 2 Comments

Whatever Happened to the Black Film?

Posted on May 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

           May 8, 1981 –  Dale Pollock writes: Whatever happened to the black film? It seems to reside these days in the person of Richard Pryor, the comedian-turned-film star, who is one of the few black … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, Comics, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment