Category Archives: Hollywood

Jimmie Fidler, April 7, 1941

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

        April 7, 1941: Reporter Leland Stowe certainly drew attention on his sweep through Los Angeles. Lee Shippey has another column about him! Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II for The Times, says: A … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler, April 7, 1941

Daily Mirror Readers — ‘The Brain Trust’

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo courtesy of Howard Decker Most Daily Mirror readers know him as Fibber. His real name is Howard Decker, and here’s a picture of him covering the Spade Cooley trial. He’s the fellow in the background on the right. Howard … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Photography | 3 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 6, 1941

Posted on April 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

The country is virtually at war. Its defense efforts are being hamstrung by unjustified strikes, uncooperative industrialists and blathermouthed, spotlight-hunting politicians. The average man in America has, with excellent reason, such a deep distrust of inefficient nincompoops in public office that his patriotism is in danger of being poisoned by his distrust.
Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, Transportation | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 6, 1941

From the Stacks — ‘City of Angels’

Posted on April 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Rupert Hughes’ “City of Angels,” 1941.   How much of a book must one read before deciding that it’s going to be a dog? Does an author deserve a running start of the first chapter? Can one … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, books, Film, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Zombie Reading List | Comments Off on From the Stacks — ‘City of Angels’

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 5, 1941

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

           April 5, 1941: A well-paid reporter was thinking of quitting journalism to write fiction. He sought advice from a reader for a publishing house, who told him to stick to reporting and write fiction on … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 5, 1941

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details [Update 3: This is Madeleine Carroll and her husband Philip/Phillip Astley in a photo published Nov. 7, 1936]. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 53 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update two: This is Mabel Todd (sometimes spelled Mable in The Times).] [Update: Please congratulate Dewey Webb, Mike Hawks, David Thompson and Eve Golden for identifying our mystery gal! NOTE: If … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 19 Comments

Daily Mirror Readers — The ‘Brain Trust’

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photos         The back of yesterday’s photo. Notice that there’s no publication date. Very annoying!   Here’s why I call the Daily Mirror’s readers “the brain trust.” You may recall … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 2 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 4, 1941

Posted on April 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

        April 4, 1941: Lee Shippey has an item on Leland Stowe, the reporter who was the subject of a Tom Treanor column. Treanor, meanwhile, writes about Arthur Ernest Morgan, the former president of Antioch College and … Continue reading →

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From the Vaults: ‘Fantasia’

Posted on April 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

    For the last few days, the DVD player has been glowering at me. Over two nights, I worked my way through most of “Fantasia” and whenever I went near, it would scold me as if to say “Don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Film, From the Vaults, Hollywood | 3 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 3, 1941

Posted on April 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

        April 3, 1941: Tom Treanor, who died covering World War II for The Times, writes about Leland Stowe, a reporter for the Chicago Daily News who was visiting Los Angeles. Stowe and Treanor had crossed paths … Continue reading →

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 2, 1941

Posted on April 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

        April 2, 1941: Tom Treanor talks to Richard Neutra about a 300-unit housing development he designed for a community outside Dallas.  Betty Grable tells Jimmie Fidler: “Any girl in the Hollywood spotlight is handicapped in the … Continue reading →

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

Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, April 1, 1961

Posted on April 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

           April 1, 1961: Barbara Mills, a dancer who performed as April Adams and Chondelli, dies after being found in a coma at the Coronet Motel, 5410 Hollywood Blvd. We don’t know much more about her … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Hollywood, Matt Weinstock, Obituaries, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, April 1, 1961

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 1, 1941

Posted on April 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

           April 1, 1941: Leroy Keane lives in a 7 by 10 room at 415 Crocker, but has a library of several hundred books, many of them first editions. He acquires them from the drivers of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 1, 1941

Kennedy Kills Project to Build Atomic Airplane

Posted on April 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

           April 1, 1961: You may not recall the idea of nuclear-powered aircraft, but there was once such an idea.  General Electric, one of the companies involved in the experiment, "challenged President Kennedy's statements that achievement … Continue reading →

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 31, 1941

Posted on March 31, 2011 by lmharnisch

        March 31, 1941: Everybody has ideas about making movies – even the window washers, Lee Shippey says. EVER SINCE RETURNING from Europe I have been pestered by one question to which I could give no satisfactory … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 31, 1941

Private Investigator Held in Extortion

Posted on March 31, 2011 by lmharnisch

        Private investigator Charles R. Chase decided to make a little extra money by squeezing an extra $900 out of a teenager who stole $100 from the  drugstore where he worked. The police set a trap and … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1931, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Comments Off on Private Investigator Held in Extortion

Matt Weinstock, March 29, 1961

Posted on March 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

      March 29, 1961: Brendan Behan’s play “The Hostage” is opening in Los Angeles and Matt Weinstock has a few lines about the playwright …  The gagged-up menu at the Writers Guild awards dinner included "Great Impasta," "Aspartacus … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Matt Weinstock, Stage | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, March 29, 1961

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 29, 1941

Posted on March 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

           March 29, 1941: Jan Valtin (Richard Krebs), the author of the controversial book “Out of the Night,” is arrested on charges of being an illegal immigrant. I’m almost 100 pages into “Out of the Night” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 29, 1941

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on March 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: Yes, this is Portland Hoffa, the wife of radio comedian Fred Allen. I discovered Allen’s radio shows after his death in 1956 and always wondered about the women named Portland … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography, Stage | 32 Comments