Category Archives: Hollywood

Editor Falls to His Death From Hollywood Landmark

        6331 Hollywood Blvd., now the Scientology HQ, via Google maps’ street view.           Nothing about Norman Siegel’s death made any sense. The former publicist, now working as the West Coast editor of … Continue reading

Posted in #courts, 1961, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Suicide | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 11, 1941

           Feb. 11, 1941: Tom Treanor, recently returned from Europe, says: There is no place so confusing and so dismal as a grimy old European railroad station, where you're getting your legs knocked by bags and … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Time file photo   [Update: This is what my friends in Orange County used to call “the condo made of stone-a” (look it up, young people) next to the Santa Ana Freeway in City of … Continue reading

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

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 10, 1941

           Feb. 10, 1941: Tom Treanor writes about Europeans’ attitudes toward America. “The impending clash between America and Germany fills the Europeans with a sort of dreadful and delightful anticipation. It's so tremendous as to be … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo       6th Street and Rampart Boulevard via Google maps’ street view. [Update: This is the filming of “Car Wash” at 6th Street and Rampart Boulevard in a photo by Marilyn … Continue reading

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

Paul Coates, Feb. 9, 1961

      Feb. 9, 1961: Paul Coates takes a humorous look at the written driver’s test but his column includes some interesting details. To take the written in Spanish one must first take (and fail) the written test in … Continue reading

Posted in 1961, Columnists, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This is the filming of “The Domino Principle” in the mess hall at San Quentin in a photo stamped May 7, 1976. On the jump, Roderick Mann’s first-rate profile of … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography, Roderick Mann | 21 Comments

Matt Weinstock, Feb. 8, 1961

       Feb. 8, 1961: Matt Weinstock has a follow-up on the mysterious death of Norman Siegel, who fell to his death from the Guaranty Building on Hollywood Boulevard. DEAR ABBY: I am a high school student who makes … Continue reading

Posted in 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Hollywood, Matt Weinstock | 1 Comment

Paul Coates, Feb. 8, 1961

         Feb. 8, 1961: Paul Coates has this problem with remembering names. It’s easy for him to recall most folks, but when it comes to the city’s movers and shakers … well, let him tell it.

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 8, 1941

            Feb. 8, 1941: Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II for The Times, tells the story of Harry the deck steward on the S.S. Exeter from Lisbon, Portugal, to New York – … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Animals, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 8, 1941

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This photo stumped the brain trust! And perhaps with good reason. It was apparently never published in The Times and is from a somewhat obscure movie called “The Fixer,” which … Continue reading

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

Paul Coates, Feb. 7, 1961

Feb. 7, 1961: Is it possible to write anything more about the Lady in Black? Actually, it is. Movie publicist Russell Birdwell tells Paul Coates that he hired an extra to “mourn” at Valentino’s crypt to  heighten the dramatic effect … Continue reading

Posted in 1961, Cemeteries, Columnists, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 7, 1941

        Feb. 7, 1941: Tom Treanor says that he put on five or 10 pounds while he was in Europe and explains the food situation. “In every country I visited except Spain you really banqueted most of … Continue reading

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

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This is the filming of "Mohammad: Messenger of God." The photo is stamped Dec. 17, 1979, but it's unclear if it was ever published. ] Today, we have four mystery … Continue reading

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

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 5, 1941

           Feb. 5, 1941: Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II for The Times, has a first-rate piece on the mood of Europe. Rather than “tragic” or “terrified, he calls it “anxious” and describes … Continue reading

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Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update: This is filming “Jaws: The Revenge” on Martha’s Vineyard in a photo published Feb. 8, 1987. Please congratulate Herb Nichols for identifying it! Donna Rosenthal’s story is on the jump.] … Continue reading

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

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 4, 1941

             Feb. 4, 1941:  Reporter Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II for The Times, writes a story in dialect… but I understand his point. Recommended: Universal's "Buck Privates," first entry in the … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 4, 1941

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

         Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker/Bison Archives   Harry Medved, a Daily Mirror reader, sends along this picture. And stay tuned for more information! [Update: As many people realized, this is the filming of the 1958 movie … Continue reading

Posted in books, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 18 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 3, 1941

        Feb. 3, 1941: Tom Treanor has the story of how one woman escaped from Nazi-occupied France. Also notice the story about defense industries lifting their ban on hiring older workers.  The story notes "a California aircraft … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 3, 1941

Maria Schneider, Marlon Brando and ‘Last Tango’

    Maria Schneider, the co-star of “Last Tango in Paris,” has died at the age of 58. Here’s a March 11, 1973, Times feature on the movie for people who are too young to remember what a sensation it … Continue reading

Posted in 1973, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | 1 Comment