Category Archives: Hollywood

Film Strike Ends

Posted on April 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Aug. 5, 1981, President Reagan fires striking air traffic controllers. April 9, 1960: Screen Actors Guild President Ronald Reagan and actor Charlton Heston shake hands with Charles S. Boren and Columbia Vice President B.B. Kahane on a tentative … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Politics | Comments Off on Film Strike Ends

From the Vaults: ‘Way Down East’ (1920)

Posted on April 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

Five years after “Birth of a Nation,” D.W. Griffith directed this five-hankie melodrama based on a hugely popular stage play. If you're fond of rambling 19th century novels or four-week 1970s TV miniseries, with tragic heroines and broad casts of … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, From the Vaults, Hollywood | 2 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 8, 1940

Posted on April 8, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 8, 1940: Don't let Charlie Laughton's flabby appearance fool you. He has a grip like a blacksmith … She's been gone for more than a year, but RKO workers invariably cite Katharine Hepburn's screwy doings when they want … Continue reading →

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Hedda Hopper, April 7, 1941

Posted on April 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 7, 1941: James Cagney … female impersonator? That’s a new one on me.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 6, 1940

Posted on April 6, 2010 by lmharnisch

   April 6, 1940: After I ran across a mention of Hollywood gossip columnist Jimmie Fidler in an upcoming Paul Coates column, I thought it would be fun to take a break from Hedda Hopper with a small dose of … Continue reading →

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‘Ben-Hur’ Best Film of the Year

Posted on April 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

Buster Keaton, who received an honorary award, poses as a waiter for a wary Walter Brennan, who probably expects Keaton to pull some prank. April 5, 1960: Despite the sweltering heat, a crowd gathers in bleachers outside the Pantages Theatre  … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

From The Vaults: ‘The Virgin Spring’ (1960)

Posted on April 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

This continues to be the only Ingmar Bergman movie I have seen… I have a slew of them in my Netflix queue, but this one got prioritized mainly because it was the basis for Wes Craven's 1972 classic, “Last House … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, From the Vaults, Hollywood, Religion | 2 Comments

Air Force Studied Antimissile Ray Gun

Posted on April 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 4, 1960: A little boy, a dog, an ice cream cone … and an ice bag? Very cute. No, we don’t do this anymore. On the jump, the Air Force discontinues work on a light ray that would … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Film, Hollywood, Photography, Science | 1 Comment

Hedda Hopper, April 3, 1938

Posted on April 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

April 3, 1938: Hedda Hopper profiles Dorothy “Dottie” Lamour. “Her sudden success has roused a great deal of jealousy. And the girls say: 'Why should she have all the luck?' “But … I believe you'll agree with me — when … Continue reading →

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Movie Star Mystery Photo

Posted on April 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Los Angeles Times file photo Update: This is Sandra Giles, Miss 8-Ball, 1958. Above, a 1963 publicity photo promoting her appearance in “It Happened at the World’s Fair.” May 22, 1956: Sandra Giles, upset over a nude portrait of … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | 4 Comments

The Long and Short of Baseball Fashions

Posted on April 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Photograph by Phil Bath / Los Angeles Times WELL, FANCY THIS! – Portland Beaver Manager Bill Sweeney’s reaction to Hollywood’s Fred Haney’s “new look” was expressed with sweet peas and a curtsey. April 2, 1950: How could The Times … Continue reading →

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Baseball Executives Say TV Games Are Bad for Business

Posted on April 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 1, 1950:  The Hollywood Stars were worried television was bad for business. The Stars, coming off a 1949 season in which they won the Pacific Coast League title, were televising their home games locally. But after disappointing attendance … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood, Sports, Television | 1 Comment

Movie Star Mystery Photo

Posted on March 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Los Angeles Times file photo Update: This is Barbara Kent, above, in an Aug. 18, 1926, photo.  Dec. 26, 1926: Barbara Kent in “The Flesh and the Devil.”   Just a reminder on how this works: I post the … Continue reading →

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Jury Duty

Posted on March 25, 2010 by lmharnisch

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times July 27, 1936: Mary Astor in court.  Note: I’m on jury duty, so posting will be light until it’s over.

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Hedda Hopper, March 23, 1947

Posted on March 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 23, 1947: Robert Mitchum has all the coyness of a barrel of TNT, Hedda Hopper says.

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Hedda Hopper, March 23, 1946

Posted on March 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 23, 1946: John Ford is at work on “My Darling Clementine,” Hedda Hopper says.

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Hedda Hopper, March 22, 1946

Posted on March 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 22, 1946: Metro shelves “Frankie From Frisco” because the subject matter is too tough to lick, Hedda Hopper says. Based on a James M. Cain story with a screenplay by Robert D. Andrews, "Frankie From Frisco" was set … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Meet Pat Nixon

Posted on March 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

   March 22, 1960: Pat Nixon supported herself after her parents died, including work as a movie extra. Look for her in “Becky Sharp.” On the jump, “The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond” … and Roy Campanella is taken … Continue reading →

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In the Days of Film Flacking

Posted on March 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 22, 1920: The Times says Annette Kellerman takes too many risks to get accident insurance or life insurance,  but she can get “coverage” – so to speak — for her figure.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Music | 1 Comment

From the Vaults: ‘The Wasp Woman’ (1960*)

Posted on March 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

Note: Larry is posting items from 1920 and 1960 this year, and I will be watching movies from those years and writing about them, alternating weeks. This week is 1960's turn. And I owe you people something of an apology, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Film, From the Vaults, Hollywood | 1 Comment