Category Archives: Hollywood

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Celebrities in Bloom

Posted on July 20, 2020 by lmharnisch

Photo: Mary Pickford admires a namesake orchid. Courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Flowers, like actors, sometimes have short-lived celebrity. Once their aura of uniqueness fades, many languish or fall by the wayside. Some … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 2178 High Tower Drive, L.A.’s First Community Elevator

Posted on July 13, 2020 by lmharnisch

The Tower appeared in the March 24, 1939, installment of Nuestro Pueblo by Joseph Seewerker and Charles Owens of the Los Angeles Times. Both marketing gimmick and necessity, the elevator shaft that gave the name High Tower Drive to a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1922, Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on July 13, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1964 picture “The Last Man on Earth,” with Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Danieli, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Umberto Rau, Christi Courtland, Tony Corevi and Hector Ribotta. Photographed by Franco Delli Colli, edited by Gene Ruggiero, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1964, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Book Review: ‘Cary Grant – A Brilliant Disguise’

Posted on July 8, 2020 by lmharnisch

Executive summary: “Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise,” the latest in Scott Eyman’s long series of Class-A Hollywood biographies, opens strong with the last day of the acclaimed actor’s life and quickly declines to a tedious slog in a book more … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on July 6, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1931 Warner Bros. picture “Other Men’s Women,” with Grant Withers, Mary Astor, Regis Toomey, James Cagney, Fred Kohler, J. Farrell MacDonald, Joan Blondell, Lillian Worth and Walter Long. By Maude Fulton, dialogue by William … Continue reading →

Posted in 1931, City Hall, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 46 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – The Tale of the Alden Besse

Posted on June 29, 2020 by lmharnisch

Alden Besse, photographed by Asahel Curtis, Wikipedia Commons. Surviving tempests, fires, illness, auctions, lawsuits, and salvages, the old whaling ship Alden Besse saw many an exciting adventure over more than 59 years. A magnet for disaster, accidents, and adventure, the … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on June 29, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1957 film “The Black Scorpion,” with Richard Denning, Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas, Mario Navarro, Carlos Muzquiz, Pascual Pena, Fanny Schiller, Pedro Galvan and Arturo Martinez. Screenplay by David Duncan and Robert Blees from a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Animals, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 48 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + + +)

Posted on June 22, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1940 MGM film “I Take This Woman,” with Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, Verree Teasdale, Kent Taylor, Laraine Day, Mona Barrie, Jack Carson, Paul Cavanagh, Louis Calhern, Frances Drake, Marjorie Main, George E. Stone, Willie … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 62 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Josef von Sternberg’s ‘Salvation Hunters’

Posted on June 22, 2020 by lmharnisch

Georgia Hale is The Girl in “The Salvation Hunters.” Note: This is an encore post from 2012. From the very beginning of his career, director Josef von Sternberg possessed an extraordinary vision for the art, look, and feel of his … Continue reading →

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Perry Mason and The Case of the Flawed Fedora

Posted on June 20, 2020 by lmharnisch

Oh dear. HBO Max’s Perry Mason origin story is set in 1932 Los Angeles, which you would never know by looking at this photo of Shea Whigham and Matthew Rhys. IMDB lists a huge number of costumers, so I can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932, Fashion, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: M.E. Firman, Lady Detective

Posted on June 15, 2020 by lmharnisch

In the early 1900s, most women in the United States lacked the right to vote. Groups such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association organized to actively campaign for enfranchisement. Winning the vote would lead to other reforms regarding child … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Homicide, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: M.E. Firman, Lady Detective

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + + +)

Posted on June 15, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1962 Universal release of the Joel Productions picture “Lonely Are the Brave,” with Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau, Michael Kane, Carroll O’Connor, William Schallert, George Kennedy, Karl Swenson, Bill Mims, Martin Garralaga and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 31 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + + +)

Posted on June 8, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1947 United Artists release of Benedict Bogeaus’ “The Macomber Affair,” with Gregory Peck, Joan Bennett, Robert Preston, Reginald Denny, Jean Gillie, Carl Harbord, Earl Smith, Frederic Worlock and Vernon Downing. Screenplay by Casey Robinson … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Douglass Dumbrille, Suave Slickster

Posted on June 8, 2020 by lmharnisch

Douglass Dumbrille, photo courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2014 Classic Hollywood studio films employed actors with striking faces and mannerisms as recognizable character types from the 1930s to the 1960s, giving a shorthand to … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + + +)

Posted on June 1, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1918 film “Mickey,” with Mabel Normand, George O. Nicholls, Laura La Varnie, Lewis J. Cody, Minta Durfee, Wheeler Oakman and Tom Kennedy. Written by J.G. Hawks, production manager Hampton Del Ruth, photographed by Frank … Continue reading →

Posted in 1918, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 960 Vine, Hollywood Market

Posted on June 1, 2020 by lmharnisch

El Rancho Super Mercado Carniceria, 960 Vine St., via Google Street View. Los Angeles has led the way in the evolution of shopping and markets, thanks to its fascination and acquisition of vehicles. Originally simple stores in the heart of … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Venice Miniature Railway, Tourist Attraction and Realty Estate Promotion

Posted on May 25, 2020 by lmharnisch

A postcard showing Venice’s miniature railway, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2015. In the early 1900s, Los Angeles and environs were booming. Ballyhoo from groups like the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, railroads, the … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on May 25, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1930 First National Pictures film “Road to Paradise,” with Loretta Young, Jack Mulhall, Raymond Hatton, George Barraud, Kathlyn Williams, Fred Kelsey, Purnell Pratt, Ben Hendricks Jr., Dot Farley, Winter Hall and Georgette Rhodes. Adaptation … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Knickerbocker Hotel – a Survivor

Posted on May 18, 2020 by lmharnisch

The Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel in an undated photo from the Security Pacific Collection, housed at the Los Angeles Public Library. A little run-down today, the Knickerbocker Hotel at 1714 Ivar has survived scandal and notoriety to endure as one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on May 18, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1940 RKO film “Swiss Family Robinson,” with Thomas Mitchell, Edna Best, Freddie Bartholomew, Terry Kilburn, Tim Holt and Baby (Barbara) Bobby Quillan. Screenplay by Walter Ferris, Gene Towne and Graham Baker, from the novel … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments