Category Archives: Hollywood

Black L.A. 1947: Great-Grandmother Wins ‘Sepia Cinderella’ Contest

Posted on October 31, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Oct. 30, 1947: Annie Rhone, a 60-year-old great-grandmother, was chosen as the Sentinel’s “Sepia Cinderella” in a contest judged by Eddie “Rochester” Anderson and held at West Coast premiere of the film. “Sepia Cinderella” was directed by Arthur H. … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1922 “The Toll of the Sea,” one of the earliest two-strip Technicolor features. Story by Frances Marion, directed by Chester M. Franklin, photographic direction by J.A. Ball, with Anna May Wong, Kenneth Harlan, Beatrice … Continue reading →

Posted in 1922, Asians, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 50 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘That’s My Baby’ Promotes Popularity of Baby Peggy

Posted on October 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Film studios often employed gimmicks as ways to build word of mouth, increase box office, and promote movie stars throughout the golden age of Hollywood. Pennants, dolls, photos, dishes, and even sheet music produced in conjunction with sponsors or major … Continue reading →

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Black Cat Sandwiches: Frightening Food From the 1940s

Posted on October 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The night of witches and hobgoblins is a beloved holiday to all children. Exciting masquerade dress, gleaming jack o’ lanterns, eerie black cats, laughter and traditional … Continue reading →

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October 23, 1947: Hollywood Fashion Designer, Partner Die Within Hours; Family Sues Over Estate of Men With ‘Strange Attachment’

Posted on October 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.. Robert and Joseph were close—even in death. They shared a home filled with antiques, bric-a-brac and paintings at 4329 Agnes Ave. in North Hollywood, as well … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1941 Warner Bros. picture “Father’s Son,” with John Litel, Frieda Inescort, Billy Dawson and Christian Rub. The screenplay was by Fred Niblo Jr., from a story by Booth Tarkington. Photography by Allen G. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 40 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Tam O’Shanter Celebrates the Art of Dining

Posted on October 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

The Tam O’Shanter, as seen in the 1920s, when Los Feliz Boulevard was a dirt road. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library. Opened 96 years ago, the storybook-style Tam O’Shanter Inn has always provided homey dining with stylish flair. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1922, Architecture, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

October 1947: Firefighter Sits Through Movie With Dead Friend to Avoid Audience Panic

Posted on October 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Moviegoers Walter Saul of Cincinnati and his wife had just settled into their seats for a double feature with his friend Aloysius Bollin and son Joseph … Continue reading →

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October 1947: Lauren Bacall, ‘Dark Passage’ and RC Cola

Posted on October 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Did Lauren Bacall really drink RC Cola? Use Lux soap? Smoke Chesterfields? Possibly.

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Black Dahlia: Sydney Morning Herald Discovers New Elmore Leonard Novel: ‘Get Dahlia’ (Oops)

Posted on October 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Who needs editors? Certainly not the Sydney Morning Herald and Scott Ellis. ps. This is “sponsored content for Stan,” an Australian streaming video service. Mistakes like this make Mr. Laurel, who will always be the real Stan to us, very … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — A. L. “Whitey” Schafer Simplifies Portraits

Posted on October 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

“Thou Shalt Not,” “Whitey” Schafer’s most famous image. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. In the very early days of the motion picture industry, stills photographers meant nothing to the moving picture companies. They asked their feature cameramen … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1955 Columbia Pictures film “Creature With the Atom Brain,” with Richard Denning, Angela Stevens, Michael Granger, Linda Bennett, Harry Lauter, Charles Evans, S. John Launer, Gregory Gay, Tristram Coffin, Larry Blake and Pierre … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 34 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 8, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1939 Hal Roach production “Zenobia,” with Oliver Hardy, Harry Langdon, Billie Burke, Alice Brady, James Ellison, Jean Parker, June Lang, Step’n Fetchit, Hattie McDaniels, Phillip Hurlic, the Hall Johnson Choir and “Miss Zenobia.” Directed … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 45 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Colleen Moore’s Dollhouse Supports Children’s Charities

Posted on October 8, 2018 by lmharnisch

Colleen Moore’s doll house in a frame grab from CBS “Sunday Morning.” Note: This is an encore post from 2015. From the beginning of time, people have been collectors. Objects as diverse as paintings, stamps, shells, rocks, postcards, photographs, baseballs, … Continue reading →

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Oct. 3, 1947: Full House – Burglar Slips In on Mystery Writer’s Poker Game

Posted on October 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Reddest face in town yesterday belonged to Charles Bennett, writer of screen mysteries in which the brilliant detective always catches the crook. Seems that he had … Continue reading →

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Oct. 2, 1947: On Skid Row, Homeless Children Mourn Their Beloved Sister Ollie

Posted on October 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Sister Ollie died happy, according to her mother, Sister Sibbie, the superintendent at Sunshine Mission, 558 S. Wall St., a shelter for homeless women and children … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on October 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1982 film “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez,” with Edward James Olmos, James Gammon, Tom Bower, Bruce McGill, Brion James, Alan Vint, Timothy Scott, Pepe Serna, Michael McGuire, William Sanderson, Barry Corbin, Jack Kehoe and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | 28 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘None Shall Escape’ Is a Powerful Look at Justice

Posted on September 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

“None Shall Escape” in The Film Daily, 1944. Note: TCM is airing “None Shall Escape” on Sunday night to honor Marsha Hunt. Here’s an encore of Mary Mallory’s post from earlier this year.   On Friday, April 27, the TCM … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Thomas Ince’s Dias Dorados Salutes California’s Past

Posted on September 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

  In the early 1920s, Hollywood was booming. The adolescent film business had blossomed from a small by-the-seat-of-the pants mom and pop operation into a major industry backed by Wall Street, which was turning the large companies into international conglomerates. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1993 picture “The Joy Luck Club.”  This is much more recent than the usual mystery movie, but I decided to do it after reading an essay by Los Angeles Times movie critic Justin … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 39 Comments