Category Archives: Jimmie Fidler

Lombard a ‘Shining Mark’ in Hollywood

What do you know! Ernie Bushmiller could actually draw. Jan. 18, 1942: Times artist Charles Owens draws a terrific map of the crash that killed Carole Lombard. Edwin Schallert reflects on Lombard’s life, adding her to the tragic deaths of … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Obituaries | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Carole Lombard Among 22 Dead in Crash; Gable Charters Plane for Las Vegas

Photo: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard at home with their pet Siamese cats. Jan. 17, 1942: Carole Lombard, who was returning from a campaign to sell defense bonds; her mother, Elizabeth K. Peters; and MGM publicist Otto Winkler are among … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, Animals, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Transportation | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Girl ‘11 or 12’ Taken From 62-Year-Old Husband

Jan. 7, 1942: Whenever people give me this nonsense about the past being “a kinder, simpler time,” I always think of stories like Joe Downs and his “wife.” President Roosevelt delivers his annual State of the Union address, which was … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Politics, Religion, Tom Treanor, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Removal of Streetcar Tracks Leaves Ugly Mess in Redondo Beach

Jan. 5, 1942: Nazi patrols plow through students protesting in Paris’ Latin Quarter, “firing a warning burst from machine guns over the heads of the crowd” and then proceeding to “clean up the situation,” The New York Times reports. “A … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Environment, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Streetcars, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Removal of Streetcar Tracks Leaves Ugly Mess in Redondo Beach

War Workers Start Day With Prayer

Photo: The 4200 block of South Olive Street via Google’s Street View. Jan. 4, 1942: William E. Kosdy uses a shovel to dig a two-person bomb shelter in the backyard of his home, 4236 S. Olive St. “I didn’t follow … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, LAPD, Nightclubs, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Japanese Americans Held After ‘Hissing Roosevelt’ in Theater

Jan. 3, 1942: Manila falls to the Japanese. “The Bare Facts of 1942” opens at the Aztec, 251 S. Main. Movie theater patrons Tombio Ambo and Shigeki Kayama are in custody after Winifred J. Stephens accused them of hissing a … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Streetcars, Theaters, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hubble: No Evidence of ‘Big Bang’ Theory

Dec. 31, 1941: Celebrate New Year’s Eve at the Hollywood Palladium with Tommy Dorsey, Buddy Rich AND Frank Sinatra … plus Connie Haines and the Pied Pipers. John P. Varnum has a cute little racket. He pretends to be a … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Music, Nightclubs, World War II | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

L.A. Women Are Slackers in Fighting the Axis!

Dec. 30, 1941: It seems that local women didn’t get the memo about the being the “Greatest Generation.” They’re a bunch of slackers in the war against the Axis and don’t want to work as air-raid wardens. “Los Angeles women … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Streetcars, Theaters, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

4 Die as Streetcar Crushes Auto

Photo: 115th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard via Google’s Street View. Dec. 29, 1941: A streetcar heading north on Hawthorne Boulevard hits an automobile at 115th Street after the driver, apparently blinded by rain, entered the intersection. “The streetcar struck the … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Radio, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on 4 Die as Streetcar Crushes Auto

Japanese Sub Torpedoes 2 Ships off California Coast

Dec. 25, 1941: Crew members of the Absaroka, which was hauling lumber, recount being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine at an undisclosed location off the California coast. One man was crushed by piles of lumber after rescuing a shipmate who … Continue reading

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Japanese Sub Sinks Tanker Near Morro Bay

Dec. 24, 1941: Japanese submarines attack two U.S. tankers, with explosions that are heard  as far inland as in San Luis Obispo, sinking a 7,272-ton Union Oil ship. Capt. Olaf Eckstrom of Inglewood says a torpedo struck the ship directly … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Religion, Theaters, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Navy Releases Accounts of Pearl Harbor

Dec. 22, 1941: The Navy releases three personal accounts of the Pearl Harbor attack. Many acts of heroism are described, and these few lines shed more light on the presence of African Americans (recall that the armed services were segregated … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, African Americans, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Navy Releases Accounts of Pearl Harbor

Japanese Spy Ring Smashed, FBI Says

Dec. 19, 1941: The suicide of Dr. Rikita Honda, who slashed his wrists while in custody at Terminal Island, revealed that he was the director of a vast spy ring, the FBI says.  Honda was head of the Imperial Comradeship … Continue reading

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Suicide, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Japanese Spy Ring Smashed, FBI Says

Academy Awards Banquet Canceled; Oscars Postponed Due to War

Dec. 18, 1941: Louis A. Tyler reports to the Navy recruiting office after receiving a telegram informing him of the death of his son, Fireman 3rd Class George L. Tyler,  at Pearl Harbor. “My purpose is to take my son’s … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Academy Awards Banquet Canceled; Oscars Postponed Due to War

Former LAPD Chief Demoted to Lieutenant

Wake Island will fall to the Japanese on Dec. 23, 1941. Dec 17, 1941: Police Chief C. B. Horrall demotes former Chief Arthur C. Hohmann from deputy chief to lieutenant and assigns him to the Highland Park station. Hohmann, who … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, LAPD, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Former LAPD Chief Demoted to Lieutenant

Soldier Kills Civilian in Tragedy at Airport Checkpoint

Terrific artwork from the incredible Milton Caniff. Dec. 15, 1941: A group of soldiers was stopping motorists on Sepulveda Boulevard near the airport to strip off blue cellophane that had been illegally put over the headlights in the new wartime … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Jimmie Fidler, World War II | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

War Cancels Rose Parade, Dec. 14, 1941

Dec. 14, 1941: The Rose Parade is canceled and the Rose Bowl – between Duke and Oregon State – is moved to Durham, N.C. The streets of Pasadena were oddly quiet on New Year’s Day as millions reviewed memories of … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II | 3 Comments

Roundup of Aliens Overwhelms L.A. Jails, Dec. 13, 1941

Dec. 13, 1941: The Daily Mirror HQ was thrilled to see a brief appearance by Jimmie Fidler in “Garden of the Moon,” so here he is, in case you ever wondered what he looked like. On the jump: Times artist … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Nightclubs, Nuestro Pueblo, World War II | Tagged , | Comments Off on Roundup of Aliens Overwhelms L.A. Jails, Dec. 13, 1941

FDR Warns of Long Struggle; Nisei Vow Loyalty to U.S.

Dec. 10, 1941: At Los Angeles City College, Japanese American students are stunned by the Pearl Harbor attack and promise loyalty to the United States. “We American students of Japanese blood have confidence in the fairness of white Americans. Everyone … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Nuestro Pueblo, World War II | Tagged , | Comments Off on FDR Warns of Long Struggle; Nisei Vow Loyalty to U.S.

FBI Rounds Up Japanese in Hunt for Subversives, Dec. 8, 1941

Dec. 8, 1941: The FBI begins rounding up 200 “alien Japanese suspected of subversive activities” Several truckloads of Japanese were seen passing through Brea toward Pomona, Brea police reported, and orders to stop all cars bearing Japanese and to confiscate … Continue reading

Posted in Art & Artists, Aviation, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Nuestro Pueblo, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on FBI Rounds Up Japanese in Hunt for Subversives, Dec. 8, 1941