Category Archives: LAPD

Deadly LAPD Beating: Officer Describes Arrest

Posted on January 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 17, 1943: District attorney’s investigators question Police Sgt. James F. Martin about the arrest of Stanley H. Beebe, who died after being beaten by LAPD officers. Martin said that he got a bloody nose and two broken ribs in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hill Street, LAPD, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

It’s Jan. 15. Trim your roses

Posted on January 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Yes it’s Jan. 15. I remember it very quietly by trimming my roses.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Gangster Squad’: Fail – Part 1

Posted on January 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Uh-oh. Nobody should be surprised — least of all Warner Bros. — that  “Gangster Squad” is a terrible movie. Anyone who saw the trailers or heard the industry gossip knew that it was going to be dreadful. It was a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, Fashion, Fashions, Film, History, Hollywood, LAPD, Mickey Cohen | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

‘Gangster Squad’ a Thumbnail Review

Posted on January 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

“Gangster Squad” is bad. It’s very bad. It’s even very, very bad. I laughed several times in fact, despite my best efforts not to. I’ll write more later but here’s a start: I should say something about a spoiler alert … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

LAPD the ‘Storm Troopers’ of L.A., Lawmaker Says of Police Brutality

Posted on January 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 1, 1943: This is the beginning of the Stanley H. Beebe case, in which LAPD officers were accused of beating a suspect who died of his injuries.  Beebe, an accountant, was arrested on a streetcar at 1st and Hill … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, 1943, Crime and Courts, Downtown, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on LAPD the ‘Storm Troopers’ of L.A., Lawmaker Says of Police Brutality

The Black Dahlia: Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on January 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Black Dahlia: 5 Songs for a Famous Murder Victim by “Jef With One F.” The anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s 1947 disappearance from the Biltmore has provoked the usual outpouring of mistakes and nonsense, much of it swiped from Wikipedia (see: … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | 6 Comments

The Day’s News – Pestilence and Starvation, Jan. 9, 1913

Posted on January 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 9, 1913: We like to think that the past was a kinder, simpler time — when life moved at a slower pace. But no. The Times publishes a Page 1 news map “as an aid to the busy reader … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, A Kinder, Simpler Time, Broadway, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Latinos | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Christmas in Los Angeles, 1912

Posted on December 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

Dec. 26, 1912: The Times makes the rounds of Christmas celebrations among the less fortunate and discovers that the emergency wards are full – but readers are assured that no women or girls are among the victims.

Posted in 1912, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Religion | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Millennial Moment – Investigation of LAPD Spy Unit Sought

Posted on December 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

Dec. 11, 1982: David Johnston writes about the case of undercover LAPD Officer Fabian Lizarraga, who infiltrated the Revolutionary Communist Party and led protesters in a May Day march in 1980 that resulted in a fight with police and arrests … Continue reading →

Posted in 1982, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Millennial Moments | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Found on EBay – Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on November 16, 2012 by lmharnisch

A vendor on EBay has listed this AP photo from New York as showing Ralph von Hiltz, the “murderer of Black Dahlia.” (Price: $25.44). This is just another crackpot confession. The Times reported in 1956 that then-Chief of Detectives Thad … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1956, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay, LAPD | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Another Good Story Ruined

Lon Chaney’s Ghost Haunts Hollywood and Vine!

Posted on October 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 26, 1942: Rosetta (D. 1958) and Vivian (D. 1986) Duncan appear in “Topsy and Eva,” a musical version of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” a musical comedy in which they first appeared in San Francisco in the 1920s. The Duncan sisters … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another Good Story Ruined: The Black Dahlia

Posted on September 27, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: <<Le Dahlia Noir>>  Once again, Elizabeth Short’s bogus middle name appears in a story about the Black Dahlia – proof that mistakes take on a life of their own. In reality, she had no middle name. She was erroneously … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Retired Police Lt. George H. Williams, Badge 1, Dies at 84

Posted on September 13, 2012 by lmharnisch

Sept. 13, 1942: Retired Lt. George H. Williams,who held LAPD retirement Badge 1, dies at the age of 84. He retired in 1912 after serving with the department for 23 years and was in charge of the detail that brought … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Obituaries, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Retired Police Lt. George H. Williams, Badge 1, Dies at 84

Talking About the Onion Field

Posted on August 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

I was in a video chat yesterday with Joseph Wambaugh and Times City Editor Shelby Grad to talk about the the Onion Field case and the recent death of Gregory Powell.

Posted in 1963, Books and Authors, LAPD | 2 Comments

LAPD Losing Staff to War Effort

Posted on August 1, 2012 by lmharnisch

Aug. 1, 1942: Chief C.B. Horrall announces that the LAPD has lost 22 men and two women to the armed services. By the end of the war, many more officers and staff will have gone into the military, leaving the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on LAPD Losing Staff to War Effort

Gang Members Seize Prisoners in Police Brawl

Posted on July 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1942: A brawl breaks out at Pomeroy Avenue and Mark Street  when LAPD officers try to break up a dice game involving gang members. The group took three prisoners from police officers, injuring a officer’s hand, sprayed police … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, LAPD, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Remembering Elizabeth Short on Her Birthday

Posted on July 29, 2012 by lmharnisch

July 29 is the birthday of Elizabeth Short. She would have been 88. I prefer to honor this day rather than the date she was found, Jan. 15, 1947.

Posted in 1924, 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Mickey Cohen on the Record – Talking With Author Tere Tereba

Posted on July 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: Tere Tereba’s “Mickey Cohen: The Life and Crimes of L.A.’s Notorious Mobster.”   Note: I have been talking with author Tere Tereba about her book “Mickey Cohen: The Life and Crimes of L.A.’s Notorious Mobster.” Was he nothing more  … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, History, Hollywood, LAPD, Mickey Cohen | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Drunken Brawl at Errol Flynn’s Birthday Party

Posted on June 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1942: A brawl at Errol Flynn’s  32nd birthday party involves Barbara Hutton’s butler – Eric Gosta Hadler —  and Flynn’s secretary and stand-in, James Fleming. Hadler says: “It all happened so suddenly I can’t remember what happened.” Judging … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | 1 Comment

Saving L.A. History, One Page at a Time

Posted on June 19, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: The LAPD Daily Police Bulletin for Jan. 16, 1947, the day after the Black Dahlia’s body was found. Notice that the Dahlia isn’t mentioned. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror   My latest column for The Times is about Joan Renner and … Continue reading →

Posted in History, LAPD | Tagged , | 5 Comments