Category Archives: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Nation’s First Legally Permitted Gay Pride Parade

Posted on June 5, 2023 by lmharnisch

Crowd gathering to march in the Los Angeles Christopher Street West pride parade. June 28, 1970. On June 28, 1970, Hollywood hosted the nation’s first legally permitted LGBT Parade, helping spark gay pride and the right for equality in California. … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A Note to Scotty Bowers’ Fans

Posted on August 1, 2020 by lmharnisch

The announcement that an untitled Scotty Bowers project is in the works at Fox Searchlight has generated new interest in a series of posts I did on Bowers’ “Full Service” in 2012.

Posted in 2012, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , , | 4 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

Scotty Bowers 1923 – 2019 | Liar to the Stars

Posted on October 14, 2019 by lmharnisch

Scotty Bowers has left the building. Reminder: Everything he said is a lie. An encore post from 2018. Scotty Bowers’ mountain of lies is not the hill I care to die on. But be assured that he has told a … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

‘Cobra Woman’ Is a Man, Autopsy Reveals

Posted on August 19, 2019 by lmharnisch

This is one reason I love the old newspapers. From the April 16, 1946, the Wilmington Daily Press Journal..

Posted in 1946, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 7

Posted on March 27, 2019 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m slowly going through a set of photos of the wedding of two men in Philadelphia in 1957. The film was left at a shop to be developed and the store manager refused to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Photography | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 6

Posted on March 19, 2019 by lmharnisch

If you just tuned in, I’m digging into the 1957 photos of a wedding of two men in Philadelphia. The film was left at a photo shop and the manager refused to return the pictures, which were saved by a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Photography | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 5

Posted on March 18, 2019 by lmharnisch

This is the last interior shot accompanying the photos of the 1957 wedding of two men in Philadelphia. Let’s see if we can detect anything that may shed some light on our mystery guests. Previously: Part 1 | Part 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Architecture, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 4

Posted on March 14, 2019 by lmharnisch

Here is another interior shot from the film showing the wedding of two men in 1957. This image, alas, doesn’t seem to have as much information. Let’s take a closer look. Previously: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Posted in 1957, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 3

Posted on March 13, 2019 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m exploring a series of photos taken in 1957 of a wedding between two men. The photo shop refused to return the photos, which were saved by a store employee and sold on EBay … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 2

Posted on March 12, 2019 by lmharnisch

Yesterday, I posted a few photos from 1957 showing a wedding between two unidentified men. Before we get to the event, let’s look at some of the decor to see if we can find any clues. Whoever snapped these pictures … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Art & Artists, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years

Posted on March 11, 2019 by lmharnisch

Can you identify any of these men? In 1957, film with these images was left to be developed at a photo shop at Broad Street and Allegheny Avenue in North Philadelphia. According to Philadelphia Gay News, the shop manager had … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

January 1959: The LAPD’s Pandora Files

Posted on January 23, 2019 by lmharnisch

This was a fun post on Pandora’s (later Pandora’s Box), 8118 Sunset Blvd., that I completely forgot. The material is in the agenda packets of the Police Commission. The club was under the jurisdiction of the LAPD’s Hollywood Division Vice … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Food and Drink, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

1920: Police Raid Party at Ex-Mayor’s Home, Arrest 7 Men in Drag

Posted on December 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 10,1907 Los Angeles Mayor Arthur C. Harper happens to be in all sorts of trouble. He’s telling the newspapers that he has had enough of politics and won’t seek another term. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1909, 1912, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

November 1947: Women Charged Under 1872 Law for Same-Sex Marriage

Posted on November 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.. They were a quiet young couple in their 20s, so quiet that their neighbors in Valley of the Moon, near Santa Rosa, rarely saw them. David … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Oct. 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

Aug. 23, 1947: Sartre’s ‘No Exit’ Opens in L.A.

Posted on August 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Coronet Play Has ‘No Exit’ BY PHILIP K. SCHEUER Everyone is on his own at the Coronet Theatre, where Pelican Productions last night presented Jean-Paul Sartre’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Comics, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Stage | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Black L.A. 1947: Drag Ball Planned for the Avodon Ballroom in DTLA

Posted on August 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

The site of the Avodon Ballroom at 843 S. Spring St., via Google Street View.  Aug. 14, 1947: A drag ball is planned for the Avodon Ballroom, 843 S. Spring St. Although the Sentinel didn’t follow up on the event, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Dance, Downtown, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Scotty Bowers’ Mountain of Lies — Not the Hill I Care to Die On

Posted on August 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Scotty Bowers’ mountain of lies is not the hill I care to die on. But be assured that he has told a mountain of lies. Have you seen even one photograph of him with one of his alleged amours? Scotty … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

July 21, 1907: What the President Is Reading

Posted on July 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 21, 1907 Los Angeles President Theodore Roosevelt suggests “reading of certain books of pure fiction that have the prime quality of being interesting.”

Posted in 1907, Books and Authors, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , | Leave a comment