Category Archives: Libraries

Advice for Aspiring Screenwriters

Posted on October 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

“How to Write Photo-Plays” by Clarence J. Caine has been listed on EBay and describes the art of writing silent films as it was in 1915. (Hint: Do not make your scenarios too realistic. ) The book also includes a … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Libraries | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Coming Attractions: This Week on the L.A. Daily Mirror

Posted on October 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

On Monday, Eve Golden has a roundup of unusual obituaries in Queen of the Dead, and in Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory takes a look at the Clover Club, a 1930s casino on Sunset Boulevard. On Tuesday, there’s another installment of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1931, 1942, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, Mary Mallory, Queen of the Dead, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: This Week on the L.A. Daily Mirror

Coming Attractions: Los Angeles Archives Bazaar [Updated]

Posted on October 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The 2010 Archives Bazaar at Doheny Memorial Library. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com [Update: This is today! Mary Mallory says she’ll be at the Hollywood Heritage table from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., so if you’re there be sure to say … Continue reading →

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Restoration at Wilshire Boulevard Temple

Posted on October 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Wilshire Boulevard Temple, interior. Credit: Jim Winstead On the 140th anniversary of the Chicago fire, it’s a time to celebrate the city’s libraries. Rick Kogan explains in the Tribune’s Sidewalks blog. Jay Jones, writing for the Los Angeles Times, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Chicago, Crime and Courts, Downtown, History, Interior Design, Libraries, Mary Mallory, Museums, Preservation, Religion | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Restoration at Wilshire Boulevard Temple

The Best Books on L.A.

Posted on October 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: “Los Angeles,” by Morrow Mayo. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com Earlier this year, I queried readers about the best books on Los Angeles. It was interesting to see how many people suggested novels – by Raymond Chandler and John Fante – … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, History, Libraries | Tagged , | 4 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 10

Posted on September 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Racial incidents between servicemen and African Americans in San Diego.   Credit: The National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, 1943, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 10

Silver Lake Hammer Murder – Part 3

Posted on September 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 19, 1941: Valverda Booth visits her husband, Ernest Booth, while he is in custody in the Silver Lake Hammer Murder of heiress Florence Stricker. Is there anything more delightful to the heart of a research drudge than a notice … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, 1929, 1941, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Libraries | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

British Library Digitizes Lewis Carroll’s Original ‘Alice’

Posted on September 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Page 37 of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures Under Ground,” digitized by the British Library. Henry Chu writes a nondupe in the Los Angeles Times about unsuccessful attempts to gain access to Scotland Yard’s records in the Jack the Ripper … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Immigration, Libraries, Museums | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 9

Posted on September 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Isadore Bernstein’s name appears on a list of  undesirables.  Credit: The National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer in the Last … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, 1943, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Fashion, Film, History, Hollywood, Latinos, Libraries, Stage, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 9

Shofar Flash Mob!

Posted on September 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The Volute Krater, which is being  returned to Italy. Credit: Minneapolis Institute of Arts Adam Nagourney of the New York Times explores the different philosophies of treating history at the Reagan and Nixon presidential libraries. But another exhibition that … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Baseball, Crime and Courts, Libraries, Museums, Religion | Tagged | Comments Off on Shofar Flash Mob!

A Revolution in Research

Posted on September 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Rohwer Camp #23. Credit: Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

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Zoot Suit Files: Intelligence Report on Subversives

Posted on September 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 24, 1942: Intelligence officer B.L. Canaga compiles a report on subversives that might be active in the 11th Naval District. His list includes communists, Japanese, Falangists, Sinarchists, Italians, Germans and acts of sabotage: “Many prominent and wealthy motion picture … Continue reading →

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Database of Slave Names Going Online

Posted on September 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: “Christ Carrying the Cross Dragged by a Rogue.” The Virginia Historical Society is compiling a database of slaves and owners. The database, which will go online Wednesday, contains the names of 1,400 slaves and 180 owners, according to Eve … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, Genealogy, History, Libraries, Museums, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Database of Slave Names Going Online

Zoot Suit: A Trip to the National Archives

Posted on September 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: House, Perris, Calif. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com This house is at the turnoff to the National Archives in Perris, Calif., where I spent the day researching the Zoot Suit Riots. It was great: Photo: The city of Los Angeles is … Continue reading →

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Marion Eisenmann: Artist’s Notebook – Grand Central Market

Posted on September 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

“Grand Central Market” by Marion Eisenmann Note: I’m reposting artwork that Marion Eisenmann did with the Daily Mirror when it was at latimes.com. This one is from 2010. Marion will be giving monthly classes in plein air painting on Thursdays … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Artist's Notebook, Coming Attractions, Downtown, Food and Drink, Libraries, Marion Eisenmann | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Marion Eisenmann: Artist’s Notebook – Grand Central Market

Rosa Parks Archives Off-Limits to Scholars

Posted on August 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The Rosa Parks archive. Credit: Guernsey’s Auctioneers.   Julian Bond and Jeanne Theoharis have a piece in the Washington Post’s opinion pages tracing the troubled history of Rosa Parks’ archives. Parks’ papers and other items have been caught in … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, History, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Google Strikes Again

Posted on August 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Google has a bad habit of introducing a wonderful feature and then breaking it a few years later, as quietly as possible. The latest victim is Google’s online newspaper archives. Researchers may have noticed that the interface changed recently. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Genealogy, Libraries | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

What Are the 50 Best Books About L.A.?

Posted on August 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

I don’t care much for lists because they’re usually nothing but “flame bait.”*  The BBC is an abundant source of these dictums, such as “100 Smashing Top-Drawer Books That Everyone Who Aspires to Cultural Literacy Should Read,” which is second … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, History, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Woman Executed for Sex With Dog, 1677

Posted on August 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Mujeres listas para recivir a Rabago, 1911. Credit: Walter H. Horne/Getty Research Institute “A Nation Emerges,” featuring images of the Mexican Revolution, will go  on display at the Central Library from Sept. 8 to June 3. The exhibit, presented … Continue reading →

Posted in 1677, Animals, Crime and Courts, History, Libraries, Photography | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

How to Be an EBay Huckster

Posted on August 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: First all-women jury in Los Angeles. Credit: EBay listing. Photo: First all-women jury in Los Angeles. Credit: Bain News Service, Nov. 2, 1911. You can pay $9.99 for a cropped version of this photo on EBay or get it … Continue reading →

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