Category Archives: Music

April 2, 1908: Great White Fleet Out of Tunes, Seeks Songs in the Key of Sea

Posted on April 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 2, 1908: Sailors of the Great White Fleet are tired of the same old songs and want something new to sing, maybe “I’m Afraid to Go Home in the Dark.” Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, Music, Transportation | Tagged #employment, 1908, transportation | Leave a comment

March 18, 1907: In L.A. Schools, Young Ivan and Josefina Learn English

Posted on March 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 18, 1907: In this classroom, Onya, Ivan, Josefina and Leah learn to speak English, The Times’ Henrietta B. Freeman reports. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1910, 1912, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Education, LAPD, Music, Streetcars | Comments Off

1944 on the Radio — Constance Bennett Visits ‘Bill Stern’s Sports Newsreel,’ March 17, 1944

Posted on March 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 17, 1944: On the Radio Dial — Constance Bennett is the guest on “Bill Stern’s Sports Newsreel,” and Donald Dame of the Metropolitan Opera appears on “To Your Good Health.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Film, Music, Radio, Sports | Tagged 1944, film, OTR, radio, sports | Comments Off

1944 on the Radio — Charles Laughton on ‘Orson Welles’ Radio Almanac,’ March 15, 1944

Posted on March 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 15, 1944 on the radio: Charles Laughton is Orson Welles’ guest on ‘Radio Almanac.’ Also ‘The Lone Ranger,’ and baritone William Hargrave on ‘To Your Good Health.’ Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Music, Radio | Tagged 1944, film, hollywood, OTR, radio | Comments Off

1944 on the Radio — Dinah Shore and Frank Sinatra on ‘Command Performance,’ March 11, 1944

Posted on March 11, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 11, 1944: On the radio dial — “Jungle Jim,” and “Command Performance” with Dinah Shore and Frank Sinatra. Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Hollywood, Music, Radio | Tagged 1944, hollywood, Music, radio | Comments Off

1944 on the Radio — Jack Benny and Groucho Marx, February 26, 1944

Posted on February 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 26, 1944: On the radio dial, Jack Benny visits Groucho Marx. Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Music, Radio, World War II | Tagged 1944, Groucho Marx, Music, radio, World War II | Comments Off

1944 on the Radio — Bing Crosby on ‘Mail Call,’ February 16, 1944

Posted on February 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 16, 1944: On the radio dial: Bing Crosby; “The Lone Ranger”;and opera singer Betty Mulliner. Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Music, World War II | Tagged 1944, film, hollywood, Music, radio, World War II | Comments Off

February 3, 1959: Rock Stars Die in Plane Crash

Posted on February 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 3, 1958: Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens are killed in a plane crash. Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Film, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries, Rock 'n' Roll, San Fernando Valley, Television, Transportation | Comments Off

January 23, 1947: Four Held for Trial in ‘Red Hibiscus Murder’

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 23, 1947: Four youths are held in the ‘Red Hibuscus Murder” of Naomi Tullis Cook, who was found in a clump of hibiscus bushes next to the men’s restroom in Lincoln Park. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics, Crime and Courts, Music | Tagged 1947, comics, crime and courts, quote of the day, Red Hibiscus Murder | Comments Off

January 19, 1907: A Conductor Throws Caution to the Winds

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1907: At great risk to his health and finances, Harley Hamilton will conduct his Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra in the West Coast premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. The orchestra, which eventually disbanded, was a competitor with the later Los Angeles Philharmonic. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Music, Streetcars, Theaters | Comments Off

January 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock recounts the war story of a wounded sailor, expected to die, who was revived by a glass of brandy from a nurse. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Music | Comments Off

January 7, 1947: Man Uses Same Coffee Cup for 27 Years

Posted on January 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 7, 1947: Truman B. Carl of Whittier has used the same coffee cup for 27 years. That’s it. That’s the story. Really. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics, Music, Obituaries | Tagged #William Heirens, 1947, coffee, coffee cups, crime and courts, quote of the day, Truman B. Carl | Comments Off

December 28, 1958: Movie stars to watch in the new year, tribute to Archie Moore

Posted on December 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 28, 1958: Hedda Hopper’s predictions for the next crop of movie stars bypasses the cast of the 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Music | Comments Off

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide: The Harvey Wallbanger

Posted on December 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

Young persons: This is what grandma and grandpa used to drink (along with the Tequila Sunrise) when they went out in the 1970s. Continue reading →

Posted in 1971, Food and Drink, Music | Tagged 1971, food and drink | Comments Off

December 21, 1947: ‘Tubby the Tuba’ and Music for Children

Posted on December 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 21, 1947: An ad for children’s records, including Victor Jory reading “Tubby the Tuba.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Music | Tagged 1947, Grumpy Shark, Music, Tubby the Tuba | Comments Off

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘White Christmas’ Soothes the Home Front in 1942

Posted on December 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

Recognized today as one of the top selling singles and pieces of sheet music of all time, Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” was just one of eleven songs in the 1942 holiday classic, “Holiday Inn.” First put to paper by Berlin in 1940, the tune evolved over time before becoming the beloved hit sung by the dulcet tones of baritone Bing Crosby. Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged film, hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, White Christmas | Comments Off

December 14, 1908: Mahler’s farewell concert with the New York Philharmonic

Posted on December 14, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 14, 1908: Gustav Mahler conducts his final concert with the New York Philharmonic with music by Wagner and Beethoven. Mahler was much applauded and his reading was “masculine” and “even rude!” But there was “untunefulness” in the wood winds and “overemphasis of the brass.” Continue reading →

Posted in @news, classical music, Front Pages, Music | Comments Off

December 14, 1907: L.A. Schools Ban Mention of Christ at Christmas (Uh-Oh)

Posted on December 14, 2025 by lmharnisch

Dec. 14, 1907: Los Angeles residents are furious after the school superintendent bans the mention of Christ at Christmas. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Education, Music, Religion | Tagged #Christmas, 1907, education, LAUSD, religion | Comments Off

December 13, 1907: The Annual Rite of ‘Messiah’ at Cold, Drafty Shrine Auditorium

Posted on December 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 13, 1907: An unidentified Times critic attends a performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at Shrine Auditorium. An exercise in decrypting a music review of another era. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Music, Religion, Streetcars | Tagged 1907, Handel, Messiah, Music, Shrine Auditorium | Comments Off

November 21, 1959: Matt Weinstock, Nov. 21, 1959

Posted on November 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 21, 1959: Matt Weinstock has the story of a man who keeps getting tickets for not having a front plate on his French Panhard. The problem is there’s no place for a license plate. Continue reading →

Posted in #gays and lesbians, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock, Music, Rock 'n' Roll | Comments Off