Category Archives: Music

‘Casablanca’ Cast Honors Michael Curtiz’s 15 Years in U.S.

July 7, 1942:Twin brothers Walter and Sol Brundo, jazz musicians, join a military band stationed at Camp Haan in Riverside County.   I can’t find any trace of Sol and Walter. I wonder what became of them. “The Magnificent Ambersons”opens at … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Music, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Judge Cites ‘Right of Battle’ in Sentencing Conscientious Objector

June 16, 1942:  Robert Lee Allen is sentenced to five years in federal prison for refusing to enlist in the Army. Judge Jeremiah Neter, 80, noted that Allen had not used the available provisions to file for conscientious objector status … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Music, Religion, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Photo: A stereo picture of the hearse carrying the body of President McKinley has been listed on EBay at  $18.95. Queen of the Dead – dateline June 4, 2012 Just back from Paris, my dears, and what you’ve heard is … Continue reading

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Television | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Photo: A 2003 Cadillac hearse listed on EBay, with bids starting at $18,900. Queen of the Dead – dateline May 21, 2012 •   Restaurateur (The Forge and The Glen in Tulsa), racecar driver, military historian and coffee heir (McLaughlin’s Coffee … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Music, Nightclubs, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | 5 Comments

Pilot Lands P-38 Between Venice, Ocean Park Piers

May 17, 1942: Lt. William K. Long lands his P-38, with smoke pouring from one of the engines, between the Venice and Ocean Park piers. “Then, swimming a short distance through deep water, he waded ashore,” The Times said. Philip … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, Music, Mystery Photo, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Photo: A Hot Wheels model of a customized 1963 Cadillac hearse listed on EBay at $6.50. Queen of the Dead – dateline February 27, 2012 •  Do you collect Instant Disaster books? I do. I have same-year accounts of the … Continue reading

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Music, Queen of the Dead, San Francisco, Television | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Photo: 1947 Cadillac hearse listed on EBay at $1.950. Queen of the Dead — dateline February 20, 2012 I am no longer eating candy (ten pounds to go!), but when I did, I was rather fond of Lemonheads. I learned … Continue reading

Posted in Eve Golden, Fashion, Film, Music, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Television | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Image: President Lincoln’s Funeral at the White House, listed on EBay at $375. Queen of the Dead – dateline February 6, 2012 •  The Prettiest Girl in All of Turkey has died: 98-year-old Keriman Halis Ece, on January 28. She … Continue reading

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mob Slaying of ‘Big Greenie’ Greenberg Retold in Bugsy Siegel Trial

Jan. 27, 1942: Ida Greenberg testifies in the trial of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (d. 1947) and Frank “Frankie” Carbo (d. 1972) in the killing of her husband, Harry “Big Greenie” Greenberg, who was shot to death in his driveway at … Continue reading

Posted in 1939, 1942, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Music, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Photo: 1937 Oldsmobile customized hearse listed on EBay at $7,550. Queen of the Dead – dateline January 16, 2012 •  Singer and actress Betty Jane Rhodes, 90, died on December 26. A radio and recording success as a child, she … Continue reading

Posted in Cold Cases, Eve Golden, Film, Food and Drink, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Music, Queen of the Dead | 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

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

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Music, Nightclubs, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Japanese Sub Torpedoes 2 Ships off California Coast

Army Is Prepared, but Needs to Toughen Up for War, General Says

Dec. 1, 1941: With the attack on Pearl Harbor six days away, Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair says U.S. troops are ready to fight, but would suffer heavy losses with only six months of field training. “Properly trained units cannot … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Music, Radio, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Army Is Prepared, but Needs to Toughen Up for War, General Says

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

   Photo: Postcard for J.D. Naftzinger, funeral director and embalmer, listed on EBay, as Buy It Now for $150. Queen of the Dead—dateline November 28, 2011 •  I am going to get “More, More, More (How Do You Like It?),” … Continue reading

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Scientists to Build Computer From 1830s Drawings

Photo: The lobby of La Concha Motel, designed by Paul Revere Williams. Credit: The Neon Museum The first in a planned series of monthly lectures in the newly reopened Globe Lobby is sold out. The next lecture is Dec. 8, … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Chicago, Crime and Courts, Museums, Music, Preservation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Scientists to Build Computer From 1830s Drawings

Wingy Manone Puts the Swing in Swing Shift — Nov. 3, 1941

Nov. 3, 1941: Tom Treanor goes to a dance at the Glendale Civic Auditorium for swing shift workers, about 5,000 of them, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Most of the couples are married, he says, … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Dance, Film, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Wingy Manone Puts the Swing in Swing Shift — Nov. 3, 1941

Paul McCartney Rescues Motown Museum’s Steinway

Photo: Stone chopping tool from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Credit: “A History of the World in 100 Objects.” Last year, BBC4 aired a program that tried to compress the history of the world into the stories of 100 artifacts from the … Continue reading

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Suspect in After-Hours Sex at Museum: ‘I Get Around’

Image: The Charleston Museum, where Michael L. Miller was arrested on charge of having sex at 3 a.m. Neale Gulley of Reuters reports that the Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum in Buffalo, N.Y., is building Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1927 design … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Museums, Music, Native Americans, Preservation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Suspect in After-Hours Sex at Museum: ‘I Get Around’

Coming Attractions: Los Angeles Archives Bazaar [Updated]

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

Posted in Coming Attractions, Education, Film, History, Latinos, Libraries, Music, Photography | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: Los Angeles Archives Bazaar [Updated]

Gangster Kills Tribune Reporter, 1930

Ken Burns’ series on Prohibition has brought a reexamination of the era. John McCormick of the Chicago Tribune looks at the tawdry end of the Trib’s Alfred “Jake” Lingle, who was shot to death in 1930, revealing a secret life. … Continue reading

Posted in 1930, Chicago, Museums, Music, World War II | Tagged , , | 3 Comments