Category Archives: Nightclubs

Policewoman Admits Perjury in Brenda Allen Case; Jive-Talking Sports Scribe!

Posted on July 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

July 7, 1949: Charles Stoker surrenders his police badge to defense attorney S.S. Hahn after being accused of burglary by Policewoman Audre Davis. In this story, Davis admitted lying to win the conviction of Hollywood madam Brenda Allen. She accused … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Front Pages, LAPD, Nightclubs | Comments Off on Policewoman Admits Perjury in Brenda Allen Case; Jive-Talking Sports Scribe!

Found on EBay — Florentine Gardens

Posted on July 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

A large lot of cocktail napkins from the 1940s, including several from the Florentine Gardens, left, and quite a few from San Diego, has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $9.99.

Posted in art and artists, Food and Drink, Nightclubs | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Florentine Gardens

Holy Barbarians — Police Beat Man in Raid on Gay Club

Posted on July 1, 2009 by lmharnisch

There's a lot of rambling, self-important navel-gazing in "Holy Barbarians" and although these meandering insights are vital to the people in the book, they can be fairly tedious reading. But there are also rewards. Here's an account of a group … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #gays and lesbians, art and artists, books, Nightclubs | 1 Comment

Holy Barbarians

Posted on June 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

Above, the dust jacket of Lawrence Lipton's "Holy Barbarians" that's in pretty good shape. Obviously owned by a square. June 28, 1959: Lawrence Lipton uses a review of "The Beat Generation and the Angry Young Men," by Gene Feldman and … Continue reading →

Posted in Blues, books, Music, Nightclubs, Venice Division | 2 Comments

Found on EBay — Florentine Gardens

Posted on June 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

This menu from the Florentine Gardens nightclub on Hollywood Boulevard has been listed on EBay. Most of the Florentine Gardens menus offered for sale feature a cowgirl in an abbreviated costume. This style is a bit more uncommon. Bidding starts … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and Drink, Nightclubs | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Florentine Gardens

‘Three Little Pigs’ Has Racial Meaning, Official Says!

Posted on June 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

"Did You Hear What I Said, June?" Southern California's aerospace industry! When I saw this headline, I thought it was a joke. It's not. Iraq drops a polite note to the American Embassy saying no thanks to U.S. aid because … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, City Hall, Comics, Countdown to Watts, Environment, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Nightclubs, Politics, Sports | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia-Related Photos for Sale

Posted on May 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

Mark Hansen's photos, up for auction. An auction house has contacted me with information about a group of photos tangentially related to the Black Dahlia case. Mark Hansen, a partner in the Florentine Gardens nightclub, was a suspect in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs | Comments Off on Black Dahlia-Related Photos for Sale

Nuestro Pueblo: Pumpkin Church

Posted on May 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

Below, Strangler Lewis vs. Toots Mondt at the Philharmonic, Aug. 14, 1924. Notice the byline: Braven Dyer, who retired from The Times in 1964 and died in 1983 at the age of 83.

Posted in Architecture, Nightclubs, Nuestro Pueblo, San Fernando Valley | Comments Off on Nuestro Pueblo: Pumpkin Church

Found on EBay — Earl Carroll’s

Posted on May 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

At left, a page from an Earl Carroll's nightclub menu that has been listed on EBay. I'll leave it to others to compare these measurements with today's women. Bidding starts at $14.99.

Posted in Fashion, Music, Nightclubs | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Earl Carroll’s

State Athletic Commission Investigates Boxing, Cartoon Death Match, May 20, 1959

Posted on May 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

Isn't the Ambassador Hotel great? Oh wait, we let L.A. Unified tear it down. View this page Gangster Squad Officer J.J. "Jack" O'Mara calls on Joe Sica with a subpoena. Unfortunately, the runover of the story didn't get microfilmed. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Comics, Education, Fashion, LAPD, Music, Nightclubs, Politics, Richard Nixon, Transportation | Comments Off on State Athletic Commission Investigates Boxing, Cartoon Death Match, May 20, 1959

Found on EBay — Earl Carroll’s

Posted on May 12, 2009 by lmharnisch

This menu from Earl Carroll's nightclub has been listed on EBay. Isn't the artwork great?  Bidding starts at $22.

Posted in Nightclubs | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Earl Carroll’s

Found on EBay — A Night on the Town, 1944

Posted on May 8, 2009 by lmharnisch

  A lot of seven souvenir nightclub photos, all from 1944, has been listed on EBay. These folks clearly got around: Earl Carroll's, the Florentine Gardens, the Cocoanut Grove, plus several clubs in San Francisco. Notice the woman at left … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and Drink, Nightclubs | 1 Comment

Found on EBay — Earl Carroll’s

Posted on May 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

I usually don't run the EBay photos this big, but I'm baffled by this one. Take a look at the table: These folks have dinner rolls, glasses of water, silverware, etc. and then these huge buckets of ice Is this … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and Drink, Nightclubs | 2 Comments

Found on EBay — Earl Carroll’s

Posted on May 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

This program from Earl Carroll's has been listed on EBay. It's interesting to contrast these programs with those from the Florentine Gardens. In many ways, they are quit similar. Bidding starts at $5. var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? … Continue reading →

Posted in Nightclubs | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Earl Carroll’s

Found on EBay — Florentine Gardens

Posted on May 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

This program from the Florentine Gardens has been listed on EBay. These items turn up somewhat often and aren’t especially rare — at least when you consider the Florentine Gardens seated a couple thousand people for several shows a night. … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and Drink, Hollywood, Nightclubs | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Florentine Gardens

Found on EBay — Earl Carroll’s

Posted on May 1, 2009 by lmharnisch

This souvenir photo from Earl Carroll's nightclub has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $6.99. var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-8640152-1"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood, Nightclubs | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Earl Carroll’s

Irish Firebrand Takes Seat in Parliament, Lakers Showdown With the Celtics, April 23, 1969

Posted on April 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1969: In case you don't recognize this building, it is the former Earl Carroll theater, now the Nickelodeon building, on Sunset Boulevard. The concrete slabs with movie stars' signatures were removed to make room for this huge mural, … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Music, Nightclubs, Stage | 2 Comments

City Workers May Get 5% Raises; Snow Cancels Dodgers Opener, April 11, 1959

Posted on April 11, 2009 by lmharnisch

On the cover, President Eisenhower and Vice President Nixon predict a Republican victory in the 1960 presidential election. The country is "squarely behind our efforts to block excess spending and to keep the federal budget in balance," Nixon says. At … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles Hillinger, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Politics, Richard Nixon | Comments Off on City Workers May Get 5% Raises; Snow Cancels Dodgers Opener, April 11, 1959

Found on EBay — Florentine Gardens, Earl Carroll’s

Posted on April 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

Florentine Gardens, 1944 Florentine Gardens, no date. Earl Carroll's 1943 An EBay vendor has listed three nightclub souvenir photos from the 1940s. The two at left are from the Florentine Gardens on Hollywood Boulevard, the one above is from Earl … Continue reading →

Posted in Nightclubs | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Florentine Gardens, Earl Carroll’s

Mickey Cohen at Center of Underworld Probe; Comedy of Errors at Wrigley Field, April 2, 1949

Posted on April 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

The San Bernardino County Grand Jury finds widespread corruption in the Sheriff's Department. What do we find in the 1949 paper but Mickey Cohen in the middle of the Alfred Pearson scandal. To vastly simply the story, Pearson picked up … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Mickey Cohen, Nightclubs | Comments Off on Mickey Cohen at Center of Underworld Probe; Comedy of Errors at Wrigley Field, April 2, 1949