Category Archives: Obituaries

Voices: James Arness, 1923 – 2011

Posted on June 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

        James Arness, from “Them!” to “Gunsmoke” and "How the West Was Won." Times TV critic Howard Rosenberg interviewed Arness (or tried to) in 1981 as he began working on “McClain’s Law.” Arness was thrifty with his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1923, 1954, broadcasting, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Television | 2 Comments

Yankee Legend Lou Gehrig Dies at 37

Posted on June 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

              une 3, 1941: Until he lapsed into a coma, New York Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig, the “Iron Horse” of baseball, was sure he would win against the rare disease that was slowly … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Baseball, Obituaries | 2 Comments

Audie Murphy Dies in Plane Crash, June 1, 1971

Posted on June 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 1, 1971: World War II hero Audie Murphy, whose record as the Army’s most decorated soldier launched a movie career, dies in a plane crash with five other people.Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor, two Silver Stars, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Comments Off on Audie Murphy Dies in Plane Crash, June 1, 1971

Vice President Predicts ‘Long, Costly’ Struggle in Southeast Asia

Posted on May 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

May 24, 1961: Radio and TV comedy star Joan Davis dies of a heart attack and gets a Page 1 obituary with a jump. Raymond Chandler got an six-paragraph obituary on Page 4.  Davis was 48 when she died.

Posted in 1961, broadcasting, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Politics, Raymond Chandler, Television | 1 Comment

Gary Cooper Dies of Cancer at 60

Posted on May 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

           May 14, 1961: Gary Cooper dies of cancer at his home, 200 Baroda Drive, Holmby Hills. He was 60. “Cooper, Hollywood's homespun hero, was another product of its big star era — the same era … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | 1 Comment

U.S. Launches Astronaut Alan Shepard: ‘Boy What a Ride!’

Posted on May 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

           May 6, 1961: Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. was rocketed 115 miles above the Earth in a flawless suborbital flight and recovered safely 302 miles down the Atlantic Missile Range to become America's first man … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, art and artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Mickey Cohen, Obituaries, Religion | 2 Comments

Voices: Jackie Cooper, 1922 – 2011

Posted on May 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

           June 14, 1931: "Naw, I ain't gonna be no actor when I grow up," Jackie Cooper tells The Times. "Ya know, last season I thought I'd like to be a football player, but baseball players … Continue reading →

Posted in 1931, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on May 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   [Update 2: This is indeed Eddie Quillan (d. 1990) in an undated photo from his Mack Sennett days, stamped March 5, 1984, by The Times library.] [Update: Please congratulate Mary Mallory, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Obituaries, Photography | 49 Comments

Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, April 1, 1961

Posted on April 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

           April 1, 1961: Barbara Mills, a dancer who performed as April Adams and Chondelli, dies after being found in a coma at the Coronet Motel, 5410 Hollywood Blvd. We don’t know much more about her … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Hollywood, Matt Weinstock, Obituaries, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates and Matt Weinstock, April 1, 1961

Geraldine A. Ferraro, 1935 — 2011; ‘Housewife From Queens’ Made Political History

Posted on March 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

        July 13, 1984– The Times’ Karen Tumulty profiles the Democratic vice presidential candidate: “Geraldine A. Ferraro likes to refer to herself as ‘a housewife from Queens,’ the conservative, blue-collar borough of New York where the television … Continue reading →

Posted in 1984, Obituaries, Politics | 1 Comment

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Posted on March 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

      An undated photo of Triangle Shirtwaist Co. employees courtesy of HBO.       March 26, 1911: “A 13-year-old girl hung for three minutes by her fingertips to the sill of a 10th-floor window. A tongue of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, Fire Department, Obituaries | 4 Comments

Elizabeth Taylor’s Obituary — Outtakes From a Work in Progress

Posted on March 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

         Photograph by George R. Fry Jr./Los Angeles Times   Nov. 27, 1957: Michael Todd and Elizabeth Taylor. Elaine Woo has a nice post about writing the obituary on Elizabeth Taylor, including some items cut from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Photography | 1 Comment

Remembering Elizabeth Taylor: 1932 – 2011

Posted on March 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Feb. 6, 1945: “National Velvet” opens in Los Angeles.       Photograph by John Malmin/Los Angeles Times   March 27, 1957: Michael Todd poses with Elizabeth Taylor after “Around the World in 80 Days” won the Academy … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932, books, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Comments Off on Remembering Elizabeth Taylor: 1932 – 2011

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 22, 1941

Posted on March 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

              Los Angeles Times file photo   March 22, 1941: Lee Shippey writes about photographer Charles Chester “C.C.” Pierce (d. 1946), who has spent 55 years documenting Los Angeles. As Shippey notes, many of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Obituaries, Photography, Tom Treanor | 1 Comment

Voices: Warren Christopher, 1925 — 2011

Posted on March 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

“When human beings are forcibly abducted from their homes, interrogated incessantly at the pleasure of their captors and prodded with electrodes or held under water to the point of drowning — when such things are happening around the world, as they are, all who truly value human rights must speak out.”
Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, LAPD, Obituaries, Politics | Comments Off on Voices: Warren Christopher, 1925 — 2011

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 14, 1941

Posted on March 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

           March 14, 1941: Some time ago, this column told of the work of Ruby Berkley Goodwin, the Fullerton Negro poetess whose work has attracted national attention. Wendell Malliet & Co., New York, have just announced … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1961, art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Obituaries, Tom Treanor | 1 Comment

Architectural Ramblings, March 5, 1911

Posted on March 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

                236 Adelaide Drive via Google maps’ street view.     March 5, 1911: The Times features the new home of Los Angeles capitalist Isaac Milbank at 236 Adelaide Drive, Santa Monica. According … Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, Architecture, Obituaries | 2 Comments

Upton Sinclair House for Sale

Posted on March 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

          Photo courtesy of Cecilia Farnum, Century 21     The Upton Sinclair House at 464 N. Myrtle Ave., Monrovia has been listed for sale at $1.5 million. The 1923 home was designed by Frederick H. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1923, 1943, Architecture, art and artists, books, Obituaries | 3 Comments

Voices — Jane Russell 1921 – 2011 [Updated]

Posted on February 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

         Los Angeles Times file photo   Jane Russell and Victor Mature visit with George Dolenz on the set of “The Las Vegas Story.”     May 6, 1945: Jane Russell has Hollywood abuzz, The Times says. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Photography | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on February 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Time file photo   I thought it would be fun to switch back to mystery people, so here’s today’s mystery guest! [Update: Please congratulate Mike Hawks and Mary Mallory for identifying our mystery fellow!] [Update … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Obituaries, Photography | 45 Comments