Category Archives: Obituaries

Bruno Walter’s Last Concert

Posted on December 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

        Dec. 2, 1960: Van Cliburn, the Cold War sensation who won the 1958 Tchaikovsky piano competition, performs the Brahms second piano concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Bruno Walter at Shrine Auditorium.   [Yes, I cringe … Continue reading →

Posted in classical music, Music, Obituaries | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – W.C. Fields

Posted on November 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

       A letter attributed to Harriet “Hattie” Fields, who was married to W.C. Fields, has been listed on EBay. The vendor says that the letter was written to a member of the McIntyre and Heath comedy team. Bidding … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | 2 Comments

Mae West Dies, Nov. 23, 1980

Posted on November 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

       Nov. 23, 1980: Mae West dies at the age of 87 and gets a first-rate  obituary by Kevin Thomas and the legendary/notorious Ted Thackrey.  A sample: She was painted by Dali, admired by George Bernard Shaw, photographed … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Comments Off on Mae West Dies, Nov. 23, 1980

Dorothy Stratten — ‘Galaxina’

Posted on November 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

          Nov. 22, 1980: “Galaxina” is released to movie theaters three months after one of the stars, former Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, died in a murder-suicide. “Since Stratten plays a robot in the title … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Obituaries, Suicide | 1 Comment

Ritchie Valens and ‘Donna’

Posted on November 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

Feb. 5, 1959, Donna Ludwig. Feb. 5, 1959: Here’s a story I neglected to post in my original coverage of “The Day the Music Died,” an interview with Donna Ludwig of Granada Hills, the subject of Ritchie Valens’ song “Donna.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Obituaries, Rock 'n' Roll | Comments Off on Ritchie Valens and ‘Donna’

Former Mirror Writer Beaten to Death – Update

Posted on November 18, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Roby Heard, 1921 – 1960   This is something I wrote in 2002 at the request of Det. Rick Jackson of the LAPD’s cold case unit. Jackson said that the “murder book” for 1960 was missing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries | 4 Comments

Matt Weinstock, Nov. 17, 1960

Posted on November 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Nov. 17, 1960: Matt Weinstock discovers “2,000 Years With Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks.” “A wildly creative ad-libber who wrote for Sid Caesar for 10 years, Brooks could well become the hottest satirist in town,” Weinstock says. DEAR … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock, Nightclubs, Obituaries | 1 Comment

Paul Coates, Nov. 17, 1960

Posted on November 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

        Nov. 17, 1960: Clark Gable dies in Room 209 of Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital at the age of 59… Paul Coates reports on impressions of President-elect Kennedy in the Soviet Union … and the Mirror publishes Part … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates, Nov. 17, 1960

Jimmie Fidler, Nov. 11, 1940

Posted on November 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Nov. 11, 1940 — Growl: Has Hollywood completely forgotten John Boles? Jimmie Fidler asks. On the jump, a classic example of tombstoned headlines, one of the worst I have ever seen. 

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler, Nov. 11, 1940

Dino De Laurentiis, 1919 – 2010

Posted on November 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Oct. 6, 1968: Jane Fonda and David Hemmings in “Barbarella,” produced by Dino de Laurentiis.   De Laurentiis PRODUCER'S PICTURE DARKENS Sunday August 30, 1987 By WILLIAM K. KNOEDELSEDER Jr., Times Staff Writer Since he moved to … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Comments Off on Dino De Laurentiis, 1919 – 2010

Hollywood Mourns Mack Sennett — Updated

Posted on November 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

        Nov. 9, 1960: Mack Sennett dies at the age of 80. “He took a farce situation and gave us the occasion and opportunity to indulge in that best of tonic — laughter," said the Rev. Harold … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | 3 Comments

Art Exhibit Features Paul Revere Williams

Posted on October 30, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   The Art Museum at the University of Memphis has opened an exhibition on the works of Los Angeles architect Paul Revere Williams, above left, with champion prizefighter Joe Louis in 1960. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Obituaries, Photography, Richard Nixon | Comments Off on Art Exhibit Features Paul Revere Williams

Voices – Ingrid Bergman

Posted on October 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

        Oct. 26, 1980: Roderick Mann interviews Ingrid Bergman on the release of her autobiography, “My Story.” Mann writes: Yesterday's scandal is tomorrow's yawn, and young people today, let alone future historians, may well marvel that Ingrid … Continue reading →

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

Tom Bosley and the Black Dahlia

Posted on October 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Beverly Lafayette “Bevo” Means, 1971.   Most people associate the late Tom Bosley with his role as Howard Cunningham in “Happy Days.” But not at the Daily Mirror HQ, where we think of him in his cameo … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries, Television | Comments Off on Tom Bosley and the Black Dahlia

Voices – Joan Sutherland, 1926 – 2010

Posted on October 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Nov. 22, 1966: Times music critic Martin Bernheimer interviews Joan Sutherland … in his Volkswagen? Yes, it’s true. She and Ricky (her husband, conductor Richard Bonynge) are getting ready to do “Lucia” at the new Met, which will … Continue reading →

Posted in #opera, classical music, Music, Obituaries | 1 Comment

Voices — Martin Aguirre

Posted on October 8, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Meet Martin Aguirre, one of the most fascinating figures I have come across in quite a while. He was a bailiff in courtroom of Judge George Hutton in the Clarence Darrow trial, and led a most interesting … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Obituaries | 2 Comments

‘A Terrible Roar’—Updated

Posted on October 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

Courtesy of University of Southern California, on behalf of the USC Special Collections. Oct. 1, 1910:  The Times Building in flames, as seen from Broadway just south of First Street. Notice The Times Eagle outlined by the fire. El Alisal, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910 L.A. Times bombing, Obituaries | 5 Comments

Voices – Tony Curtis

Posted on September 30, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 3, 1977: Tony Curtis tells the late Roderick Mann, “I've put nearly 30 years into acting, and it would be nice to have got back a little respect from the profession. Bit I never got it, never.”

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Comments Off on Voices – Tony Curtis

Buddy Collette — ‘Shotgun Freeway’

Posted on September 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

Amid the tributes to Buddy Collette, Daily Mirror readers should remember that he appears in “Shotgun Freeway,” one of the great documentaries about Los Angeles. The trailer is here.

Posted in #Jazz, Film, Obituaries | 1 Comment

Voices – Roderick Mann

Posted on September 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Here are two of the hundreds of profiles done for The Times by Roderick Mann, who died Friday at the age of 87. His first byline in The Times was a 1975 interview with Ava Gardner (d.1990), in … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Roderick Mann | 2 Comments