Category Archives: Photography

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Peter P. Jones, Pioneering Black Photographer

Posted on February 20, 2024 by lmharnisch

Booker T. Washington, photographed by Peter P. Jones, Chicago, about 1910, from the Library of Congress. During the early decades of the 1900s, few African Americans participated or worked for major moving picture studios in leading positions in front or … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Fred Archer, Master of Artistic Photography

Posted on November 13, 2023 by lmharnisch

Joan Bennett photographed by Fred Archer, Modern Screen Magazine. Note: This is an encore post from 2015 As stillsmen Elmer Fryer and Fred Archer wrote in the 1928 article for “Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers,” “In the … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 25, 2023 by lmharnisch

I picked a mystery movie for this week, but upon previewing the film I decided that the print wasn’t good enough to use, and that there were other issues that sent it back to the vault. While I’m picking a … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Two Pioneering Women Photographers

Posted on September 18, 2023 by lmharnisch

Just a few years after Susan B. Anthony and others organized the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848, women began working as photographers in the United States. While many took over their father’s or husband’s photography … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Bert Longworth and ‘Hold Still, Hollywood’

Posted on June 26, 2023 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. In the last forty years, movie collectors and photography connoisseurs have recognized the art and value of Hollywood still photography, most particularly in the gloriously lit and composed portraits of glamorous stars. … Continue reading →

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Remembering Newsman Tony Valdez | 1945-2023

Posted on May 11, 2023 by lmharnisch

We’re remembering veteran Fox 11 newsman Tony Valdez, who died last week at 78. Tony loved Los Angeles and he loved Los Angeles history; for Tony, the city was a profession and an avocation. When he wasn’t reporting on Los … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Obituaries, Photography, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Eve Golden: The Amazing Life of Allan Gould

Posted on April 14, 2023 by lmharnisch

Ruth Tester and Allan Gould perform Manhattan in the 1929 Paramount short Makers of Melody. Longtime readers may recall that way back in 2013, Larry and I pondered the career of Allan Gould, whom I had seen in a 1929 … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Music, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – ‘The Loves of Pharaoh’

Posted on September 12, 2022 by lmharnisch

Photo: Dagny Servaes in “The Loves of Pharaoh.” Credit: American Cinematheque. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. To celebrate the 89th anniversary of the opening of Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre, American Cinematheque screened the 1922 restored Ernst Lubitsch film … Continue reading →

Posted in 1922, Film, History, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography, Preservation, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Ruth Harriet Louise

Posted on August 8, 2022 by lmharnisch

Photo: Aileen Pringle, photographed by Ruth Harriet Louise, listed on EBay at $49.99. Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Motion picture production jobs both on and off the set have mostly been held by men throughout history, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Nelson Evans, Hollywood’s Early Forgotten Portrait Photographer

Posted on July 25, 2022 by lmharnisch

Photo: Nelson Evans Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Unlike the theatrical world, the early motion picture industry was slow in recognizing the importance of photographs to help publicize and sell its films. While Broadway producers hired great … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Reading Codes on Movie Stills

Posted on March 14, 2022 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post, Mary’s first from 2011! Mary says: For Thelma Todd, 802 is the production number for FOLLOW THRU.  The 154 could be a scene code; usually that’s after a dash following the main number.  Paramount … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mary Mallory, Mystery Photo, Photography | 2 Comments

On the Frontiers of Fashion – William Desmond Taylor

Posted on February 1, 2022 by lmharnisch

Photos Courtesy of Steven Bibb. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Daily Mirror reader Steven Bibb sent these photos from a recent tour of Paramount. Keep reading for more details….

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 22, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. I picked up “The Big Picture,” Melba Levick and Stanley Young’s 1988 book about Los Angeles murals, not realizing what a terribly sad book it would be. As Young notes: “Most artists … Continue reading →

Posted in 1988, Architecture, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Downtown, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Latinos, Photography, Preservation, San Fernando Valley, Sports, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Einar Petersen, Forgotten Artist

Posted on October 25, 2021 by lmharnisch

Image: Lobby of the New Rosslyn Hotel, showing murals by Einar Petersen. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Fame is an odd thing. An artist might be successful and popular in his lifetime and forgotten with the decades, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1915, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Food and Drink, Hollywood Heights, Interior Design, Mary Mallory, Obituaries, Photography, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Fred Hartsook

Posted on June 7, 2021 by lmharnisch

Photo: Child in sailor suit by Hartsook studios, for sale on EBay. Bidding starts at $74.95. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Patience is a prerequisite for being a stills photographer, and it is also important for those … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930, Brain Trust, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hugo Ballin, L.A. Muralist

Posted on March 29, 2021 by lmharnisch

Photographs by Larry Harnisch / LADailyMirror.com Mural in the Los Angeles Times Globe Lobby, dated July 19, 1934, by Hugo Ballin Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Hugo Ballin is one of the greatest muralists in Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Brain Trust, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Libraries, Mary Mallory, Parks, Photography, Preservation, Religion | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Ruth Harriet Louise

Posted on March 8, 2021 by lmharnisch

Photo: Aileen Pringle, photographed by Ruth Harriet Louise, listed on EBay at $49.99. Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Motion picture production jobs both on and off the set have mostly been held by men throughout history, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Mack Sennett’s Rose Parade Gag

Posted on December 28, 2020 by lmharnisch

Photo: “The Sleuths at the Floral Parade.” Credit: Mary Mallory, the Collections of the Margaret Herrick Library. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. The Tournament of Roses Parade is going on its 122th year, and grows more elaborate … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Leave a comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 15, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. I picked up “The Big Picture,” Melba Levick and Stanley Young’s 1988 book about Los Angeles murals, not realizing what a terribly sad book it would be. As Young notes: “Most artists … Continue reading →

Posted in 1988, Architecture, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Downtown, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Latinos, Photography, Preservation, San Fernando Valley, Sports, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: George P. Hommel, Pensive Photographer

Posted on July 27, 2020 by lmharnisch

Overshadowed by the work of 1920s Paramount colleagues Donald Biddle Keyes and Eugene Robert Richee, stillsman George P. Hommel crafted thoughtful portraits highlighting both the beauty and sorrow of those he photographed. Like Keyes,  the peripatetic Hommel always looked for … Continue reading →

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