Category Archives: Preservation

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 2178 High Tower Drive, L.A.’s First Community Elevator

Posted on March 20, 2023 by lmharnisch

The Tower appeared in the March 24, 1939, installment of Nuestro Pueblo by Joseph Seewerker and Charles Owens of the Los Angeles Times. Note: This is an encore post from 2020. Both marketing gimmick and necessity, the elevator shaft that … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Egyptian Theatre, Where Grauman Put the ‘Show’ in Show Business, Turns 100

Posted on October 25, 2022 by lmharnisch

A postcard showing Sid Grauman and the Egyptian Theater, listed on EBay. On Oct. 18, Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre turned 100 years old. Built and operated by legendary showman Sid Grauman, the spectacular theater introduced major Hollywood premieres and radio broadcasts … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mabel Normand Studio Leads the Way

Posted on September 30, 2022 by lmharnisch

One of the first film studios constructed for use solely by a female performer, the Mabel Normand Studio still stands strong at the triangle intersection of Fountain Avenue, Bates Avenue, and Effie Street in East Hollywood, more than 100 years … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Norman Kerry, Preservationist

Posted on May 16, 2022 by lmharnisch

Norman Kerry in 1924. Note: This is an encore post from 2019. Long before billionaire investor Ron Burkle purchased and restored such historic architectural properties as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis-Brown House, Harold Lloyd’s Greenacres, and Bob Hope’s Palm Springs and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – United Artists Theatre

Posted on February 7, 2022 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Los Angeles and Hollywood have been the Mecca and Medina of movies, where their acolytes came to worship, work and learn in the teens and 1920s.  After making movies, reverent places of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, 1927, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation, Religion, Theaters | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Beverly Hills Waterworks

Posted on January 10, 2022 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Southern California and Los Angeles have grown by leaps and bounds over the last 150 years, and the most urgent requirement during that time has been water.  Unable to provide enough water … Continue reading →

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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

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 3, 2021 by lmharnisch

I’m happy to recommend Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir, by my Crime Buddy Nathan Marsak, published in 2020 by Angel City Press. The book is full of historic photos and vintage ephemera, and the text is … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Pioneer Eugene Plummer and His Park

Posted on October 12, 2021 by lmharnisch

Eugene Plummer holds what he claimed was Joaquin Murrieta’s 12-shot pistol, Los Angeles Times, Sept. 5, 1938. Virtually forgotten today, Hollywood pioneer Eugene R. Plummer preserved many romantic traditions of old Los Angeles throughout his 91 years. Generous to a … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Olvera Street, Salute to Los Angeles’ Spanish Past

Posted on October 4, 2021 by lmharnisch

A postcard of the Avila Adobe, listed on EBay for $1.89. “A people that has lost touch with its historical past, forgotten its traditions and wasted its heritage is as unfortunate as a man who has lost his memory. Without … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory/ Hollywood Heights: First Permanent Film Studio Was an Abandoned Roadhouse

Posted on September 29, 2021 by lmharnisch

When early moving picture companies set down roots in the farming community of Hollywood, they employed simple structures like barns, warehouses, and even an abandoned roadhouse as studios. These early production entities ventured west in 1909 and 1910 to escape … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood’s Long Struggle for a Movie Museum

Posted on September 28, 2021 by lmharnisch

The Motion Picture Museum and Hall of Fame, about 1932. Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker, Bison Archives. On September 30, 2021, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures finally opens to the public. Long a dream of many in the Hollywood … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Museums, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Cinecon 57 – Brightening Days With Classic Film2

Posted on September 8, 2021 by lmharnisch

For the second year in a row, the Cinecon Classic Film Festival occurred virtually, bringing a respite from ongoing COVID struggles with entertaining and informative movies and television kinescopes. Overflowing with music, heart-tugging animals, and even issues society is wrestling … Continue reading →

Posted in 2021, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Saving a Historic Hollywood Home, Thanks to Alice Harrod

Posted on July 12, 2021 by lmharnisch

The home at 6831 De Longpre Ave., via Google Street View, as shown in 2014. Historic buildings tell as much about people and their eras as they do about architecture and usage. Preserving the actual structure celebrates the past and … Continue reading →

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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

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

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide: ‘Bunker Hill Los Angeles’

Posted on November 27, 2020 by lmharnisch

Time to start the Daily Mirror’s holiday gift suggestions and there’s no better way to begin than with “Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir” by my Crime Buddy Nathan Marsak, published by Angel City Press ($40). The … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Downtown, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on November 23, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery program was “Queen of the Orange Bowl,” which aired Jan. 13, 1960,  on the CBS anthology show “U.S. Steel Hour.” With Anne Francis, Johnny Carson, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Elizabeth Wilson and Robert Elston. Adapted for television … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Preservation, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 43 Comments

Coming Attractions: Nathan Marsak Discusses Bunker Hill With Mary Mallory and Brian Judd

Posted on November 9, 2020 by lmharnisch

My old Crime Buddy Nathan Marsak has written a book on Bunker Hill in his informed yet freewheeling style and will be appearing Wednesday at 7 p.m. PST in a virtual event hosted by Hollywood Heritage in its “Evening @ … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020, books, Coming Attractions, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments