Category Archives: Religion

November 3, 1958: 44 shopping days until Christmas

Posted on November 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 3, 1958: Only 44 shopping days until Christmas. And check out those aluminum trees! Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – ‘Auction of Souls’

Posted on October 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory looks at the life of Aurora Mardiganian and the film ‘Auction of Souls’ Continue reading →

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October 28, 1956: Charlton Heston on the ‘Ten Commandments’

Posted on October 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 28, 1956: Religion writer Dan Thrapp interviews Charlton Heston about his role as Moses in “The Ten Commandments.” Continue reading →

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October 25, 1982: Millennial Moment: Iranian Exiles Find a Bit of Home in Santa Monica Park

Posted on October 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 25, 1982: Times staff writer Bill Overend profiles Iranian exiles who gather in Santa Monica’s Palisades Park on Sunday afternoons, hundreds of people — mostly Jews and some Muslims — who came to the U.S. because of the Iranian revolution. Continue reading →

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October 19, 1938: Mystic vision

Posted on October 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 19, 1938: Meet the Rev. Violet Greener “The Ghost of Hollywood,” a psychic who was consulted by many people in the industry. Continue reading →

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October 1947: Lebanese, Syrian, Egyptian Armies Gather at Palestine Border for Possible Invasion

Posted on October 10, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 9, 1947: (U.P.)—The Lebanese and Syrian governments have ordered various units of their armies to mass along the Palestine borders for a possible invasion of the Holy Land, and the first units already have started marching, it was announced tonight. Continue reading →

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October 6, 1965: Koufax chooses faith over Dodgers

Posted on October 6, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 6, 1965: Sandy Koufax sits out Game 1 of the World Series because it falls on Yom Kippur. Continue reading →

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September 25, 1947: It Was a Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.

Posted on September 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 25, 1947: Five Japanese war criminals are hanged in Guam for practicing cannibalism on American POWs. Continue reading →

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September 23, 1907: Rev. J.L. Griffin Baptizes 5 in Echo Park Lake

Posted on September 23, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 23, 1907: The Rev. J.L. Griffin baptizes five believers in Echo Park Lake as 2,000 watch. Continue reading →

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September 22, 1947: Avak the Healer Comes to Los Angeles

Posted on September 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 22, 1947: Hundreds of people throw themselves at his feet to kiss the hem of his robes or simply to occupy the chair where he had been sitting. And then Avak the Healer was gone; nothing but a memory. Continue reading →

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September 15, 1947: On Rosh Hashanah, a Call to Mobilize for Peace

Posted on September 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 15, 1947: For Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Ernest Trattner tells the congregation that “New beginnings come, not in new seasons, but in new attitudes. Solutions of life’s problems come, not in the passing of time, but in self-discipline and self-dedication.” Continue reading →

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August 30, 1907: Rabbi Leads Campaign to Open Hebrew University in L.A.

Posted on August 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 30, 1907: Rabbi Alfred Arndt of Congregation Beth Israel leads an effort to open what The Times describes as “the only Hebrew university within the entire United States.” Continue reading →

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August 24, 1959: Paul V. Coates — Confidential File

Posted on August 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 24, 1959: A profile of “The Great Imposter,” Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr., by Paul Coates. Continue reading →

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Aug. 4, 1907: Galveston Plan Brings Russian Jews to Southwestern U.S.

Posted on August 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 4, 1907: In July, 50 Russian Jews arrived in Galveston, Texas, aided by the Jewish Territorial Organization. The Galveston Plan brought about 10,000 Jews to America between 1907 and 1914. Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – ‘Auction of Souls’

Posted on April 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory looks at the life of Aurora Mardiganian and the film ‘Auction of Souls’ Continue reading →

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Dec. 14, 1907: L.A. Schools Ban Mention of Christ at Christmas (Uh-Oh)

Posted on December 24, 2024 by lmharnisch

Dec. 14, 1907: Los Angeles residents are furious after the school superintendent bans the mention of Christ at Christmas. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 6, 2023 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1940 Twentieth Century-Fox picture Brigham Young, by Louis Bromfield. With Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Brian Donlevy, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Mary Astor, Vincent Price, Jean Rogers, Ann Todd and Dean Jagger as Brigham Young.

Posted in 1940, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 43 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – ‘Auction of Souls’

Posted on April 25, 2022 by lmharnisch

Photo: June 23, 1919, “Auction of Souls.” Credit: Los Angeles Times Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Los Angeles has long been a haven for refugees and artists, particularly those fleeing political and militaristic struggles.  As early as … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – ‘Auction of Souls’

Posted on January 24, 2022 by lmharnisch

Photo: June 23, 1919, “Auction of Souls.” Credit: Los Angeles Times Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Los Angeles has long been a haven for refugees and artists, particularly those fleeing political and militaristic struggles.  As early as … Continue reading →

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