Category Archives: San Fernando Valley

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – 1938 Floods Wreak Havoc on Los Angeles Area

Posted on January 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory has the story of the 1938 Los Angeles flood, when record rains caused heavy damage and left more than 90 dead, leading the Army Corps of Engineers to cover much of the river channel in concrete. Continue reading →

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November 16, 1958: I Want to Live — The Barbara Graham murder case

Posted on November 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 16, 1958: Five years after the execution of Barbara Graham in the Mabel Monahan killing, the story comes to the screen in the Robert Wise film “I Want to Live!” by Nelson Gidding and Don Mankiewicz, starring Susan Hayward in an Oscar-winning performance. Continue reading →

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October 31, 1957: Trick or Treat murder

Posted on October 31, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 31, 1957: The Trick-or-Treat Murder. Joan and Goldyne planned for months on killing hairdresser Peter Fabiano on Halloween. Investigation revealed that Fabiano had recently reconciled with his wife, Betty, after separating over her relationship with Joan. Continue reading →

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October 22, 1958: Mob suspected in bookie’s killing

Posted on October 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 22, 1958: Clifford Rue was a man who was ahead of his time when it came to sports results and behind on the payments to his bookie. Continue reading →

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October 4, 1957: Madness

Posted on October 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 4, 1957: Allene Durston, dying of bone cancer, kidnaps her grandson, Ronald White, 9, kills him and commits suicide. Continue reading →

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September 4, 1933: Man Kills Wife and Daughter, Commits Suicide Over Pink Bedroom

Posted on September 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 4, 1933: A man fatally stabs his estranged wife and daughter, then slits his throat after an argument because his wife had the bedroom painted pink. Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Homicide, LAPD, Main Street, Nightclubs, San Fernando Valley, Streetcars, Suicide, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on September 4, 1933: Man Kills Wife and Daughter, Commits Suicide Over Pink Bedroom

August 11, 1941: Van Nuys Plane Crash Kills 2

Posted on August 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 11, 1941: Two men are killed when their plane goes into a spin during a flying lesson and crashes into a bean field. Plus Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood. Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Lee Shippey, Politics, San Fernando Valley, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on August 11, 1941: Van Nuys Plane Crash Kills 2

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Second Universal City Celebrates Its Centennial

Posted on March 17, 2025 by lmharnisch

With Universal turning 110, here’s Mary Mallory’s post on its centennial in 2015. Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 8, 2024 by lmharnisch

The Retro Holiday Shopping Guide: Melba Levick’s “The Big Picture: Murals of Los Angeles.” Wonderful paintings, most of them lost. One of my favorite’s is Kent Twitchell’s “Old Woman of the Freeway” featuring actress Lillian Bronson. 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 , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – 1938 Floods Wreak Havoc on Los Angeles Area

Posted on August 21, 2023 by lmharnisch

  Flooding in North Hollywood, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Seventy-five years ago, a deluge of rain hit Los Angeles and the surrounding area, leading to massive floods and causing millions of dollars … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Two Chinese Restaurants in Studio City

Posted on May 8, 2023 by lmharnisch

A matchbook cover for Rickshaw Boy, Courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2016. Graphics, films, advertisements, music – all demonstrate values and cultures of the time and place in which they were created. Words, phrases, … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – 1938 Floods Wreak Havoc on Los Angeles Area

Posted on March 6, 2023 by lmharnisch

  Flooding in North Hollywood, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Seventy-five years ago, a deluge of rain hit Los Angeles and the surrounding area, leading to massive floods and causing millions of dollars … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Eaton’s Rancho

Posted on November 21, 2022 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. The area of Los Angeles now known as Studio City was mainly farm and ranch land up into the late 1920s, when investors founded the Studio City Business District and decided to … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and Drink, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Campo de Cahuenga, California’s Birthplace

Posted on October 3, 2022 by lmharnisch

A photo of the original museum at Campo de Cahuenga, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore from 2012. Driving south down Lankershim Boulevard from Toluca Lake into Universal City, it’s hard to miss the skyscrapers, soundstages, and … 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 →

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Filming in Studio City

Posted on November 15, 2021 by lmharnisch

Photo: Mack Sennett and John A. Waldron with plans for new project. Credit: Los Angeles Times, June 26, 1927 Note: This is an encore post from 2011. North Hollywood really began growing in the mid-1920s, when farmers and ranchers began … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Hollywood Country Club

Posted on July 26, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. With the name Hollywood Country Club, one would assume that a golfing club so named would be located in the actual city or hills of Hollywood, California. While a club by that … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Parks, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Studio City Nightlife

Posted on June 14, 2021 by lmharnisch

Feb. 10, 1940: Ching Howe is opening in the Valley. Photo: The 11380 block of Ventura Boulevard. Credit: Google street view. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Studio City seemed to blossom into an entertainment-related town after the … Continue reading →

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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 , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Fred Hartsook

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 , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide