Category Archives: Sports

Family Killed in Kansas Farm Town

Posted on November 16, 2009 by lmharnisch

"The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call 'out there.' Some seventy miles east of the Colorado border, the countryside, with its hard blue skies and desert-clear … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Front Pages, Homicide, Richard Nixon, Sports | Comments Off

Reporters Walk Out on Rockefeller

Posted on November 13, 2009 by lmharnisch

New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller’s plan for separate news conferences for print and broadcast reporters backfires when the TV and radio crews in Los Angeles walk out on him. Louie Malle’s New Wave film “Lovers” is just plain … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Richard Nixon, Sports | 3 Comments

Pro Hockey for L.A.

Posted on November 11, 2009 by lmharnisch

Nov. 11, 1959 Would L.A. warm up to ice hockey? Bob Hannam apparently thought so. Described in The Times as a Pasadena insurance man and president of a local amateur league, he was the front man for an … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Sports | 3 Comments

Dodgers Don’t Expect Any Bargains

Posted on November 10, 2009 by lmharnisch

Nov. 10, 1959 The Dodgers were feeling generous. Frank Finch reported on the team's prospects during the interleague trading period and found Vice President Buzzie Bavasi talking about what teams he could help. "With that short porch in left … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Sports | Comments Off

Wife Stabs Bob Crosby

Posted on November 10, 2009 by lmharnisch

Nov. 10, 1959: June Crosby stabs her husband, Bob, with a 10-inch letter opener during a fight. She tells Beverly Hills police that she grabbed the letter opener to fight him off after he pushed her down during a violent … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | 1 Comment

Cops Pose as Beatniks to Catch Drug Suspects

Posted on November 9, 2009 by lmharnisch

Like, dig the crazy berets on the fuzz, daddy-o! One New York detective even wrote poetry to fit in with the beats! Jack Webb’s cult classic about the newspaper business is about to open. Los Angeles Times file photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | 3 Comments

House Committee to Investigate Payola

Posted on November 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

Nov. 7, 1959: A U.N. group finds no proof that Laos had been invaded by communist troops from North Viet-Nam but discovers that Laotian rebels were supplied by Viet-Nam Reds. You may hear more about Viet-Nam in the days ahead … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, broadcasting, Front Pages, Politics, Richard Nixon, Rock 'n' Roll, Sports, Television | Comments Off

Confessions of a Horse Thief

Posted on November 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

"Buster Brown" visits Athens. Nov. 7, 1909: A 25-year-old man describes his downfall, including stealing horses and betting money on baseball games. "Tell the young men that sin always brings suffering," Robert Perry says.

Posted in #courts, Animals, Comics, Sports | Comments Off

Dodgers Deliver Plans for Stadium

Posted on November 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

Nov. 5, 1959: An artist’s concept of Dodger Stadium. Look at all the parking! "We have submitted plans for what we believe will be the most beautiful sports stadium in the world, in keeping with the best interest … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, broadcasting, City Hall, Dodgers, Richard Nixon, Sports, Television | 1 Comment

A Jovial Nixon Tells Strangers He’s Bob Hope, Makes Prank Phone Calls

Posted on November 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

Vice President Richard Nixon interrupting early morning walk on Wilshire Boulevard to watch sidewalk repairs, lingers to talk sports with Vic Salazar, left and another worker. It's easy to find weird stories about Richard Nixon, before and after his presidency. … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Richard Nixon, Sports | 3 Comments

Orson Welles Describes Offer for Rigged Quiz Show

Posted on November 1, 2009 by lmharnisch

Nov. 1, 1959: Orson Welles says he turned down an offer to pose as a genius on a TV quiz show, explaining that he knew nothing about baseball and would miss all such questions. A producer told him: “We're not … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Film, Hollywood, Sports, Television | Comments Off

West Point Cancels Football Season After Player Dies of Game Injuries

Posted on November 1, 2009 by lmharnisch

Nov. 1, 1909: West Point cancels the remainder of the football season after the death of Eugene A. Byrne, whose neck was broken when players piled on him during a game with Harvard.

Posted in Obituaries, Sports | Comments Off

U.S. Approves Project to Clear Bunker Hill

Posted on October 31, 2009 by lmharnisch

Guess what happens after a plumber connects a butane line to Crestview, Fla.'s water supply Someone, we're not sure who, reminisces about Halloweens of the past. I figured out how to make the "ticktack" the woman describes, but the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | Comments Off

Shostakovich Visits L.A.!

Posted on October 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

Shostakovich meets the press at the Ambassador Hotel. Wouldn’t it be great to go see it? Oh, wait, we let L..A. Unified tear it down. Oct. 20, 1959: Dmitri Shostakovich leads a group of Soviet composers on a tour … Continue reading →

Posted in classical music, Front Pages, Music, Sports, Stage | 1 Comment

TV Star’s Wife Returns After Suicide Attempt

Posted on October 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

Reporters meet Virginia Arness at the airport and follow her home. Photographers ask James Arness, the star of "Gunsmoke," to pose with her, but he refuses. Oct. 26, 1959: The front page teases a story about the Lions getting … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Front Pages, Sports, Television | Comments Off

Landmark Nightclub Modernized

Posted on October 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

Virginia Arness attempts suicide in Hawaii. The Biltmore Bowl is heavily modernized so that is virtually unrecognizable. New and Old Chinatown, divided by Broadway. "I don't belong to the tong. I am an American. I belong to the Kiwanis Club." … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, San Fernando Valley, Sports, Suicide | Comments Off

Fidel Castro Survives Assassination Attempt

Posted on October 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 23, 1959: The courts refuse to halt the steel strike … And Shostakovich is coming. Farah Dibah, on a shopping trip to Paris, refuses to confirm reports that she is engaged to marry the shah of Iran. Harper Poulson, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Politics, Richard Nixon, Sports | 2 Comments

As Undercover Agent, Housewife Spied on Communists

Posted on October 21, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 21, 1959: Moiselle Clinger describes spying on Communists for the FBI. Truck driver Gordon Powell says he robbed a bank after losing work because of the steel strike. A new appeal seeks to block the execution of Caryl Chessman. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Caryl Chessman, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Politics, Sports | 1 Comment

Supreme Court OKs Dodger Stadium

Posted on October 19, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 19, 1959: Few attend Errol Flynn’s funeral … "Men will walk on the moon before there is a woman president," says Mrs. Claire B. Williams, assistant chairman of the Republican National Committee in charge of women's activities. Dodger Stadium … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | Comments Off

Residents Flee Big Tujunga Fire, Oct. 16, 1959

Posted on October 16, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 16, 1959: Mae West is censored … and Gov. Pat Brown hints that he may show mercy to Caryl Chessman. Audrey Hepburn in “The Nun’s Story.” Local freeways would need "major surgery" to handle the traffic from Dodger fans … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Dodgers, Downtown, Sports, Transportation | Comments Off