Category Archives: Sports

August 31, 1958: Woman kills husband as children sleep, Giants win over Dodgers

Posted on August 31, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 31, 1958: Lillian Kella admits stabbing her husband, Ed, to death after a swimming party. Both had been drinking heavily. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Columnists, Dodgers, Front Pages, Homicide, Sports | Comments Off on August 31, 1958: Woman kills husband as children sleep, Giants win over Dodgers

August 28, 1958: Intruder kills former actress

Posted on August 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 28, 1958: Helene Jerome, described as a retired actress, is found strangled in her apartment at the Las Palmas Hotel. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Cemeteries, Dodgers, Film, Forest Lawn, Front Pages, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD, Sports | 1 Comment

August 27,1958: Woman kills husband over singing, Reds win against Dodgers

Posted on August 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 27, 1958: Was the late Benjamin Beynon, stabbed to death by his wife, an abusive husband or just a bad singer? Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Dodgers, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD, Sports | Comments Off on August 27,1958: Woman kills husband over singing, Reds win against Dodgers

August 26, 1938: LAPD officer accused in bizarre plot to kill neighbors

Posted on August 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 26, 1938: A suspended LAPD officer hires a couple of men to tunnel to his neighbors’ house, to plant bugging equipment … or explosives. A judge finds The Times guilty of contempt for editorials on pending court cases. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Front Pages, LAPD, Sports | 4 Comments

August 24, 1958: Los Angeles Coliseum is dangerous, Rams coach says

Posted on August 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 24, 1958: The Rams’ Ron Waller suffers a separated shoulder from a tackle on the “concrete hard” baseball infield at the Coliseum, where the Dodgers were playing after their move from Brooklyn; from 2008 by Keith Thursby. Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Sports | Comments Off on August 24, 1958: Los Angeles Coliseum is dangerous, Rams coach says

August 24, 1947: Golfers Play Through as Fire Destroys Clubhouse at Inglewood

Posted on August 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 24, 1947: Golfers play through as fire destroys the clubhouse at Inglewood Country Club. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Fires, Sports | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Black L.A. 1947: Heavyweight Fighter George Godfrey, ‘The Black Shadow of Leiperville,’ Dies at 50

Posted on August 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 21, 1947: George Godfrey, a fighter known as the Black Shadow of Leiperville, dies in poverty in Los Angeles at the age of 50. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black L.A. 1947: Heavyweight Fighter George Godfrey, ‘The Black Shadow of Leiperville,’ Dies at 50

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mabel Fairbanks, Wonder Girl of the Ice

Posted on February 17, 2025 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory takes a look at the career of Black skating star Mabel Fairbanks, Wonder Girl of the Ice Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mabel Fairbanks, Wonder Girl of the Ice

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: Mabel Fairbanks, Wonder Girl of the Ice

Posted on February 5, 2024 by lmharnisch

Mabel Fairbanks in the California Eagle, Nov. 8, 1945. Note: This is an encore post from 2022. Knockout African American ice skater Mabel Fairbanks wowed audiences from the 1940s through the 1960s. A true natural, she exuded joy and happiness … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Crazylegs’ Salutes Elroy Hirsch and the Los Angeles Rams

Posted on February 13, 2023 by lmharnisch

An image of Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, scanned from a negative listed on EBay at $24.99. Note: This is an encore post from 2016. Los Angeles is currently experiencing the second coming of its professional football team, the Los Angeles Rams, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Crazylegs’ Salutes Elroy Hirsch and the Los Angeles Rams

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mabel Fairbanks, Wonder Girl of the Ice

Posted on February 21, 2022 by lmharnisch

Mabel Fairbanks in the California Eagle, Nov. 8, 1945. Knockout African American ice skater Mabel Fairbanks wowed audiences from the 1940s through the 1960s. A true natural, she exuded joy and happiness twirling and gliding upon the ice. While extremely … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mabel Fairbanks, Wonder Girl of the Ice

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Brazil Touches Off Riot at 1932 L.A. Olympics

Posted on August 2, 2021 by lmharnisch

The Xth Olympiad hosted by Los Angeles from July 31 through August 14, 1932, overflowed with drama and intrigue in everything from finances to competition. None was as striking as the Brazilian team’s adventure in making it to California, using … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Brazil Touches Off Riot at 1932 L.A. Olympics

Saluting Marilyn Thomas — Miss Muscle Beach 1953

Posted on July 19, 2021 by lmharnisch

Marilyn Thomas in an undated photo on Muscle Beach. In 2005, I did a blog post for the 1947project on Miss Muscle Beach of 1947. Back then, only the Los Angeles Times was online, so when I listed the winners, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Sports | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Nov. 15, 1981: Still Unsolved — Aspiring Screenwriter Killed in Hit-Run Staged to Look Like Rape

Posted on May 18, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This post has been getting a lot of traffic recently and I couldn’t figure out why. The answer:  A biking blog linked to the post a few days ago because Pat Hines, one of the victim’s friends, has been … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Sports, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Nov. 15, 1981: Still Unsolved — Aspiring Screenwriter Killed in Hit-Run Staged to Look Like Rape

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Halifax Apartments at Crossroads of Boxing and Film

Posted on April 5, 2021 by lmharnisch

6376 Yucca Ave., via Google Street View. More than 98 years old, the Halifax Apartments at 6376 Yucca Ave. exists due to boxing and the movies. Built by Leach Cross, known as the “boxing dentist,” the apartment house served as … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Sports | 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 , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Horse Racing and Can’t Wait

Posted on August 3, 2020 by lmharnisch

Feb. 15, 1938: Stagehand noses out Can’t Wait. Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Horse racing has always been considered the sport of kings, because it requires so much money for housing, training, feeding, and transporting horses.  In … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Sports | Tagged , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Horse Racing and Can’t Wait

May 7, 1959: Dodgers Honor Roy Campanella as Coliseum Crowd Sets Record

Posted on May 7, 2019 by lmharnisch

Keith Thursby has the story of Roy Campanella being honored in a ceremony during an exhibition game at the Coliseum between the Dodgers and Yankees. The game raised nearly $60,000 for the former Dodger catcher, who was partially paralyzed in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Dodgers, Keith Thursby, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on May 7, 1959: Dodgers Honor Roy Campanella as Coliseum Crowd Sets Record