Category Archives: Sports

2 Die in Midair Plane Crash; Lombardi at USC? February 2, 1959

Posted on February 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

Wreckage landed in the 7900 block of East 8th Street, Buena Park.   At left, Officer J.F. Harkan shoots Edwin Kelly, 17, during a stakeout at the RKO Hill Street theater at 8th and Hill. Above, Judy Holliday will appear … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, LAPD, Sports, Stage, Transportation | 1 Comment

Aragon Suspected of Fixing Fight, February 1, 1959

Posted on February 1, 2009 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo Art Aragon in training, Oct. 14, 1949. Art Aragon, the Golden Boy of Los Angeles boxing in the ’40s and ’50s, was in trouble again after apparently winning a fight too easily. The referee of … Continue reading →

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Burbank Installs Time Capsule; Wilt Chamberlain Debuts in L.A., February 1, 1959

Posted on February 1, 2009 by lmharnisch

The people living in 1959 had noble expectations for Burbank: Atomic power! Monorails! I wonder if anyone plans to actually pop it open this week. This is the bridge that spans the Golden State Freeway, the railroad tracks and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Freeways, Front Pages, San Fernando Valley, Sports, Transportation | 1 Comment

Found on EBay — Player Ejected During Dodger Game, 1958

Posted on January 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

Here’s an interesting little item. Umpire Bill Jackowski’s report on why he ejected Don Hoak. Bidding starts at $49.95. The Times’ story doesn’t mention Hoak getting thrown out, but the box score revealed there were only three umpires. Maybe that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Sports | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Player Ejected During Dodger Game, 1958

Woman Loses Children Over Nude Photos; Angels Earn Most of Cubs’ Income, January 29, 1949

Posted on January 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

A panel from "Terry and the Pirates," by George Wunder. At left, The Times’ comics page from 1949. Moon Mullins … Li’l Abner …  Brenda Starr … Dick Tracy … Orphan Annie … but also Ella Cinders … Napoleon … … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #Jazz, @news, art and artists, classical music, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | 3 Comments

Missing Boy Found Dead, L.A. Hockey, January 28, 1959

Posted on January 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

Bad news for beatniks. Above, the supermarket strike-lockout appears to be over … The Soviet Union promises world domination (remember Nikita Khrushchev is coming to visit Los Angeles later in the year) … Vice President Richard Nixon supports foreign aid … Continue reading →

Posted in @news, Front Pages, Homicide, Nightclubs, Sports | 1 Comment

Baby Burned to Death on Stove, Dodgers Scout Players, January 25, 1959

Posted on January 25, 2009 by lmharnisch

Whenever someone tells you the past was a "kinder, simpler time," show them this article. I’m unable to find any further stories on this tragic incident. My boyfriend embarrasses me because he won’t race his car…. An advice column by … Continue reading →

Posted in #Jazz, Dodgers, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, Music, Rock 'n' Roll, Sports | 4 Comments

The Ghosts of Wrigley Field, January 24, 1969

Posted on January 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Hal Moulin / Los Angeles Times Wrigley Field, Oct. 3, 1944, as the San Francisco Seals defeat the L.A. Angels. "Roadside Baseball" looksat Wrigley Field John Hall wrote a couple of columns bidding farewell to Los Angeles’ Wrigley … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Columnists, Dodgers, Downtown, Sports | 3 Comments

10 Feared Drowned in River; Ballplayer Hopes for Comeback, January 22, 1969

Posted on January 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

Here’s a weird story about a baseball player I never heard of. Lee Meyers was making a comeback, hoping to get a job with the first-year Kansas City Royals. This was news, apparently, because Meyers was a local kid who … Continue reading →

Posted in Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | 1 Comment

Musial, Campanella named to Hall of Fame, January 22, 1969

Posted on January 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

Roy Campanella, whose Dodger career was cut short by a car accident before the team moved to Los Angeles, was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame. "I never had any idea I’d even play in the majors, much less make … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Sports | 1 Comment

Rams draft Rafer Johnson, January 22, 1959

Posted on January 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Rams picked a real winner in the NFL annual draft. Rafer Johnson would become world famous in 1960 by winning the gold medal in the decathlon at the Rome Olympics. He already held the world record in the event … Continue reading →

Posted in Front Pages, Sports | Comments Off on Rams draft Rafer Johnson, January 22, 1959

Former child star dies in fight over $50, voices of Chavez Ravine, January 22, 1959

Posted on January 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

I finally found a Times story in which the paper talked about people living in the Chavez Ravine area. Cordell Hicks’ short story told of some local kids who tried to find a place in their neighborhood to play baseball. … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Downtown, Religion, Sports | Comments Off on Former child star dies in fight over $50, voices of Chavez Ravine, January 22, 1959

Jerry Lewis Plays First Base for Dodgers, January 18, 1959

Posted on January 18, 2009 by lmharnisch

I’m sure there’s a joke here someplace. The Times’ political power broker Kyle Palmer writes a glowing piece about biographies of Eisenhower and Nixon.    On the comics page, Stephen F. Austin straightens out some pesky Indians and Delilah gets … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Current Affairs, Dodgers, Downtown, Sports | Comments Off on Jerry Lewis Plays First Base for Dodgers, January 18, 1959

Black Lakers players barred from white hotel, January 17, 1959

Posted on January 17, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Times reports that detention facilities for juvenile girls is badly overcrowded but doesn’t really address the reason, merely saying that the rapid increase in Southern California’s population and lack of room at state facilities are to blame. But why … Continue reading →

Posted in Countdown to Watts, Environment, Film, Freeways, Front Pages, Hollywood, Music, Nightclubs, Sports | 1 Comment

Vivian Leigh cast as Scarlett O’Hara, January 1939

Posted on January 16, 2009 by lmharnisch

  On January 14, 1939, The Times published the news that an English actress had been cast in the lead of "Gone With the Wind." Excuse me, but Jean Arthur as Scarlett? Hedda Hopper covers the furious reaction over David … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, books, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, LAPD, Religion, Sports | 3 Comments

Dodger Stadium — and a Zoo, January 15, 1959

Posted on January 15, 2009 by lmharnisch

A mail bomb loaded with dynamite sits in the post office for three weeks because the victim didn’t leave a forwarding address! Fresh off an apparent victory in getting a downtown stadium for the Dodgers, some City Council members moved … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Dodgers, Downtown, Sports | 1 Comment

Voices — Vin Scully replays 1956 game

Posted on January 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph courtesy of the Dodgers Vin Scully and Walter O’Malley during a game televised in New York. Note the carton of Lucky Strikes. Scully pulls up his own chair Dodgers announcer watches a replay of his broadcast of Larsen’s World … Continue reading →

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California Supreme Court OKs Dodger Deal, January 14, 1959

Posted on January 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles will investigate organized crime. The state Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the Dodgers and City Hall, moving plans for a baseball stadium in Chavez Ravine one huge step closer to reality. … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Dodgers, Downtown, Front Pages, Politics, Sports | 2 Comments

Thousands in Los Angeles pray for peace, January 14, 1939

Posted on January 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

About 4,000 worshipers attend a Perpetual Novena for Our Sorrowful Mother at St. Vibiana’s Cathedral. People knelt in the aisles, in the doorways and outside praying for peace and for relief of the poor, The Times says. County Supervisor Roger … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Columnists, Current Affairs, Downtown, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Religion, Sports, Suicide | Comments Off on Thousands in Los Angeles pray for peace, January 14, 1939

Voices — Jerry Cronin

Posted on January 13, 2009 by lmharnisch

Keith Thursby writes: Ned Cronin was a columnist at The Times until his death in 1958 and his work has been featured often in the Daily Mirror. His son, Jerry, recently discovered the blog and we started an e-mail conversation. … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Sports | Comments Off on Voices — Jerry Cronin