Category Archives: Transportation

Man Kills Wife and Daughter, Commits Suicide Over Pink Bedroom

Posted on September 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 4, 1933: A streetcar broadsides an auto at the crossing on Olympic Boulevard between Broadway and Figueroa, killing two people and leaving two others near death, The Times said. A man fatally stabs his estranged wife and daughter, then … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Homicide, LAPD, Main Street, Nightclubs, San Fernando Valley, Streetcars, Suicide, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Parents Sue Doctor Who Said Baby Girl Was a Boy!

Posted on August 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 29, 1943: The family of Marine Cpl. Carroll E. Trego, a radio operator captured in the fall of Wake Island, receives a letter written from a prisoner of war camp in Shanghai. Dr. John M. Andrews is being sued … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Medicine, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

N.R.A. Frees Workers to Visit the Library

Posted on August 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

August 1933: In my journey through years ending in “3,” I have neglected 1933, when the National Recovery Act took effect  Aug. 1. President Roosevelt’s plan was to put people back to work by raising the minimum wage to $12 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Comics, Hollywood, Libraries, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

6,000 Union Army Veterans Gather to Recall the Campfires of Old

Posted on August 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

The entire Aug. 27, 1903, edition of the Herald is available here. Aug. 27, 1903: The Los Angeles Times (and by extension, the Chandler family) is frequently treated as if it was the only paper in the city’s history. Those … Continue reading →

Posted in 1903, African Americans, Civil War, Parks, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hero Stops Runaway L.A. Streetcar

Posted on August 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 15, 1943: Los Angeles’ long-gone streetcar system has achieved sainthood, but here’s an incident suggesting that in reality, it was less than perfect. (Heresy, I know). Shura Cherkassky performs at the Greek Theatre. Hedda Hopper with her version of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Music, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Welcomes Harbor Freeway Extension With Four-Block Traffic Jam

Posted on August 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 8, 1953: An extension of the Harbor Freeway carrying traffic into downtown Los Angeles opens — and is jammed immediately. Traffic engineers say the backup was caused by the timing of the signals at 6th Street and Figueroa. Movie … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, African Americans, Comics, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, LAPD, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Action by FDR Averts Streetcar Strike!

Posted on July 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 25, 1943: President Roosevelt intervenes in the planned Pacific Electric Railway strike, saying that he did not want to use Army trucks to transport war supplies. The strike centered on a raise of 13 cents an hour, which has … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Columnists, Labor, Streetcars, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Streetcar Strike Could Paralyze Los Angeles!

Posted on July 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1943: Labor problems threaten to paralyze mass transportation in Los Angeles. The Times says that 3,000 Los Angeles Railway workers have ended a 24-hour walkout while 2,500 Pacific Electric workers are scheduled to strike. Marion “More Curves Than … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Labor, Main Street, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Streetcar Strike Could Paralyze Los Angeles!

Getting L.A. Traffic Wrong

Posted on July 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

Zocalo repeats the old bromide that “once upon a time” the streets of Los Angeles were empty and getting around was simple. Nothing could be further from the truth. After years of reading old newspapers, I can say with authority … Continue reading →

Posted in A Kinder, Simpler Time, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Harold Lloyd — ‘Now or Never’

Posted on May 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Harold Lloyd’s “Now or Never,” directed by Hal Roach and Fred Newmeyer, includes a memorable sequence in which he appears to be caught on top of a train. The final impression is stunning and we might pass it off as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Harold Lloyd on Location: Santa Fe Station

Posted on May 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

John Bengston emailed the other day to mention his research on Harold Lloyd’s filming locations in conjunction with the recent Lloyd festival on TCM. John pointed out that “Safety Last” and “Cops” used the same alley. I DVR’d just about … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Location Sleuth, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Board of Supervisors Plan Toll Road to San Fernando Valley

Posted on April 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Read the entire April 4, 1863, issue, from the Huntington Library, scanned by USC. April 4, 1863: Most of this issue of the Star is devoted to the Civil War and virulent criticism of the North, Abolitionists, President Lincoln, etc. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Animals, Civil War, San Fernando Valley, Transportation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Board of Supervisors Plan Toll Road to San Fernando Valley

C.C. Pierce — Found on EBay

Posted on January 31, 2013 by lmharnisch

A vendor has listed a good number of C.C. Pierce photos on EBay. As I have written before, Pierce was a prolific photographer who added work by other photographers to his own collection. What I find particularly interesting about them … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on C.C. Pierce — Found on EBay

A 100-Year-Old Lesson on L.A. Traffic

Posted on December 14, 2012 by lmharnisch

A Times graphic shows the problem of passengers caught between the streetcars and lanes of traffic. Broadway and 7th Street in 1934, showing a man crossing through a lane of traffic to get to a streetcar. Notice that the driver … Continue reading →

Posted in 1912, Downtown, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Women Truck Drivers Replace Men at Ft. MacArthur

Posted on November 2, 2012 by lmharnisch

Nov. 2, 1942: The Army hires 10 women to serve as truck drivers at Ft. MacArthur so that men who have been doing the job can be released to field positions. “The women drivers will work an eight-hour day and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Transportation, World War II, Zoot Suit | 3 Comments

2 Die in Fiery Crash on Arroyo Seco Parkway

Posted on September 9, 2012 by lmharnisch

Sept. 9, 1942: Two people died when they were trapped in a burning car on the Arroyo Seco Parkway in South Pasadena after the gas tank exploded in a fiery crash at the Fair Oaks Avenue exit. John Lucas and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Gang Members Seize Prisoners in Police Brawl

Posted on July 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1942: A brawl breaks out at Pomeroy Avenue and Mark Street  when LAPD officers try to break up a dice game involving gang members. The group took three prisoners from police officers, injuring a officer’s hand, sprayed police … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, LAPD, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Church Organist Accused of Killing Parents

Posted on June 20, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 20, 1942: Officials of San Diego’s streetcar system are dismayed that the 20 surplus cars obtained from New York are in worse shape than the ones San Diego scrapped two years earlier. San Diego acquired the cars in an … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Church Organist Accused of Killing Parents

Now Hiring: Douglas Aircraft of Santa Monica

Posted on June 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 12, 1942: The Douglas plant in Santa Monica is hiring men – and women! Betty Rowland, the Ball of Fire, is at the Follies Theatre. Lionel Atwill refuses to testify before the Los Angeles County Grand Jury about charges … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1942, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Theaters, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Doolittle Visits North American Plant, Praises Workers for Bombers Used in Tokyo Raid

Posted on June 2, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 2, 1942: In a visit to the North American aircraft plant, Brig. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle praises workers who built the bombers used in his raid on Tokyo. Otis W. Hall is accused of killing his estranged wife and sending … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Doolittle Visits North American Plant, Praises Workers for Bombers Used in Tokyo Raid