Category Archives: World War II

World War II on the Radio — The CBS News, Jan. 9, 1944

Jan. 9, 1944: The news report from CBS, sponsored by Admiral Radio, courtesy of Archive.org.

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1944 in Print — The Daily Mirror Newsstand, Jan. 8, 1944

Jan. 8, 1944: This issue has reviews of Gene Fowler’s biography of John Barrymore, “Good Night Sweet Prince” and James Thurber’s “Men, Women and Dogs.”  Also: Collier’s Weekly, Jan. 8, 1944 Courtesy of Unz.org

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1944 on the Radio — ‘Abbott and Costello,’ Jan. 6, 1944

Jan. 6, 1944: Here’s “Revenge in the Yukon,” a 15-minute episode of “Challenge of the Yukon,” from WXYZ in Detroit.  As far as I can tell, this show was not broadcast in Los Angeles at the time, but it fills … Continue reading

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1944 on the Radio — ‘Mail Call’

Jan. 5, 1944: Here’s “Mail Call,” an Armed Forces Radio Service program featuring Jack Benny, Skinnay Ennis, Judy Garland and Johnny Mercer, announced by Harry von Zell. Courtesy of Archive.org.

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World War II on the Radio — The Fall of Ortona, Jan. 4, 1944

Jan. 4, 1944: A Canadian Broadcasting Corp. news program, courtesy of Archive.org.

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1944 on the Radio — Jan. 3, 1944

Jan. 3, 1944: We have three programs on today’s schedule: “Information Please,” with John Kieran, Franklin P. Adams, Oscar Levant and Louis Bromfield, hosted by Clifton Fadiman. “Lux Theater,” with the radio version of “Shadow of a Doubt” with Teresa … Continue reading

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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, Jan. 3, 1944

Jan. 3, 1944: Google has thoughtfully scanned Life magazine for 1944. Here’s the first issue of the year.

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1944 in Print — The L.A. Daily Mirror Newsstand, January 1944

January 1944 Weird Tales, for sale on EBay at $49.99. I had so much fun adding radio broadcasts for Christmas 1943 that I thought I would add radio shows throughout the year, on the days that they aired in 1944 … Continue reading

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Stories of the Year — 1943

Happy New Year’s Eve 1943 from the pen of Ernie Bushmiller! Dec. 31, 1943: The Times lists the top stories of 1943. For Los Angeles, that included Zoot Suit Riots (June 7), the 48-hour work week (July 21) and Frank … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Christmas With a P-40 Squadron, 1943

Dec. 27, 1943: The British sink the Nazi battleship Scharnhorst off the coast of Norway. With the loss of the Scharnhorst, and the sinking of the Bismarck in 1941, the Nazis were left with the Tirpitz, the sister ship of … Continue reading

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Christmas on the Radio — Christmas Eve, 1943

Rounding out our stroll along the radio dial, we check in with an NBC special Christmas Eve broadcast from Hollywood, Dec. 24, 1943, with reports from service personnel around the world. The host is Bob Hope, with Lionel Barrymore and … Continue reading

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Los Angeles Prepares to Celebrate a Wartime Christmas

Dec. 19, 1943: Los Angeles prepares to celebrate Christmas with a focus on service members, while U.S. troops fight the Nazis in hand-to-hand combat for the Italian town of San Pietro.  The Times story by James Warnack (d. 1958) begins:  … Continue reading

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Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer Tells of Fighting on Tarawa

Dec. 12, 1943: Times columnist Tom Treanor, who will be killed in August 1944 covering the liberation of France, files a story about fighting between U.S. and Nazi troops around Filignano, Italy, about 100 miles southeast of Rome.   Crawling in … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Animals, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Photography, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dec. 7, 1959: Paul Coates Interviews Tokyo Rose

On Dec. 7, 1959, Paul Coates published an interview with Tokyo Rose. She says: “What’s the use? What good is it to talk to the press?  Everybody’s mind is made up about me.” A throwback from 2009, when my blog … Continue reading

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Before You Watch ‘Mob City’ — Bugsy Siegel, Mickey Cohen and Chief Parker

Before you watch TNT’s “Mob City” tonight, read these items from The Times about what Police Capt. William H. Parker was actually doing in the 1940s. Parker served in the Army during World War II and was discharged in November … Continue reading

Posted in 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, Hollywood, LAPD, Mickey Cohen, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

L.A. Celebrates a Wartime Thanksgiving, 1943

A wartime Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, with many service personnel welcomed into people’s homes for a holiday meal. The Times published cooking tips for war workers, advising cooks who were otherwise engaged “for the duration” to use prepared mixes, packaged … Continue reading

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Mitchell Leisen — ‘Lioness’ Tamer

Nov. 28, 1943:  Rumors of what will be known as the Tehran Conference (Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 1943) of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Opening soon: “In Old Oklahoma,” starring John Wayne, Martha Scott and Albert Dekker, at the Paramount, Hollywood and … Continue reading

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Riot at Tule Lake Internment Camp?

Nov. 3-16, 1943: It’s almost impossible to get a clear idea from these stories of what was actually occurring at the internment camp at Tule Lake. Early in the saga, one official said “there’s nothing to it,” but later on … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, World War II | 1 Comment

The ‘Masked Marvel Murder’ – Part 12

The 1942 marriage of Greta Keller and David G.G. Bacon, Albany Times-Union, Sept. 14, 1943, courtesy of Steven Bibb.  I have spent far more time than I intended on the “Masked Marvel Murder” and not just because it’s an intriguing, … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Restaurant Manager Turns Tables on Robbers

Oct. 25, 1943: Three bandits who hit a handful of businesses met their match at a cafe at 1306 S. Main St. when they tried to hold up assistant manager Joe D. Poindexter. Two of them came into the cafe … Continue reading

Posted in 1943, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Main Street, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment