Category Archives: World War II

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!

Man Shoots Companion in Search for Prowler

Posted on July 19, 2013 by lmharnisch

   Nancy and Sluggo in all their vintage glory. July 19, 1943: The Times publishes a list of casualties from the Army and Navy. Francis Joseph Montclair was a motor machinist second class and is buried in Honolulu. Lt. Cmdr. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Columnists, Comics, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Night at the Florentine Gardens, 1943

Posted on July 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s another item from the Florentine Gardens: A 1943 photo of people that has been listed on EBay for 99 cents.

Posted in 1943, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Photography, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on A Night at the Florentine Gardens, 1943

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: David O. Selznick and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek

Posted on April 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

Madame Chiang in a film clip at the Hollywood Bowl, beginning at the 4:22 mark on a newsreel posted on YouTube. Seventy years ago, film producer David O. Selznick staged an over-the-top extravaganza April 4, 1943, at the Hollywood Bowl … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Japanese Lieutenant Killed at Guadalcanal Went to USC

Posted on April 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 11, 1943: And here begins one of my favorite “Li’l Abner” episodes: Zoot Suit Yokum. The Times reports a strange encounter on Guadalcanal in which an unidentified Marine took a rifle from a wounded Japanese lieutenant. According to Torrance … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Comics, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Human Fly Flees Hall of Justice

Posted on April 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 4, 1943: Col. Darryl F. Zanuck comes under criticism for trying to return to civilian life. (Zanuck said there wasn’t much chance that he would make more movies of combat.) Sen. Harry Truman (D-Mo.) of the Senate War Program … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Broadway, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Immigration, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mobs Storm Butchers Trying to Beat Ration Deadline

Posted on March 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

People line up outside a meat market at 2100 N. Broadway. 2100 N. Broadway via Google Street View. March 28, 1943: And did the “Greatest Generation” meekly, humbly and patriotically accept meat rationing for the war effort? They did not. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Books and Authors, Broadway, Comics, Downtown, Food and Drink, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mobs Storm Butchers Trying to Beat Ration Deadline

Deadly LAPD Beating: Officer Describes Arrest

Posted on January 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 17, 1943: District attorney’s investigators question Police Sgt. James F. Martin about the arrest of Stanley H. Beebe, who died after being beaten by LAPD officers. Martin said that he got a bloody nose and two broken ribs in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hill Street, LAPD, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Posted on January 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 4, 1942: A rather drunk William Kollomick, who gave his address as “Pearl Harbor,” is in jail after getting into a brawl with four unidentified Mexican youths outside a cafe at 1st and Broadway. The youths walked out of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Found on EBay – The Florentine Gardens

Posted on December 27, 2012 by lmharnisch

A photo of a group of happy people at the Florentine Gardens on Sept. 18, 1943, has been listed on EBay. It’s listed as Buy It Now for $8.99. The Florentine Gardens has a connection to the Black Dahlia case … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs, World War II | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Christmas 1942

Posted on December 25, 2012 by lmharnisch

Merry Christmas, Storekeeper Third Class Norman Krause, Marine Private  John  Porter and Water Tender Clyde Lund, wherever you are.

Posted in 1942, World War II | 6 Comments

Stripper Discharged From Waacs Was Out of Uniform – and Everything Else

Posted on December 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

Dec. 15, 1942: Some restaurants close for lack of butter, meat and sugar due to wartime food rationing. And people rush to the Pike amusement park in Long Beach after rumors that it had plenty of hamburger, which is scarce … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Columnists, Comics, Food and Drink, Stage, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Housewives Scour Stores for Butter, Meat

Posted on December 13, 2012 by lmharnisch

Dec. 13, 1942: Housewives are searching for butter, meat and canned goods as wartime food rationing depletes grocery shelves, The Times says. Farmers report that agents for restaurants and hotels are approaching them “with instructions to get eggs no matter … Continue reading →

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On Eve of Pearl Harbor Anniversary, Roosevelt Halts Enlistments

Posted on December 6, 2012 by lmharnisch

Dec. 6, 1942: As the nation nears the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt halts all enlistments in the armed forces, shifting the military entirely to the draft. The services also stopped taking men older than 38 and opened … Continue reading →

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Buck Jones Among Hundreds Killed in Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire

Posted on November 30, 2012 by lmharnisch

Nov. 30, 1942: Saying “My hands are trembling all over this typewriter keyboard,” Associated Press writer Harry C. Glasheen writes of his experiences covering Boston’s Cocoanut Grove fire, which had a final death toll of 492 people, including Western movie … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Comics, Film, Fires, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Errol Flynn Set for Trial in Sex With Underage Girls

Posted on November 7, 2012 by lmharnisch

Nov. 7, 1942: Pursuing British mobile forces, equipped with big American-made Gen. Sherman tanks, have overtaken some of the remnants of Marshal Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps in the Matruh region of Western Egypt “and are steadily chopping them to pieces,” … Continue reading →

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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

Lon Chaney’s Ghost Haunts Hollywood and Vine!

Posted on October 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 26, 1942: Rosetta (D. 1958) and Vivian (D. 1986) Duncan appear in “Topsy and Eva,” a musical version of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” a musical comedy in which they first appeared in San Francisco in the 1920s. The Duncan sisters … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Feuding Women Sentenced to 90 Days in Same Jail Cell

Posted on October 24, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 24, 1942: Yetta Furst of 2208 Sheridan St. and Anna  Rubenstein of 2214 Sheridan St. had been feuding for 20 years and had been charged with disturbing the peace. Municipal Judge Ida May Adams sentenced them to  90 days … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Crime and Courts, Film, World War II | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments