Category Archives: World War II

Gang Blamed in Riot at Glendale Carnival

Posted on October 19, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 19, 1942: Members of the Van Nuys “Chain Gang” are blamed for a riot that broke out at a carnival in Glendale, leaving one man near death from stab wounds and five others injured. About 30 members of the … Continue reading →

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

Death Rolls the Dice in Friends’ Fatal Craps Game

Posted on October 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 12, 1942: Walter Miller, a 31-year-old lumberyard foreman, and his friend Eddie “Red” Phillips, a 32-year-old mechanic, were shooting dice in the living room of Phillips’ home, 1442 E. 59th St., when they began arguing. Miller was stabbed during … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

America Losing War, Navy Official Says

Posted on September 25, 2012 by lmharnisch

Sept. 25, 1942: Assistant Secretary of the Navy Ralph Bard says that America is losing the war because it has been blinded by “an insufferable and materialistic pride,” a feeling that prevents Americans from realizing the “desperate fury” of Nazi … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Retired Police Lt. George H. Williams, Badge 1, Dies at 84

Posted on September 13, 2012 by lmharnisch

Sept. 13, 1942: Retired Lt. George H. Williams,who held LAPD retirement Badge 1, dies at the age of 84. He retired in 1912 after serving with the department for 23 years and was in charge of the detail that brought … Continue reading →

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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

Playwright Clifford Odets Held for DUI

Posted on September 8, 2012 by lmharnisch

Sept. 8, 1942:Playwright Clifford Odets of 8729 Lookout Mountain Ave. is arrested on charges of drunk driving and speeding on Roosevelt Highway (Pacific Coast Highway) at Topanga Canyon.  CHP officers say Odets refused to stop until they forced him off … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

30 Firefighters Escape Blaze in Box Canyon

Posted on August 24, 2012 by lmharnisch

Aug. 24, 1942: Sheriff’s deputies break up a planned fight between the Lincoln Heights Square John gang and the Huntington Park Levis gang at Central and Florence avenues, arresting 17 members of the Square John gang (no members of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Aug. 13, 1942: Times Visits African American Troops

Posted on August 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

Aug. 15, 1942: The good news: The Times writes about African American troops. The bad news: The story is one stereotype after another.

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LAPD Losing Staff to War Effort

Posted on August 1, 2012 by lmharnisch

Aug. 1, 1942: Chief C.B. Horrall announces that the LAPD has lost 22 men and two women to the armed services. By the end of the war, many more officers and staff will have gone into the military, leaving the … Continue reading →

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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

‘Casablanca’ Cast Honors Michael Curtiz’s 15 Years in U.S.

Posted on July 7, 2012 by lmharnisch

July 7, 1942:Twin brothers Walter and Sol Brundo, jazz musicians, join a military band stationed at Camp Haan in Riverside County.   I can’t find any trace of Sol and Walter. I wonder what became of them. “The Magnificent Ambersons”opens at … Continue reading →

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Eurasian Held on Suspicion of Being Japanese

Posted on June 23, 2012 by lmharnisch

    June 23, 1942: Meet Stanwood Gertz Jr., who was arrested because he was suspected of being Japanese. Gertz told detectives he was German, Chinese and Hawaiian – and his dyed hair presumably made him even more suspicious. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Women Abandon Housework for Overalls and Higher Pay

Posted on June 21, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 21, 1942: Women are taking jobs formerly held by men, and they prefer them, especially the higher wages, The Times finds. “How do they like exchanging summer frocks for overalls and aprons for masculine livery? The collective and undisputed … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Judge Cites ‘Right of Battle’ in Sentencing Conscientious Objector

Posted on June 16, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1942:  Robert Lee Allen is sentenced to five years in federal prison for refusing to enlist in the Army. Judge Jeremiah Neter, 80, noted that Allen had not used the available provisions to file for conscientious objector status … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Music, Religion, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mexican Workers Sought to Fill California’s Farm Labor Shortage

Posted on June 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 15, 1942:  The Japanese who operated farms have been evacuated to internment camps, many farm workers have taken defense jobs and still more have been drafted. So to get farm labor, California turns to …  guess where: Mexico! Times … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Immigration, World War II | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Gang Member Held in Shooting That Sparked Coliseum Riot

Posted on June 14, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 14, 1942:   Police arrest Oscar Fierro, 18, an alleged member of the East First Street Gang, in the shooting of Frank Torres, a purported member of the Clanton Street Gang, who was wounded in the head while leaving the … Continue reading →

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Westlake Park Renamed in Tribute to Gen. MacArthur

Posted on June 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 13, 1942:Westlake Park is being renamed as part of the city’s observances to honor Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commemorating the day he entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Marines at Camp Elliott are shocked to see women … … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, City Hall, Comics, Parks, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

32 Taverns and Bars Declared Off-Limits

Posted on June 7, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 7, 1942: The Navy declares 32 bars and taverns off limits in Los Angeles. Most of them are on Main Street and East 5th with a few in Hollywood. The posts on the Zoot Suit Riots have more information … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Food and Drink, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

L.A. Nazi Spy Convicted!

Posted on June 5, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1942: Dr. Hans Helmut Gros is convicted of being a Nazi spy. And radio stations along the Pacific Coast went off the air at 9 p.m. so their signals couldn’t be used as beacons in case of a … Continue reading →

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