Category Archives: World War II

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 →

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Louis B. Mayer, Clark Gable Lead in U.S. Salaries

Posted on May 29, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 29, 1942: The highest-paid executive in America is Louis B. Mayer, who earned $704,426.60 ($11,025,713.90 USD 2012) in 1941. The next-highest is Clark Gable, who earned $357,500 ($5,595,604.59 USD 2012) and Nicholas M. Schenck is third at $334,204.54 ($5,230,983.10 … Continue reading →

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Met Takes Masterworks Off Display for the Duration

Posted on May 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

When Milton Caniff hasn’t filled up the panel with dialogue balloons – which is most of the time – he’s quite a dramatic artist. May 26, 1942: Edwin Schallert visits New York and writes about a promotional tour for “Yankee … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Dark Side of Rosie the Riveter

Posted on May 25, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 25, 1942: Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II, visits a munitions factory and writes about women in the workplace. Interviewing a foreman, Treanor says: I asked him him how he stood it bossing 150 women doing … Continue reading →

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

Hollywood Notes

Posted on May 24, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 24, 1942: Duesenberg for sale (sigh). Read Kendall has the story of Pvt. Kenneth Arlen, a screen extra whose final job involved getting a kiss from Judy Garland as she finished singing “Over There” in “For Me and My … Continue reading →

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Japanese Man’s Suicide Note: ‘My Country Goes Greatly Wrong’

Posted on May 23, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 23, 1942: Iyamma Satos uses three neckties to hang himself in Elysian Park. His suicide note reads: “My country goes greatly wrong. I cannot face my good friend America anymore, so I had to die. Please bury me quietly.”

Posted in 1942, Parks, Suicide, World War II | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

N.Y. Bans Night Baseball!

Posted on May 19, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 19, 1942: It’s officially straw hat season in Los Angeles, so men, dump that felt chapeau and get yourself a nice Panama. Lee Shippey writes that the evacuation of the Japanese has forced many (white) Angelenos to get back … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Baseball, Columnists, Comics, Fashion, Lee Shippey, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Pilot Lands P-38 Between Venice, Ocean Park Piers

Posted on May 17, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 17, 1942: Lt. William K. Long lands his P-38, with smoke pouring from one of the engines, between the Venice and Ocean Park piers. “Then, swimming a short distance through deep water, he waded ashore,” The Times said. Philip … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, Music, Mystery Photo, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Caltech Students Hold Drag Beauty Contest

Posted on May 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 15, 1942: In a typical publicity stunt, someone from showman Earl Carroll’s operation offered to select Caltech’s beauty queen. Nobody told them that the campus was all-male (oooh girls can’t be engineers!). So the young men decided to have … Continue reading →

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Battle of the Coral Sea, 1942

Posted on May 9, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 9, 1942: Allied forces fight the first what would be six major aircraft carrier battles with the Japanese, the next being the Battle of Midway. On the jump, a war map by Times artist Charles Owens, whom you may … Continue reading →

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For Mother’s Day – The Victory Bra

Posted on May 3, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 3, 1942: No, really. There was such a thing.

Posted in 1942, Fashion, World War II | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Snake Killer Dies on Gallows

Posted on May 2, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 2, 1942: Major Raymond Lisenba, better known as Robert S. “Rattlesnake” James, becomes the 214th and last person to be executed by hanging in California. James was hanged because the murder of his wife occurred in 1935, before the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, World War II | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Men 45-64 Register With Draft Boards

Posted on April 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

April 26, 1942: Men between the ages of 45 and 64 form a line a block long outside the draft board at 329 W. 2nd St. to comply with a new registration order. The men would be called upon to … Continue reading →

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State OKs Women Wearing Pants to Work

Posted on April 21, 2012 by lmharnisch

April 21, 1942: It took the approval of State Public Works Director Frank W. Clark, but women are wearing pants to work! The fashion iconoclasts are Olive Faisy and Lorena Hermance, telephone operators at the State Building. They were joined … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Fashion, World War II | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Internment of Japanese Farmers Causes Food Shortage

Posted on April 16, 2012 by lmharnisch

April 16, 1942: If you send all the Japanese farmers to internment camps, there’s no one to grow strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, green peas and onions. Oops. Charlotte LeNordtestifies that she killed her foster mother Celeste Frank — who read palms … Continue reading →

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

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on April 9, 2012 by lmharnisch

A postcard of a horse-drawn hearse listed on EBay with bidding starting at $2.50. Queen of the Dead – dateline April 9, 2012 •  The Telegraph hits another one out of the ballpark with their tribute to Peregrine John Wishart … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Dance, Eve Golden, Film, Queen of the Dead, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Guards Shoot at Car Refusing to Halt Outside Army Camp; Man Near Death

Posted on April 5, 2012 by lmharnisch

April 5, 1942: Sentries fire at a car that refused to stop on a street leading to the Army camp in Alondra Park.  Ralph W. Spaulding, 26, was hospitalized after being shot in the head. Bessie Edwards, who suffered a … Continue reading →

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Manzanar Internment Camp Rising Rapidly in Owens Valley

Posted on March 20, 2012 by lmharnisch

March 20, 1942: A crew of 400 carpenters working 10-hour shifts is hurriedly building the internment camp at Manzanar for “10,000 alien and American-born Japanese from Los Angeles and other Southern California cities,” The Times says. “Manzanar is the former … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

FBI Arrests Buddhist Priests in Japanese Roundup

Posted on March 14, 2012 by lmharnisch

  March 14, 1942: The FBI leads arrests of Buddhist priests, teachers, photographers, housewives, gardeners and businessmen in the continuing roundup of “enemy aliens.” Among the arrested was the Rev. Hiroshi Izumi of the Japanese Congregational Church in Santa Barbara. … Continue reading →

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

‘Full Service’: Fun With Fact-Checking, Part 11

Posted on March 9, 2012 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m doing a little fact-checking as I go through Scotty Bowers’ “Full Service.” This will be fairly tedious except to a research drudge. Before we go any further, we need to take a little … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, World War II | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments