Category Archives: World War II

L.A. County Pays Immigrants on Welfare to Go Back to Mexico

Posted on December 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dec. 3, 1941: Here’s how Los Angeles County once handled immigration. Officials paid families on welfare $100 ($1,464.25 USD 2010) over 10 months to go back to Mexico. Since 1930-31, more than 4,000 families had gone back to Mexico under … Continue reading →

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Army Is Prepared, but Needs to Toughen Up for War, General Says

Posted on December 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dec. 1, 1941: With the attack on Pearl Harbor six days away, Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair says U.S. troops are ready to fight, but would suffer heavy losses with only six months of field training. “Properly trained units cannot … Continue reading →

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November 27, 1941: Streetcar Companies Ask Council to End Bus Ban in Downtown L.A.

Posted on November 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

November 27, 1941: The Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Railways ask the City Council to repeal a ban against buses operating in downtown Los Angeles. Pacific Electric officials said the ban prevented them from routing the line from Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Streetcars, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Man Takes Fight Over Dog License to U.S. Supreme Court

Posted on November 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The 1200 block of Innes Avenue, home of the George F. Harrington/Kitty HQ, via Google Street View. Nov. 26, 1941: Kitty may not be a typical name for a dog – but then George F. Harrington is an unusual … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – Florentine Gardens

Posted on November 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

This photo of the “Greatest Generation” at play at the Florentine Gardens, c. 1944, has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $15.99.

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Ford’s Theatre Bans O’Reilly’s ‘Lincoln’ Book Over Mistakes

Posted on November 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

Manson family member Charles “Tex” Watson was denied parole. L.A. Times | AP via Washington Post Stephan Benzkofer of the Chicago Tribune takes a look at Police Officer Francis O’Neill in Part 2 of his Legendary Lawmen series. Edith Brady-Lunny … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Chicago, Crime and Courts, History, Homicide, Washington, World War II | Tagged , | Comments Off on Ford’s Theatre Bans O’Reilly’s ‘Lincoln’ Book Over Mistakes

Women Reporters

Posted on November 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 17, 1941: Reporter Mary Shaw Leader is honored posthumously for her work in covering Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Leader, a reporter for the Hanover Spectator, walked 15 miles to Gettysburg, Pa., to cover the Lincoln’s talk. “She carried his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Immigration, Obituaries, World War II | Tagged , | Comments Off on Women Reporters

When Hollywood Goes Wrong — ‘The Black Dahlia’

Posted on November 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

There are so many things that Brian De Palma got wrong in “The Black Dahlia” that a list of mistakes would fill a long book. I had forgotten that the movie starts out with what is purportedly the Zoot Suit … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

U.S. Prepares to Round Up Japanese in Event of War, Nov. 13, 1941

Posted on November 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 13, 1941: An FBI investigation into the Los Angeles Japanese Chamber of Commerce and the Central Japanese Assn. reveals monthly donations of $4,000 to $5,000 to the Japanese government “for the army and navy,” The Times says. Atty. Gen. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Crowds Line Broadway for Armistice Day Parade, Nov. 12, 1941

Posted on November 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

We just don’t get deep thoughts in comics anymore. Nov. 12, 1941: Crowds line Broadway in downtown Los Angeles for the annual Armistice Day parade, which marked the end of what used to be called the Great War or the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, A Kinder, Simpler Time, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Streetcars, Theaters, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Scientists to Build Computer From 1830s Drawings

Posted on November 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The lobby of La Concha Motel, designed by Paul Revere Williams. Credit: The Neon Museum The first in a planned series of monthly lectures in the newly reopened Globe Lobby is sold out. The next lecture is Dec. 8, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Chicago, Crime and Courts, Museums, Music, Preservation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Scientists to Build Computer From 1830s Drawings

Roosevelt Declares Early Thanksgiving

Posted on November 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 9, 1941: Amid the gathering clouds of World War II, President Roosevelt declares what will be the last peacetime Thanksgiving. Noting American aid to nations fighting the Axis, Roosevelt says: “Let us ask the divine blessing of our decision … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

L.A. Detectives Meet New York Mobster’s Plane at Burbank Airport

Posted on November 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 8, 1941: Waxey Gordon, whose real name was Irving Wexler (d. 1952, Alcatraz), lands at Lockheed Air Terminal (now Burbank Airport), where he is greeted by detectives from the district attorney’s office, the LAPD and airport police. Gordon, accompanied … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Aviation, Chicago, City Hall, LAPD, San Francisco, Suicide, Theaters, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Coming Up on the Daily Mirror: Pearl Harbor

Posted on November 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dec. 8, 1941: Pearl Harbor is about a month away, so I thought it would be illuminating to focus on the days leading up to the U.S. entry into World War II. Hope you like it. Ready for the swing … Continue reading →

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Test Pilot Dies as P-38 Crashes Into Glendale House, Nov. 5, 1941

Posted on November 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

Witnesses said the twin-engined, double fuselaged ship was booming westerward at near-maximum speed (unofficially reported to be between 400 and 500 mph) when the duralumin tail assembly “simply floated away.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Aviation, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Theaters, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Wingy Manone Puts the Swing in Swing Shift — Nov. 3, 1941

Posted on November 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 3, 1941: Tom Treanor goes to a dance at the Glendale Civic Auditorium for swing shift workers, about 5,000 of them, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Most of the couples are married, he says, … Continue reading →

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L.A.’s Traffic Nightmare Threatens Downtown’s Future! Oct. 28, 1941

Posted on October 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

Oct. 28, 1941: Lee Shippey writes about Los Angeles’ congested streets (no, traffic is not a new problem – it’s a very old one that we are still trying to solve). Notice that Shippey says streetcars and automobiles do not … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Obituaries, Streetcars, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 14

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Cover letter on the June 22, 1943, report on the Zoot Suit Riots. Credit: National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Theaters, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 13

Posted on October 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

May 4, 1995: Portions of the June 10, 1943, report on the Zoot Suit Riots have been redacted and placed in a parallel file. This is due to privacy concerns because the individuals may still be alive, an archivist explained. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Fashion, Film, LAPD, Latinos, Stage, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Shakespeare, ‘Anonymous’ and Nonsense

Posted on October 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Trailer for “Anonymous.” In a New York Times op-ed piece, Columbia English professor James Shapiro challenges the premise of Roland Emmerich’s upcoming film “Anonymous,” which presents Edward de Vere as the true author of (wait for it) all of … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Libraries, Museums, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments