Category Archives: World War II

California Raises Speed Limit to 55 mph!

Posted on September 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 10, 1941: California gets ready to raise the speed limit to 55 mph and the Auto Club will be posting new signs. That’s right, the Auto Club posted highway signage. Jimmie Fidler says: There’s something sadly amiss when an … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Database of Slave Names Going Online

Posted on September 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: “Christ Carrying the Cross Dragged by a Rogue.” The Virginia Historical Society is compiling a database of slaves and owners. The database, which will go online Wednesday, contains the names of 1,400 slaves and 180 owners, according to Eve … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, Genealogy, History, Libraries, Museums, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Database of Slave Names Going Online

Hitler Dead Soon, Hungarian Astrologer Says

Posted on September 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 9, 1941: The Times publishes the amazing predictions of Hungarian “astro-philosopher” Louis De Wohl! He says Adolf Hitler is mentally ill. Check. He says Hitler doesn’t have long to live. Well, depending on how you define “long.” And the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Baseball, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Nazi Swastika on Hollywood Hills!

Posted on September 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: “I guess I’m a fool,” she panted. Credit: This Week magazine, Los Angeles Times Sept. 7, 1941:It’s Sunday in Los Angeles, and although Pearl Harbor is three months away, concern about the impending war is everywhere. Someone even changed … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Books and Authors, Film, History, Hollywood, Music, Radio, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Navy Reports

Posted on September 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 6, 1942: Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox warns against “loose talk.” Credit: National Archives. I returned from Saturday’s trip to the National Archives in Riverside with more than 200 images of historic documents. It’s going to take some … Continue reading →

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Zoot Suit: A Trip to the National Archives

Posted on September 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: House, Perris, Calif. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com This house is at the turnoff to the National Archives in Perris, Calif., where I spent the day researching the Zoot Suit Riots. It was great: Photo: The city of Los Angeles is … Continue reading →

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Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer, Sept. 3, 1941

Posted on September 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 3, 1941: OK, Maj. Tucker,  let me get this straight. You and your wife, Marie, got home from  a party, where both of you had been drinking. She was in the bedroom and you were in the kitchen making … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer, Sept. 3, 1941

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Sept. 1, 1941

Posted on September 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 1, 1941: I thought it would be interesting to check in with our friends in 1941, since Pearl Harbor is only three months away. Times editorial cartoonist Bruce Russell’s Labor Day drawing says that it’s unpatriotic to strike in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Sept. 1, 1941

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 7

Posted on August 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: June 8, 1943 — A mob of servicemen stop a streetcar on Main Street to remove a passenger wearing a zoot suit. Here’s a second radio address by Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron, delivered June 16, 1943, on the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Radio, San Francisco, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 7

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on August 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 2003 Cadillac hearse for sale on EBay. Bidding starts at $10,000. Queen of the Dead – dateline August 22, 2011   • The godfather of Mondo Cinema, Gualtiero Jacopetti, died at 92 on August 17. The director of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Television, World War II | Comments Off on Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Found on EBay – Zoot Suit!

Posted on August 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

What appears to be an original zoot suit, with reet pleat, drape shape and stuff cuff,  has been listed on EBay. According to the vendor, this suit was in the wardrobe department of a movie studio. There is no label, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Fashion, Found on EBay, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , | 3 Comments

#art, #history, #museums 8|16|2011

Posted on August 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: “The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah” by Jan Steen. Credit: Museum Bredius in The Hague Photo: “The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah” by Jan Steen. Credit: Museum Bredius in The Hague The Hague municipality has settled with an heir … Continue reading →

Posted in 1893, Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, History, Museums, Washington, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Voices: Police Capt. Ed Jokisch, 1914 – 2011, Part 2

Posted on August 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Capt. Ed Jokisch. Credit: Jokisch family   This is Part 2 of my interview with the late Ed Jokisch.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Obituaries, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

#Broadway, #Civil War, #history, #museums, 8|12|2011

Posted on August 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Diary of Alexander Sterrett Paxton. Credit: Washington and Lee University. Daniel de Vise of the Washington Post writes about a collection of six Civil War diaries obtained by Washington and Lee University. The diaries were kept by Alexander Sterrett … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, History, Museums, Music, Preservation, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #Broadway, #Civil War, #history, #museums, 8|12|2011

Van Nuys Plane Crash Kills 2 – Aug. 11, 1941

Posted on August 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Aug. 11, 1941: Walter P. Palmer and William S. Raney are killed when their plane goes into a spin during a flying lesson and crashes into a bean field at Woodley Avenue and Oxnard Street in Van Nuys, which is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Lee Shippey, Politics, San Fernando Valley, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on August 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

This 1939 Packard Hearse has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $16,000, but there is a reserve. Queen of the Dead—dateline August 8, 2011    •  Milly del Rubio, the last of the amusingly camp del Rubio Triplets, died … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Obituaries, World War II | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Voices: Police Capt. Ed Jokisch, 1914 – 2011

Posted on August 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: LAPD homicide detectives in a gag photo, Christmas 1946. Ed is on the left in the back row. Credit: Ed Jokisch   I received word Saturday that my friend, retired Police Capt. Ed Jokisch, has died at the age … Continue reading →

Posted in 1914, Crime and Courts, Downtown, LAPD, Obituaries, World War II | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Found on EBay – Florentine Gardens

Posted on August 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

This souvenir photograph from the Florentine Gardens has been listed on EBay. Most of these pictures come in a cardboard holder that’s stamped with a date. This one isn’t marked, oddly enough, but a comparison with my reference file indicates … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Photography, World War II | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

#art, #history, #museums, #World War II 8|4|2011

Posted on August 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Retired Lt. Col. Leo R. Gray with “The Spirit of Tuskegee.” Credit: Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post Jacqueline Trescott of the Washington Post writes about “The Spirit of Tuskegee,” a Stearman trainer that has been acquired by the … Continue reading →

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‘Zoot Suit’ and History — Part 5

Posted on July 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

Cartoon: A troubling moment in “Mary Worth’s Family,” June 1, 1943. Credit: Los Angeles Times June 1, 1943: It is impossible to accurately determine, so long after the fact, why a May 31, 1943, brawl between zoot-suiters and sailors wasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Books and Authors, Fashion, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History — Part 5