Black Dahlia: A Two-Year Update and a Look Ahead

Posted on December 26, 2017 by lmharnisch

The second anniversary of my retirement from the Los Angeles Times coincided with lots of questions prompted by a Fox News piece on Piu Eatwell’s “Black Dahlia, Red Rose.” Even though I had blogged about the book repeatedly, people still wanted to know what I thought of it.

Executive summary: Eatwell’s purported killer, Leslie Dillon, was absolutely, positively in San Francisco when Elizabeth Short was killed, rendering all other questions irrelevant.

When folks ask me how my Black Dahlia book is going, I usually give a brief answer: “Very well, thanks” (which is true) rather than a long explanation, such as: “At the moment a certain archive in Los Angeles is closed until January, an unanticipated obstacle blocking the wheels of progress”  (which is also true).

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Posted in 1907, 1947, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, History | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Al Martinez, a Dying Boy and Some Peaches — A (Non) Christmas Story

Posted on December 25, 2017 by lmharnisch

Jim Romenesko

Note: This is an encore post from 2015.

Jim Romenesko, for those who aren’t in the news business, runs an essential blog that serves as a clearing house for information, gossip, bad headlines and assorted gaffes.

A Jan. 6 post dealt with former Times columnist Al Martinez, who died Monday, and the occasional columns Al wrote over the years about a dying boy who craved peaches.

John Russell of the Indianapolis Star wrote to Romenesko in hopes that some reader would verify Al’s story, saying: “After months of digging, I still can’t find any evidence of the original story, and too many questions to ignore.”

Russell elaborated on his skepticism in “Why I Have Trouble Believing the ‘Get the Kid His Peaches’ Christmas story,” noting that he had written to Al for help in finding the original.

We have some answers — and the story — with a not-so-gentle reminder for reporters: DON’T write from memory or bad things can happen. Use the clips. It’s what they are for.  Memory can compress time and erase crucial details, as we will see with Al’s story.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 25, 2017 by lmharnisch

Dec. 30, 2017, Beast With Five Finger
This week’s mystery movie has been Warner Bros. 1946 heartwarming holiday classic “The Beast With Five Fingers,” with Robert Alda, Andrea King, Peter Lorre, Victor Francen, J. Carrol Naish, Charles Dingle, John Alvin, David Hoffman, Barbara Brown, Patricia White and William Edmunds. The screenplay was by Curt Siodmak from a story by William Fryer Harvey, photography by Wesley Anderson, art direction by Stanley Fleischer, special effects by William McGann and H. Koenekamp. The technical advisor was Dario Sabatello, wardrobe by Travilla, set decorations by Walter Tilford, makeup by Perc Westmore, orchestral arrangements by Hugo Friedhofer, musical direction by Leo F. Forbstein,  music by Max Steiner, produced by William Jacobs and directed by Robert Florey. (Paul Henreid took a suspension from Warners rather than make the picture, according to Film Bulletin, Dec. 10, 1945).

“The Beast With Five Fingers” is available on DVD from Warner Archive.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 36 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘White Christmas’ Soothes the Home Front in 1942

Posted on December 25, 2017 by lmharnisch

motionpictureher147unse_0603
Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale in “Holiday Inn.”

Note: This is an encore post from 2015.

Recognized today as one of the top selling singles and pieces of sheet music of all time, Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” was just one of eleven songs in the 1942 holiday classic, “Holiday Inn.” First put to paper by Berlin in 1940, the tune evolved over time before becoming the beloved hit sung by the dulcet tones of baritone Bing Crosby.

Jody Rosen, in his book, “White Christmas: The Story of an American Song,” reveals that on Monday, January 8, 1940, Berlin composed forty-eight bars which his secretary Helmy Kresa transcribed to manuscript paper, after the composer flew into the office claiming he had written his greatest song. Nearly fully formed as the song we know today, the most famous sixty-seven notes never changed from the first time they hit the page. These emotion-filled lyrics touched hearts during America’s first year in World War II, nostalgic for better and happier times.“Hollywood Celebrates the Holidays” by Karie Bible and Mary Mallory is now available at Amazon and at local bookstores.

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Christmas Past: A Cincinnati Family Celebrates the Holidays 100 Years Ago

Posted on December 24, 2017 by lmharnisch

christmas_interior_nd_cincinnati_01_crop
I picked up these photos in a Pasadena thrift store years ago. There is no information on them except the stamp on the back: Moser & Son, Cin’ti, O.

Aside from the tree (seen below) and what seem to be wreathes in the windows, there is very little sign of decorating.

christmas_interior_nd_cincinnati_02_crop

And there you have it, a spindly Christmas tree, seen through a doorway.

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Moser and Son

The 1916 Cincinnati directory shows that the Moser studio was at 20 Emery Arcade.

Posted in 1916, Photography | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Christmas 1966: No Bad News at the Tucson Citizen

Posted on December 24, 2017 by lmharnisch

Dec. 24, 1966, Tucson Citizen

Note: This is an encore post from 2016.

I finally tracked down the front page from the Tucson Citizen for Dec. 24, 1966, in which it followed the tradition of no bad news on Page 1.

And a sample of the Citizen’s weather poem.

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In Memoriam — Johnny Fox | Sword Swallower (1953 — 2017)

Posted on December 23, 2017 by lmharnisch

Johnny Fox

We were saddened to read an obituary in the New York Times this week about sword swallower Johnny Fox, who died of cancer in Maryland at the age of 64. We snapped this picture of Fox, about to swallow a stack of swords, in the 1970s at the Fourth Avenue Street Fair in Tucson.

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Black Dahlia: 5 Reasons Leslie Dillon Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short

Posted on December 22, 2017 by lmharnisch

Leslie Dillon

Leslie Dillon in an undated photo, probably taken in the late 1940s.

 

imageMy inbox is exploding with alerts about Piu Eatwell “solving” the Black Dahlia case by attributing it to Leslie Duane Dillon. Here are five simple reasons that Dillon did not kill Elizabeth Short:

5. Leslie Dillon was cleared by police after an exhaustive investigation.

4. Leslie Dillon had no connection to Mark Hansen, the business manager at the Florentine Gardens. (For those who are new to the Black Dahlia case, Elizabeth Short stayed at Mark Hansen’s home while she was in Hollywood).

3. Leslie Dillon did not have advanced medical training, which the killer of Elizabeth Short displayed in cutting her body in half.  (Dillon worked at a funeral home in Oklahoma City for three weeks — as an ambulance driver.)

2. Leslie Dillon had no connection to Elizabeth Short.

1. Leslie Dillon was absolutely, positively in San Francisco when Elizabeth Short was killed.

Note to Piu Eatwell fans: Every comment is logged with your IP address, so leaving a bogus name like nobody@nowhere.com is useless.

 

Posted in 1947, 2017, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 21, 2017 by lmharnisch

Forster vs. Pico

Paul Bryan Gray was recently mentioned in the Los Angeles Times as the author of “A Clamor for Equality,” the biography of Francisco Ramirez, who published Los Angeles’ first entirely Spanish-language newspaper, “El Clamor Publico.”

Gray also wrote “Forster vs. Pico,” the story of a 19th century lawsuit between Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of California, and his brother-in-law John Forster in a dispute over Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores in San Diego County. Concisely written, the book is a thorough recounting of the case and an excellent microcosm of the way large Mexican ranchos were acquired by the newly arrived Americans.

As Gray says in his introduction:

… The basic causes of Mexican land loss are interwoven in their story (of Pico and Forster). A new culture imposed by military conquest, taxation, outrageous interest on loans, proceedings before the Land Commission, Mexican improvidence, and a devastating drought all prominently figure in their struggle and the ultimate fate of the Ranch Santa Margarita.”

Copies of “Forster vs. Pico” can be easily located via Bookfinder.

 

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Black Dahlia: The Formosa Cafe and Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on December 20, 2017 by lmharnisch

L.A. Times Formosa Cafe

My inbox exploded this morning with alerts about the Black Dahlia and links leading to an essay in the Los Angeles Times by David Ulin, writing about the Formosa Cafe (which he calls “the Formosa” – a gaffe nobody bothered to fix) saying that Elizabeth Short was one of its patrons.

In a word: “no.”

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 20, 2017 by lmharnisch

Big Picture Cover

Note: This is an encore post from 2011.

I picked up “The Big Picture,” Melba Levick and Stanley Young’s 1988 book about Los Angeles murals, not realizing what a terribly sad book it would be. As Young notes: “Most artists are aware that, exposed as it is to the elements, both human and natural, there is a limited life-expectancy for any mural.”

I wanted it for one picture, specifically.

“The Big Picture” is listed on Amazon and Bookfinder.

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Posted in 1988, Architecture, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Downtown, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Latinos, Photography, Preservation, San Fernando Valley, Sports, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 18, 2017 by lmharnisch

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“Angel’s Flight” by Leo Politi.

Note: This is an encore post from 2014.

Another of my favorite books about Los Angeles is Leo Politi’s “Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Reminiscences of Bygone Days,” published in 1964. Copies are listed on Bookfinder in the $30-$40 range. This painting shows Angels Flight as it was in the 1930s and ‘40s, when it was next to the 3rd Street Tunnel. It was moved to its current location, across from Grand Central Market, as part of a 1980s redevelopment project after years of being in storage.

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors | Tagged , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 18, 2017 by lmharnisch

image
This week’s movie has been MGM’s saucy Pre-Code film “Flying High” (1931), with Bert Lahr, Charlotte Greenwood, Pat O’Brien, Kathryn Crawford, Charles Winninger, Hedda Hopper, Guy Kibbee and Herbert Braggiotti, with Gus Arnheim and his orchestra. Book, lyrics and music was by George G. “Buddy” De Sylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson and John McGowan, screenplay by A.P. Younger, additional dialogue by Robert E. Hopkins, adaptation by Charles F. Riesner, with dances created by Busby Berkeley. Additional songs and music by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh. Art direction was by Cedric Gibbons, gowns by Adrian and photography by Merritt B. Gerstad. Directed by Charles F. Riesner.

Note: Bert Lahr made his feature film debut in “Flying High.”   Kate Smith had the lead in the Broadway production, but was replaced by Greenwood for the film.

The DVD is available from Warner Archive.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 34 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Eaton’s Rancho

Posted on December 18, 2017 by lmharnisch

Eaton's Rancho

Note: This is an encore post from 2012.

The area of Los Angeles now known as Studio City was mainly farm and ranch land up into the late 1920s, when investors founded the Studio City Business District and decided to try and create a film industry in the city.  Businesses began springing up along the highway connecting the far Valley with Hollywood, the street now known as Ventura Boulevard.  As the business area grew around what was originally the Mack Sennett Studio, and then Republic Studios, so did restaurants.  One of these was Eaton’s Rancho Restaurant.

(Update: This site is near Du-Par’s, which is closing Dec. 31. An earlier version of the post said this was the site of Du-Par’s).

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 14, 2017 by lmharnisch

Down These Mean Streets

Virtually everyone who writes about Raymond Chandler cites this book by Philip Durham, but very few people seem to have read it.

Writing in 1963, four years after Chandler’s death, Durham produced a biography of Chandler as a writer rather than examining the whole fabric of his life. Durham also made what is probably the earliest systematic analysis of Chandler’s output, tracing Chandler’s extensive self-borrowing from earlier short stories into his novels. It’s a relatively brief book that includes a checklist of Chandler’s writing, a selected list of reviews and a bibliography.

We recently found a nice copy on EBay and thought we should add it to our holiday shopping suggestions. Bookfinder (and really that is the best way to locate a vintage book) lists quite a few copies, starting with a fairly low price for a less than perfect book up to ridiculously overpriced.

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 13, 2017 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Book.

Note: This is an encore post from 2014.

“The Los Angeles Book,” with text by Lee Shippey and photos by Max Yavno is one of my favorite books on Los Angeles – but only for Yavno’s photographs. The text is forgettable and, in fact, Yavno said he paid no attention to it when he took his pictures. There are many famous images here, including Muscle Beach, the opening of “The Heiress” at the Carthay Circle Theatre (RIP), etc. Copies can be located on Bookfinder.com starting at $17.

Here’s my 2011 post on “The Los Angeles Book.”

Posted in 1950, Books and Authors | Tagged , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 11, 2017 by lmharnisch

Fedora
This week’s mystery movie has been the 1978 film “Fedora,” with William Holden, Marthe Keller, Jose Ferrer, Frances Sternhagen, Mario Adorf, Stephen Collins, Hans Jaray, Arlene Francis Gottfried John, Jacques Maury, Christine Mueller, Ellen Schwiers, Ferdy Mayne, Henry Fonda, Hildegard Knef and Michael York. Music by Miklos Rozsa, costumes by Charlotte Flemming, production design by Alexandre Trauner, photography by Gerry Fisher, screenplay by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, from the story “Crowned Heads” by Thomas Tryon. Produced and directed by Billy Wilder.

The movie is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 44 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywoodland Survives 1961 Fire

Posted on December 11, 2017 by lmharnisch

Hollywoodland Fire 1961 Flames from Crenshaw

California is suffering its worst fire fall season in decades, after the huge Santa Rosa-Sonoma conflagration a few months ago, and the blazes surrounding the Los Angeles area over the past week. The Skirball fire itself, which has burned around the Bel-Air area and destroyed several homes, echoes that of the terrible November 1961 fire in the Bel-Air community in which celebrities like Joan Fontaine, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Burt Lancaster, and Joe E. Brown lost their houses. That fire was not the first to affect enclaves around Los Angeles that year though.

In May 1961, a fire around the Hollywoodland community and Griffith Park devoured eight homes, seriously damaged 24, and affected scores of others, threatened the Hollywood Sign, the Civil Defense station, Griffith Observatory, and zoo, while scorching acres of land in Griffith Park. On May 12, 1961, temperatures soared. At 7:43 pm that night, winds gusting 40 miles per hour and later up to 68 miles per hour, knocked down power lines at Hollyridge Drive and Canyon Drive, touching off a conflagration.

Mary Mallory’s “Hollywood Celebrates the Holidays” and “Hollywood at Play” are available from Amazon, Vroman’s in Pasadena and Book Soup in West Hollywood.

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 8, 2017 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles in Maps

Note: This is a repost from 2013.

Glen Creason’s book on maps of Los Angeles shows the many ways people have viewed the city over the years. I interviewed him for The Times in 2012 and fortunately for all concerned, the column was seen by a real estate agent who was getting ready to sell off a rather curious home in Mt. Washington that had been owned by a man who had a mania for maps. The result was the discovery of the “map house,” one of the great (and strange) stories of Los Angeles.

“Los Angeles in Maps,” published in 2010, is in many local bookstores and available online.

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L.A. Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 7, 2017 by lmharnisch
Holly. Cel. Holidays Cover hollywood_at_play_cover

 

Mary Mallory’s posts are one of the L.A. Daily Mirror’s most popular features, so we are happy to recommend two books: “Hollywood Celebrates the Holidays,” written with Karie Bible, and “Hollywood at Play,” written with Donovan Brandt and Stephen X. Sylvester. Both books are available at Vroman’s in Pasadena and Book Soup in West Hollywood. “Hollywood Celebrates the Holidays” and “Hollywood at Play” are also available from Amazon.

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment