Black Dahlia: Time Magazine and the Death of Research

Jan. 16, 2015, Black Dahlia

Time magazine, more than a bit late to the party, jumps on the Dr. George Hodel bandwagon on the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death.

Time was once famous for having an extensive research department. These days, however, writers  – at least Jennifer Latson – believe it is enough to get their facts from a novel (James Ellroy’s “Black Dahlia” is a work of fiction, folks), Internet stories about Buster the three-legged cadaver dog and dubious claims about traces of decomposition found at the Sowden House.

That sound you hear is Henry Luce spinning in his grave.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Time Magazine and the Death of Research

Today Is Jan. 15 — The Daily Mirror Sabbatical Begins (Updated)

As I wrote in 2014, this year I’m taking a sabbatical from blogging. The mystery photos will continue and Mary Mallory will be writing Hollywood Heights as usual. But the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death seemed to be an appropriate date to begin my year off from daily blogging.

As a reminder, I always prune my roses on Jan. 15 in memory of Elizabeth Short.

See you in a year.

Larry

April 15: Three months into the sabbatical, I can say that I’m making progress. I’m not terribly superstitious, but I don’t want to jinx myself so I won’t say too much more. I’m pleased with what I have, although it’s much different than what I expected. I’m tempted to post a sample. But not yet.

July 29: Elizabeth Short’s birthday seems to be an appropriate date to announce that after spending six months on the book, it clearly won’t be done in a year and that my sabbatical will have to continue. I like the progress that I have made, but at this point, it now seems premature to say when the sabbatical will end. Thanks for your patience and continued support.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , | 37 Comments

Al Martinez, a Dying Boy and Some Peaches

Jim Romenesko

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.

Continue reading

Posted in 1949, 1958, Books and Authors, Columnists | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 48

Oklahoma!

“Oklahoma!” directed by Rouben Mamoulian, plays for 2,212 performances on Broadway.


Let’s take a brief detour and look at what else was happening in the early 1940s that would affect the production of “Laura.”

In March 1943,  Ring Lardner Jr., the first screenwriter to rework Jay Dratler’s script for “Laura,” won the Academy Award for best original screenplay with “Woman of the Year.”

Written with Michael Kanin, “Woman of the Year” was the first of the Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy films.  Lardner would later become one of the Hollywood 10, but that was several years after “Laura” and we won’t be dealing with that here.

The Making of “Laura” Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 

James Ellroy to script remake of ‘Laura’

Continue reading

Posted in 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Al Martinez — ‘Jigsaw John’

Al Martinez, Jigsaw John

While people are remembering former Times columnist Al Martinez, it’s good to mention his 1975 book “Jigsaw John,” about LAPD Detective John St. John, who was one of the caretakers of the Black Dahlia case at Robbery-Homicide. Copies are available via Bookfinder.com.

Posted in Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Laura’ – The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 47

Jay Dratler

Jay Dratler in a photo from the jacket of his novel “The Pitfall,” listed on EBay at $245.


In his discussion of the making of “Laura” in “Behind the Scenes,” film scholar Rudy Behlmer quickly dispenses with Jay Dratler, who wrote the first draft of the screenplay:

Jay Dratler, a well-educated and cultured writer from the east who had done postgraduate work at the Sorbonne before writing some novels, was selected to do the adaptation and screenplay of “Laura” because of his sophisticated and urbane background. He had been in Hollywood only about three years, working as a free-lance writer on a few undistinguished B films and routine program pictures (“La Conga Nights,” “Meet Boston Blackie,” “Fly by Night”).

Behlmer was writing in 1982, long before the conscientious researcher had access to the online archives of newspapers and magazines, which may be why his research is less than perfect. Whatever the reason, Dratler deserves a better accounting of his career.

The Making of “Laura” Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 

James Ellroy to script remake of ‘Laura’

Continue reading

Posted in 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

 

Jan. 17, 2015, Bachelor Bait

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1934 RKO picture “Bachelor Bait,” with Stu Erwin (Friday’s mystery guest), Rochelle Hudson (Wednesday’s mystery guest), Pert Kelton (Thursday’s mystery guest), Skeets Gallager (Friday’s mystery guest) and Burton Churchill (not shown). It was directed by George Stevens, from a screenplay by Glenn Tryon, based on a story by Edward and Victor Halperin, photographed by David Abel, with music by Max Steiner.

Continue reading

Posted in City Hall, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 40 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Dale Fuller, Comic Cutup to Von Stroheim Drama Queen

exhibitorsherald14exhi_0_1253
Dale Fuller, Exhibitors Herald, June 24, 1922.


Best remembered today for her melodramatic character parts in Erich von Stroheim films, actress Dale Fuller possessed a wide range of skills, displaying talent singing, mugging, and performing dramatic roles. Not beautiful in the conventional sense, Fuller employed drive, ambition, persistence, and intelligence in getting herself noticed and fashioning an entertainment career. While most of her roles entailed playing subservient characters, she made the most of her screen time, possessing a fierceness that demanded attention. Her time-worn face and piercing eyes reflected that of someone tenaciously overcoming struggle.

Like many performers in the silent film era, Fuller’s past remains shrouded in mystery. While she was born June 17, 1885 in Santa Ana, supposedly under the name Marie Dale Phillipps, little is known of her until adulthood. Brent Walker, in his “Mack Sennett’s Fun Factory,” states that she attended convent schools in Chicago and Los Angeles before entering stock. Fan magazines from the time claimed different stories for her: some stated that she attended and graduated from Mills College, while Myrtle Gebhart in Picture Play Journal reported that she lost her family at 19 before turning to the stage. Another claimed in 1916 that she married at 15 and was widowed at 19, though I can find no reference in Ancestry.com.

Mary Mallory’s “Hollywoodland: Tales Lost and Found” is available for the Kindle.

Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 46

Jay Dratler

Joseph “Jay” Dratler in a photo from the cover of his 1947 novel “The Pitfall,” listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $245.

 


Joseph “Jay” Dratler, who received the first screenwriting credit on “Laura,” is a somewhat obscure figure today — even finding a photo of him is difficult — so it’s worth exploring his life, at least briefly.

In addition to “Laura,” he is known for the Twentieth Century-Fox picture “Call Northside 777” (also with “Laura” screenwriter Jerome “Jerry” Cady).

”Call Northside 777” Script, Part 1 | “Call Northside 777” Script, Part 2

His novels included “The Pitfall,” “The Judas Kiss” and “Dr. Paradise,” and he wrote scripts for popular TV shows such as “Perry Mason,” “Naked City,” “Burke’s Law” and “The Addams Family.” In his final years, he wrote the play “The Golden Warriors” about the Trojan War, which was presented at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York shortly after his death.

The Making of “Laura” Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 

James Ellroy to script remake of ‘Laura’

Continue reading

Posted in 1944, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 46

Not on Netflix in February 2015: Dr. Who

Best of Netflix reports that Classic Dr. Who (1964-1989) and Dr. Who (2005-2012) will be removed from Netflix streaming in February 2015.

Posted in Television | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 45

"Laura"

The cover of the shooting script for “Laura,” with the names of screenwriters Jay Dratler, Ring Lardner Jr., Samuel Hoffenstein and Betty Reinhardt.  Although he did not receive credit, Jerome “Jerry” Cady rewrote the last portion of the script with the ending we know today.


Which came first in ‘Laura,’ the script or the cast? The answer is: Yes.

When discussing the script of “Laura,” one can only laugh at novelist Vera Caspary’s stunning lack of self-awareness. She said in the June 26, 1971, issue of Saturday Review:

The Making of “Laura” Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 

James Ellroy to script remake of ‘Laura’

Continue reading

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 45

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 44

"Laura" Cover

Let’s begin this series of posts on the making of “Laura” with the sale of the screen rights to Twentieth Century-Fox in June 1943 and check in with all our major figures.

The Making of “Laura” Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 

James Ellroy to script remake of ‘Laura’

Continue reading

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 44

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Jan. 10, 2015

This week’s movie has been the 1949 film “Obsession,” or as it is sometimes known “The Hidden Room.” It was directed by Edward Dmytryk in England while he was blacklisted in Hollywood and stars Robert Newton (Friday’s mystery chap), Sally Gray (Thursday’s mystery woman), Naunton Wayne (Monday’s mystery chap), Phil Brown (Wednesday’s mystery chap) and Olga Lindo (Tuesday’s mystery woman). It was written by Alec Coppel from his book “A Man About a Dog.” Photographed by C. Pennington-Richards, wWith music by Nino Rota.

Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 56 Comments

Alexa Foreman: Available for Research

Alexa Foreman, an early member of the L.A. Daily Mirror brain trust, writes that after 20 years at TCM, she is now available to do research projects.

Alexa, a researcher and producer at TCM since it began in 1994,  writes that she has worked with Meryl Streep, Sir John Gielgud, Anthony Hopkins, Lee Grant, Claire Bloom and others on assembling Star of the Month pieces, and interviewed five of the original Munchkins for her documentary “Memories of Oz.” In addition, she has interviewed more than 100 stars, directors, writers and editors for the TCM Archival Project.

She is author of “Women in Motion,” published in 1983, and co-author of “In the Picture: Production Stills From the TCM Archives” from 2004, as well as contributor to “Leading Ladies, Leading Men and Leading Couples.”

Having been with TCM, Alexa is in the Atlanta area, where she can conduct research in a large number of archives not directly related to films, including a branch of the National Archives; the University of Georgia Special Collections, which houses the Johnny Mercer Collection; the Savannah College of Art Design, which has a large collection of Don Bluth material; and Emory University, which has the papers of Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes, Salman Rushdie and Alice Walker.

Further information is available upon request. You may email her here. Alexa is also on Linkedin.com.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Libraries | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Alexa Foreman: Available for Research

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Los Angeles Elks’ Temple Highlights Importance of Fraternal Organizations

internationalpho04holl_0230
The Elks Temple in an undated photo.


Long a glamorous, outstanding example of Neo-Gothic Architecture and the powerful force of fraternal organizations, Los Angeles’ Elks’ Temple #99 still stands proudly at 607 S. Park View St. across from MacArthur Park. Now mostly an empty shell, the striking building once housed a busy Elks’ Temple that hosted all manner of social groups, an almost holy place that exalted the power of fraternal groups to better living conditions, educational skills, and the ongoing life of their surrounding communities.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks” Lodge #99 was one of Los Angeles’ premiere fraternal and charity organizations, founded in 1888 in downtown Los Angeles. The organization allowed men to gather together in friendship as well as providing services to the community such as allowing children to grow and thrive, feeding and clothing the needy, culturally enriching their neighbors, and honoring American veterans. Originally housed on South Spring Street, the organization outgrew its location in 1908 and moved into a larger, more elegant facility on Third and South Olive Street at the top of Angels’ Flight. By 1920, the organization once again was searching for a new home, and considered buying a couple of properties over the next couple of years.

Mary Mallory’s “Hollywoodland: Tales Lost and Found” is available for the Kindle.

Continue reading

Posted in 1926, Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Holocaust Denial at Archive.org

Holocaust Denial, Archive.org

“The Director of the Holocau$t – Khazar Expatriate Billy Wilder” at Archive.org.


 

For years, I have been looking for the early Billy Wilder film “Menschen am Sonntag.” I finally found it on Archive.org, but along with the film, I discovered some material that’s rather sad and extremely alarming. Some anonymous (of course) filmmaker has concocted a lot of rubbish about Wilder making “propaganda” films that were used to help “fake” the Holocaust. Yes, that’s what I said. In fact, this film is part of a somewhat extensive repository of Holocaust denial material at Archive.org. Not a happy discovery to say the least.
Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — Pisco Punch

New York Sun, April 23, 1934

Note: This is a repost from 2013.

Just in time for New Year’s, we’ll take a look at a “lost drink,” making a brief inquiry into San Francisco’s Pisco Punch, made famous by Bank Exchange saloon owner Duncan Nicol (often spelled Nichol or Nicoll), who  died in 1926 without revealing the recipe.

Continue reading

Posted in 1915, 1934, 1939, Food and Drink, San Francisco | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

War Cancels Rose Parade, Dec. 14, 1941

Dec. 14, 1941, Tournament of Roses
Dec. 14, 1941, Comics

Dec. 14, 1941, Comics  Dec. 14, 1941, Comics

Note: This is a post from 2011.


Dec. 14, 1941: The Rose Parade is canceled and the Rose Bowl – between Duke and Oregon State – is moved to Durham, N.C. The streets of Pasadena were oddly quiet on New Year’s Day as millions reviewed memories of previous parades in all their glory, The Times said.

Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II | 4 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — The Bronx Cocktail

Dec. 20, 1934, Holiday Cocktails

Dec. 20 1934, Holiday Drinks

Note: This is a repost from 2013.

Dec. 20, 1934: In case you doubted me (but you wouldn’t, would you?), here’s a recipe for the Bronx Cocktail, from the Amsterdam Evening Recorder, courtesy of FultonHistory.com.

In case you plan to mix one up, a Bronx Cocktail is one part Italian vermouth, three parts brandy and a dash of orange bitters. Shake well!

Notice that there are also three variations of the Manhattan.

Continue reading

Posted in 1934, Food and Drink, Suicide | Tagged , | 1 Comment

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 43

'Laura'

When we watch “Laura” today, all we see is the finished film: The fluid camera work and complex lighting, the elegant production design, the fashionable costumes, the sharp dialogue and the generally first-rate performances, especially by Clifton Webb.

Nothing betrays the movie’s difficult birth: A switch of directors, a constantly changing cast in the months leading up to shooting and most of all, a script that was heavily revised from April to July 1944 by a succession of writers, with several discarded scenes and an entirely new ending.

The Making of “Laura” Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 

James Ellroy to script remake of ‘Laura’

Continue reading

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments