Here’s a little sample of what I found while going through the Police Commission and Police Department materials from the 1940s at the city archives.
Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead” was serialized and accompanied by these illustrations by Frank Godwin.
This is “Make Way for Tomorrow,” an unusual and quite sentimental movie.
March 10, 1944
It’s Friday in 1944, and today we have:
— Andy is still looking for Madam Queen on “Amos ‘N’ Andy.” Courtesy of Archive.org.
— Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. “The Lone Ranger.” Courtesy of Archive.org.
— The 1940s version of easy listening music from “To Your Good Health” from the House of Squibb. Courtesy of Otrrlibrary.org via Archive.org.
A hot time in old Milwaukee!
March 10, 1944
HOLLYWOOD, March 9 — SISTER KENNY ARRIVED IN TOWN WEDNESDAY to be the house guest of Rosalind Russell. Simultaneously with the arrival of the woman who has done so much for infantile paralysis sufferers, we learn that Roz is playing “Sister Kenny” — and for RKO. The script is right back where it started — on Charlie Koerner’s desk. I have an idea when the picture is made that it will be Mary McCarthy’s script and not the treatment by Clifford Odets. Roz told me that she thought the McCarthy script was infinitely better. Never has there been such excitement over any one picture, and I am certainly glad that Roz, who loves Sister Kenny, will play that grand woman.
The Selig Zoo, in Cement and Engineering News.
From its humble beginnings as merely a boarding home for William Selig’s wild animal film stars, the Selig Zoo at 3800 Mission Road in East Los Angeles eventually became one of the metropolis’ top tourist attractions in the 1910s and 1920s. Featuring exotic wild animals from around the world, extensive landscaped grounds, and elaborate amenities, the Zoo served as the impetus for the city of Los Angeles to organize a permanent public zoo for its citizens, and served as the city’s first theme park.
Col. (honorary) William N. Selig served as an itinerant traveling magician and managed minstrel companies before establishing a fledgling moving picture technology and production company in Chicago in 1896. A California resident in the late 1800s, Selig eventually established a permanent Los Angeles studio in 1909.
Mary Mallory’s “Hollywoodland: Tales Lost and Found” is available for the Kindle.
March 10, 1944
From Miami Beach: At the graduation exercises of Officers Candidate school one of the brand-new lieutenants was a Negro. Which meant he had to be good because while they are fair there a colored boy doesn’t exactly have a bed of roses.
As you know, it is the custom for the girlfriends of the new lieutenants to pin their bars on. But there were, here in the very deep South, no colored girls sitting in the grandstand. So at the Big Moment the girls all rushed out and decorated the shoulders of the new officers. And the colored boy stood there in a little pool of silence and loneliness. After a long instant, however, a little Army nurse dashed out, pinned on his shining bars, smiled sweetly at him and returned to the stand. The colored boy’s big smile was a thing to see! Isn’t this democracy at its most spontaneous best?
March 9, 1944
It’s Thursday in 1944, and today we have:
— Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake of “Blondie” are the guests on “Abbott and Costello.” Abbott really gets a lot of mileage out of being “mayor” of Sherman Oaks.” Courtesy of Archive.org.
— “The Dinah Shore Program.” Courtesy of Archive.org.
— George Murphy is the guest on Bing Crosby’s “Kraft Music Hall.” Courtesy of Otrrlibrary.org via Archive.org.
March 9, 1944
HOLLYWOOD, March 8 — “Mildred Pearce,” all renovated, streamlined and with a snow white bill of health, has so pleased Joan Crawford that she has consented to make it for Warners. Now, here is the inside of the “Never Goodbye” story which Eddie Goulding has been whipping into shape for months: Joan was perfectly willing to make the picture and Warners wanted her, but when it was finally written the man’s part turned out to be the lead. Walter Huston was engaged and Joan agreed with the studio that it was not her “dish of tea.” So now that’s that. While I cannot say that Eddie, whose ideas are so numerous, may again rewrite it, so far it’s a starring vehicle for Huston.
March 9, 1944
(About Canada’s War Effort)
Canada is the only one of America’s Allies which has not used Lease-Lend help … Most of her money payments to the Allies have been outright gifts because Canada is opposed to piling up war debts… The United States is Canada’s best customer; and Canada is at the top of the list of our best customers.
March 8, 1944
It’s Wednesday in 1944, and today we have:
— Lucille Ball is the guest on “Orson Welles’ Radio Almanac.” More income tax jokes. Courtesy of Archive.org.
— Lionel Barrymore, Eddie Cantor and Connie Haines, plus the Pied Pipers, are the guests on “Mail Call.” Courtesy of Archive.org.
— Mezzo-soprano Suzanne Sten is the guest on “To Your Good Health” from the House of Squibb. Courtesy of Otrrlibrary.org via Archive.org.
March 8, 1944
HOLLYWOOD, March 7 — Just heard that Ruth Gordon’s sprightly comedy “Over Twenty-One” has been bought for Irene Dunne. As you may have guessed, Columbia paid a pretty price for the privilege of filming Ruth’s play, which is playing nightly to a packed house on Broadway. There is a touch of Hollywood in this wartime comedy, which is as timely as your morning newspaper.
Irene told me she hasn’t read nor seen the play but had been told Columbia bought it. I suggest she go to New York and see it. On the other hand, her own conception of the wartime bride might be even better.
March 8, 1944
Adelaide Norris is crowding Cholly McCarthy off Edgar Bergen’s spacious lap … Those 31 persons rounded up Saturday by the G-Men (for allegedly peddling illegal railway reservations in Florida) tittered at the warning here months ago. Ha, ha. That Winchell is such a comedian.
One of the weekly news mags is said to be able to prove the real murderer of Sir Harry Oakes. An irate husband angle. When and if the unsolved murder case is reopened, the evidence will revolve around Voodooism — which calls for setting fire to a body, etc.
Walter Huston may run for the Congress pew vacated by Will Rogers Jr. … Mark Hellinger’s next assignment will be his most thrilling.
March 7, 1944
It’s Tuesday in 1944, and today we have:
— “Movie Primer,” a pretty funny satirical look at Hollywood going through the ABCs (B is for boy as in boy meets girl; C is for movie columnist; D is for dialogue, etc.), is the show in “Columbia Workshop.” With a segment titled “A Picture You Can’t Afford to Miss.” From Otrrlibary.org via Archive.org.
— Col. Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle (Frederick Chase Taylor) is the guest on “Duffy’s Tavern.” Calculating the federal income tax is a challenge. Courtesy of Archive.org.
— “Fibber McGee and Molly.” Courtesy of Archive.org.
March 7, 1944
HOLLYWOOD, March 6 — An entire new screen life should unfold for Lee Bowman when he joins Columbia. He is a good actor, but he has never really had a chance on the Metro lot, where there are so many top male leads. Columbia has few, if any, male stars and Bowman will get his chance first with Jean Arthur in “The Impatient Years.”
“THE SULLIVANS,” WHICH Sam Jaffe bought in partnership with Lloyd Bacon, should be a gold mine, it is so popular. At any rate it inspired Sam to go out and buy “Blood on the Sun,” by Garrett Fort, author of “The Lost Patrol.”
SNAPSHOTS OF HOLLYWOOD COLLECTED AT RANDOM: Inscribed in a ring Academy Award winner Paul Lukas gave Daisy on their 16th wedding anniversary is “for service far beyond the line of duty.”
March 6, 1944: Adm. Chester W. Minitz, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet, is this week’s cover story. This week’s featured Life photographer is Fritz Goro, who has an essay on twins. The movie is “Up in Arms.” Courtesy of Google.
Look! Our fish friends have a new pal: Mr. Offshore Oil Well!
March 6, 1944
It’s Monday in 1944, and today we have a nice lineup:
— “The Letter” with Bette Davis and Herbert Marshall in their original roles and Vincent Price as Howard Joyce, is this week’s production of “Lux Radio Theatre.” Courtesy of Archive.org.
— Bat Masterson is the subject of today’s episode of “The Lone Ranger.” Courtesy of Archive.org.
— “Gay Divorcee” with Frank Sinatra, Gloria DeHaven, Edward Everett Horton and Spring Byington, is this week’s presentation on Screen Guild Theater. Sinatra sings “Night and Day.” Courtesy of Archive.org.
— Tenor Harrison Knox is featured in a program of vocal music is featured on “To Your Good Health” from the House of Squibb. I have to say, the audio quality is amazingly good. Knox sings the old John McCormack favorite from “Bohemian Girl,” “Then You’ll Remember Me.” Courtesy of Otrrlibrary.org via Archive.org.
March 6, 1944
JACK BENNY HASN’T reached his place in the sun as a top comedian without good reason, and that is real ability. We were all reminded again of Jack’s spontaneous wit at the Academy Awards program. He was excellent as master of ceremonies and although he was only supposed to do five minutes, because of a gap he had to fill he was on for fully 20 and couldn’t have been more amusing. He was with Jack Warner, who has just signed him to a term contract. The search is on to get him some good comedies. Sort of a clean sweep for Warner’s in the awards — actor, production, direction and Irving Thalberg awards.
March 6, 1944
The Orchid Garden: Zanuck’s newest click, “The Purple Heart.” The author is listed as Melville Crossman. That’s Zanuck …
Editorial Dept. Novelette: It happened in the city room of one of the Big Town gazettes … Two of the boys were back to say hello … One (who has never been out of the country) wore the Army oak leaf … The other wore the gray-green of the Marines, with a couple of hard-won stripes … Tippled and blustering, the major called upon the Marine to salute … The kid responded quickly … After all, he had been only a copy boy; the major had been an editor, if you please … It was a tight, tense moment … A real editor looked up from his work with studied puzzlement … “Tell me,” he said in clipped, quiet, carrying syllables, “which one of you was it who killed six Japs on Guadalcanal?” … The major waddled out the door … The kid was too modest.
March 5, 1944:
It’s Sunday in 1944, and today we have:
— “CBS World News.” American bombers are making daylight raids on Nazi installations in France. There are some great first-person accounts of combat. Courtesy of Archive.org.
— Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Music Knowledge. Courtesy of otronmp3.com.
March 5, 1944
Louella Parsons take a look at Darryl Zanuck’s personal interest in making “The Purple Heart”:
Those who are close to Darryl know that he spent many a sleepless night worrying because he had gambled $1 million of the company’s money on this picture. He, himself, under the name of Melville Crossman, had written the original story and it was his baby. So you can imagine his reaction when he learned that not only could he release the picture at once but that he had one of the biggest movie scoops in the history of pictures.
ladailymirror.com 