A Note to Commenters

Posted on September 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

It may be worthwhile to point out in these days of heightened focus on Internet privacy that there isn’t as much anonymity as one might think.

This is particularly true for commenters on L.A. Daily Mirror posts or indeed for commenting on any major blog platform.

You may sign your comment YouWillNeverFindMeHaHaHa@aol.com but in fact your IP address is also saved. It is easy to look up 123.45.678.910 and see who’s being a pest.

No comments get posted without my approval. I don’t have any qualms about banning people who have nothing constructive or pertinent to offer.

Posted in History | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo – Newsboy Cap Edition XII (Updated + + +)

Posted on September 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 30, 2013, Mystery Photo

This week’s movie was going to be a Western especially for Don Danard, but the DVD got vapor lock. Perhaps it will return another week if it learns to behave itself.

In the meantime we have a movie with, yes, newsboy caps.

How to Wear a Hat — Newsboy Cap Edition
How to Wear a Hat — ‘Grapes of Wrath’ Edition
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition I
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition II
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition III
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition IV
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition V
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition VI
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition VII
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition VIII
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition IX
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition X
Movieland Mystery Photo — Newsboy Cap Edition XI
How to Wear a Newsboy Cap — Marc Chevalier Edition

Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Film, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 26 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — ‘Spirit of ’76’ as Propaganda

Posted on September 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

"Spirit of '76"
A still from the lost film “Spirit of ‘76” from Moving Picture World.

 


The United States’ Espionage Act was ratified in 1917 to punish those abetting the enemy, promoting military insubordination, or interfering with recruitment. Over the years, it has been amended to include punishing for the disclosure of secret information. For good or ill, such individuals as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Daniel Ellsberg, and Bradley Manning have been convicted under its statutes. One of the first people to be ensnared after its creation was filmmaker Robert Goldstein, producer of the 1917 patriotic film, “Spirit of ’76.” A film he intended to unite Americans in pride instead became a tool for destroying his life.

Born in San Francisco, Robert Goldstein was the son of Simon Goldstein, the owner of one of the United States largest costume and wig making businesses. This connection enabled young Goldstein to meet many early moving picture performers, like D. W. Griffith, Lillian and Dorothy Gish, Henry Walthall, Mae Marsh, and others. Motion pictures thrilled him so much that he moved to Los Angeles in 1912 and established a branch of the family’s costume businesses, providing wardrobe for the film industry.

Mary Mallory’s “Hollywoodland,” a collection of her posts from the L.A. Daily Mirror, is available from Amazon.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1917, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, World War I | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

L.A. Becomes New York – Again

Posted on September 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

New York Taxi Movie Prop

How much from downtown L.A. to JFK? Yes, they were filming around “New York Street” on Thursday and providing color with fake New York taxis.

Posted in Downtown, Film, New York, Spring Street | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Becomes New York – Again

Scr*w You, Steve Needleman

Posted on September 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

If Steve Needleman, owner of the Orpheum Theatre, wanted  “a  two-story, 10,400-square-foot Cape Cod Revival house” he could have purchased an entire block of 1950s Valley tract homes and leveled them. No one would have cared. But tearing down Ira Gershwin’s house?

I’m officially boycotting the Orpheum. Nuts to you. Jerk.

Posted in Broadway, Downtown, Preservation, San Fernando Valley, Theaters | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Why Can’t Anybody Get L.A. History Right?

Posted on September 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

image

image

The Times magazine magically transports San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel  to Los Angeles!

Ignorance about Los Angeles history is, alas, all around us. But imagine my dismay to discover this gaffe by The Times magazine –a separate publication by the ad folks that had no input from the The Times editorial staff.

This little gem from 2009 (humorously referred to as “edited” by Cary Georges with Avram Kosasky with what is amusingly described as “additional research” by A. Moret and Michelle Miranda”) notes that the Fatty Arbuckle case occurred in 1921.

Which it did. But in San Francisco. Nice going, guys. I’m not even going to look for more mistakes. Life is too short.

Of course, former LAPD Detective Steve Hodel makes the same mistake in “Black Dahlia Avenger”  (Page 3), which tells you something about the caliber of his research.

Posted in 1921, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, LAPD, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Married Couple Held in Blackmail of Single Woman for $27,000

Posted on September 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 27, 1963, Comics

Sept. 27, 1963, Mad Elephant

Sept. 27, 1963: I always thought blackmail was something that only occurred in old Perry Mason episodes, but here’s an actual case and it’s quite strange. It involves a married man blackmailing a single woman.

No really!

According to a news account in The Times, attorney Joseph Heneghan of Mineola, N.Y., had an affair with Margaret Mirabella, 31, and recorded some of their “intimate conversations.” When Mirabella’s husband died in a car accident, Heneghan asked her to marry him, but she refused.

Sept. 27, 1963, PT 109

About a year later, Heneghan’s wife “heard the tapes” and demanded that Mirabella turn over $27,000 or she would “destroy” her. Mirabella paid the money, according to the news report, but had second thoughts and contacted the district attorney’s office.

The Owosso Argus-Press has a somewhat different version of the story about the rampaging elephant. There’s nothing about picking up a car and throwing it to the ground.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Animals, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Married Couple Held in Blackmail of Single Woman for $27,000

D.W. Griffith Before Hollywood

Posted on September 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

"Willful Peggy"
Note: Gary Martin, one of the Daily Mirror regulars, attended a special showing at the Neversink Valley Museum of History and Innovation of early D.W. Griffith films in 1909-10 shot at Cuddeback, N.Y., and files a guest post for all our silent film enthusiasts. Thanks, Gary! And here’s a link to his blog, Art ongoing.

As the crow flies Port Jervis, N.Y., is 75 miles northwest of New York City, at the very end of the commuter rail line and on the far edge of exurbia. Ten miles north of Port one passes through Cuddebackville, N.Y., It is decidedly …in the country. For the most part it is a collection of derelict buildings although here and there one can find a convenience store, an auto repair shop, an old church, a new modern school, and a country auction gallery. Less a very few exceptions there are no houses and it is rather odd to see signs posted for a village where there are so few indications of human habitation.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1909, 1910, Film | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Conservatives Sexually Frustrated, UCLA Daily Bruin Says

Posted on September 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 26, 1943, Comics
Sept. 26, 1943, Streetcar Strike Ends

Sept. 26, 1943: The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen ends its strike against the Pacific Electric, with workers returning to their jobs at 2 a.m. Their first task is to untangle a “freight jam which had threatened to undermine the entire local freight shipping industry,” The Times says.

The Daily Bruin publishes an article titled: “Sex Like Drink of Water,” which states: “Conservatives are sexually frustrated. This is why they turn all their efforts toward business and thus oppress the mass of the people. If they would recognize the importance of sex they would become kind and decent since they would realize how much they have in common with the masses.”

Madame Etienne’s School of the Dance is offering jitterbug classes.

In the Theaters: “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”

UCLA Dean Gordon S. Watkins defends a writers congress scheduled for October against charges by state Sen. Jack B. Tenney (R-Los Angeles), that it is riddled with communists!

Watkins says: “It is appropriate to point out that freedom of inquiry and discussion is a cherished tradition at American universities.”

Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Education, Film, Hollywood, Labor, Obituaries, Richard Nixon, Streetcars, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hollis Mulwray House – Update

Posted on September 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Hollis Mulwray House, Update

Here’s an update on renovations at the Hollis Mulwray house from “Chinatown.” The last time I posted a photo it looked like this.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1974, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Preservation | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Woman in Stolen Car Shoots Gun at LAPD Officers

Posted on September 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 25, 1933, Comics

Sept. 25, 1933, Libraries

Sept. 25, 1933: How did the Los Angeles Public Library fare in the Great Depression? Here are some answers.

The library was forced to make painful cutbacks due to a 24% drop in tax revenue, including shorter hours, layoffs, reductions in spending and “closing 14 of the smallest book stations.”

Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, LAPD, Pasadena, Suicide, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles – Ferguson Alley

Posted on September 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 11, 1935, Rediscovering Los Angeles

Nov. 11, 1935: For their second installment of “Rediscovering Los Angeles,” Times artist Charles Owens and Times columnist Timothy Turner visit Ferguson Alley, which as Turner notes was going to be demolished for Union Station. Turner writes:

Ferguson Alley, which ducks into Chinatown from the Plaza, is still a piece of authentic old western color. It is narrow and dark and the wooden awnings make it darker for they cannot be raised. It was a busy place in the 1860s and ’70s, a hangout for cowboys, miners, gamblers and sailors from San Pedro, who came up by stage.

Unlike the later “Nuestro Pueblo” series, which was published in book form, “Rediscovering Los Angeles” was never republished and languished unknown – at least by me – until I stumbled across it while research the wonderful work of Charles Owens. It’s worth noting that even in 1935, Los Angeles was being “rediscovered.”

Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Art & Artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo, Preservation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 23, 2013, Myswtery Photo

And for Monday, we have a mystery gent.

Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 51 Comments

Barbara Graham Gets Death Sentence

Posted on September 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 23, 1953, Barbara Graham Convicted

Sept. 23, 1953, Barbara Graham Convicted

Sept. 23, 1953: Barbara Graham, John A. Santo and Emmett Perkins are convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Mabel Monahan. The jury returned the verdict without a recommendation of life in prison.

“Mrs. Graham didn’t bat an eye,” The Times said. She leaned over to say something to her attorney, Jack Hardy. Then she straightened up to listen as the clerk read identical verdicts for Perkins and Santo.”

Graham told Hardy: “As long as they found me guilty of something I didn’t do, I’d rather take the gas chamber than life imprisonment.”

Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Hollywood Tunesmith

Posted on September 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Carrie Jacobs-Bond

Long before Harold Arlen wrote “Lose That Long Face” for “A Star Is Born” starring Judy Garland, songwriter Carrie Jacobs-Bond practiced those words. Mostly forgotten today, Jacobs-Bond was one of the most successful composers of the 20th century. She endured tragedies and struggled for many years before finally finding huge success and happiness in her Hollywood home. Jacobs-Bond tried to live faithfully and gratefully long before there was Dale Carnegie or televangelists preaching the power of positive thinking.

From an early age, Jacobs-Bond exhibited a love and talent for music. At the age of 4, she could play the piano and could play by ear at the age of 7. Jacobs-Bond began piano lessons at 10.

Mary Mallory’s “Hollywoodland” is available for the Kindle at Amazon.com

Continue reading →

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

Shriners Gather in L.A.

Posted on September 21, 2013 by lmharnisch
1907_shrine_convention 1907 Shrine Convention

May 5, 1907, Ostrich Shriner The 1907 Shriners convention in Los Angeles created a boom market in all sorts of memorabilia: plates, cups and other glassware, plus pins, postcards and lots of trinkets, which were sold and traded, all of which show up regularly on EBay.

(At right, one of my favorite images from the Shriners convention: A resident of the Cawston Ostrich Farm in South Pasadena in Al Malaikah regalia.)

I have never seen one of these, however. It’s a match safe distributed by the  Saladin Temple of Grand Rapids, Mich. It’s listed at Buy It Now for $75. As with anything on EBay, an item and vendor should be evaluated thoroughly before submitting a bid.

The Shriners convention ended in tragedy with a train derailment that killed at least 30 people.

Posted in 1907, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Shriners Gather in L.A.

One Magazine From 1957 and 1958

Posted on September 20, 2013 by lmharnisch
One Magazine, 1957 One Magazine, 1958

one_magazine_1958_is_your_child_gay What the vendor says are complete runs of the 1957 and 1958 issues of One magazine have been listed on EBay at $69.99 each. Individual issues often sell for $10-$20 or more, so this is actually a deal – if you don’t mind the library bindings.

One magazine was launched in Los Angeles in 1953 and declared obscene by the U.S. Postal Service. resulting in a landmark 1st Amendment ruling.

The 1957 edition | The 1958 edition

Posted in 1957, 1958, Books and Authors, Found on EBay, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

March 4, 1907: L.A. Streetcars — Another Look

Posted on September 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

image

March 4, 1907: Los Angeles’ sainted streetcar system has a bad day.

6th and Beacon, San Pedro

Beacon and 6th streets, minus the streetcars, via Google Street View.

One of the most deeply held and ardently expressed beliefs about Los Angeles’ past is the shadowy conspiracy that did away with its magnificent streetcar system.

The truth is that the streetcar system was problematic — like this 1907 accident in which Inter-Urban car No. 603 sped out of control down a hill on Beacon Street in San Pedro, jumped the tracks at the 6th Street curve and crashed into a line of utility poles that prevented it from overturning.

Ten passengers were hurt — none seriously, The Times says — but motorman R.C. Gill had to have his right foot amputated after he jumped from the speeding car and fell, with the car running over his foot.

Posted in 1907, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Navy Doctors Defuse ‘Human Bomb’

Posted on September 19, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 19, 1943, Comics

Sept. 19, 1943, Human Bomb

Sept. 19, 1943: In a story delayed for wartime, the Associated Press reports that Allen L. Gordon, 23, of Rock Island, Ill., fire control operator third class, was struck Dec. 2 with a 20-millimeter antiaircraft shell that lodged in his hip. Gordon’s wound was closed aboard ship and he was taken to a Marine base in New Caledonia for treatment.

Oct. 7, 1943, Human Bomb

Three doctors from West Penn Hospital, Lt. Cmdr H.W. Jacox, Lt. Cmdr. Jesse B. Griffith and Lt. William Wycoff, operated on Gordon after spending several days locating the shell by X-rays. They originally tried working behind a steel plate, but later discarded the plate and completed the operation, according to Griffith’s July 12, 1954, obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.   The operation was performed in less than two minutes, according to an account in the Pittsburgh Press.

Gordon survived the operation and was brought to the U.S. for recovery. He was given the defused shell as a souvenir, the Pittsburg Press reported.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Hollywood, Labor, Medicine, Music, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Great White Fleet Visits San Pedro, 1908

Posted on September 18, 2013 by lmharnisch

Great White Fleet

This postcard of the Great White Fleet entering San Pedro Harbor during its around the world cruise in 1908 has been listed on EBay. I wrote quite a bit about the Great White Fleet’s visit to Los Angeles when the blog was at The Times.

Bidding on this postcard starts at $19.99.

Posted in 1908, Found on EBay, Harbor, Photography | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Great White Fleet Visits San Pedro, 1908