Millennial Moment: Locke High Student Hangs Herself

Posted on November 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

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Nov. 29, 2013, Bridget Hicks Nov. 29, 1983: Bridget Marie Hicks was a 17-year-old girl with two children and apparently too many problems.

A worker at the South-Central Multi-Purpose Child Development Center found her hanging from a tree. Police said Bridget, a student at nearby Locke High, tied a jacket to a tree limb and hanged herself.

Bridget’s father told the late George Ramos: “She was not the type of person to take her own life. I can’t believe it.”

And some family speculated that she had might have been killed.

But friends said she was “despondent over personal problems,” Ramos wrote.

The Times never followed up on this story, so we know nothing more about Bridget. She would be 47 now and her children would be about 30 and 31.

Posted in 1983, Education, Hollywood, Millennial Moments, Suicide | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Lyndon Johnson’s 1955 Shopping Spree at Oviatt’s

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

Oviatt Jacket, Lyndon Jonson

I’m always looking for Oviatt items and here’s a jacket that has been listed on EBay, with bids starting at $149.99.

And not just any jacket. This one was tailored for future President Lyndon Johnson.

For the record: As Wayne Selover points out, the EBay listing took the LBJ Oviatt’s label from an online photo gallery. In other words, we were apparently quoting ourselves. Thanks, Wayne. We should read more closely even if it is Thanksgiving morning!

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Posted in Downtown, Fashion, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

An 1890s Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

Everyday Cook-Book

Here’s a traditional roast turkey recipe from the “Every-Day Cook-Book and Family Compendium,” written about 1890 by Miss E. Neill. Be sure your fire is bright and clear and watch out for the gall-bag.
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Posted in 1890, Food and Drink, From the Stacks | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on An 1890s Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

L.A. Celebrates a Wartime Thanksgiving, 1943

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nv. 26, 1943, Thanksgiving
A wartime Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, with many service personnel welcomed into people’s homes for a holiday meal.

The Times published cooking tips for war workers, advising cooks who were otherwise engaged “for the duration” to use prepared mixes, packaged pie crust and canned pumpkin to cut preparation time.

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Posted in 1943, Food and Drink, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on L.A. Celebrates a Wartime Thanksgiving, 1943

Mitchell Leisen — ‘Lioness’ Tamer

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 28, 1943, Comics

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Nov. 28, 1943:  Rumors of what will be known as the Tehran Conference (Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 1943) of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin.

Opening soon: “In Old Oklahoma,” starring John Wayne, Martha Scott and Albert Dekker, at the Paramount, Hollywood and downtown.

Marine Maj. Henry Pearson “Jim” Crowe of Boston and Los Angeles uses a double-barreled shotgun during fighting on Tarawa.

Film director Mitchell Leisen “has a special way with the ladies,” Hedda Hopper writes.

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Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files — ‘Little Cowboy’

Posted on November 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

DR-77-596-048_little_cowboy_drawing

Police sketches of “Little Cowboy” by LAPD artist F.G. Ponce.

I call her “Little Cowboy” because her shirt said “I’m a Little Cowboy.”  She was Jane Doe No. 62, coroner’s No. 77-8735, DR 77 596-048

In case you just tuned in, I was given a box of material that was cleaned out of the old press room at the LAPD’s Parker Center headquarters, sometimes called “the cop shop.” The box was a jumble of press releases, photographs, artists’ sketches and other items dating from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. I am organizing and cataloging the material and I’ll be posting selected items on a weekly basis.

July 21, 1977: About 8 p.m., the body of  “Little Cowboy,” a girl 3 to 5 years old, was found near Sunset and Glendale Boulevards. She was described as Latin, “brown hair, brown eyes, 37 inches long, 28 pounds.” Her upper front teeth were chipped. She had pierced ears and shoulder-length brown hair tied with an elastic band.

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Posted in 1977, Cold Cases, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles – The U.S. Hotel

Posted on November 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 13, 1936, Rediscovering Los Angeles

Jan. 13, 1936: One look and I knew this gem was gone. In fact, even the cross street has been obliterated. The U.S. Hotel was at Main and Market, across from City Hall.

Times columnist Timothy Turner writes:

“Rapid change and disregard of traditions is considered the rule in Los Angeles. Yet we have the U.S. Hotel, which was built in the 1860s by Louis Mesmer, remodeled in the 1880s and is still owned and operated by his son, Joseph Mesmer, in the 1930s.

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Posted in 1936, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Main Street, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + +)

Posted on November 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 25, 2013, Mystery Photo

And for Monday, a mystery fellow.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywoodland Sign Premieres November 1923

Posted on November 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 6, 1924, Hollywoodland Sign
Jan. 6, 1924: The Times publishes a photo of an Oakland car that was driven up to the Hollywood sign.


In the early 1920s, developers began opening virgin tracts of land for construction all around Los Angeles. To help sell these new developments, real estate agents coined fancy names like Bryn Mawr, Outpost Estates and Whitley Heights, while also constructing large signs spelling out their names with individual letters in white and red.

The Beachwood Canyon development named Hollywoodland opened March 31, 1923, under the auspices of real estate developers Tracy Shoults and S. H. Woodruff, on behalf of landowners E. H. Clark and Moses Sherman, and partner Harry Chandler. They considered the best way to advertise their new planned community, as well as outshine the myriad other developments around the city.

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

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Posted in 1923, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined: William Parker vs. Bugsy Siegel

Posted on November 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 24, 2013, 'Mob City'

By Yvonne Villarreal in The Times.

Let’s get this straight:

There was never a “long and often bloody struggle between LAPD Police Chief William Parker and gangster kingpin Ben ‘Bugsy’ Siegel” for the simple reason that Siegel was shot to death in June 1947 and Parker didn’t become police chief until August 1950. In other words, Parker became chief three years after Siegel’s death.

Why can’t anybody get L.A. history right?

ps. You know that Siegel was killed in Beverly Hills, not the city of Los Angeles, right? Good.

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, History, LAPD, Mickey Cohen, Television | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

A Little Something to Think About on a Sunday Morning

Posted on November 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

I suppose the venomous Cathy Seipp (d. 2007) is pretty much forgotten now. I hadn’t thought about her in a long time until the death of Wanda Coleman and remembered that Seipp took regular potshots at Coleman when she wrote as Margo McGee in Buzz magazine (d. 1998). Which makes me ask: Which legacy would you prefer: Seipp’s or Coleman’s?

Posted in Books and Authors, Obituaries | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Slaughter of the Innocent

Posted on November 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 23, 1907, Baby Killed With Ax

Note: This is a post I originally wrote for the 1947project in 2006.

Nov. 23, 1907 South Pasadena

Warning: This is a grotesque, tragic story with graphic details.

Pasadena Detective Wallace H. Copping is investigating the murder of a young baby boy, whose half-eaten body was found in a pigpen on the Berry ranch in South Pasadena.

Authorities say the boy, weighing about 14 pounds and less than 10 days old (yes, quite a large baby by today’s standards), was discovered by Mrs. J.H. Anderson, whose husband leases the ranch. Apparently Mr. Anderson picked up the baby’s body as he made the rounds of about 20 homes gathering garbage to feed his pigs.

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Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Pasadena | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Lincoln’s Assassination Remembered, April 14, 1915

Posted on November 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 14, 1915, Lincoln Anniversary

April 14, 1915, Lincoln Anniversary

Eve Golden poses an interesting question: How did America observe the 50th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination?

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Posted in 1915, Civil War, Politics, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on November 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 22, 2013, Mystery Photo

And for Friday, a mystery chap, courtesy of Christopher McPherson.

Thursday’s mystery guest, Alice Joyce, was identified by Laura, Mary Mallory, Eve Golden, Joan Myers, Bob Hansen, Kent, Mike Hawks and Maedez. Congrats!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Nov. 22, 1963: Remembering JFK, That Day in Dallas and Baby Boomer Nostalgia

Posted on November 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 22, 1963, JFK Assassinated

Nov. 22, 1963: The Times publishes an extra.

I recently attended graduation exercises for a local college and the commencement speaker spent quite a while talking about how the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy was a watershed moment in her life.

As she was speaking, I studied the faces in the audience — the family and friends of people in their early 20s who were graduating from college —  and wondered: “What on Earth do these kids make of this? Does it resonate at all?” Actually, no. Not in the least. And why should it?

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Posted in 1963, History | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Movie Posters From Ghana at the Ernie Wolfe Gallery

Posted on November 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

Ernie Wolfe Gallery

“Return of the Living Dead 3” as interpreted by an artist in Ghana.

The Ernie Wolfe Gallery at 1653 Sawtelle Blvd., in West Los Angeles is presenting a show titled “The Horror, The Horror,” curated by Brandon Boyd featuring hand-painted movie posters from Ghana. The artists’ interpretations of Hollywood films are quite amazing. The show continues through Dec. 8.

Here’s a sample: Michael Jackson in “Thriller.” | “Critters 2.” | “Return of the Living Dead.”

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Movie Posters From Ghana at the Ernie Wolfe Gallery

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on November 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 21, 2013, Mystery Photo

And here’s Thursday’s mystery guest, courtesy of Christopher McPherson. Please congratulate Mary Mallory and Mike Hawks for identifying yesterday’s mystery chap.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Manhattan Mystery: ‘Makers of Melody’

Posted on November 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

'Makers of Melody"
Ruth Tester and the mysterious Allan Gould sing “Manhattan” in “Makers of Melody.”

 Makers of Melody
The mysterious Allan Gould with Inez Courtney in “The Girl Friend.”

We have the illustrious Eve Golden to thank for this mystery. The other day, Eve forwarded me a link to the YouTube clip “Makers of Melody,”   a 1929 short subject featuring Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart talking about how they wrote their Broadway tunes.

Stephen Holden of the New York Times described the film in 1991:

Like many of the other shows in the series, which is beginning its 21st year, the program offered some fascinating bits of esoterica. Somehow, Mr. Levine had dug up a bizarre 1929 two-reel film, “Makers of Melody,” in which Rodgers and Hart appeared as themselves horsing around like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and gleaning ideas for songs from their absurd, scripted banter.

That’s a pretty harsh and unfair assessment. Granted, “Makers of Melody” may seem a bit stiff compared to the exploding hardware of the recent 3-D opus “Gravity,” but taken in the context of early talkies, it does provide an interesting view of performance practices as they were in 1929.

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Posted in 1929, Film, Hollywood, Music, Stage | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on November 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

Nov. 20, 2013, Mystery Photo

Here’s another mystery photo courtesy of Christopher McPherson. This is from the Waxman studio, a name I don’t recall encountering before. The annoying black box is where our mystery guest inscribed his photo.

Please congratulate Bob Hansen for identifying Monday’s mystery fellow as Alexander Gray; and Patrick, Mary Mallory and Cat Murray for identifying Tuesday’s mystery guest as Alberta Vaughn.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

LAPD: Parker Center Cop Shop Files

Posted on November 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

March 28, 1977, William Harber, Constance Thorn

June 23, 1976: William C. Harber and Constance Thorn are found beaten to death in an apartment at 3416 Manning Ave. The case has never been solved.

Several weeks ago, I was given a box of material that was cleaned out of the old press room at the LAPD’s Parker Center headquarters, sometimes called “the cop shop.” The box was a jumble of press releases, photographs, artists’ sketches and other items dating from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. I am organizing and cataloging the material and I’ll be posting selected items on a weekly basis.

March 29, 1977: This is a haunting case and curiously enough, not much was written about it. I only find two articles in The Times.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1976, 1977, Cold Cases, LAPD, Parker Center Cop Shop Files | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments