Wikipedia Watch: Yuri Gadyukin Hoax

Posted on April 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

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An elaborate Wikipedia hoax involves a purported Soviet film director — who never existed. Among his alleged works is “Where the Tractors Roam.”

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Posted in Film, History, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Wikipedia Watch: Novelist Amanda Filipacchi Feels the Sting of ‘Citizen Scholars’

Posted on April 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

no_wikipedia

A world without Wikipedia? Not such a bad idea.

Novelist Amanda Filipacchi, writing in the New York Times, notes that the “citizen scholars” at Wikipedia have been moving women from the category of “American Novelists” to “American Women Novelists.”

She said Wednesday: The intention appears to be to create a list of “American Novelists” on Wikipedia that is made up almost entirely of men.

And since that initial criticism, she writes Sunday, her Wikipedia page has — surprise — been subjected to vandalism.

As soon as the Op-Ed article appeared, unhappy Wikipedia editors pounced on my Wikipedia page and started making alterations to it, erasing as much as they possibly could without (I assume) technically breaking the rules.

They removed the links to outside sources, like interviews of me and reviews of my novels. Not surprisingly, they also removed the link to the Op-Ed article. At the same time, they put up a banner at the top of my page saying the page needed “additional citations for verifications.” Too bad they’d just taken out the useful sources.

In 24 hours, there were 22 changes to my page. Before that, there had been 22 changes in four years. Thursday night, a kind soul went in there and put back the deleted sources. The Wiki editors instantly took them out again.

Check out the history of her Wikipedia page here.

And if you want to burn a lot of time, read the talk on her Wikipedia page.

Here’s a sample: “Wikipedia is not at war with women writers, though it may appear that we’re a bunch of idiots (and that is hard to deny).”

The L.A. Daily Mirror is continuing its own critique of Wikipedia and its eight dueling entries on Wallace Beery’s purported role in the death of Ted Healy.

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Posted in Books and Authors, History | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Parkey Sharkey — Found on EBay

Posted on April 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

Parkey Sharkey

Our old friend Parkey Sharkey appears in a photo that has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $19.99.

 

Posted in Books and Authors, Found on EBay, Radio | Tagged , | Comments Off on Parkey Sharkey — Found on EBay

Black Dahlia: Soil Test Results From Dr. George ‘Evil Genius’ Hodel’s Purported Murder HQ

Posted on April 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

And in case anyone thinks that we have forgotten: No, nothing has been announced about the purported tests performed on soil from Dr. George “Evil Genius” Hodel’s purported murder HQ. I think it’s safe to say there are no results or if there are, they do nothing to bolster the contention that Elizabeth Short was killed there.

Apparently it was all just a publicity stunt.

PREVIOUSLY

Hodel Murder HQ Test Results? Day 5
Waiting for Test Results on Dr. George ‘Evil Genius’ Hodel’s Murder HQ, Week 2
George Hodel Murder HQ Soil Tests Overdue – Week 3

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

‘Bad Charleston Charlie’

Posted on April 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Bad Charleston Charlie

Several years ago, in a previous incarnation of the blog, I wrote about the film “Bad Charleston Charlie.” Someone emailed me in hopes of getting a VHS copy. They are rare, but one has finally surfaced on EBay. It’s included in a lot of eight movies and the bids stand at $100. That’s quite a bit for one movie, especially when the film in question is “Bad Charleston Charlie,” but there you go.

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Bad Charleston Charlie’

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth – Part 4

Posted on April 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Wikipedia -- Wallace Beery

In case you just tuned in, I am using the Wikipedia entry on Wallace Beery – alleging that he was involved in the death of Ted Healy – as a way to explore Wikipedia’s fundamental problems with accuracy and delve into Hollywood myths.  This is a slow, paragraph by paragraph analysis and, yes, it’s tedious. I hope the research drudges in the audience will find it interesting.

In Part 1, we found that Wikipedia had eight entries linking Beery to Healy’s death. Two of them were nearly identical and the rest contradicted one another – sometimes drastically. So much for Wikipedia being as accurate and reliable as an encyclopedia.

In Part 2, we began looking at the book that was cited in all the entries that listed a source: E.J. Fleming’s “The Fixers,” a book that failed to get a review from a single reputable news outlet. We also found that a main informant, Col. Barney Oldfield, most likely had no firsthand knowledge of the incident.

In Part 3, we dissected a paragraph of “The Fixers” and found numerous problems.

Today, we will look at a portion of another paragraph in “The Fixers.” (Part of a paragraph? Yes, I said this would be slow and tedious).

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Posted in 1937, Film, History, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth – Part 3

Posted on April 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

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In case you just tuned in, I am using the Wikipedia entry on Wallace Beery – alleging that he was involved in the death of Ted Healy – as a way to explore Wikipedia’s fundamental problems with accuracy and delve into Hollywood myths.

In Part 1, we found that Wikipedia had eight entries linking Beery to Healy’s death. Two of them were nearly identical and the rest contradicted one another. So much for Wikipedia being as accurate and reliable as an encyclopedia.

In Part 2, we began looking at the book that was cited in all the entries that listed a source: E.J. Fleming’s “The Fixers,” a book that failed to get a review from a single reputable news outlet. We also found that a main informant, Col. Barney Oldfield, most likely had no firsthand knowledge of the incident.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth — Part 2

Posted on April 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Wikipedia -- Wallace Beery

In case you just tuned in, I’m using the alleged beating of Ted Healy by Wallace Beery et al to examine Wikipedia’s accuracy. So far, it hasn’t been good. Yesterday, I looked at the eight different accounts in Wikipedia and noted their inconsistencies – make that contradictions. A disaster for an encyclopedia, but to be expected for a fan-based site created by “citizen scholars.”

Today, let’s see if we can backtrack the story to its origins.

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Posted in 1937, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Coming Attractions: ‘Cinerama Holiday’

Posted on April 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

CineramaHoliday

“Cinerama Holiday” is being presented this weekend during TCM’s Classic Film Festival. The film will be shown Sunday at 9 a.m. at the Cinerama Dome.

Here’s Mary Mallory’s post on Philippe de Lacy and ‘Cinerama Holiday’ from last October

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: ‘Cinerama Holiday’

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth – Part 1

Posted on April 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Wikipedia -- Wallace Beery

As longtime readers know, the L.A. Daily Mirror is usually a Wikipedia-free zone. I consider it a sinkhole of myth, mistakes, rumors and folklore that is created and maintained by “citizen scholars,” crackpots, coding tweakers, factoid zealots and folks in tinfoil hats. (There – that should get a rebuttal from the usual suspects).

Yes, it’s good for looking up “When was the War of 1812?” or “What color was the old gray mare?” and if you’re seeking a painfully detailed plot summary of every episode of “The Simpsons” or a lengthy biography of Eric Cartman, this place is for you. Otherwise, no.

However, I stumbled across this little jewel and when I managed to get my jaw off the floor, I thought it might be a good way to explore Wikipedia’s fundamental problems and at the same time delve into Hollywood myth. This is going to be a long, tedious examination of Wikipedia and the historical record on a molecular level.  Stooge fans, I think you’re going to enjoy this.

Previously
Me vs. Wikipedia
Wikipedia Hoax Exposed
A World Without Wikipedia – Not Such a Bad Idea

Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, History, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 26 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

Posted on April 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 22, 2013, Mystery Photo

And for Monday, a mystery gent.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 65 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: David O. Selznick and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek

Posted on April 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

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Madame Chiang in a film clip at the Hollywood Bowl, beginning at the 4:22 mark on a newsreel posted on YouTube.

Seventy years ago, film producer David O. Selznick staged an over-the-top extravaganza April 4, 1943, at the Hollywood Bowl honoring Madame Chiang Kai-Shek and China Relief, the likes of which will probably never be seen again. Featuring high showmanship and a cast of thousands, this stage show celebrated a woman as beautiful and tough as Selznick’s Scarlett O’Hara.

Selznick served as one of Hollywood’s most prominent supporters of China Relief, a cause championed by his friends Henry and Clare Luce. He agreed to organize two prominent Los Angeles events to publicize and raise funds in support, desperately needed after the vicious attacks by Japanese soldiers for more than six years. These events would occur near the end of Madame Chiang’s 1943 tour of the United States.

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Posted in 1943, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth, Coming Next week

Posted on April 19, 2013 by lmharnisch

Wikipedia

A world without Wikipedia – not such a bad idea.

Regular readers of the L.A. Daily Mirror know that I consider Wikipedia a sinkhole of mistakes and folklore that is created and maintained by “citizen scholars,” coding tweakers, crackpots and folks in tinfoil hats.

Beginning on Tuesday, in a multi-part series, I’m going to use one alleged incident as a way to explore Wikipedia’s fundamental problems and delve into the dubious source material on the alleged incident that was taken from a dreadful book about Hollywood.

We will find eight different Wikipedia entries on the same alleged “incident” – none of them are identical and some of them contradict one another – and  we will discover that the book used as “source material” is not only filled with errors but contains malicious lies about people who are conveniently dead and unable to defend themselves. It’s the kind of source material that would be banned from any respectable encyclopedia but fits nicely with Wikipedia’s “citizen scholar” ethos.

Tune in Tuesday morning.

Posted in Books and Authors, History, Libraries | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Real L.A. Noir – Tomorrow at The Times Festival of Books

Posted on April 19, 2013 by lmharnisch

I_got_mad
Among the events scheduled for this weekend’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, you may especially enjoy a panel moderated by Patt Morrison titled “The Real L.A. Noir,” featuring reporters Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton — and me.

The panel is 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday in Los Angeles Times Booth 60. Hope to see you there – and bring your questions!

Photo: A headline from the Mirror about the Charles Starkweather case. You would NEVER see a headline like this in The Times. Ever. I used to have this over my desk and the folks shooting “The Soloist” liked it so much that they plastered it all over the newsroom. 

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

Berserk Negro Kills Two Men on Ranch With Ax

Posted on April 18, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 18, 1943, Ax Killing

April 18, 1943, Ax Killing

April 18, 1943:  Robert Earl Lee, 61, a worker at ranch in the Malibu Hills, surrenders to authorities after killing his employer, Nelson Ross Wolfe, and another ranch hand, Albert Everett Miller, with an ax.

Lee, described by The Times as “a short, frail-looking Negro,” said: “Mr. Wolfe bawled me out for not moving the milk cow out to pasture and about the chicken yard last Friday…. This morning he took me on again and asked me if I thought cows could fly like mosquitoes and get into pastures over fences. So I just grabbed an ax and hit him.”

Lee was sentenced to life in prison in the killings.

Also: A Russian village is being built at Santa Monica Boulevard and Formosa Avenue for “The North Star.” And yes, in later years this movie will be deemed subversive, showing communist influences in Hollywood.

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Posted in 1943, African Americans, Animals, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Random Shot – DTLA

Posted on April 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

million_dollar_pose

The things you see in downtown Los Angeles.

Posted in Architecture, Broadway, Downtown | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Who Was California’s First Woman Judge? A Puzzlement

Posted on April 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 17, 1913, California's First Woman Judge

April 17, 1913: Clara Jess, described as the first woman in California to be appointed as a judge, resigns after a year. She was the recorder of Daly City and functioned like a justice of the peace, according to an A.P. story in The Times.

Jess was sued on allegations of false imprisonment after jailing the town marshal for a day because he refused to serve a warrant on a friend.

“Miss Jess does not believe that women are temperamentally unfitted for the bench but she is disappointed at the lack of support she received from women voters,” the A.P. story says.

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Posted in 1913, Crime and Courts, Immigration | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

What Cheer Saloon

Posted on April 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 11, 1863, Los Angeles Star

April 11, 1863, Los Angeles Star

The entire issue of the Los Angeles Star is available via USC, scanned from a copy at the Huntington.

April 11, 1863: Very slim pickings for local news this week as nearly the entire issue of the Los Angeles Star is devoted to long, tedious, vitriolic rants about the Republican Party, Lincoln and the Civil War.

Posted in 1863, Animals, Civil War, Food and Drink, Main Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Mystery Photo

And here’s a mystery chap for Monday. Note his interesting choice of headwear.

Update: Yes, this is “Riding High,” which is one of the strangest movies I have ever seen. Entire sequences (not just a shot here or there)  were picked up in big chunks from “Broadway Bill” and several of the actors — including Clarence Muse, Douglass Dumbrille and Ward Bond  — were brought back to add new footage. The time warp between 1934 and 1950 is staggering. If anyone knows of another movie where this was done, leave a note.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 58 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mack Sennett and Studio City’s Central Motion Picture District

Posted on April 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

 

Studio City CMPDistrict

Eighty-five years ago, the Mack Sennett Studio opened at 4024 N. Radford in Studio City. The studio functioned as a magnet in hopes of drawing other film production companies and studios to the surrounding land owned by Central Motion Picture District.

The Central Motion Picture District land syndicate was conceived by Harry Merrick, formerly president of the Chicago Assn. of Commerce, now a local real estate man. Merrick helped organize Chicago’s Central Manufacturing District and recognized that the wide-open space near the Los Angeles River in North Hollywood could function in a similar fashion for the movie industry.

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Posted in 1927, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments