C.C. Pierce – Found on EBay

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

Angels Flight by C.C. Pierce
A photo of Angels Flight listed on EBay with bids starting at $2.50.

This image Angels Flight is one of several C.C. Pierce photos up for auction on EBay. To me, one of the most interesting things about the Pierce photos is his annotations on the back, and I particularly like what he said on this one, despite the mistakes.

Some of the Pierce photos on EBay: Central Park (Pershing Square) | Ralphs Grocers 6th and Spring

This image of Angels Flight is also online at part of USC’s digital collection of Pierce photos.

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Posted in Downtown, Found on EBay, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery photo (Updated +++)

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 7, 2013, Mystery Photo

Here’s a mystery chap for Monday.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 36 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: There Is a Lake in Toluca Lake

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

J. Blair Toluca Lake
Photo: Janet Blair sits on the little platform off the banks of the Lakeside Golf Club. Courtesy of Mary Mallory

Surrounded by homes and the Lakeside Golf Club, Toluca Lake is all but obscured from view by the public. Like the movie stars that soon flocked to it, the attractive little lake helped sell the community that grew up around it.

This area of the San Fernando Valley originally fell under the auspices of the San Fernando Mission before being broken into segments and sold off in chunks to Southern California businessmen like Isaac Van Nuys and J. B.Lankershim, among others.  Gen. Charles Forman bought up ranchland just north of the Cahuenga Pass, growing Bartlett pears, walnuts, citrus and other fruit. He suggested the name Toluca for the post office erected in 1893 across from the Chandler railroad depot in North Hollywood, also known as Lankershim.

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

Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Posted on January 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

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Jan. 4, 1942, Corregidor

Jan. 4, 1942: A rather drunk William Kollomick, who gave his address as “Pearl Harbor,” is in jail after getting into a brawl with four unidentified Mexican youths outside a cafe at 1st and Broadway.

The youths walked out of the cafe when Kollomick began abusing them, but he followed them and continued berating them, The Times said. “The argument resulted in a free-for-all” in which Kollomick sustained a split lip and bruises.

Rychei Tanaka, 55, Sakiko Takemoto, 22, and Chika Takemoto, 48, are in jail on charges of violating the presidential ban against Japanese owning weapons and radios.

Philip K. Scheuer looks at movies that that have been superseded by historic events: MGM has retitled “I’ll Take Manila!” as “Ship Ahoy!”  and Fox’s “Song of the Islands” is being held for release.

In the theaters: “How Green Was My Valley,” “They Died With Their Boots On,” “Ball of Fire,” “40,000 Horsemen” and “Louisiana Purchase.”

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Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Wikipedia Hoax Exposed

Posted on January 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

No_wikipedia

File:ManWearingTinFoilHat.jpgAs longtime readers know, I am not a fan of Wikipedia, which I consider a sinkhole of rumors and errors run by coding tweakers, factoid zealots and folks with tinfoil hats. This week, in fact, a Daily Mirror reader questioned the origin of a 1922 Kodachrome film clip, citing Wikipedia’s entry on the film process, even though the clip was clearly labeled “Kodachrome” and was posted on Kodak’s YouTube stream.

So the latest news of an elaborate hoax comes as no surprise. Read more on the purported Bicholim Conflict, a fictitious entry which has spread all over the Internet.

I will say again: I don’t know of any serious researcher who considers Wikipedia anything other a joke.

Posted in History | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Witzel Photographs Charlie Chaplin – Found on EBay

Posted on January 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

Witzel, Charlie Chaplin

This postcard featuring a Witzel portrait of Charlie Chaplin has been listed on EBay with bids starting at GBP  4.99.

Posted in Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Photography, Witzel | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

China Bans Traditional Clothing for Western Fashions

Posted on January 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 3, 1913, Chinese Dress Code

Jan. 3, 1913: The Chinese government issues an edict against traditional clothing in favor of Western fashions.

Women were called upon “to abandon their trousers for the occidental skirt and men to give up their comfortable loose clothes for the [illegible] business and conventional evening clothes of the Caucasian.”

Also note: “Chinese girls at American colleges have been noted for their correct appearance in American clothes, but occasionally were seen in their native garments.”

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Posted in 1913, Crime and Courts, Education, Fashion, Film, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on China Bans Traditional Clothing for Western Fashions

Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln’s Outrage!

Posted on January 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

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Read all of the Jan. 3, 1863, Los Angeles Star at USC’s digital library.

Jan. 3, 1863: Of all that you may know about the Emancipation Proclamation, I doubt you have read anything negative (unless you’re a historian), so the coverage in the Los Angeles Star will come as quite a shock. Remember that the Star was a staunchly pro-Southern publication.
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“By the stroke of his pen, Mr. Lincoln frees every slave in rebeldom — robs every master of his servant, every household of its property. Was ever such an outrage perpetrated in the name of law, or such foul perjury committed, as by this man, sworn to maintain the Constitution and govern by the laws.”

Los Angeles schools had problems 150 years ago: The city was suffering an outbreak of smallpox, and students had to show proof of vaccination before being admitted when the new school year started.

P. (Prudent) Beaudry (d. 1893) has opened a store in his house at 15 and 16 Aliso St. Born in Canada in 1819, Beaudry came to Los Angeles in  1852. He served on the City Council from 1873 to 1875 and was mayor for two terms, The Times obituary says.

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Posted in 1863, Education, Los Angeles Star, Medicine, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – The Florentine Gardens

Posted on January 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 16, 1944, Florentine Gardens

Sept. 16, 1944, Florentine Gardens

A Sept. 16, 1944, photo from the Florentine Gardens – with souvenir lipstick prints – has been listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $25. The lot includes souvenir photos from Ace Cain’s, 1369 N. Western Ave., and the Pirate’s Den, 335 N. La Brea.

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Photography | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – The Florentine Gardens

Coming Attractions: January – February 2013

Posted on January 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

black_mask_1936
The March 1936 issue of Black Mask magazine includes Raymond Chandler’s “The Man Who Liked Dogs.”

Jan. 19: “The Tall T,” part of the Autry museum’s What Is a Western? film series.  $11/$7/$5 1:30 p.m.

Jan. 23: The Simple Art of Murder. Judith Freeman discusses Raymond Chandler. Free. Huntington Library, 7:30 p.m.

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Posted in Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, Film, Libraries, Stage | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: January – February 2013

Eve Golden / Queen of the Dead: Mae Murray

Posted on January 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

Bee Stung Lips
I hope you don’t mind if I use my column to plug a friend’s book, Michael Ankerich’s new Mae Murray biography, The Girl With the Bee Stung Lips (OK, so he did dedicate it to me. But you needn’t dedicate a book to me to get me to plug it, I also accept flat-out bribes).

Michael is both an excellent writer and an excellent researcher, a combination which is essential for a good biographer, but which is so often lacking on one side or the other. And the book is not biased, neither a “perfect, wonderful Mae!” fan-mag piece nor a “bad Mae!” hatchet job. He obviously admires and likes Mae Murray, but he does not cut her any breaks: her bad performances and bad behavior get fully covered. He also—I am torn between admiration and jealousy!—interviewed her nephew and son, neither of whom has ever talked to the press before.

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Posted in Books and Authors, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Downtown Los Angeles – Broadway and 2nd

Posted on December 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

Broadway and 2nd, EBay

Broadway and 2nd

Broadway and 2nd Street via Google’s Street View.

This picture showing the YMCA and the California Bank at the southwest corner of Broadway and 2nd Street has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $69.95.

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated +++)

Posted on December 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

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Here are some mystery folks in a mystery movie.

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Posted in African Americans, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Mystery Photo, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , | 38 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Pickford Headlines 1933 Rose Parade

Posted on December 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

Mary Pickford
Photo: Mary Pickford in the 1933 Rose Parade. Credit: Courtesy of Mary Mallory

Tomorrow sees the 124th annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena,  welcoming the new year with magnificent garlands of fresh flowers. It also acts as the 80th anniversary of Mary Pickford serving as the first female grand marshal of the parade.

Begun by the Valley Hunt Club in 1890, the Rose Parade saluted the area’s wonderful weather and flowering paradise.Soon, the Tournament of Roses Assn. took over what they now call “America’s New Year Celebration, greeting the world on the first day of the year… .”

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Posted in 1933, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Pasadena | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Downtown Los Angeles – 427 S. Broadway

Posted on December 30, 2012 by lmharnisch

Pin Ton Candy

This postcard of the Pin-Ton candy store, 427 S. Broadway, has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $29.97.

March 4, 1909, Pin Ton

March 4, 1909: How about an ice cream and a stop at the occult bookshop?

The Pin-Ton appears to have opened about 1909, judging by ads in The Times, and continued until about 1918.  By 1919, it was Remick Song and Gift Shop. A search in the assessor’s records shows nothing for 427 S. Broadway, but lists a building at 425 S. Broadway with a construction date of 1932/36.

Aug. 12, 1942, Thrifty

Aug. 12, 1942: The site of the Pin Ton became a Thrifty drugstore and introduced a new concept – self-service. Thrifty extensively remodeled the building in 1954, The Times says.
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And here is the building, stripped of most architectural details, as shown by Google Street View. And yes, it’s labeled 425 S. Broadway.

And this is what the block once looked like:

Dec. 17, 1933, 425 S. Broadway

Posted in 1909, Architecture, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Schaber’s Cafeteria and Einar Petersen

Posted on December 28, 2012 by lmharnisch

schaber_cafeteria

This remarkable postcard postmarked 1941 of Schaber’s Cafeteria at 620 S. Broadway, showing an Einar Petersen mural,  has been listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $6.99.

The Schaber Cafeteria at 620 S. Broadway was built in 1928 by the Schaber Cafeteria Co. (Alfred T. Schaber, president) on the site of Platt Music Co. with an adjoining See’s Candy at 622 S. Broadway and a Bellin’s Tie Shop at 618 S. Broadway. The cafeteria could serve 10,000 people a day, The Times said.


Hollywood Heights: Mary Mallory on Einar Petersen

620 S. Broadway
620 S. Broadway as shown by Google Street View.

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Posted in 1928, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Found on EBay – The Florentine Gardens

Posted on December 27, 2012 by lmharnisch

florentine_gardens_1943_0918_crop

A photo of a group of happy people at the Florentine Gardens on Sept. 18, 1943, has been listed on EBay. It’s listed as Buy It Now for $8.99. The Florentine Gardens has a connection to the Black Dahlia case because Elizabeth Short stayed at the nearby home of the business manager, Mark Hansen. As you can tell from the picture, the Florentine Gardens was a huge club that seated 1,000.

Posted in 1943, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Nightclubs, World War II | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Union Forces Massacred at Fredericksburg, December 1862

Posted on December 27, 2012 by lmharnisch

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I recently had lunch with Paul Bryan Gray, the author of a terrific new book “A Clamor for Equality,” a biography of Francisco P. Ramirez, who edited the Los Angeles Spanish-language weekly El Clamor Publico (1855-1859).

Gray is the subject of an upcoming column, so I won’t say too much about him, but in the course of researching Los Angeles in that era, I discovered that the Los Angeles Star, a four-page weekly published from  1851 to 1864, had been scanned and put online by USC. I thought it would be an interesting change of pace to delve back into Los Angeles in the 1850s-60s. Putting the Huntington Library’s copies of The Star online offers scholars an opportunity to explore a truly rare publication.

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Posted in 1862, Books and Authors, Civil War | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Christmas in Los Angeles, 1912

Posted on December 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

Dec. 26, 1912, Christmas in Jail

Dec. 26, 1912: The Times makes the rounds of Christmas celebrations among the less fortunate and discovers that the emergency wards are full – but readers are assured that no women or girls are among the victims.

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Posted in 1912, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Religion | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Christmas 1942

Posted on December 25, 2012 by lmharnisch

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Merry Christmas, Storekeeper Third Class Norman Krause, Marine Private  John  Porter and Water Tender Clyde Lund, wherever you are.

Christmas 1942 Christmas 1942

Posted in 1942, World War II | 6 Comments