Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on September 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 15, 2011, Mystery Photo

Aug. 1, 1937, New Faces

Here’s another mystery photo courtesy of Steven Bibb!

Update: This is Linda Perry, one of Warner Bros.’ finds from 1937. 

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Heiress Beaten to Death in Silver Lake

Posted on September 15, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 15, 1941, Comics
Sept. 15, 1941, Author

2153 Moreno Drive
2153 Moreno Drive, via Google’s street view.

Sept. 15, 1941: The murder house is on one of those narrow, curving streets above Silver Lake Reservoir, 2153 Moreno Drive. Her husband came home from work and found her beaten to death in a closet. Her name was Florence A. Stricker, 42. The newspapers called her an heiress and said she was worth a fortune, although estimates ranged from $250,000 to $1 million. The whole house was ransacked and several diamond rings and a diamond Masonic pin were missing.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Cold Cases, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, World War II | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Found on EBay – J.D. Salinger Note

Posted on September 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

J.D. Salinger

This note attributed to J.D. Salinger has been listed on EBay. As with anything on EBay, an item and vendor should be thoroughly evaluated before submitting a bid. The note is listed as Buy It Now for $50,000.

Posted in Books and Authors, Found on EBay | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Hasbro Cooking … Without a Light Bulb

Posted on September 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Hasbro Oven

Photo: Hasbro Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven. Credit: Hasbro.

Many people have wondered what would become of Hasbro’s Easy-Bake oven with the demise of the incandescent light bulb. The answer is a complete redesign with a heating element. Associated Press via Washington Post.

Archimedes Palimpsest

Photo: A sample of the manuscript. Credit: Walters Art Museum.

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore is preparing an exhibit titled “Lost & Found: The Secrets of Archimedes,” which will be on display from Oct. 16 to Jan. 1.

The Archimedes Palimpsest is a medieval manuscript that was copied in the 10th century and reused as a prayer book in the 13th century by scraping the pages and and rotating them 90 degrees. In 1998, the manuscript was sold at Christie’s for $2 million and since then a team of scientists has been working to recover Archimedes’ original writings.

It was in horrible condition, having suffered a thousand years of weather, travel and abuse,” said Archimedes Project Director and Walters Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books Will Noel. “Detailed detective work and the serendipitous discovery of important documents and photographs allowed us to reconstruct what happened to the Palimpsest in the 20th century, when it was subject to appalling treatment and overpainted with forgeries. A team of devoted scholars using the latest imaging technology was able to reveal and decipher the original text.”

Walters Art Museum press release | Archimedes Palimpsest website

The L.A. Daily Mirror and L.A. Crime Beat curated from Twitter feeds by the bots at paper.li.

Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Museums, Music, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cruising Bunker Hill, 1940s

Posted on September 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Bunker Hill film

Writing for On Bunker Hill, my crime buddy Nathan Marsak has done a breakdown of shots in a 6-minute film that turned up at archive.org. The footage was apparently filmed as background for an unidentified movie.

Let’s see if we can unravel a bit of the mystery about who shot the film.

Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Film, Transportation | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Found on EBay – B.H. Dyas

Posted on September 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dyas tenns racket
This lightly (if at all) used Wilson tennis racket from B.H. Dyas in Los Angeles has been listed on EBay. Dyas was a sporting goods store in Los Angeles, and items don’t show up terribly often. Bidding on this racket and cover starts at $9.99.

Posted in Downtown, Fashion, Found on EBay | Tagged , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – B.H. Dyas

Coming Attractions: Cheryl Crane

Posted on September 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

cheryl_crane_lana_turner_jerry_giesler_nd_crop

April 5, 1958, Cheryl Crane

Photo: Cheryl Crane and Lana Turner in court. Credit: Los Angeles Examiner collection, USC.

April 5, 1958: Cheryl Crane is held in the death of Johnny Stompanato.

Mary Mallory points out that Cheryl Crane will be discussing her new book, “The Bad Always Die Twice,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Vroman’s in Pasadena.

Posted in 1958, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Last Bookstore Is Selling Vinyl

Posted on September 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Erroll Garner

The last time I was buying lots of vinyl, I was concentrating on classical music and soundtracks, so there isn’t much jazz at the Daily Mirror HQ. On Sunday at the Last Bookstore, I stocked up on Erroll Garner and Art Tatum. OK, I pretty cleaned them out.

One young woman was checking prices on the Internet as she went through the racks, oohing and aahing at the low prices. As we can tell young persons, any disc that’s only couple of dollars and doesn’t look like it’s been used as home plate in a game of street baseball is a bargain.

I would recommend to the store folks that they not display records in the windows – unless they want to see what hot sunlight does to plastic.

Posted in Books and Authors, Downtown, Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Last Bookstore Is Selling Vinyl

Found on EBay – Mullen & Bluett

Posted on September 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

Mullen & Bluett

This 1917 postcard from Mullen & Bluett advertising Straw Hat Day has been listed on EBay. For many years, menswear stores in Los Angeles promoted Straw Hat Day or Straw Hat Week at the beginning of summer. And, of course, they promoted Felt Hat Week in the fall.

Bidding on this postcard starts at $9.95.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1917, Fashion, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated +]

Posted on September 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 12, 2011, Mystery Photo

[Update: This is Nell O’Day (d. 1989).]

Here’s another mystery photo courtesy of Steven Bibb!

There’s another photo on the jump.

Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on September 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

1993 Cadillac hearsePhoto: “One of a kind” customized 1993 Cadillac hearse with satellite dish  for sale on EBay at $6,000 with reserve.

Queen of the Dead – dateline September 12, 2011

•  The restoration of the Habsburgs becomes less likely (OK, it was not really that likely) with the death on September 6 of Archduke Felix of Austria, 95. Known to his pals as “Felix Friedrich August Maria vom Siege Franz Joseph Peter Karl Anton Robert Otto Pius Michael Benedikt Sebastian Ignatius Marcus d’Aviano,” the archduke was the last surviving child of Charles I, and brother of Crown Prince Otto, Austria-Hungary’s last crowned heads. Just a wee archduke of 3 when his family fled their homeland, he went on to fight with the 101st U.S. Infantry Battalion (the “Free Austria Battalion”) in World War II.

Continue reading →

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, History, Queen of the Dead, Television, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Jesus Unsaved? [Updated]

Posted on September 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Jesus Saves

Jesus Saves

Photo credit: Eric Richardson/Blogdowntown.

Jesus Saves, Sept. 8, 1979 Eric Richardson of Blogdowntown reports the removal on Saturday night of the famous JESUS SAVES neon signs from the former United Artists theater. No word as to their destination.

I have queried Nathan Marsak, our favorite L.A. neon expert, because if anyone knows, he will.  At right, the sign as it appeared in 1979.

[Update: Apparently Los Angeles University Cathedral, the church founded by the Rev. Gene Scott (d. 2005), who salvaged the signs from wherever they had been dumped, is moving from downtown to Glendale — and so are the signs. That raises the question of what becomes of the United Artists theater. The church hasn’t allowed photography inside, so I don’t have any current pictures of the interior. ]

Posted in Downtown, Religion | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Los Angeles City Hall, Sept. 11, 2011

Posted on September 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles City Hall, Sept. 11, 2011

Photo: City Hall, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com

Posted in City Hall, Downtown, Photography | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Los Angeles City Hall, Sept. 11, 2011

A Revolution in Research

Posted on September 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Japanese Camp Art

Image: Rohwer Camp #23. Credit: Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Libraries, Native Americans, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A Revolution in Research

Zoot Suit Files: Intelligence Report on Subversives

Posted on September 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

1942_0924_subversives_01_pix51

Sept. 24, 1942: Intelligence officer B.L. Canaga compiles a report on subversives that might be active in the 11th Naval District. His list includes communists, Japanese, Falangists, Sinarchists, Italians, Germans and acts of sabotage:

“Many prominent and wealthy motion picture writers (a great majority of them of the Jewish race) continue their activities in CP [Communist Party] front organizations.”

“General dissatisfaction among residents of relocation centers appears to be on the increase.”

This report is one of the items I found at the National Archives in Riverside. I’m posting it before getting into the material on the Zoot Suit Riots to provide some perspective on the attitudes of the era.

“Zoot Suit” and History, Part 1| Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Libraries, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Zoot Suit Files: Intelligence Report on Subversives

California Raises Speed Limit to 55 mph!

Posted on September 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 10, 1941, Comics

Sept. 10, 1941: California gets ready to raise the speed limit to 55 mph and the Auto Club will be posting new signs. That’s right, the Auto Club posted highway signage.

Jimmie Fidler says: There’s something sadly amiss when an industry that can — and does — spend millions to recruit the world’s best writing brains is still so starved for ideas that it’s forced to remake stories over and over again.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated ++]

Posted on September 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 9, 2011, Mystery Photo

[Update: This is Leon Janney (d. 1980)].

Here’s our mystery fellow, courtesy of Steven Bibb!

Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Database of Slave Names Going Online

Posted on September 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Christ Carrying the Cross Dragged by a Rogue
Image: “Christ Carrying the Cross Dragged by a Rogue.”

The Virginia Historical Society is compiling a database of slaves and owners. The database, which will go online Wednesday, contains the names of 1,400 slaves and 180 owners, according to Eve M. Kahn in the New York Times.

“Christ Carrying the Cross Dragged by a Rogue” by Girolamo Romano, on loan from the Pinacoteca di Brera museum in Milan to the Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science in Tallahassee, Fla., is being kept in the U.S. over allegations that it was looted from a Jewish family by the Nazis during World War II. A gosh, gee-willikers story from the Tallahassee Democrat is here. | AP via Wall Street Journal.

The L.A. Daily Mirror and L.A. Crime Beat patiently collected from Twitter feeds by the patient bots at paper.li.

Posted in Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, Genealogy, History, Libraries, Museums, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Database of Slave Names Going Online

Hitler Dead Soon, Hungarian Astrologer Says

Posted on September 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 9, 1941, Astrology

Sept. 9, 1941, Comics

Sept. 9, 1941: The Times publishes the amazing predictions of Hungarian “astro-philosopher” Louis De Wohl!

He says Adolf Hitler is mentally ill. Check.

He says Hitler doesn’t have long to live. Well, depending on how you define “long.”

And the golden age of peace will begin in 1948! Uh-oh.

How does he do it? “There’s nothing supernatural or uncanny about it. It’s just cold logic,” he says. “Stars can affect our doings only 40% of the time and wills of humans affect the remaining 60%. But you can’t ignore that 40%.”

The Sacramento Solons meet the Hollywood Stars at Gilmore Field in a double-header. [New readers, Gilmore Field (d. 1950) is now the site of CBS Television City.]

Jimmie Fidler says: That’s an on-the-level tiff between Betty Grable and Carole Landis, with studio workers rooting for the latter.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Baseball, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

John Wilkes Booth Site for Sale – Civil War Reenactors Not Included

Posted on September 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

Cleydael

Photo: Cleydael. Credit: Motley’s Auction and Realty Group.

Three historic buildings in Texas’ Bastrop State Park were lost in the recent wildfire, but many other structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps have survived, according to Ben Wear of the Austin American-Statesman. In case you are wondering, the CCC was a federal work relief project created by President Roosevelt to combat unemployment during the Depression.

Bidders have an opportunity to buy the home of Dr. Richard Stuart, where Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth unsuccessfully sought treatment for his ankle, which was injured when he jumped to the stage of Ford’s Theatre.

According to Linda Wheeler of the Washington Post, the home (plus 12 acres) near Fredericksburg, Va. was put up for auction after owner Kathryn Coombs, who used it as a movie location, died without a will.

As described in the auction listing, the 3,300-square-foot home at 7411 Peppermill Drive, King George, Va., is a two-story Colonial built in 1859. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, tall ceilings and a wrap-around front porch.

The L.A. Daily Mirror and L.A. Crime Beat sifted from Twitter feeds by tireless bots at paper.li

Posted in 1859, Architecture, Crime and Courts, Film, Homicide, Stage, Theaters | Tagged , | 3 Comments