The FBI Thins Its Files

Posted on July 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

I had the strangest experience Saturday when I was going through Ernest Hemingway’s FBI file. I was sure the buro had posted Louis Armstrong’s dossier — it’s brief and not terribly interesting except for the fact that it exists. Or did it? I went to the online reading room but there was no Louis Armstrong. And then I noticed the file on Arthur Ashe was gone… And … Gracie Allen?  I knew Armstrong’s file was posted because I used it when I talked to a class about public records. What gives?

So I went to Archive.org and found the version of the website from 2004. There’s Louis!

The FBI has unhelpfully redesigned its website with the files alphabetized by FIRST name, so a line-by-line comparison is time-consuming. I’ll leave it to the Daily Mirror Brain Trust to sort through it. Let me know what you find.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, History, Homicide, LAPD, Libraries | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The FBI Thins Its Files

Uncle Jed – Outsider Artist

Posted on July 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

Buddy Ebsen Painting

In addition to his many other accomplishments (ever see him dance in “Broadway Melody of 1936?”) the late Buddy “Uncle Jed” Ebsen was an outsider artist. An untitled self-portrait in his “Uncle Jed Country Series” has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $3,500.

There’s a website with more of Ebsen’s outsider oeuvre.

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Found on EBay, Television | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Found on EBay – Batchelder Tile

Posted on July 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

Batchelder Tile Scene

This rather remarkable example of Batchelder tile has been listed on EBay. The vendor’s family was apparently a Batchelder distributor and has had this since the 1930s.   As with anything on EBay, an item and vendor should be evaluated thoroughly before submitting a bid, particularly when serious money is involved. Bidding starts at $2,150.

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Nathan Marsak, This One Is for You!

Posted on July 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1943, Nude on Neon Sign

June 5, 1943: A nude (well almost) woman climbs onto a neon sign at 6th and Broadway. Beatrice Tucker was clearly ahead of her time.

Posted in 1943, Brain Trust, Downtown | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Zoot Suits in the News

Posted on July 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

Zoot Suit Duck

Just as we were exploring the history of the Zoot Suit Riots comes news of Kathy Peiss’ book “Zoot Suit” from the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Writing about the book in the New York Times’ Arts Beat, Patricia Cohen raises the question of whether the zoot suit was a fashion statement, a political statement or both.

Photo: Zoot Suit Duck in Disney’s “The Spirit of ’43.”

Posted in 1943, Books and Authors, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Zoot Suits in the News

#museum, #history

Posted on July 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

history_facebook

To accompany U.S. history as told in video games, we have U.S. history as told by Facebook, by Teddy Wayne, Mike Sacks and Thomas Ng in the New York Times.


The Daily Mirror Recommends:

At the Daily Mirror, we’re always interested in how memory works — and how it doesn’t. In a new report, scientists explore the way in which the brain “time stamps” memories. Draft version of the study | Readable NYT version

The writer’s craft: How historian Amanda Foreman keeps track of hundreds of characters in “A World on Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War.” WSJ

Benjamin and Lyle “Brad” Pogofsky are fighting over their late father’s collection of baseballs autographed by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and other Hall of Famers. It’s a messy, sad story of a family torn apart, despite instructions in the will of Larry Pogofsky, a White Sox board member. Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO

The Pilsen InstaGreeter Outpost, a program of the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, gives tours of Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, which is a Latino area.

Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Christopher Webber says: Pilsen is the third neighborhood with an InstaGreeter outpost. In response to the intense interest in President Barack Obama’s Chicago roots, the program began offering tours of the Hyde Park neighborhood in 2009. Popular stops include the president’s barber shop and Valois Cafeteria, where he has often eaten. In 2010, an Old Town tour was added to capitalize on the popularity of the Second City comedy troupe.

PITTSBURGH

Bicycle Heaven is part museum and part tribute to a man’s obsession with two-wheeled transportation. AP | He’s also on EBay.

Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Education, Found on EBay, Genealogy, History, Latinos, Museums | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Month at the Museum

Posted on July 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

month_at_museum

Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry is holding a competition to select someone who will live at the museum for a month.

The museum’s website says: From Oct. 19 to Nov. 17, 2011, this person’s mission will be to experience all the fun and education that fits in this historic 14-acre building, living here full-time and reporting his or her findings to the outside world.

Think about it: Living in a coal mine or on the captured Nazi submarine U-505 (and no firing torpedoes at Sam Zell!)

Applicants must be able to live in the museum for 30 days with no outside responsibilities, at least 18 years old and cannot be a current or former employee, relative, contractor, volunteer, etc.

And you have to prove that – just because you’re willing to live in a museum for a month – that you’re not seriously deranged.

To apply, you need to submit a 60-second video, a 500-word essay, two photos and an application form.

The fine print is here. The deadline is July 22 at 1700 hours CDT!

Posted in Museums, World War II | Tagged , | 2 Comments

More Letters From J.D. Salinger

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

catcher_rye_cover

The New York Times’ City Room has a story about a group of letters between author/recluse J.D. Salinger and E. Michael Mitchell, the artist who illustrated the original cover of “Catcher in the Rye.”

Mitchell put the letters up for sale after Salinger refused to autograph a copy of “Catcher in the Rye” in 1993 and they eventually were obtained by the Morgan Library and Museum.

Mitchell’s girlfriend found more letters after the artist’s death, and they are now at the library.

There’s one tantalizing bit amid all of the author’s complaining, the NYT’s Alison Leigh Cowan  says:  Salinger fans may be cheered to know that the new letters contain further hints that they may yet behold additional Salinger manuscripts. Salinger made passing reference in the 1982 letter to “my manuscripts.” The 1994 letter was more open ended but contained a section that could mean time spent at the typewriter: “I work on,” he wrote. “Same old hours, pretty much.”

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Libraries, Museums | Tagged , , | Comments Off on More Letters From J.D. Salinger

It Really Is All About Me!

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

Museum of Me

Intel has created a virtual “Museum of Me” that draws on a user’s Facebook page to create the ultimate vanity project. And surely anyone with enough ego for this couldn’t possibly be worried about *privacy*.

Posted in Museums | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Texas Museum’s Mystery Safe May Hold Fortune – Or Not

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

Frisco Heritage Museum Safe A fun story is bouncing around the Web this morning regarding this Mosler safe, on display at the Frisco Texas Heritage Museum.

People are wondering what – if anything – is inside and would like to find out without blowing it up or drilling into it, things that tend to make curators cross.

The original report by Valerie Wigglesworth of the Dallas Morning News is behind a subscription wall, but AP has picked up the story and it’s all over the place.

And no, so far nobody has called Geraldo Rivera.

Photo: Mosler safe Credit: Frisco Heritage Museum

Posted in Museums | Tagged | 1 Comment

IBM Turns 100

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

IBM Dey Recorder

ibm_think IBM is celebrating its centennial  and Technology Review has posted some photos from the company’s history. This piece is a Dey dial recorder, an early form of time-recording clock.

The company has an elaborate website devoted to its centennial. You can even buy an updated version of its famous “THINK” paperweight/desk thingie. I recall a New Yorker cartoon from years ago about the THINK emblem in which one character asked: “What do you suppose this was for?”

Photo 1: Dey dial recorder Credit: IBM
Photo 2: Think plaque Credit: IBMLogoGear.com

Posted in History, Photography | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Z-Boys Skateboarder Chris Cahill Dies at 54

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

LA Cahill Del Mar 1975.jpg My friend and L.A. Times Daily Mirror partner Keith Thursby has an obituary on Chris Cahill, a member of the Dogtown Z-Boys skateboarders.

Keith says: The Z-Boys, originally 11 boys and a girl, were the subject of the 2001 documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys” and their story was fictionalized in the 2005 film “Lords of Dogtown.” The documentary, co-written and directed by Z-Boy Stacy Peralta, only briefly mentions Cahill, saying he had been last seen in Mexico.

Photo: Chris Cahill Credit: Craig Stecyk

Posted in Film, Obituaries | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Z-Boys Skateboarder Chris Cahill Dies at 54

#books, #Scientology

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dianetics, July 21, 1950 My L.A. Times colleague Kim Christensen has an interesting review of Janet Reitman’s “Inside Scientology,” the latest book on L. Ron Hubbard, who got his start in Los Angeles.

Christensen, an investigative reporter at The Times, says: “Reitman’s book, which grew out of an article the Rolling Stone contributing editor wrote for the magazine in 2006, is a well-researched and compelling read, especially for those who start with little knowledge about Scientology, Hubbard or his successor, David Miscavige. While it lacks blockbuster revelations, it mostly delivers on Reitman’s promise of an “objective modern history” of the church.”

Clip: Victor Dane (Victor Dane?) describes Dianetics, July 21, 1950 Credit: LAT

Posted in Books and Authors, Religion | 2 Comments

U.S. History – In Video Games!

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

history_video_games

Who says video games aren’t educational? Here’s American history as told by the folks at GamePro.com for the Fourth of July. Shout out to L.A. Noire!

Posted in History | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Fourth of July, 1961

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch
July 4, 1961, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
For the Fourth of July, 1961, we have a group of eight-column pages. Weren’t those the days? Newspapers are much narrower now and only have six columns.The Times has one photo, eight stories, a two-column index and a weather box.   The Milwaukee Sentinel has a photo, 11 stories and an index. Oddly enough, the Miami News looks more like what newspapers were doing in the 1970s and it holds the record for different column widths: one-column,  two-column and a bastard measure of five on eight.The Sentinel promises a “4th with all the trimmings,” which I thought only happened at Thanksgiving.

And Everybody Is Using Upstyle Heds!
July 4, 1961, Miami News
Miami News

Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Front Pages | Tagged , | Comments Off on Fourth of July, 1961

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

Hearse

Queen of the Dead—dateline July 4, 2011

 

• Adorable, baby-voiced actress Alice Playten, 63, died on June 25. She was one of those “oh, her!” actresses whose face and voice are more familiar than her name. She did zillions of TV commercials, was frequently onstage (Tony-nominated for Henry, Sweet Henry in 1968) was occasionally in movies, and guested on various TV series from the 1970s-2000s. But this is what you will remember her for, I’ll bet: Playten was the perky newlywed promising dyspeptic hubby Terry Kiser “marshmallowed meatballs and poached oysters” in a 1970 Alka Seltzer commercial. Oh, her!

Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Stage, Television | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined! Stephen Jay Gould

Posted on July 3, 2011 by lmharnisch
Skulls
Photo: Janet Monge and Alan Mann Credit: Penn Museum, Philadelphia		 Mismeasure of Man

Skulls It’s always interesting to see research debunked – and even more interesting when a debunker is debunked, as in the case of Stephen Jay Gould’s 1981 “The Mismeasure of Man.”

In “Mismeasure,” Gould (d. 2002) charged that anthropologist Samuel George Morton unintentionally manipulated his data on human skulls to support his contention that brain volume was an indication of intellect and that therefore Europeans were superior to Africans.

[You may recall a Sherlock Holmes story in which the famous detective infers that an individual is smart based on his hat size.  You may also recall that French author Anatole France had a teeny head. Conclusion: Anatole France was not the man they wanted. Watson: “Holmes, why are you never wrong!?”]

But as Nicholas Wade reports in the New York Times, anthropologists at the University of Pennsylvania (which has Morton’s skull collection) have reexamined the data. According to the University of Pennsylvania researchers, Morton was making no such claim.
Wade writes: “In an article that does little to burnish Dr. Gould’s reputation as a scholar, they conclude that almost every detail of his analysis is wrong.”

The research team’s rather technical report is here. | The much more readable NYT article is here.

Photo: A murderer’s skull from the Morton collection Credit: University of Pennsylvania

Posted in 1981, Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors | Tagged , | 1 Comment

#museum

Posted on July 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

My colleague Louis Sahagun of the Los Angeles Times takes a look at an effort to revive the Santa Catalina Island Museum with an exhibit of photos by Pattie Boyd, the former wife of George Harrison and Eric Clapton.

Since the arrival of Executive Director Michael De Marsche, “The museum, which is on the ground floor of the island’s landmark ‘casino’ building, has added gallery space, installed a digital theater and expanded its gift shop. The museum’s first exhibit under his watch featured photographs and memorabilia chronicling three decades of spring training by the Wrigley family’s major league team, the Chicago Cubs.

“De Marsche is now in charge of developing a 20,000-square-foot museum on a downtown parcel valued at $2 million.”

Louis has also written a biography of Manly Hall.

Also worth reading: Alice Rawsthorn’s profile of Elizabeth Templetown, a designer for Josiah Wedgwood, who in the 1780s commissioned designs by women.

Rawsthorn writes: “Templetown’s role as a designer consisted of drawing her touching scenes in pencil or cutting them out of India paper. Those images were then faithfully replicated in fine white stoneware by William Hackwood, Wedgwood’s most skillful modeler, and the results used to embellish ceramic objects. Often her subjects were inspired by classical mythology, though she also drew on 18th-century writers like Goethe and Laurence Sterne. Many of Templetown’s pieces now belong to museum collections and her most successful designs remained in production until recently.” NYT

Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, History, Museums | Tagged , , | Comments Off on #museum

A Kindred Spirit: The New York Wanderer

Posted on July 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Retired real estate investor Benjamin P. Feldman picked up an old change purse at a flea market and was intrigued by the name stamped on it: Compliments of Sol Goldberg’s Cafe. So he began to investigate.

Feldman told the New York Times’ Joseph Berger: “I needed to know this guy,” Mr. Feldman said. “I sensed a very sad story and wanted to know what happened to this poor guy.” The New York Times has the story.

Here’s Feldman’s account in his blog, New York Wanderer:

Browsing among the vast piles of bric-a-brac in a Chelsea flea market right before Hannukah, a tiny leather change purse caught my eye. Sifting through piles of dust-covered junk, golden lettering on the item’s battered side gleamed at me like a nugget in dirt.. The Yiddish version of the old saw sprang into my head, my grandfather’s shmaltz-coated voice ringing in my ears: Fun a khazerishe ek, makht men nisht keyn shtraymel” “From the tail-end of a pig, one doesn’t make a Hasidic man’s fur-banded holiday headpiece.”

Feldman not only tells the story of Sol Goldberg and his offspring, he also shows how he conducted the research. He’s my kind of fellow!

Posted in From the Reference Desk, Libraries | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Hemingway’s FBI File!

Posted on July 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

July 3, 1961, Hemingway Dies

The 50th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s death has prompted a variety of articles, including an op-ed piece in the New York Times by A.E. Hotchner, who portrays the famous novelist as being obsessed about FBI surveillance.

He told Hotchner: “It’s the worst hell. The goddamnedest hell. They’ve bugged everything. That’s why we’re using Duke’s car. Mine’s bugged. Everything’s bugged. Can’t use the phone. Mail intercepted.”

Hotchner describes getting Hemingway’s FBI file under the Freedom of Information Act:

“Decades later, in response to a Freedom of Information petition, the F.B.I. released its Hemingway file. It revealed that beginning in the 1940s J. Edgar Hoover had placed Ernest under surveillance because he was suspicious of Ernest’s activities in Cuba. Over the following years, agents filed reports on him and tapped his phones. The surveillance continued all through his confinement at St. Mary’s Hospital. It is likely that the phone outside his room was tapped after all.

“In the years since, I have tried to reconcile Ernest’s fear of the F.B.I., which I regretfully misjudged, with the reality of the F.B.I. file. I now believe he truly sensed the surveillance, and that it substantially contributed to his anguish and his suicide.”

ALSO: HEMINGWAY FBI FILE | BUGSY SIEGEL FBI FILE | LOUIS ARMSTRONG FBI FILE

In fact, Hemingway’s 125-page FBI file is online. Let’s check it out and see if Hotchner’s account is correct. [Warning: FBI files are incredibly repetitious. A page count is not necessarily a good indication of content].

Here’s the breakdown: Pages 1-91 date from the 1940s; Pages 92-109 are from the 1950s and include a rehash of such subjects as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade [remember, FBI files are repetitious]. And exactly one page (110) is from the 1960s prior to Hemingway’s death.

Let’s take a closer look:

Hemingway FBI file, Page 3
Yes, Hemingway ran a spy ring of 18 bartenders, waiters, etc.

Hemingway FBI file, Page 4
In fact, Hemingway supposedly considered this work so important that he turned down a writing job that would have paid $150,000 [$1,870,010.42  USD 2010].

Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Libraries, Suicide | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments