July 3, 1947: Flying Saucers Over Beverly Hills!

Posted on July 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

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Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.

This is where the 1947 Project intersects with other 1947 Project. Mysterious flying discs were reported June 28 over New Mexico, prompting sarcastic letters to The Times: (“They went by a cow out in the field right behind our house and the suction sucked the cow inside out so now all we have to do to milk bossy is lean her over sidewise and let the milk run out.”)

The next day, other observers reported that the saucers over Beverly Hills were searchlights reflected off clouds (presumably from another movie premiere or the opening of coin laundry).

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July 2, 1947: Man Held in Strangling of Mary Tate

Posted on July 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 2, 1947, Oscar L. Hallgren

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.

This is, of course, a murder frequently tossed into the Black Dahlia file by crime books such as “The Cases That Haunt Us” and “Black Dahlia Avenger.” But no one (except a reference I recall from “True Confessions” and can’t locate at the moment) mentions that Tate was African American. Nor does anyone ever add that a suspect was arrested in the case.

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July 2, 1908: Life ‘A Living Hell,’ Wife Flees Husband

Posted on July 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 1, 1908: Wife lured from husband on auto ride.
dropcap Her name was Fanny (or Fannie) and she had everything a young wife could want, at least according to her husband, Walter F.W. Stock, a grading contractor from Long Beach. The Stocks enjoyed a happy home and had two children. At least that was Walter’s story.

All was content and “prosperity was smiling on them” until Fanny went for a ride in a motorcar with one of Walter’s employees, Edward Abril, a “prepossessing young Mexican,” according to The Times.
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July 1, 1947: ‘Mom and Dad’ — Elliot Forbes and Sexploitation in the 1940s

Posted on July 1, 2026 by lmharnisch


'Mom and Dad'  
Well, we know where this story is going.

Mom and DadNote: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.

I had never heard of this particular cinematic triumph, but it was apparently a fixture of sexploitation in middle America of the 1940s and 50s. I’m deeply indebted to an essay by that luminary of le bad filme, Joe Bob Briggs. (http://www.reason.com/0311/fe.jb.kroger.shtml)

“Mom and Dad” was produced by Kroger Babb, written by Mildred Horn and directed by the incredibly long-lived and prolific William “Billy the Kid vs. Dracula” Beaudine, one of seven films he directed in 1945.

Starring nobody you’ve ever heard of unless you’re a total film geek (look for Perry White from the “Superman” TV show in a teeny role, for example) “Mom and Dad” was a movie that served as bookends for a live presentation by an actor who delivered a lecture as “Dr. Elliot Forbes.”

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July 1, 1907: What Was the Gas Mileage of the Horseless Carriage?

Posted on July 1, 2026 by lmharnisch



Note: This is an encore post from 2006.

July 1, 1907
Los Angeles

If you ever wondered if the Locomobile or Pope-Hartford got great gas mileage, the answer is no, as shown in the results of the 185-mile Lakeside Endurance Race. In cost and fuel efficiency, the 1907 automobiles were about the equivalent of a 2006 Ford Explorer (MSRP $31,650) or a Range Rover Sport (MSRP $56,085-$69,025).

The car with best gas mileage in the economy competition was the Pope-Hartford, 8½ gallons (21.76 mpg), in the class of touring cars costing $1,501-$3,000 ($30,805.88-$61,570.71 USD 2005).
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Voices — Christine Collins, June 30, 1931

Posted on June 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 3, 1931: Police Chief R.E. Steckel tells the parole board that Walter Collins should be considered a habitual criminal.

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Reminder: My Next Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia Case Is July 7

Posted on June 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: Boxie and I will be doing a live Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube. The next Black Dahlia Book Club is July 21, 2026, at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube.

Can’t make the live session? Email me your questions and I’ll answer them!

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June 30, 1947: Albert Goldberg Becomes L.A. Times Music Critic

Posted on June 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 30, 1947, Albert Goldberg

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.

Thus began a career that endured past his retirement in 1965—making way for Martin Bernheimer—until shortly before his death in 1990 at the age of 91. Goldberg was The Times’ first full-time classical music critic.

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Coming Attractions: ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’ (1963) in Beverly Hills

Posted on June 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

Its_a_Mad_02
A publicity shot from Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. How many people can you identify?

Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), with a virtual who’s who of film comedians,will be shown in a 70-millimeter print Sunday (July 5) at 1 p.m. at the Fine Arts Theater, 8556 Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills.

The showing will feature appearances by Kramer’s widow, Karen Sharpe Kramer; daughter Kat Kramer; and the last surviving cast member, Barrie Chase. Also attending are cast member Buddy Hackett’s son Sandy; and cast member Edie Adams’ son Josh Mills.

James Curtis will sign his latest book, Comedy Is a Grim Business: The Making of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.  The book, which goes on sale tomorrow, is also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, with copies through Larry Edmunds, Book Soup, Skylight Books, and Vroman’s.

Tickets to It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World are $10 and available online.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Emma Lazarus’ ‘The New Colossus’ Calls to All Immigrants

Posted on June 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

Jan. 19, 1884, Harper's Weekly
Construction of the Statue of Liberty, artwork by John Durkin, Harper’s Weekly, Jan. 19, 1884.

Note: This is an encore post from 2018.

Written in 1883 to help raise money for building the pedestal on which the Statue of Liberty would stand, Emma Lazarus’ 14-line poem “The New Colossus” would take on a life of its own: becoming enshrined on the statue as a memorial to the poet and as a statement of welcome to those seeking refuge in our country. As we approach Independence Day, the meaning behind its words rings even clearer today.

Born July 22, 1849, in New York City as the fourth of seven children to wealthy merchant Moses Lazarus, Emma received a strong private education, learning to speak at least four languages and becoming an excellent writer, especially in poetry. Ralph Waldo Emerson mentored her. She translated works of literature as well as setting down her own odes, many based on romantic literature and others on troubling historic events regarding her fellow Jews, receiving much praise upon their publication. She also worked to alleviate the suffering of women and the poor.

Mary Mallory’s “Living With Grace” is now on sale.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on June 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

Main title: Lettering against a black background.

This week’s mystery movie was the 1971 film Two-Lane Blacktop, with James Taylor, Warren Oates, Laurie Bird, Dennis Wilson, H.D. Stanton, Alan Vint, Bill Keller, Katherine Squire, George Mitchell, Kreag Caffey, A.J. Solari, Rudolph Wurlitzer and Jaclyn Hellman.   Continue reading →

Posted in 1971, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

June 27, 1947: Ray the Newspaper Boy Publishes First Book, ‘Dark Carnival’

Posted on June 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 27, 1947, L.A. Times

L.A. Times, 1947, Ray Bradbury

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.

I’ll be putting that little landmark on my tour of the Black Dahlia crime scene, which is about three miles away. Bradbury’s first book got a press run of about 3,000 copies and sells for $1,000 to $4,000 and up.

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June 26, 1947: ‘White’ or ‘Negro?’ LAPD Holds Sentinel Columnist for Having Two Driver’s Licenses

Posted on June 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1947, L.A. Sentinel
June 26, 1947: Los Angeles Sentinel columnist Edward Robinson takes a trip to the University Station after LAPD officers discover that he is carrying two driver’s licenses. One identifies him as “white” and the other identifies him as “Negro.”

With all the digging I have done in old Los Angeles newspapers, I have never come across anything like this.

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Posted in 1947, African Americans, Columnists | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

June 26, 1947: Helicopter Hovers Over Clipper Ship

Posted on June 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1947, Copter, Clipper


Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.

An unknown press photographer in Long Beach captured them in a small fraction of a second, the old three-masted square-rigger and the brand-new helicopter: old and new, past and future.

Helicopters were exotic aircraft in 1947 and newspapers coined names like “the Flying Eggbeater” and “the Whirlybird” for them. Their strengths were quickly recognized, however, and in 1947 Los Angeles became the first U.S. city to use them for mail and express service. (Apparently the mail pilots had a habit of hovering over sunbathers, prompting a lawsuit by women members of the Santa Monica Ambassador Club). The DWP also began using copters to check power lines and they proved themselves in fighting a 3,600-acre wildfire in Big Tujunga Canyon, which killed two men and injured at least 75 more.

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June 25, 1947: L.A. Times Praises Gangland Slaying of Bugsy Siegel

Posted on June 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

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Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.

Gov. Warren is justified in his concern over the growth of gangsterism in California, dramatized by the effective and efficient taking-off of the charming but unlamented Bugsie Siegel.

The governor notes that the arrival in a community of one criminal is a relatively small matter. Likewise, the assassination of a crook is of no particular importance to a community, and grief at his passing is restricted to a minor and unselect circle. Gang wars have a way of settling themselves, and if the murderer of Siegel is caught, law enforcement officers are apt to express, in a mild manner, their gratitude.

 

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June 24, 1947: Death in the Ring — Sugar Ray Robinson and Jimmy Doyle

Posted on June 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 25, 1947, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jimmy Doyle
June 25, 1947, Doyle Condition Critical

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.

For the rest of his life, Sugar Ray Robinson was haunted by that eighth round in Cleveland. Haunted by the hard left to the jaw of Jimmy Doyle, who until the moment his head hit the canvas with a sickening thud was riding a string of victories to a chance at the title of welterweight champion.

Doyle, born Jimmy Delaney, was a classy fighter who made his professional debut June 6, 1941, at the Olympic. “Jimmy first attracted our attention by his old-fashioned standup stance,” Times sports columnist Al Wolf wrote. “He looked like a throwback to the days of John L. and Gentleman Jim as he stood there stiff-backed and stiff-necked, feet firmly planted, left arm extended in an upward arc. It could have been a picture from the Police Gazette of yesteryear.”

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June 23, 1947: Jim Tully, Hobo Novelist and Prizefighter, Dies at 56

Posted on June 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

L.A. Times, 1947

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.

For me, stumbling across Jim Tully is one of those wonderful accidental discoveries that are a byproduct of research. He’s as obscure and forgotten today as he was famous in the 1920s. (His name has appeared exactly once in The Times in the last 20 years).

An Irishman with a natural gift for storytelling, Tully was almost entirely self-taught, which gave him a spare, unpretentious style that translates well to modern times, unlike the stale, artificial constructions of his more literary contemporaries.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on June 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

Main Title in the style of a needlepoint sampler, reading Homicidal, decorated with guns and bloody knives.

This week’s mystery movie was the 1961 Columbia film Homicidal with Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Eugenie Leontovich, Alan Bunce, Richard Rust, James Westerfield, Gilbert Green and introducing Jean Arless. Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments

Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren Is Hallucinating About Knowing the Black Dahlia

Posted on June 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

Update: Mamie Van Doren is hallucinating about her alleged “friendship” with Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren’s Invented Memories of Elizabeth Short

Posted on June 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

2026_0619_Entertainment_Weekly_Black_Dahlia
For several years, because of what she posted on her blog and now what’s in her so-called memoir, people have been badgering me about what Mamie Van Doren (age 95) thinks she “remembers” about her old pal Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. I ignored them as long as possible, but I reached my limit with this story by Ryan Coleman in Entertainment Weekly.

Titled You Thought I Was Dead: My Life of Celebrities, Sex, and Champagne, published in May by the Permuted Press, the book apparently features what Van Doren (presumably with the assistance of an uncredited ghostwriter) claims to recall about the 1940s in Hollywood. Life is far too brief to waste time fact-checking the alleged autobiography of a superannuated starlet of 1950s drive-in movies famed for her figure and fortunately, Amazon’s sample doesn’t include the Black Dahlia chapter or I would be forced to read it.

It’s enough to say that Van Doren’s main claims, as reported in Entertainment Weekly, are utterly untrue. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, books, Books and Authors, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren’s Invented Memories of Elizabeth Short