Found on EBay – Wildfire

Posted on June 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

fire_mt_lowe_ebay

This dramatic postcard showing a huge wildfire, as seen from Mt. Lowe, has been listed on EBay. We have a cycle of natural disasters in Southern California: Heavy rains around December produce mudslides >> The rains bring spring greenery >> that dies off in the hot summer >> and catches fire in August or September (somebody always picks a hot, dry, windy day to do some welding) >> which denudes the hillsides >> so that when it rains, we get mudslides. Bidding on this card, postmarked 1911, is $2.

Posted in 1911, Fires, Found on EBay, Photography | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Wildfire

Quote: Fred Steiner, 1923 – 2011

Posted on June 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Randy Lewis of The Times has a nice obit on Fred Steiner (1923-2011), who composed the famous theme for the “Perry Mason” show:

Steiner said he wanted to create music for Mason, writer Erle Stanley Gardner’s legal-eagle lawyer, that projected two key facets of his personality: suave sophistication and the underlying toughness that allowed him to go head-to-head with the criminals with whom he often came into contact. The piece he came up with, titled “Park Avenue Beat,” pulsed with the power of the big city and the swagger of a beefy hero played to perfection by actor Raymond Burr.

“In those days, jazz — or in those days, rhythm and blues was the big thing — represented the seamier side of life,” Steiner told National Public Radio interviewer Nina Totenberg in 2002. “Don’t ask me why — that’s a sociological question.”

Posted in 1923, Music, Obituaries, Television | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Call From the Past

Posted on June 25, 2011 by lmharnisch
iretrophone iretrophone steampunk

Maybe it’s not enough for your cellphone to have a ringtone that’s an  old-school phone. Maybe you need an iPhone docking station that looks like an old phone. These are made by Freeland Studios in the regular (left, $195) and Steampunk ($350) styles.

Photos: iretrophones Credit: Freeland Studios

Posted in Art & Artists, Futurism, Interior Design, Retro | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated+++]

Posted on June 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 25, 2011, Mystery Photo

Here’s a mystery couple in a mystery movie.

There’s a new photo on the jump!

Jan. 1, 1917, Garden of Allah

[Update: These photos are from the 1916 Selig-Polyscope film “The Garden of Allah” starring Helen Ware and Tom Santschi. These photos appear in the photoplay edition of Robert Hichens book, which is listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $6.90.]

Dec. 31, 1916, Quinn's Rialto

812_Broadway
The Rialto, 812 S. Broadway, via Google maps’ street view.

[Update 2: “The Garden of Allah” opened at the Mason Opera House on Jan 1, 1917. Curiously enough, the film was rescored by Joseph Carl Brell in April 1917 for a re-release at Quinn’s Rialto, a 900-seat theater at 812 S. Broadway. Sid Grauman bought the theater in 1919, remodeled it and renamed it Grauman’s Rialto, according to The Times.  ]

Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Location Sleuth: ‘Safety Last’

Posted on June 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Harold Lloyd, Safety Last

harold_lloyd_safety_last_detail_03

The Los Angeles Conservancy has posted a guide to filming locations for Harold Lloyd’s 1923 film “Safety Last” in conjunction with a showing of the film on June 29 at the Orpheum as part of the Last Remaining Seats series. (The movie is sold out, but it’s always worth checking with the conservancy to see if some  tickets have been returned).

The self-guided tour of “Safety Last” locations, by John Bengston, is a thorough examination of the different buildings used in the film and is well worth reading. Bengston is the author of “Silent Visions: Discovering Early Hollywood and New York Through the Films of Harold Lloyd.”

harold_lloyd_safety_blossom

I’m always amazed by the amount of detail in the large-format photos used before the advent of the 35-millimeter camera. Enlarging the top photo from “Safety Last” reveals shoppers passing the Blossom of Sweets shop, 849 S. Broadway.

Posted in 1923, Architecture, Books and Authors, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Location Sleuth, Photography | Comments Off on Location Sleuth: ‘Safety Last’

Found on EBay – Rube Wolf

Posted on June 24, 2011 by lmharnisch
Secrets of a Secretary Rube Wolf, May 20, 1932

This poster for “Secrets of a Secretary” – with an appearance by Edna Fisher and Rube Wolf, above right, has been listed on EBay. Rube Wolf isn’t terribly well-known today, except around the Daily Mirror HQ. He was a prominent composer and bandleader in Los Angeles. (Video: “Pretty Red Hibiscus”). For this event, he was appearing at Loew’s Warfield in San Francisco. Bidding on the poster starts at $199.

Posted in 1931, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Music, Photography, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Quote: Peter Falk’s ‘Columbo’ Should Have Failed

Posted on June 24, 2011 by lmharnisch


Peter Falk, 1927 – 2011

Watching CBS’ new savior, Jeff Sagansky, hold his first press conference this week, I kept wondering whether he’d ever heard William Link, co-creator of “Columbo,” describe the origins of that classic Peter Falk detective show.

It “should have been a failure,” Link said, because it broke five cardinal rules of network TV: “It had very little action and almost no sex. The central character often didn’t enter until 15 or 20 minutes after the opening credits. The plots were complex, demanding the viewer’s strict attention. Entire episodes could be nothing more than stretches of cat-and-mouse dialogue. The lead, when he finally did show up, wasn’t a 6-foot, granite-jawed, two-fisted hunk of macho bravado, but a short, klutzy, badly groomed, ill-attired career officer who didn’t carry a gun and was easily winded.”

Jan. 20, 1990, Rick Du Brow

”Columbo” was part of a great lineup of early 1970s mysteries on NBC that also included “The Snoop Sisters” (Helen Hayes and Mildred Natwick and Art Carney as their chauffeur in the pilot episode), “Hec Ramsey” (Richard Boone), “McCloud” (Dennis Weaver) and “McMillan & Wife” (Rock Hudson and  Susan Saint James).

Posted in 1927, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Television | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated +++]

Posted on June 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 24, 2011, Mystery Photo

June 9, 1934, Dorothy Dell

June 9, 1934, Dorothy Dell

Steven Bibb, a member of the Daily Mirror’s Brain Trust, has graciously shared some of his pictures as mystery photos. Thanks Steven!

[Update: This is Dorothy Dell in a 1934 photo from “Wharf Angel.” Please congratulate Eve Golden for identifying her!]

Dell was killed in a car wreck on Lincoln Avenue a few hundred feet past South Gate Street – an intersection I’m not able to locate – hours after a preview of her latest film, “Shoot the Works,” when the car driven by Dr. Carl Wagner struck a curb and rolled over, hitting several trees and shearing off a utility pole. Wagner was a witness in the Sphinx Murder of Pasadena. What was the Sphinx Murder? I’ll save that for another time.

[Update 2: The accident was at Lincoln Avenue and WESTgate Street in Pasadena, not South Gate. Nothing like moving a car accident to the other end of L.A.  The perils of the rewrite desk taking information by phone.]

Continue reading →

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

Pioneering African American Attorney Walter L. Gordon Jr. Honored

Posted on June 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

Walter Gordon

Walter L. Gordon Jr., left, and Judge William C. Beverly Jr.

This week, the UCLA library honored the 103rd birthday Walter L. Gordon Jr., one of the pioneering African American attorneys in Los Angeles. Judge William C. Beverly Jr. was also honored for donating Gordon’s rich collection of photos, which has been titled the Walter L. Gordon Jr./William C. Beverly Jr. digital collection.

I interviewed Gordon years ago, when I was researching the life of Charles Matthews, the first African American member of the Police Commission. Gordon was extremely helpful and most gracious in describing his experiences in the Los Angeles courts.

Here’s a sample from the Gordon-Beverly collection:

drag_contest_ucla

These are contestants in a drag ball at the Club Alabam in the 1940s.

Photo 1: Walter L. Gordon Jr. and Judge  Judge William C. Beverly Jr. Credit: UCLA Digital Library

Photo 2: Drag ball at the Club Alabam, 1940s Credit: Walter L. Gordon Jr./William C. Beverly Jr. Digital Collection

Posted in African Americans, Architecture, Crime and Courts, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Libraries, Museums, Nightclubs, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Pioneering African American Attorney Walter L. Gordon Jr. Honored

Seals in MacArthur Park!

Posted on June 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

westlake_park_seals_ebay

Nov. 14, 1904, Seals Imagine my surprise to discover that there were seals in MacArthur Park. And the proof, in the form of this postcard, has been listed on EBay.

Research in The Times clips shows that seals were kept in the park, along with mud hens and swans, around 1904 to 1908. Judging by this Nov. 14, 1904, story, it didn’t go well and at least some of the seals were taken to Santa Catalina Island.

Bidding starts at $18.50.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1904, Animals, Found on EBay, Parks, Photography | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Coming Attractions: Broadway Theater Tour

Posted on June 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

palace_theater
The Palace Theater, 630 S. Broadway, via Google maps’ street view.

Eric Richardson of Blogdowntown reports that the 1911 Palace Theatre, 630 S. Broadway, will be open for self-guided tours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m on Saturday, June 25, as part of the Bringing Back Broadway campaign.

Posted in 1911, Architecture, City Hall, Coming Attractions, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Theaters | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

A Guide to Buying Native American Arts and Crafts

Posted on June 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Apache Crown Dancers

My friend Mark Bahti has posted an excellent guide to buying Native American arts and crafts. Mark operates Bahti Indian Arts, which was founded by his father, Tom.

Mark says: Visitors to any of Arizona’s 22 tribes have a wonderful opportunity to buy handmade work directly from the artist or from an Indian entrepreneur.

But is it Indian? Or handmade? How to tell?

Mark notes: Misrepresenting goods as Indian-handmade is a federal offense so more reliable shops will not do so.

Read more>>>

Photo: Apache crown dancers Credit: Arizona Historical Society

Posted in Art & Artists, Native Americans, Photography | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on A Guide to Buying Native American Arts and Crafts

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated ++]

Posted on June 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 23, 2011, Mystery Photo

Steven Bibb, a member of the Daily Mirror’s Brain Trust, has graciously shared some of his pictures as mystery photos. Thanks Steven!

[Update: This mystery fellow was a toughy. Steven identifies him as Berry Kroeger from the film “The Iron Curtain.”]

[Update 2: Don Danard of the Brain Trust questions whether this is Berry Kroeger and says it’s Mauritz Hugo, who also appeared in “The Iron Curtain.” Reference photos are hard to find, but I would say Don is correct that this isn’t Kroeger, but is actually Hugo. Thanks Don!]

[Update 3: Steven says: There is no snipe on the back of the photo, just the handwritten name of the actor, “Berry Kreuger.”  The front of the still says “A scene from the Twentieth Century-Fox Production “The Iron Curtain.”  The still number is 720 – 31.]

 

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Architectural Rambling

Posted on June 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

Sept. 26, 1909, Arthur Heineman

One of the more prolific architects in early 20th century Los Angeles was Arthur S. Heineman, who designed this home for E.A. Webber at 2248 4th Ave. in West Adams Heights, as shown in The Times. 

781 Prospect

This Heineman home at 781 Prospect Blvd., Pasadena, is on the market for $2,990,000. According to the agent, the house was built for $17,000 ($407,276.38 USD 2010).  The original owners were mining engineer Willis Hindry and his wife, Mary.

Photo: 781 Prospect Credit: Darrell Done Real Estate

Posted in 1910, Architecture, Art & Artists, Pasadena | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

From the Archives: King Tut Bus

Posted on June 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

King Tut Bus

Primary Resources, a blog of Metro’s Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive, has posted some images of vehicles, including this “King Tut bus,” decorated for the U.S. tour of “The Treasures of King Tutankhamun”  exhibit, which was on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for four months starting in February 1978.

Photo: King Tut bus, 1978 Credit: Metro

“King Tut fever” also gave us this

Posted in 1978, Museums, Photography, Transportation | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Coming Attractions: What Is a Western?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Once Upon a Time in the West

The Autry National Center is offering two film series on Saturdays through the year.

The museum shows a Gene Autry double feature at noon on the first Saturday of the month in the Western Legacy Theater. Upcoming films are “Rhythm of the Saddle”  (1938) and “Cow Town” (1950) on July 2; and “Heart of the Rio Grande” (1942) and “Sons of New Mexico” (1950) on Aug. 4.

The museum is also offering a monthly series in the Wells Fargo Theater titled “What Is a Western?” The films are “Once Upon a Time in the West” at 1:30 p.m. on July 9; “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 13; “Tombstone” (1993) at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 17; “Winchester ’73” (1950) at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 22; and “Unforgiven” (1992) at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 12. Tickets are available here.

The museum is also showing “Bells of San Angelo” (1947) at 2 p.m. on Aug. 27 to honor Roy Rogers’ centennial.

The Autry is in Griffith Park next to the zoo.

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Coming Attractions: Society for American Baseball Research Convention

Posted on June 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

SABR Logo  A post by Baseball Toaster alum Bob Timmermann (in private life he’s a librarian at LAPL) alerted me to the upcoming convention of the Society for American Baseball Research, July 6-10 at the Long Beach Hilton.

The group plans a bus tour of old baseball fields in Los Angeles but tickets are sold out (my pals at Esotouric ought to think about adding one to their popular lineup).

Presentations scheduled for the convention include an amazing array of historic subjects, including:

The Wonder Team in the White City: U.V.M. at the Intercollegiate Base Ball Tournament of 1893, by Tom Simon.

Organized Baseball Circles the Wagons and Silences the Whistle-Blower, 1912, by Steve Steinberg

Fielder Jones, the Offensive Efficiency Paradox of His Hitless Wonders, and How They Stunned the Cubs in the 1906 World Series By Playing Against Type, by  Bryan Soderholm-Difatte

Integration in Cleveland – The Indians, the Negro Leagues, and Local Media Involvement, by Stephanie Liscio

Integrating the Pacific Coast League: A Social History of Integration, by Amy Essington

Mexican American Baseball in Los Angeles: A Pictorial History of Baseball from East LA to Dodger Stadium, by Francisco Balderrama and Richard Santillan

ps. I have always wanted to add a feature on vintage/historic sports to the Daily Mirror. Keith Thursby did a great job when the DM was at The Times. If anybody is interested in contributing to this labor of love called the Daily Mirror, drop me a line.

Posted in Baseball, Coming Attractions, Sports | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: Society for American Baseball Research Convention

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on June 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 22, 2011, Mystery Photo

Photograph by Howard Decker / LADailyMirror.com

[Howard says: The lady in the fur coat is Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner, known as Lana, with her newly minted (seventh, I think) husband Ronald Pellar, known as Ronald Dante and Dr. Dante. They are shown arriving at LAX after being married in Las Vegas May 9, 1969. Pellar/Dante was an illusionist in Vegas. As I recall only UPI Photos and myself were there to get photos of the newlyweds. I got a dozen shots and sold them all. The lady on the left is obviously a fan. Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end….]

[Please give Howard a big thanks for sharing his photos with us! You may not know but Howard also covered the famous incident in which a drunken Gail Russell plowed her convertible into Jan’s Restaurant on Beverly Boulevard in 1957. — lrh]

Howard Decker (a.k.a. Fibber) sends along another mystery picture from his career as a photographer.  Thanks, Howard!

Posted in Brain Trust, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Architectural Rambling – The Van Griffith Estate

Posted on June 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

April 19, 1925, 2630 Vermont

April 19, 1925, 2630 Vermont

The Times Sunday Business section featured the former home of Van M. Griffith (d. 1974), the son of Griffith Park donor Colonel Griffith J. Griffith.  (For some reason, the early stories in The Times refer to him as “Dan Griffith” rather than Van.)   What makes Dan/Van Griffith interesting to us is his role on the Los Angeles Police Commission in the 1940s.

Researchers please note: Van Griffith’s material is included in the Griffith Family Papers at UCLA Special Collections.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1925, Architecture, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Obituaries, Politics, Real Estate, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nazi Mystery Photos [Updated]

Posted on June 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Hitler Mystery Photo

[Update: The photographer has been identified as Franz Krieger.]

Lens, the photography blog of the New York Times, has published a mystery album of Nazi photos, including this shot of Adolf Hitler. The Times is trying to identify the mystery photographer who took these images.

Photo: Adolf Hitler, 1941 Credit: New York Times

Posted in 1941, Mystery Photo, Photography | 1 Comment