Bullet of Mystery – Part 4

Posted on May 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

July 11, 1901, Lionel Comport lionel_comport_nd_crop

In case you just tuned in, I’m posting a small case study of research I did with Caroline Comport on her grandfather Lionel Comport for her master’s thesis. Researching Los Angeles is a treasure hunt, and every time I dig into the resources I find something new.

Bullet of Mystery – Part 1
Bullet of Mystery – Part 2
Bullet of Mystery – Part 3
 
In Part 2, we looked at some of the resources for online newspapers ,and in Part 3 we examined sites that have property records on the corner where Lionel Comport was shot in 1901. This time we’ll look at Sanborn maps of the neighborhood.  

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Posted in #courts, 1901, Architecture, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Real Estate | Comments Off on Bullet of Mystery – Part 4

Found on EBay – Great White Fleet

Posted on May 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  Great White Fleet  

A postcard showing a barbecue for sailors during the Great White Fleet’s visit in 1908 has been listed on EBay. This was a huge event in turn of the century Los Angeles, and I had fun exploring The Times’ coverage. Commemorative postcards usually feature ships, and I have seen one postcard of a boxing match, but this is a new one to me. Bidding starts at $4.95.

Posted in 1908, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Great White Fleet

Jimmie Fidler, May 21, 1941

Posted on May 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  May 21, 1941, Nazi Chute Swarm  

  May 21, 1941, Comics  

May 21, 1941: Nazi Chute Swarm? And I thought “Nazi Sky Fleet” was silly.

Tom Treanor, on a press junket to Venezuela, says: Walter Kerr and myself have a nine-room house with an icebox full of cold things, and also a maid.

"Bueno," I said to the maid in my best Spanish when she opened the icebox.

"Don't speak Spanish to me," she said. "I only understand English."

That Martha Raye-Neil Lang romance hung in the balance the other night, when she stormed out of a nightclub because he was too attentive to another girl, Jimmie Fidler says.

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Jim Murray, May 21, 1961

Posted on May 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  May 21, 1961, Sam Snead  
  May 20, 1961, Jim Murray  

May 21, 1961: Henry "Chip" Chafetz has put on the market a book titled "Play the Devil" — a history of gambling in this country which sets out to prove that the urge to gamble has preserved the essential vitality of the American people and has made them willing not only to take chances on a Daily Double, but also on Alaska, the Far West, the New Frontier and anything else where the odds are as good as filling a straight, including a shot at the real moon.

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World to End on Jan. 5, 1885!

Posted on May 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

  image  

  Dec. 23, 1884, End of the World  

Dec. 23, 1884: Then again, maybe not.

Posted in 1884, Religion | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on May 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

  May 17, 2011, Mystery Photo  
  Los Angeles Times file photo  

March 4, 1981, Brenda Benet [Update 2: This is Brenda Benet and it was particularly sad to be scanning photos of her on Mother’s Day, considering her story. At right, the March 4,  1981, account of her son’s death while undergoing emergency surgery. Benet committed suicide a month after the first anniversary of her son’s death.

[Above, Brenda Benet is a guest on "Wendy and Me" episode, in a photo published Dec. 7, 1964. ]

[Update: Please congratulate Zabadu, Jenny M, Rogét-L.A., Carmen and Barbara for identifying our mystery guest!  ]

Here’s our mystery gal!
 
There’s a new photo on the jump!
  April 15, 1982, Brenda Benet  

Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 55 Comments

Bullet of Mystery — Part 3

Posted on May 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

July 11, 1901, Lionel Comport lionel_comport_nd_crop

In case you just tuned in, I’m posting a small case study of research I did with Caroline Comport on her grandfather Lionel Comport for her master’s thesis. Researching Los Angeles is a treasure hunt, and every time I dig into the resources I find something new.

Bullet of Mystery – Part 1
Bullet of Mystery – Part 2
 
In Part 2, we looked at some of the resources for online newspapers. Caroline was also interested in the background details of the story. What was the neighborhood like?

Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Architecture, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Real Estate | Comments Off on Bullet of Mystery — Part 3

Found on EBay – Hollywood Estate

Posted on May 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  6219 Hollywood Blvd.  

A.G. Bartlett

A postcard showing the Hollywood estate of A.G. Bartlett at 6219 Hollywood Blvd. has been listed on EBay. The home was built about 1901 by Bartlett, the head of a downtown music company. The seven-acre estate, north of Hollywood Boulevard and and 210 feet east of Vine Street, was subdivided in 1927.  Bidding starts at $11.99.

Posted in 1901, Architecture, Hollywood, Real Estate | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Hollywood Estate

Coming Attractions – Genealogy Research at the L.A. Public Library

Posted on May 20, 2011 by lmharnisch
los_angeles_public_library_lat

Photo: Los Angeles Public Library Credit: Carolyn Kellogg/Los Angeles Times 

 While we are discussing family research in Bullet of Mystery, the Los Angeles Public Library will present a program on getting started in genealogical research. The free presentation will be from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 21, 2011.

Folks should gather at the reference desk in the History & Genealogy Department on Lower Level 4.  No reservations are necessary for groups of six or less. Larger groups should schedule an appointment at (213) 228-7400.

As we say at the Daily Mirror: Any day we can do research is a good day.
Posted in books, Coming Attractions, Pages of History | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 20, 1941

Posted on May 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  image  

  May 20, 1941, Comics  

May 20, 1941: International playboy Baldwin M. Baldwin (d. 1970), the son of Anita Baldwin and the grandson of E.J. “Lucky” Baldwin (the despot of Arcadia, according to The Times) gets married for the fifth time.

The Germans in Venezuela have gotten the bounce, Tom Treanor says. "The parting of the ways was accomplished with great finesse on both sides. Contracts were settled up equitably, severance was paid, transportation back to Germany was given in many instances and, to hear it told, you would think that the era of good feeling and universal peace had arrived."

Desi Arnaz's mother, after waiting in Mexico weeks to enter the United States on a quota number, must now due to a legal technicality return to Cuba and enter from there, Jimmie Fidler says.

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Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Immigration, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 20, 1941

From the Drawing Board — Jack Clark

Posted on May 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  May 20, 1961, Angel Valenzuela  

May 20, 1960: Jim Murray has the day off, but I couldn’t pass up this artwork by Jack Clark. I can’t find anything about him in The Times' clips, but I’ll keep looking.

Posted in 1961, art and artists, Sports | Comments Off on From the Drawing Board — Jack Clark

Bullet of Mystery – Part 2

Posted on May 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

July 11, 1901, Lionel Comport lionel_comport_nd_crop

In case you just tuned in, I’m posting a small case study of research I did with Caroline Comport on her grandfather Lionel Comport for her master’s thesis. Researching Los Angeles is a treasure hunt, and every time I dig into the resources I find something new.

Bullet of Mystery – Part 1
 
If you’re a fan of detective stories, you may remember that Sherlock Holmes routinely read all the newspaper coverage as part of his investigations (and no, we won’t be putting on disguises or bringing in the Baker Street Irregulars). But the papers are a good place start.

Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Crime and Courts, Pages of History | Comments Off on Bullet of Mystery – Part 2

Found on EBay – Los Angeles Examiner

Posted on May 19, 2011 by lmharnisch
Hearst Marksmanship Trophy

A rather elaborate (OK, expensive and ugly) Citizen Marksmanship Competition lamp/trophy sponsored by the Los Angeles Examiner has been listed on EBay. Bidding on the trophy begins at $2,450.
1942_0109_marksmanship

"These charming Milwaukee girls were the first all-woman team to enroll in the citizen's rifle instruction course now being sponsored by the Wisconsin Rifle association and the Milwaukee Sentinel in conjunction with the William Randolph Hearst Citizen's Marksmanship contests,” from the Milwaukee Sentinel, Jan. 9, 1942.
Posted in 1941, 1942, Found on EBay | 2 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 19, 1941

Posted on May 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  May 19, 1941, Ship Carrying Americans Sunk  

  May 19, 1941, Comics  

May 19, 1941: Lee Shippey announces his return, thanks the guest columnists who filled in for him and says he doesn’t plan to answer the get-well cards he received, despite the entreaties of his secretary.

Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II for The Times, witnesses the inauguration of Venezuelan President Isaias Medina.

COLUMBIA'S "TEXAS" SET AT A GLANCE: A score of gun-totin' desperadoes playing gin-rummy off set, and another in a far corner manicuring his nails … Veteran film gunman George Bancroft teaching newcomer Glenn Ford to twirl a six-shooter on his trigger finger … Bill Holden: "Easy life, eh? Look! Because my shirt's open in this movie, I had to shave the hair off my chest. Try that when the thermometer's at 90 degrees!"

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Jim Murray, May 19, 1961

Posted on May 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

 

  May 19, 1961, Day in Sports  

 

  May 19, 1961, Jim Murray  

May 19, 1961: Jim Murray revisits the 1960 crash of a chartered plane carrying the Cal Poly football team, killing 22 people.  As always, he does a terrific job.

Continue reading →

Posted in #Jim Murray, 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, football, Sports | Comments Off on Jim Murray, May 19, 1961

Bullet of Mystery – Part 1

Posted on May 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

  July 11, 1901, Bullet of Mystery  

Nov. 26, 1959, Lionel Comport Los Angeles history in the 1900s is an acquired taste. Most people limit themselves to  the Raymond Chandler era, the 1930s through the 1950s, as if Philip Marlowe moonlighted as a historian. Perhaps they find the city’s horse-and-buggy days too remote, but for me that era is like watching a modern metropolis slowly rise from the dust of a Wild West town.

I revisited 1901 when I met with Caroline Comport on Tuesday to help research her grandfather for a master’s thesis on how personal history shapes a family’s self-image. Or, as Caroline puts it, “How does who we think we are impact who we become?”

After spending years at microfilm machines and in various archives, I am always amazed at the relative ease of doing research these days. Our session was at Foxy’s in Glendale (free Wi-Fi!) and we delved into Los Angeles history while toasting English muffins. Truly the civilized way.
 
To summarize the story of Caroline’s grandfather, Lionel F. Comport was shot in the back July 10, 1901, while delivering milk from a horse-drawn wagon at 20th and Toberman streets in the University Park neighborhood. Police suggested various motives (Robbery? Dispute over a woman? A mad assassin?) but despite an intense investigation, officers never found the attacker.

The bullet  penetrated Comport’s intestines and by all expectations of medical care in that era, he should have died. However, he was rushed to a hospital (as fast as a horse-drawn ambulance would go, anyway) and survived the operation. He died in 1959 at the age of 79.

Here’s a brief case study in how we went about the research:

Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Animals, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Raymond Chandler | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – Bullock’s Wilshire

Posted on May 18, 2011 by lmharnisch
Bullock's Wilshire Bullock's jumper label

This Givenchy Nouvelle Boutique jumper from Bullock’s Wilshire (later Bullocks Wilshire) has been listed on EBay. Items from the store, which opened in 1929 and closed in 1993, turn up somewhat often on EBay, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen one of these. Nor do I have a label like this in the Daily Mirror’s small image collection. Bidding starts at $24.99.
Posted in Fashion, Found on EBay | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Bullock’s Wilshire

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 18, 1941

Posted on May 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

 

  May 18, 1941, Nazis Bomb Iraq  

  May 18, 1941, Comics  

May 18, 1941: Nazi sky fleet?
 
Lee Shippey returns for a Sunday column.

Tom Treanor says: Americans are here developing Venezuela's oil resources for just one reason. They have the capital and the know-how for oil production which the Venezuelans lack. The Venezuelans take advantage of American knowledge to get the oil out of the ground with great profit to Venezuela. The Americans take advantage of Venezuela's greatest natural resources to make themselves rich. But what will happen when and if the Venezuelans learn to get the oil out of the ground themselves?

Jimmie Fidler says: The other day Paramount chiefs summoned new foreign find Eva Gabor (Hungarian) to the front office and suggested that she change her name because it sounds like a steal from Garbo. "Change my name?" shrieked Miss Gabor. "I was born with mine, and her real name is Gustafson. Let Garbo change hers!"

Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 18, 1941

Movieland Mystery Photo – Special Edition [Updated]

Posted on May 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Lionel Comport photo  

image Lionel Comport photo

There’s a saying at the Daily Mirror HQ: “Any day I can do research is a good day.” And Tuesday was certainly an excellent day. I spent the morning with Caroline Comport discussing her research project on her grandfather, Lionel Comport, who survived being shot in 1901 while making his rounds as a milkman and became a successful Hollywood animal trainer. (He raised dairy cows. Movie studios rented cattle for films. The rest is history.)

Lionel, at the center of the photo on the right, posed with an unidentified movie crew and many years later wrote on the back of the print that it was taken at Red Rock Canyon between 1904 and 1907, but his age at the time and the crews’ clothing indicate a later date. 
 
I’m hoping the Daily Mirror’s Brain Trust will pitch in and help identify the people in this photo – and possibly the movie. Enlargements are on the jump.

[Update: The first responses are in: Zasu Pitts, Slim Summerville and a young Mickey Rooney. More on the jump!]

[Update 2: A big thanks to everyone who pitched in and helped identify this photo as the crew of "Love Birds," especially Mary Mallory, who provided a plot summary of the film. I'd also like to thank Don Danard, who sent his information via email. This is another lesson in why people should label pictures as soon as possible and not leave mystery photos for their grandchildren!] 

Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 15 Comments

Found on EBay – 1947 Thomas Bros. Guide

Posted on May 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  thomas_guide_ebay_1947  

A 1947 Thomas Bros. guide has been listed on EBay. These are terrific resources (the Daily Mirror HQ has a small collection of them) showing what Los Angeles looked like before freeways. The guides also include streetcar and bus routes. This item is listed as Buy It Now for $12.99.

Posted in 1947, Found on EBay, Freeways, Transportation | Comments Off on Found on EBay – 1947 Thomas Bros. Guide