Daily Mirror Readers — ‘The Brain Trust’

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo courtesy of Howard Decker
Most Daily Mirror readers know him as Fibber. His real name is Howard Decker, and here’s a picture of him covering the Spade Cooley trial. He’s the fellow in the background on the right. Howard also covered the 1957 story of an intoxicated Gail Russell driving her convertible through a window of Jan’s Restaurant, 8424 Beverly Blvd.

[Note to crime tour buffs: The restaurant is still there and it’s a nice breakfast place.]
Posted in #courts, 1961, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Photography | 3 Comments

Matt Weinstock, April 6, 1961

Posted on April 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

  April 6, 1961, Comics  

April 6, 1961: Regular passengers on the 5:15 p.m. bus that leaves the 6th and Los Angeles Street terminal for Seal Beach gave a farewell party Wednesday to Glenn Van Auker, the nice driver, who is being transferred, Matt Weinstock says.

CONFIDENTIAL TO "STYLE CONSCIOUS": Yes, the skirts are shorter again this spring. But if the girls wear them any shorter, the boys will be looking longer!

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Paul Coates, April 6, 1961

Posted on April 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

  April 6, 1961, Mirror Cover  

April 6, 1961: Paul Coates has an update on Synanon, which was praised for the way it treated drug addiction. Later on, as many may remember, Synanon developed into a notorious cult.

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Posted in 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Paul Coates | 2 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 6, 1941

Posted on April 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

  April 6, 1941, Yugoslavia and Greece Invaded  

  April 6, 1941, Comics  

  April 6, 1941, Messerschmitt  

April 6, 1941: Tom Treanor writes about a captured Messerschmitt 110 fighter that is being examined by Vultee engineers. The workmanship is first-class, the Vultee engineers say.
 
At Lockheed, “We took a look at the early P-38s and they are certainly more vicious to the eye than the Messerschmitt. With their two skinny booms, as they call the rakish fuselages, double tails, evilly slanted wings and sinister little glass coop for the pilot, they look like the real killers of the sky. There's something more modern, advanced and devilish in their lines than in the comparatively simple Messerschmitt, poor thing,” Treanor says. 

The country is virtually at war. Its defense efforts are being hamstrung by unjustified strikes, uncooperative industrialists and blathermouthed, spotlight-hunting politicians. The average man in America has, with excellent reason, such a deep distrust of inefficient nincompoops in public office that his patriotism is in danger of being poisoned by his distrust, Jimmie Fidler says. 

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Jim Murray, April 6, 1961

Posted on April 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

  April 6, 1961, Alex Perez  

  April 6, 1961, Jim Murray  

April 6, 1961: James Gilliam Jr. is with the Dodgers but not of them. He starts every season in the dugout. He sleeps every night with his bag packed at his feet and rumors of a trade swirling around in his dreams. Then the season starts and some phenom begins to leak at the seams. The manager sets  a hysterical search and there sits Jim Gilliam — waiting.

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From the Stacks — ‘City of Angels’

Posted on April 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

  City of Angels  

  Rupert Hughes’ “City of Angels,” 1941.  

How much of a book must one read before deciding that it’s going to be a dog? Does an author deserve a running start of the first chapter? Can one truly tell that a book is going to be a stinker after one page — or maybe the opening line, especially if a columnist like Lee Shippey recommends it?

In this case, yes.

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Posted in 1941, books, Film, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Zombie Reading List | Comments Off on From the Stacks — ‘City of Angels’

Matt Weinstock, April 5, 1961

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  April 5, 1961, Comics  

April 5, 1961: Anyone who patrols the downtown beat becomes accustomed to odd sights. There are the resolute pigeon feeders and the sad characters who poke through refuse cans for hidden treasure. There are the men with a faraway look who push baby buggies filled with bottles trying to make a slow dime and the dedicated placard carriers, hoping to avert world catastrophe with a garbled, home-made message, Matt Weinstock says. 

CONFIDENTIAL TO "DESK NEAR THE WINDOW": A woman who marries a man because she "feels sorry for him" usually winds up feeling sorrier for herself.

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Paul Coates, April 5, 1961

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  April 5, 1961, Mirror Cover  

April 5, 1961: The Army is looking for a cartoonist who can make the service look attractive – and not humorous (in other words, forget “Beetle Bailey” and “Sad Sack”), which is fodder for a Paul Coates column. 

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 5, 1941

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

 
 

  April 5, 1941, Yugoslavia at Zero Hour  

  April 5, 1941, Comics  

April 5, 1941: A well-paid reporter was thinking of quitting journalism to write fiction. He sought advice from a reader for a publishing house, who told him to stick to reporting and write fiction on the side. The reporter was so infuriated that he quit journalism and became a well-known author, Lee Shippey says. [His name is on the jump.]

The Charles Spencer Chaplins have reached this understanding: Each may date "outsiders" but neither will take legal steps on that ground, Jimmie Fidler says.

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Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

  March 28, 2011, Mystery photo  
  Los Angeles Times file photo  

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details

[Update 3: This is Madeleine Carroll and her husband Philip/Phillip Astley in a photo published Nov. 7, 1936].

[Update 2: We have another mystery here. Some comments are getting lost in the ether: Mary Mallory and Bob Levinson tell me they left comments but for some reason, nothing appeared in TypePad. I have even started checking the spam filter in case something goes astray, but no luck. My apologies. If this continues I'll have to figure out some other way to handle the comments.]

[Update: Please congratulate Gerald McCann, Periwinkle, Carmen, Dewey Webb, Lee Ann, LC and Claire Lockhart for identifying our mystery guest! ]

It’s mystery time!

 

There’s a new photo on the jump!

For the record, 4:10 p.m., March 31: A previous version of this post credited Barry Levinson with identifying our mystery woman. He is Bob Levinson.]

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 53 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

  April 2, 2011, Mystery Photo  
  Los Angeles Times file photo  

[Update two: This is Mabel Todd (sometimes spelled Mable in The Times).]

[Update: Please congratulate Dewey Webb, Mike Hawks, David Thompson and Eve Golden for identifying our mystery gal! NOTE: If you submitted a comment and I haven’t posted it or given you credit, email me] 

Here’s our mystery gal!
 
There’s a new photo on the jump!

Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 19 Comments

Daily Mirror Readers — The ‘Brain Trust’

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

  2011_0405_mystery_photo  
  Los Angeles Times file photos  

  Mabel Todd  

  The back of yesterday’s photo. Notice that
there’s no publication date. Very annoying! 		 

Here’s why I call the Daily Mirror’s readers “the brain trust.” You may recall the lady on the left as yesterday’s mystery gal. Mike Hawks had identified the latest mystery guest as Mabel Todd, but when I posted yesterday’s picture he said: “That’s XXXXX! What gives?” Mary Mallory was the next to ask the same question.

Mary and I exchanged a couple of emails and she faxed me a copy of a photo with the correct identity of yesterday’s mystery woman. (In case you’re wondering how she has access to so many pictures, Mary is a photo librarian at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.)

I went downstairs, checked our photos and found another picture from the same incident, correctly identified as XXXXX (once again not dated, however!).

Which means our reigning mystery guest is the lady on the right.

Thanks Mike and Mary!

 

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 2 Comments

Jim Murray, April 5, 1961

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

 

  April 5, 1961, Alex Perez  

 

  April 5, 1961, Jim Murray  

April 5, 1961: Four years ago, Doug Ford restored the prestige of the Masters after a disastrous attempt to thin the field eliminated some of the greats of golf. Now Ford is returning to Augusta — and he needs a great deal of luck, Jim Murray says. [Golfers will know that 1961 marks Gary Player's first win at the Masters.] 

And we have another drawing by Alex Perez!

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Posted in #Jim Murray, 1961, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Sports | Comments Off on Jim Murray, April 5, 1961

Spade Cooley: ‘I’m not sure, but I think Ella Mae is dead’

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Spade Cooley, Oct. 19, 1949  
  Los Angeles Times file photo  

Oct. 15, 1949: Spade Cooley and his daughter Melody pose for a publicity photo aboard his yacht.
  April 5, 1961, Spade Cooley  

April 5, 1961: In a switch from its usual policy of keeping lurid killings off the front page, The Times puts the Spade Cooley story on Page 1 (below the fold).  
 
John, his son from a previous marriage, said: "Dad and mother had not been getting along for weeks. I don't think there was, but Dad had a fixation there was someone else. Dad has a violent temper. But he never beat me. He wouldn't try to take me on. And, as far as I know, he never harmed Melody or Donny.

"He can't be sane to have done a thing like this, can he? Do you know how she died? It was terrible, wasn't it? He just doesn't stand a ghost of a chance."

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Posted in #courts, 1961, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Music, Photography | 4 Comments

Found on EBay — ‘Headline Happy’

Posted on April 4, 2011 by lmharnisch
Florabel Muir

  Los Angeles Times file photo  
A somewhat distressed copy of “Headline Happy” by Florabel Muir  has been listed on EBay. You may recall that Muir, above, has a terrific description of the Busgy Siegel crime scene and, yes, she’s the reporter who got hit in the rear during the attempted killing of Mickey Cohen at Sherry’s in 1949. Trivia note: The Times’ only mention of Muir being shot is in a Hedda Hopper column that says Muir was sporting an “Italian sunset.”

Judging by the vendor’s description, this copy is not in pristine shape, but it’s difficult to find “Headline Happy” for less than $50 and the price (bidding starts at 50 cents) makes it sound interesting for those who are looking for a reading copy. 

ALSO

Mickey Cohen on the Daily Mirror

Florabel Muir on the Daily Mirror
Posted in 1950, books, Crime and Courts, Mickey Cohen, Zombie Reading List | Comments Off on Found on EBay — ‘Headline Happy’

Matt Weinstock, April 4, 1961

Posted on April 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

  April 4, 1961, Comics  

April 4, 1961: ONLY IN L.A. — On a recent dewy day, an ad stating "Utter-McKinley Understands" on the side of a bus had soaked through, revealing the previous ad underneath, which John Watson was delighted to observe, proclaimed that "Some Like It Hot."
 
DEAR ABBY: Will you print my letter as encouragement to women to remain true to their husbands even though they are strongly attracted to someone else? Our marriage lost its sparkle and just when our differences seemed insurmountable, a tall, dark, charming man walked into my life. He was everything my husband was not. Refined, exciting and talented. We seemed made for each other. Knowing that two families were involved (he was married) and our reputations were at stake….

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Paul Coates, April 4, 1961

Posted on April 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

  image[25]  

April 4, 1961: Paul Coates has an update on the Watts Towers. On the jump, Al Capp writes about Jim Hagerty, President Eisenhower's former press secretary, who is heading ABC's news operations. One goal is to cut 90 seconds off the weather report!
 
ALSO

The Watts Towers on the Daily Mirror

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Posted in 1961, art and artists, broadcasting, Columnists, Paul Coates, Television | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 4, 1961

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 4, 1941

Posted on April 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

  April 4, 1941, Ford Strike  

  April 4, 1941, Comics  

April 4, 1941: Lee Shippey has an item on Leland Stowe, the reporter who was the subject of a Tom Treanor column. Treanor, meanwhile, writes about Arthur Ernest Morgan, the former president of Antioch College and head of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
 
Fan magazine: Lana Turner's pet subjects are clothes, dancing, and, of course, herself. She never even gives Hitler a thought." Serves the old meanie right!

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Posted in 1941, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 4, 1941

Spade Cooley Held in Wife’s Death

Posted on April 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

Spade Cooley, Sept. 6, 1954
Los Angeles Times file photo
April 4, 1961: Western music star Donnell “Spade” Cooley is accused of killing his estranged wife, Ella Mae,  in a jealous rage after listening to tape recordings of her phone conversations about what the defense would call “a free love cult.”

I have not had much exposure to the Cooley case, which occurred in Kern County, except that James Ellroy used to talk about it all the time and it is certainly one of the notorious killings of the early 1960s.

The details of the killing are particularly gruesome and part of it was witnessed by the Cooley’s teenage daughter, Melody, so I’m a little reluctant to dredge up all the gory details. A purported affair with Roy Rogers (yes, that Roy Rogers) — which he and others denied — was also dragged into the courtroom.

It is a nasty, lurid case.

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Posted in 1961, books, Front Pages, Homicide, Music | 4 Comments

Jim Murray, April 4, 1961

Posted on April 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

  April 4, 1961, Weather Girls  

  April 4, 1961, Jim Murray  

April 4, 1961: Jockey Johnny Longden must choose between two troublesome horses for the Kentucky Derby – Flutterby or Four-and-Twenty, Jim Murray says.  [He finished seventh on Four-and-Twenty, by the way—lrh.]

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Posted in #Jim Murray, 1961, Columnists, Sports | 1 Comment