Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on November 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 6, 2010, Mystery Photo  
  Los Angeles Times file photo  

Here’s our weekend mystery chap! This week’s mystery guest (and no, he wasn’t much of a mystery) was Michael Ansara.

There’s a new photo on the jump!

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 11 Comments

A Public Service Announcement From Pier Angeli

Posted on November 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

  pier_angeli_clock03  
  Los Angeles Times file photo  

Pier Angeli and friend remind you to turn your clocks back!

Posted in Animals, Film, Hollywood, Photography | 2 Comments

Kennedy Leads 1% in Final Poll

Posted on November 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

  image  

  Nov. 7, 1960, Cover  

Nov. 7, 1960: Ernie Bushmiller is almost never topical – in fact it would be easy to transpose panels of “Nancy” from one decade to another. But here’s Sluggo, dressed in his outfit from the 1930s, commenting on the 1960 presidential race.

The Gallup Poll gives Sen. John F. Kennedy a slight edge … and The Times runs a Page 1 editorial by

Publisher Norman Chandler urging readers to vote for Vice President Richard Nixon: “Tuesday you will cast a ballot for the next president of the United States. Will it be marked by you as a thinking American — or as the spellbound fan of a current television personality?”

And here’s a real surprise. The Times suspends “Rex Morgan, M.D.” at the request of a family whose child has leukemia because the cartoon’s plot line deals with the disease.   

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Found on EBay – Bullock’s Collegienne

Posted on November 6, 2010 by lmharnisch

bullocks_collegienne_sweater_ebay bullocks_collegienne_sweater_ebay_label

This sweater from Bullock’s Collegienne department has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $12.99.
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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 6, 1940

Posted on November 6, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 6, 1940, Roosevelt Reelected  

Nov. 6, 1940: Roosevelt is elected for a third term. Once again, we find that election results undercut the purported influence of The Times’ political endorsements: Wendell Willkie for president (defeated); and incumbent Dist. Atty. Buron Fitts (defeated by John F. Dockweiler). In the seven out of eight local congressional races in which The Times made endorsements, only three candidates backed by The Times were elected.

Wot's this about a political biggie offering to "get Jimmy Stewart out of the draft" — and Jimmy threatening to knock his block off, Jimmie Fidler says. 

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Kennedy-Nixon Race an End to the Era of ‘Great Men’

Posted on November 6, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 6, 1960, Bill Henry  

Nov. 6, 1960: I rarely, if ever, post Bill Henry’s columns because they are usually not terribly relevant or interesting. This one is a surprise, however, and well worth reading.

“Dwight David Eisenhower, whose comparatively youthful successor will be named come Tuesday, will certainly have one outstanding distinction: He will go down in history as the last 'Great Man' to be elected president of the United States. There are no more 'great' men and there never will be. Pitiless publicity has ruthlessly eliminated this breed….

“The persistent probing of reporters and the vastly widened scope of coverage by newspapers, magazines, radio and TV have stripped candidates naked. No longer could Harry Truman get away with his endless poker parties or FDR spend a dozen years in the White House and die with thousands and thousands of Americans unaware that he couldn't walk. Nowadays, the candidates have no secrets whatever….”

Posted in Columnists, JFK, Politics, Richard Nixon | 1 Comment

Found at Auction — ‘Bride of Frankenstein’

Posted on November 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

 

Bride Frankenstein Poster I usually don’t feature anything from Heritage Auction Galleries, but this item caught my eye. The gallery says it’s a one-sheet from the 1935 release of “The Bride of Frankenstein,” from the collection of Todd Feiertag. The current bid is $375,000 with a buyer's premium of $448,125. As with anything sold online, an item and the vendor should be thoroughly evaluated before submitting a bid.
Posted in art and artists, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Mack Sennett, Ward Bond Die, Nov. 5, 1960

Posted on November 5, 2010 by lmharnisch
 

Nov. 5, 1960, Comics

 

Nov. 5, 1960: Paul Coates reports on a little war over press releases on the upcoming John Wayne film “The Alamo” …. Matt Weinstock writes that CBS-TV is having problems with the IBM RAMAC 305 it's using for election night results because Lyndon Johnson is running for Senate and vice president.

DEAR ABBY: I am an "old-timer" who has started to work with young people on a volunteer basis. I was shocked to discover how many of our children can't read or spell. Some of my youngsters are in the eighth grade and their writing is so poor you can't read it. Their imaginations are overdeveloped but when it comes to reading, writing and 'rithmetic, the are lost. What's wrong with our educational system, I wonder?

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 5, 1940

Posted on November 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 5, 1940, Voting  

  image  

Nov. 5, 1940: CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNIQUE to Carole Lombard: Don't you think publicity about your farm life is being overdone? Your fans would much rather picture you in sables at Ciro's than in gingham milking a cow, Jimmie Fidler says.

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Movieland Mystery Photo — Updated

Posted on November 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 1, 2010, Mystery Photo  
  Los Angeles Times file photo  

Here’s this week’s mystery guest!

Last week’s mystery guest was William Desmond Taylor! The weekend mystery guest was Gloria Blondell!

There's a new photo on the jump!

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography | 79 Comments

Lakers Playing to Empty Seats

Posted on November 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 5, 1960, Lakers  

Nov. 5, 1960: Don Page was worried about the Lakers. No one was watching.

"Bigger crowds have watched knitting tournaments than have viewed the Lakers thus far," wrote Page, The Times' radio columnist.

He blamed the lack of a consistent radio schedule for part of the team's problem. According to Page, the Lakers sought more for radio rights than did the Rams, then a popular draw in Los Angeles.

Page also noted that the Lakers' next game would be on television but not in Los Angeles. It probably didn't help that they were playing a home game at a college gym, at Los Angeles State College.

–Keith Thursby

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Woman’s Mutilated Body Buried in Backyard, 1910

Posted on November 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Sept. 28, 1910, Abortion  

  Setp. 24, 1910, Eva Swan  

  Sept. 25, 1910, Eva Swan  
  Eva Swan in the San Francisco Call  

Sept. 24-Nov. 5, 1910: Newspapers of the era are full of stories about a particularly grotesque case involving San Francisco stenographer Eva Swan, who lingered more than 10 days before dying of an abortion. Her body was buried in the backyard of a vacant home and was discovered by police acting on a tip from a disgruntled employee of Robert Thompson, who called himself Dr. James Grant.

On the jump, the confession of the nurse, Marie Messerschmidt, from the San Francisco Call. Thompson was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

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Found on EBay – B.H. Dyas

Posted on November 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

dyas_boots_ebay dyas_boots_ebay_label

A pair of boots from the B.H. Dyas sporting goods store in Los Angeles has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $50.
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Matt Weinstock, Nov. 4, 1960

Posted on November 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
 

  Nov. 4, 1960, Comics    

Nov. 4, 1960: Matt Weinstock explores the new Hall of Administration in search of the press room … and gets lost.

DEAR ABBY: I am the mother of five grown children. Each has made me a grandma many times. My son had four children. His wife got involved with another man (married) and bore him a child, but my son continues to live with her because of their other children. She says she is ashamed and sorry, but we are heartbroken. My problem is that my income is small. I always remember my grandchildren on Christmas and their birthdays. Should I, knowing this child is nothing to me, give him a birthday and Christmas gift?

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Paul Coates, Nov. 4, 1960

Posted on November 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

 

 
 

  Nov. 4, 1960, Cover  

Nov. 4, 1960: Paul Coates digs into his mailbox and comes up with items on Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.

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Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 4, 1940

Posted on November 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 4, 1940, Closest Race Since 1916  
  Nov. 4, 1940, B-Girl Slayer  

Nov. 4, 1940: Friends who accompanied Dolores Del Rio to the station when she left for Mexico City the other day are chuckling about a last-minute chat between the star and her press agent, Jimmie Fidler says. 

"Now please," urged the p.a. "if there is a crowd at the train to meet you and photographers want to make pictures, take time out for them."

"I know there will be a crowd at the station," answered Dolores quite seriously, "because my 400 cousins always meet me!"

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Kennedy Leads Nixon in Gallup Poll

Posted on November 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 4, 1960, Kennedy  
  Los Angeles Times file photo  

  Nov. 5, 1960, Nixon Editorial  

Nov. 4, 1960: John F. Kennedy makes a campaign appearance in Amarillo, Texas, and The Times publishes a Page 1 editorial backing Richard Nixon.

On the jump, the latest Gallup Poll, conducted in late October,  finds likely voters shifting to Kennedy-Johnson 51%-45% over Nixon-Lodge.

"As far as attitudes toward the man are concerned, it may be that the series of four TV debates has been a decisive factor in the 1960 campaign," George Gallup wrote.

"The sentiment among those who watched the debates was that Kennedy did a better job. In addition, during the period in which the four debates were conducted, enthusiasm for Nixon fell off."

Also on the jump, introducing the vice president at a rally at the Pan-Pacific Auditorium: Nixon Democrat Ronald Reagan.

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Matt Weinstock, Nov. 3, 1960

Posted on November 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
 

  Nov. 3, 1960, Comics  

Nov. 3, 1960: Guess what jazz drummer Shelley Manne is calling his new Hollywood nightclub, Matt Weinstock says.

CONFIDENTIAL TO HANSEN: Experience is the comb that nature gives to bald men. Live a little.

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Paul Coates, Nov. 3, 1960

Posted on November 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
 

  Nov. 3, 1960, Cover  

Nov. 3, 1960: Paul Coates has the story of John Resko, who was sent to prison for killing a man but eventually rebuilt his life as an artist.

Also on the jump, Earl Wilson on Marilyn Monroe and “The Misfits.”

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L.A. Team Seeks Manager

Posted on November 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
 

  Nov. 3, 1960, Al Haney  

Nov. 3, 1960: So who will manage Los Angeles' American League team?

The Times already suggested former Yankees manager Casey Stengel as a top candidate and now reported that another veteran manager, Fred Haney, didn't want the job.

Haney was most recently the Milwaukee Braves' manager and formerly ran the Hollywood Stars (yes, he ran a baseball team wearing shorts back in the days the Hollywood Stars wore those ridiculous uniforms).

Haney wanted no part of an expansion team—he was quite happy working as a broadcaster.

Of course, Haney would have a role in the American League team. But several things had to happen first.

–Keith Thursby

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