| Larry Harnisch Reflects on L.A. History

Kidnappers Threaten to Kill U.S. Diplomat; Angels Blank Chisox

Posted on September 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sept. 5, 1969: "Communist terrorists who kidnapped U.S. ambassador Charles Burke Elbrick Thursday and demanded that Brazil release 15 political prisoners as the price for his life said he would be 'executed' within 48 hours … if the government failed to comply." In the end, the prisoners were flown to Mexico and Elbrick was freed … and a nondupe on strained racial relations in the military.

"A white boy will dance with a Negro girl and nothing will be said," says David Wingate, a retired Marine gunnery sergeant now living
in Oceanside. "But the moment a black boy dances with a white girl, the situation changes 180 degrees. There are not enough Negro girls here for the black guys."

"Condominium manors" at Rossmoor Leisure World.

"A Mexican-American Looks at Himself." It would be interesting to know more about the show.

"There are some guys who are 'sorta' militant — both black and white — and then you run into some guys who are OK. They get along, but it's the feeling on the inside that you don't know."

Tobacco companies cancel their ads in the New York Times over a requirement that they carry a warning. Notice the spelling "cigaret."

"It Was Sort of — Ugh — Creepy!"

The struggling Angels already were talking about next season and what trades they could make.

Of course, they were mostly talking nonsense.

The Times published a story suggesting that the Angels' best
pitcher, Andy Messersmith, could be traded for Boston's Carl
Yastrzemski, who won the Triple Crown in 1967 and was headed to a
40-home run season in 1969. One call to Boston should have made this a
non-story.

"Our most saleable items are our young pitchers," General Manager
Dick Walsh told Al Carr, who noted that with the Angels 25 games out of
first place, "no one on the club was untouchable."

You think?

Yaz stayed in Boston, hit .329 with 40 more home runs in 1970 and finished in the Hall of Fame.

Messersmith won 20 games for the Angels in 1971 and eventually was
sent to the Dodgers in a huge deal that included Frank Robinson
and Bobby Valentine coming to Anaheim.

–Keith Thursby

Posted in art and artists, Comics, Front Pages, health, Sports | 1 Comment

Woman Uses Movie Star’s Photo in Lonely Hearts Ad

Posted on September 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sept.
5, 1919: "Wonder What a Girl in the Chorus Thinks About" by Clare Briggs.

Fay Tincher and the Christie Film Co. sue Henry Jahn, publisher of a matrimonial newspaper, and Ethel Smith, accusing her of using Tincher's picture with her ad for a husband.

Posted in #courts, art and artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off

Police Captain Found Not Guilty of Corruption

Posted on September 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sept.
5, 1909: Etiwanda Vineyards. You get the profit — We do the work.

Capt. Thomas H. Broadhead is found not guilty of taking a $1,000 bribe for protection in the red light district. Even so, the Police Commission dismissed him from the Police Department on Sept. 30, 1909.

Jan. 25, 1954: Former Chief Thomas H. Broadhead's obituary.

Posted in #courts, Food and Drink, LAPD, Obituaries | Comments Off

Artist’s Notebook — Santa Monica/Malibu

Posted on September 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

Santa Monica/Malibu by Marion Eisenmann, Aug. 30, 2009

Wildfires burning out of control in the mountains north of the city might be churning clouds of smoke over the simmering Los Angeles Basin, but rather than stay indoors, many people are still heading to the beach.

I had an appointment in Santa Monica on Saturday morning at 9, and even at that hour, traffic on the westbound 10 was heavy with vehicles of all kinds carrying a surfboard or two on the roof. I never thought of a shiny, black Lincoln Town Car with vanity plates as a surf wagon, but I saw one with a board on top headed for the coast.

My first glimpse of the ocean is always the gray horizon at Pico and Main. Down Main a block or two, I hit the brakes as a young man with a wax-encrusted board darted across the street, only half-aware of traffic, with his gaze fixed toward the bay. The young woman with him, carrying a mat, trailed a few steps behind.

Marion says: The beach was busy, and even here people were still concerned about the air they are breathing these days. It was really just an escape from smoky Pasadena.

By the way, Daily Mirror readers have asked about buying copies of Marion's artwork. Naturally, this is gratifying because I think Marion's work is terrific, and one of my great pleasures is sharing it with readers every week. We have decided that the project is a journey about discovering Los Angeles rather than creating things to sell. Marion is busy with other projects and says she isn't set up to mass-produce prints but would entertain inquiries about specific pieces. For further information, contact Marion directly.

Note: In case you just tuned in, Marion and I are visiting local landmarks in a project inspired by what Charles Owens and Joe Seewerker did in Nuestro Pueblo. Check back next week for another page from Marion's notebook.

Posted in art and artists, Marion Eisenmann, Nuestro Pueblo | Comments Off

Found on EBay — 1907 Shriners’ Convention

Posted on September 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

The 1907 Shriners' convention in Los Angeles generated an incredible amount of souvenirs, mostly pins and badges, glassware and ceramics. This is the first time I have seen a piece of music written for the event. "The Los Angeles Pilgrimage March" by Herman Bellstedt has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $14.95.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Matt Weinstock, Sept. 4, 1959

Posted on September 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

Matt Weinstock is on vacation.

Posted in Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off

September 4, 1959: Paul V. Coates — Confidential File

Posted on September 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

September 4, 1959: Paul Coates has the story of Lily Goldberg, who refused to believe that her son Gerald was guilty of writing bad checks, despite witnesses' identification and testimony by a handwriting expert.

Posted in Columnists, Paul Coates | Comments Off

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movies

Posted on September 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sept. 4, 1922:
Cecil B. De Mille's "Manslaughter" is at Grauman's Rialto, and Gloria Swanson stars in "Her Gilded Cage" at Grauman's Million-Dollar Theatre.

Posted in Film, Hollywood | Comments Off

Movie Star Mystery Photo

Posted on September 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo

Update: Renzo Cesana in a publicity photo for "The Continental" radio show, Feb. 5, 1951.

Update: Don't be afraid, darling. It's only Renzo Cesana!

Just
a reminder on how this works: I post the mystery photo on Monday and
reveal the answer on Friday … or on Saturday if I have a hard time
picking only five pictures; sometimes it's difficult to choose. To keep
the mystery photo from getting lost in the other entries, I move it
from Monday to Tuesday to Wednesday, etc., adding a photo every day.

I
have to approve all comments, so if your guess is posted immediately,
that means you're wrong. (And if a wrong guess has already been
submitted by someone else, there's no point in submitting it again.)

If
you're right, you will have to wait until Friday. There's no need to
submit your guess five times. Once is enough. The only prize is
bragging rights.

The answer to last week's mystery star: LeRoy Prinz!

Los Angeles Times file photo

Update, Renzo Cesana, Jan. 28, 1952.

Here's another picture of our elegant mystery guest. Please congratulate Mike Hawks, Herb Nichols, Laura fan Waldo Lydecker (who even quoted some dialogue!) and Richard Heft for identifying him!

Los Angeles Times file photo

Update: Renzo Cesana with Ingrid Bergman in Roberto Rossellini's "Stromboli." Cesana was hired as a writer for the film, then pressed into service as a dialogue coach and finally was cast as a priest.

Here's our mystery guest with a (not very) mysterious companion. Please congratulate Flo Myers and Dewey Webb for identifying him!

Los Angeles Times file photo

Update: Renzo Cesana, March 20, 1952.

Here's another photo of our mystery guest, with the background painted out by The Times' art department. That's some outfit, eh?

Please congratulate Megan, Earl Boebert, "Dr. Fudd," Diane Ely, D Celle, Nick Santa Maria, Allison Berntsen, Rogét-L.A. and Mary Mallory for identifying him!

Los Angeles Times file photo

Renzo Cesana, Sept. 21, 1961. Please congratulate Barry O'Brien for identifying him!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | 35 Comments

4 Children Hurt in Runaway by Frightened Horse

Posted on September 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sept. 4, 1919: "Somebody Is Always Taking the Joy Out of Life" by Clare Briggs (1875-1930). I would imagine the anti-union message resonated with The Times' editorial policy.

Turner Hall at 321 S. Main St. becomes the Los Angeles Men's Club, a "dry saloon" mainly for servicemen returning from World War I … A horse frightened by a piece of paper runs away with a wagon that is "smashed to splinters" at Alameda Street and Florence Avenue, injuring four young passengers.

Posted in 1919, Animals, Architecture, art and artists, Downtown, Food and Drink | Comments Off

Officer Finds Interesting ‘Pet’

Posted on September 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sept. 4, 1909: Times artist Edmund Waller "Ted" Gale draws J.P. Burns. Note Miss Los Angeles. In later cartoons, Gale drew her like this:

March 19, 1933: "Fair and Hot Under the Collar."

A police officer finds an interesting animal on his beat at 5th and Los Angeles streets and sells it to an Asian doctor, not realizing that it was poisonous … Speaking of found objects, the police would like to hear from the owner of a splendid artificial leg. Evidently, the man used his peg leg during the week and kept his "cork leg" for Sundays.

Posted in Animals, art and artists, Downtown, Fashion, health, LAPD | Comments Off

Found on EBay — Bullock’s Wilshire

Posted on September 3, 2009 by lmharnisch

A very classy menu from the Tea Room at Bullock's Wilshire, dated Oct. 24, 1946, has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $6.99.

Posted in art and artists, Fashion, Food and Drink | Comments Off

Matt Weinstock, Sept. 3, 1959

Posted on September 3, 2009 by lmharnisch

Matt Weinstock is on vacation.

Posted in Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off

September 3, 1959: Paul V. Coates — Confidential File

Posted on September 3, 2009 by lmharnisch

September 3, 1959: Former Gov. Goodwin Knight is reinventing himself as a TV commentator, Paul Coates says. A letter writer tells Dear Abby that their trash can is loaded with empty beer cans every morning because of a neighbor who knocks back a case every night and doesn't want the garbage man to know.

Posted in Columnists, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your President’s Recreation

Posted on September 3, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sept. 3, 1921: President Harding's golf balls were marked with 13 stars and his initials, and they were collectible even in 1921.

Posted in #games, Politics, Sports | Comments Off

Freed U.S. Troops Describe Enemy Torture; Dodgers Lose to Mets

Posted on September 3, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sept. 3, 1969: Ho Chi Minh is gravely ill — in fact, he's dead … the Massachusetts Supreme Court postpones an inquest in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne … searchers in the Holy Land find the wallet and passport of Dr. James A. Pike, former Episcopal bishop of California … and a nondupe by Noel Greenwood!

A Navy pilot and a Navy postal clerk freed by the North Vietnamese describe being tortured. The men told about "prisoners kept in cages, of men hung in straps, of others whose fingernails were removed. They described solitary confinement and poor medical treatment."

"Are broken bones and solitary confinement humane? Navy Lt. Robert F. Frishman of Long Beach asked. "Is sitting on a hot stool in a hot room with no sleep with mosquitoes biting you until you make a lousy statement humane? I know what it's like. In two days your feet swell up and then it moves up your legs until they are numb. Weather and your physical condition are the determining factors on how long you can last. Some can go on for 150 hours. Others pass out from heat exhaustion in 48."

"The Italian Job" starts today!

Ranch hand Beverly Chandler "is cute as all get-out and as strong as a heifer." By a woman writer!

"Marriage doesn't hold much for me yet, because I don't lack for excitement around here. But mom says I'll be married to a rancher someday and I suppose I will," Chandler says.

One panel that will never appear in the legacy version of "Dennis the Menace."

Willie Davis hit his way into the Dodger record book, batting safely in 30 consecutive games.

That broke the Dodger record set in 1916 by Zach Wheat, who was 81
in 1969 and had sent Davis a good-luck telegram. It also was one game
closer to the National League record of 37 games by Tommy Holmes of the
Braves in 1945. The Times didn't even mention Joe DiMaggio's 56-game
streak.

Davis didn't get a hit with the game on the line and the Dodgers
lost to the Mets, 5-4. "I got my hit at the wrong time," he said. The
Dodgers' center fielder came up in 1960 and was with the team through
1973. He went to Montreal in a trade for reliever Mike Marshall, then
bounced to Texas, St. Louis and finally the Angels.

As for Wheat, he told the Dodgers' Red Patterson that his streak
should have reached 41 games but he "was robbed of a hit by the
first-base umpire. I still remember it."

Being on the Dodgers meant there was more than baseball–you could
be on TV! Here's a '60s classic with Willie Davis watching Mr. Ed's
tryout at Dodger Stadium.

During his playing days, O.J. Simpson also received star treatment in the papers.

The Buffalo Bills' rookie was heading back to L.A. to play the Rams
and said all the right things during an interview with Mal Florence.

" 'I'm really looking forward to it,' said Simpson, making no effort
to conceal his enthusiasm. 'In fact everyone on the Buffalo team is
looking forward to it. War Memorial Stadium is OK, but there's nothing
like the Coliseum. It's synonymous with football. I know I won't have
much time there but I still hope to see my friends and get over to USC
and visit with the team."

It's hard to find profiles of Simpson from this era that don't include his comments about his plans after football.

"Someday when I retire, I want to come back to L.A. and be just
another USC alum–taking in those football games at the Coliseum on
Saturday afternoons."

–Keith Thursby