Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Bessie Lasky, Painter

Posted on March 18, 2024 by lmharnisch

bessie_lasky_painting
Bessie Lasky in her studio, courtesy of Jesse L. Lasky.com.

Note: This is an encore post from 2019.

Though overshadowed by her husband, Jesse, Bessie Lasky was as much an artist as he, a multitalented artist in many fields with some renown from the 1920s through the 1950s. Born Bessie Ginzberg April 30, 1888, in Boston, the gentle, spiritual woman earned an early education in Boston’s Sacred Heart Convent before studying at the New England Conservatory of Music with hopes of becoming a pianist.

After marrying vaudeville producer Jesse L. Lasky in 1909, however, Bessie’s life turned inward as she focused on marriage and motherhood. A shy and retiring woman, Lasky preferred the quiet and peace of her garden and home to that of the overly superficial, social, and grand world of entertainment. She spent her time playing the piano and working on poems when not gardening and taking care of home and children, enjoying the life of the mind and spirit.

Mary Mallory’s latest book, “Living With Grace: Life Lessons from America’s Princess,”  is now on sale.

Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Ask Me Anything’ on George Hodel – March 19

Posted on March 13, 2024 by lmharnisch

Reminder: Boxie (formerly Boxy) and I will be doing a live “Ask Me Anything” on George Hodel and Steve Hodel on Tuesday, March 19, at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube and Instagram.

In this session, I’ll look at the notion that the 1946 killing of Suzanne Degnan in Chicago and the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short in Los Angeles are related. This is one of Steve Hodel’s common claims, so I’ll get into who originated this crazy idea (no, it wasn’t Steve) and how Steve Hodel has pushed it.

Also a brief look at claims that George Hodel was part of a Nuclear Spy Ring. No, I am not making that up.

Can’t make the live session? Email me your questions and I’ll answer them! The video will be posted once the session ends so you can watch it later.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Pioneering Songwriter and Publisher

Posted on March 12, 2024 by lmharnisch

Carrie Jacobs Bond Songbook
As wildly popular as Taylor Swift in her day, Wisconsin born Carrie Jacobs-Bond became viral the old fashioned way, through the sale of sheet music. Several of her songs became standards employed for years for special occasions. Music wasn’t a passion, but a way to survive adverse and turbulent times, and hopefully leave life better if only for a few moments. In the process, she “sung and ‘talked’ herself into the hearts of her own American brothers and sisters from the humblest home to the White House…” per the November 5, 1908 Salem Republican.

Born August 12, 1862 in Janesville, Wisconsin to a country doctor, young Carrie Jacobs grew up a shy and sickly child enamored of reading and music, with a great ear for playing songs after one hearing. Forced to drop out of college after her father’s death, she married Edward Smith, gave birth to their son Frederick John Smith in 1882, and divorced before falling in love with doctor Frank L. Bond, marrying him June 10, 1889. While happily married, Bond struggled with debilitating rheumatism, finding some comfort performing songs she had composed in local recitals. The couple worked to better the life of all, as Bond became President of the small town of Iron River beyond his calling as a doctor. On December 3, 1895, Bond passed away, with newspapers stating he died of inflammation of the bowels. Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 11, 2024 by lmharnisch

2024_0316_main_title
This week’s mystery movie was the 1934 RKO short La Cucaracha, with Steffi Duna, Don Alvarado and Paul Porcasi.

Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Daylight Saving Time: A Reminder From Pier Angeli and the Daily Mirror

Posted on March 10, 2024 by lmharnisch

Pier Angeli

Pier Angeli and her adorable little friend remind Daily Mirror readers that Daylight Saving Time begins today and to set your clocks forward one hour. Hi Eve!!

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, March 2024

Posted on March 7, 2024 by lmharnisch

In the March 2024 Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, I talk about how Elizabeth Short got the “Black Dahlia” nickname. And no, the case wasn’t named by the newspapers, regardless of what you may read elsewhere.

Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Ida May Park Finds Direction in Films

Posted on March 7, 2024 by lmharnisch

Ida May Park, Photoplay
Ida May Park in Photoplay.

Note: This is an encore post from 2018.

Virtually forgotten today, Los Angeles-born Ida May Park earned the distinction of being one of the first women to direct feature films in early Hollywood, as well as write and produce, before being pushed aside as Wall Street money took over film production. Her long career acting on stage enhanced her film career, one in which she focused on creating strong women characters around which stories revolved.

Born December 28, 1879, to laborers Charles and Martha Park in Los Angeles, Ida seemed drawn to entertainment at a young age, appearing with the Alcazar Acting Company in San Francisco by 1897, perhaps after her family moved to Sacramento, where her father later served as a postman. Within a few years, Ida became an itinerant actor, performing with troupes around the United States.

Mary Mallory’s latest book, “Living With Grace: Life Lessons from America’s Princess,” will be released June 1.
Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 4, 2024 by lmharnisch

Main title: Lettering over parade of elephants and native dancers.
This week’s mystery movie was the 1954 Republic picture Laughing Anne, with Wendell Corey, Margaret Lockwood, Forrest Tucker and Ronald Shiner. Continue reading →

Posted in 1954, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is March 5

Posted on March 1, 2024 by lmharnisch

Reminder: Boxie (formerly Boxy) and I will be doing a live “Ask Me Anything” on the Black Dahlia case Tuesday, March 5, at 10 a.m. Pacific time, on YouTube and on Instagram. (It’s also Election Day in Los Angeles, so be sure to vote).

I’ll give an update on the book and look at the origins of Elizabeth Short’s nickname.

Can’t make the live session? Email me your questions and I’ll answer them! I’ll also get to the backlog of questions from previous sessions. The video will be posted once the session ends so you can watch it later.

Remember, this is only Black Dahlia questions. I have a separate Ask Me Anything on George Hodel on March 19, at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, February 2024

Posted on February 27, 2024 by lmharnisch

Here’s Boxie (formerly Boxy) and I with this month’s “Ask Me Anything” on George Hodel.

I responded to Steve Hodel’s bizarre “validation from beyond the grave” (law enforcement officials who, in Steve’s world, say he’s “solved” the case — all of them conveniently dead) with LAPD homicide detectives who say he’s full of it.

I also discussed: Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 26, 2024 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1940 Warner Bros. picture Father Is a Prince, with Grant Mitchell, Nana Bryant, John Litel, George Reeves, Jan Clayton and Lee Patrick.
Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , | 32 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Alhambra Promoted Through Song

Posted on February 26, 2024 by lmharnisch

AlhambraSheetM

Note: This is an encore post from 2012.

One of the all-time greatest booster campaigns led to explosive growth in the city of Los Angeles in the early 20th century. Advertisements, brochures, postcards, sheet music, all boasted of the uniqueness of this unknown urban oasis. Publicists preached the glories of the weather, land, and golden opportunities to staid, solid Midwesterners. Soon, they packed their bags and descended on the promised paradise. Tom Zimmerman, author of “Paradise Promoted,” quotes a speech by Clinton E. Miller, representative of the 1918 Los Angeles Realty Board, “Boastful advertising may bring people to a city, but it required something else to make them stay.”

Los Angeles’ booming business and residential construction infected other nearby communities itching to expand their revenues. Other cities began modeling their own efforts after that of their myth-making big brother. Santa Monica crafted a glowing campaign in 1922, drawing new residents and businessmen eager to work and live in this beachside town. Realtors expounded on the beauty and unique features of their home tracts. The city of Alhambra proposed to sell their growing community to the public as well.

Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Peter P. Jones, Pioneering Black Photographer

Posted on February 20, 2024 by lmharnisch

Booker T. Washington in coat and vest holding a book
Booker T. Washington, photographed by Peter P. Jones, Chicago, about 1910, from the Library of Congress.

During the early decades of the 1900s, few African Americans participated or worked for major moving picture studios in leading positions in front or behind the camera. In order to participate or function creatively, they were mostly forced to form their own companies. Long forgotten pioneer Peter Platenberg Jones, however was the first African American film stills photographer and studio executive at a major production studio. Respected by several major players in the film industry, he would be the only African American to serve as head of a department during the first two decades of the American film industry.

Census records provide a cloudy portrait of Jones’ early days. While records do show his parents as Louis Jones and Matilda Platenberg Jones and born in 1877, some records list his birth in Alabama, some in Michigan, and records variously list him as white, mulatto, and black. Virtually nothing exists to show his life pre-marriage 1901 to Alice Jenkins. The marriage record lists him as photographer, his profession and passion throughout his life. Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 19, 2024 by lmharnisch

2024_0224_Main_Title
This week’s mystery movie was the 1944 Twentieth Century-Fox picture The Eve of St. Mark, with Anne Baxter, William Eythe, Michael O’Shea, Vincent Price, Ruth Nelson, Ray Collins, Stanley Prager, Henry (Harry) Morgan, Robert Bailey, Joann Dolan, Toni Favor, George Mathews, John Archer, Murray Alper and Dickie Moore. Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

‘Ask Me Anything’ on George Hodel – Feb. 20

Posted on February 14, 2024 by lmharnisch

Reminder: Boxie (formerly Boxy) and I will be doing a live “Ask Me Anything” on George Hodel and Steve Hodel on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube and Instagram.

This time, I’ll deal with what I intended to discuss in the last session: Steve Hodel’s claims of “validation from beyond the grave” by conveniently dead law enforcement officials who (Steve claims) said he solved the case. And some folks who say he’s full of it.

Steve also likes to claim that Boxie was Frank Jemison’s “second set of books”; that investigator Frank Jemison was “ordered” to turn over the district attorney’s files to the LAPD, which “destroyed them” (at least in the parallel world of Steve Hodel). And that Boxie here was Jemison’s “second set” of files that he left for Steve to magically find decades later. So we’ll look at what’s in Boxie. How much actually pertains to evil genius George Hodel?

Can’t make the live session? Email me your questions and I’ll answer them! The video will be posted once the session ends so you can watch it later.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Madame Sul-Te-Wan, Pioneering Black Movie Star

Posted on February 13, 2024 by lmharnisch

madame-sul-te-wan

Often overlooked for her contribution to cinema, Nellie Conley, known onscreen as Madame Sul-Te-Wan, was the first African American signed to a film contract at a time when they possessed few rights or recognition in American society, unless they were performers or accused of crimes. She boldly put herself forward, even creating an authoritative sounding name, to give herself opportunity when little came African Americans’ way, paving the way for such wonderful performers as Hattie McDaniel and Louise Beavers. Her trailblazing tale of persistence and pride echoes even today.

Born Nellie Wan March 7, 1873 in Louisville, Kentucky to freed slaves, she gained a love of the stage when delivering laundry to stage actresses visiting town. Some of these women took an interest in helping her, watching her perform and urging Louisville’s mayor to allow her to audition for a dance contest. Unbelievably, Wan won, an auspicious start to a stage career, offering her some measure of opportunity. The African American press acknowledged her background touring in vaudeville and theatre across the Middle West and East. A Cincinnati theatre company hired as “Creole Nell,” gaining experience before forming her own African American troupe known as the Black Four Hundred and touring the country. Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 12, 2024 by lmharnisch

Main title: Letters over artwork of family mantle
This week’s mystery movie was the 1934 Warner Bros. picture Big Hearted Herbert, with Aline MacMahon, Guy Kibbee, Patricia Ellis, Helen Lowell, Phillip Reed, Robert Barrat, Henry O’Neill, Marjorie Gateson, Nella Walker, Trent Durkin, Jay Ward, Hale Hamilton and Claudia Coleman. Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, February 2024

Posted on February 6, 2024 by lmharnisch

In the February 2024 Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, I talk about Will Fowler’s book Reporters, and all the problems with his claims. Will played a minor role in the case — he was at the crime scene — but did everything in his power to insert himself as a second lead in the story. He also originated the lie that Elizabeth Short had “infantile genitalia,” which has spread all over the Internet. Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 5, 2024 by lmharnisch

Main Title: Lettering over train cars
This week’s mystery movie was the 1953 film Donovan’s Brain, with Lew Ayres, Gene Evans, Nancy Davis, Steve Brodie, Tom Powers, Lisa K. Howard, Kyle James, Victor Sutherland, Michael Colgan, Peter Adams, Harlan Warde and Shimen Ruskin. Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mabel Fairbanks, Wonder Girl of the Ice

Posted on February 5, 2024 by lmharnisch

California Eagle, Nov. 8, 1945
Mabel Fairbanks in the California Eagle, Nov. 8, 1945.

Note: This is an encore post from 2022.

Knockout African American ice skater Mabel Fairbanks wowed audiences from the 1940s through the 1960s. A true natural, she exuded joy and happiness twirling and gliding upon the ice. While extremely talented, Fairbanks was never able to develop her talents to the fullest because of prejudices of the period that prevented her from belonging to skating clubs, trying out for the United States Olympics team, or performing in major ice shows.

Fairbanks was born November 14, 1923, (per Social Security Records) in Jacksonville Florida, to a large family that struggled. By the age of eight, she was an orphan, losing her African American father and her Native American mother. Fairbanks endured racism and poverty in Florida before following an older sister to New York City in 1939 and taking a business course.

Continue reading →

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