Mayor asks FBI to help study of LAPD, Reds beat Pirates, August 16, 1938

Posted on August 16, 2008 by lmharnisch


 
Standard gas station service--check your tires--and there are always clean restrooms
FBI to join efficiency study of LAPD Dropcap_l_kiddo os Angeles Mayor Frank Shaw invites J. Edgar Hoover to join the city’s efficiency study of the Police Department … Donald Dodge, 21, heir to the automaker’s fortune, drowns while being taken to a hospital after he was injured while examining a stick of dynamite. Dodge was lying in a speedboat and abruptly jumped into Georgian Bay … Lupe Velez and Johnny Weissmuller are splitsville.

On the jump, Nazi Germany conducts war games … And in sports, the Angels will play the Padres in the "World War" series.

Lupe Velez and Johnny Weissmuller get divorced Angels play the Padres

Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, LAPD, Sports | Comments Off on Mayor asks FBI to help study of LAPD, Reds beat Pirates, August 16, 1938

UCLA Coach Red Sanders Dies, August 15, 1958

Posted on August 15, 2008 by lmharnisch






UCLA football coach Red sanders, 1954

Los Angeles Times file photo



UCLA coach Red Sanders "shows his tailbacks the way he wants them to throw a pass" before the Bruins play Stanford. Published in The Times, Oct. 13, 1954

Red_sanders_plaque_1959_1117_ray_gr
Photograph by Ray Graham / Los Angeles Times

Ann Sanders unveils the bronze plaque at the Coliseum honoring her late husband. At left, George Kinsey, vice president of the Coliseum Commission, and William Young, UCLA vice chancellor, Nov. 17, 1959.




UCLA football coach Red Sanders dies
UCLA football pictures
UCLA coach Red Sanders dies
Red Sanders death stuns UCLA

By Keith Thursby


Times staff writer



Red Sanders was the first Wizard of Westwood.



Since coming to UCLA in 1949, he had transformed the football team into a national power with three league titles in consecutive seasons, two Rose Bowl appearances and the first undefeated season in school history. When he died of a heart attack at 53, The Times responded with a series of stories that showed a lot about the coach and the way newspapers approached star sports personalities during that era.



I was struck by the personal nature of the coverage. Sports Editor Paul Zimmerman, getting reaction from the nation’s top coaches, told of a fishing trip he took with Sanders. The Times’ Dick Hyland, in a story about Sanders’ widow, wrote about the details of Sanders’ living room.



"It is said that you can tell how a man thinks by what he reads. On Red Sanders’ shelves were such titles as Sandberg’s ‘Abraham Lincoln’; volumes of Kipling; the works of Plato; ‘The Blue and the Gray,’ a great Civil War history; ‘The Jacksonians,’ Stanton Coblenz’s ‘From Arrow to Tomb.’"



Ned Cronin wrote about the impossible task ahead for UCLA Athletic Director Wilbur Johns, who needed to find a coach so close to the start of the season while the community mourned. "It takes a long while to recover from the effects of the shock," Cronin wrote. "A shattering blow not only to me, for I regarded Red Sanders as one of my closest and dearest friends."



It was also a little jarring to read that famous football quote–"Winning’s not the main thing, it’s the only thing"–without any reference to Packers Coach Vince Lombardi, who was famous for saying it. Because Sanders said it first. The Times’ Al Wolf suggested he said it "presumably in jest but actually kidding on the square."



The Times published an editorial on Sanders the following day, calling him a man of "great tensions, driven by some urge to perfection that nobody, probably, could analyze. Sometimes he wound the string so taut that it broke with spectacular side results. It is not surprising, really, that such a man should die at 53. A heart is a heart."



keith.thursby@latimes.com

ps. from Larry Harnisch:

Take a look at the What’s Bruin post on Red Sanders from August 2007, "August 14, 1958: The saddest date in UCLA football history."
Red Sanders death stuns UCLA Death of football coach Red Sanders stuns UCLA


Posted in Sports | 5 Comments

Los Angeles–water and power, Nuestro Pueblo, August 15, 1938

Posted on August 15, 2008 by lmharnisch


Los Angeles water and power


   

Posted in Nuestro Pueblo, Science | Comments Off on Los Angeles–water and power, Nuestro Pueblo, August 15, 1938

Engineer Bill plays ‘Red Light, Green Light’

Posted on August 14, 2008 by lmharnisch




Return to the days of the “Get Well Bell” with a clip of the late William “Engineer Bill” Stulla. Pour yourself a glass of milk and be careful not to spill! And be sure to close the refrigerator door, engineers. “On the green light, you go. On the red light, you stop. For no engineer will ever run on a red light.”Below, a story about a 1976 reunion of Sheriff John Rovick, Engineer Bill Stulla, Jimmy “Webster Webfoot” Weldon, Skipper Frank Herman, Vance Colvig and Walker Edmiston.
Posted in #games, broadcasting, Front Pages, Television | 18 Comments

Dodgers change game time, August 14, 1958

Posted on August 14, 2008 by lmharnisch




Dodgers change game time to 4 p.m.
By Keith Thursby
Times staff writer

Baseball or the beach?

The
Dodgers changed the starting time of three day games from 1:30 to 4
p.m. and said they were trying to make their fans happier.

"We
have received complaints from fans who said that they would like to go
to the beach and the ballgame but can’t do both," General Manager
Buzzie Bavasi said. "We also realize that it’s uncomfortable for the
fans, sitting in the sun in an uncovered stadium."

Maybe that’s the real reason so many people bring beach balls to baseball games.

keith.thursby@latimes.com

Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Sports | 2 Comments

Dodgers rehire Alston, August 14 1958

Posted on August 14, 2008 by lmharnisch




Dodgers rehire Walt Alston for another year, August 14, 1958
By Keith Thursby
Times staff writer

The Dodgers decided
their disappointing first season in Los Angeles shouldn’t be blamed on
Manager Walt Alston and rehired him for the 1959 season.

The
Times’ Frank Finch reported that the announcement "was met by a
spontaneous burst of applause from press and radio representatives"
attending the news conference.

"Alston can’t think, hit, throw
or run for his players," General Manager Buzzie Bavasi said. "He has
managed in our organization for 14 years and never finished worse than
third. I believe he is entitled to one bad year."

The Times had
reported the Dodgers’ faith in Alston earlier in the season when owner
Walter O’Malley backed the manager during an interview in Brooklyn (of
all places). But the paper had also spectulated about a replacement. On
Aug. 2, the Times’ Al Wolf suggested that Yankees Manager Casey Stengel
might leave New York to take over the Dodgers.

Bavasi said he "didn’t even ask Alston if he wanted to manage our club next year. I just assumed he did."

Looking
back, of course, the decision was genius. A year later, Alston would be
leading the team into the World Series where they would defeat the
Chicago White Sox.  Alston would end up in the Hall of Fame. Nice hire.

keith.thursby@latimes.com
Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Sports | Comments Off on Dodgers rehire Alston, August 14 1958

Actress attempts suicide at home of movie star, August 1958

Posted on August 14, 2008 by lmharnisch

She was the fifth Mrs. Mickey Rooney, between Elaine Mahnken (No. 4, 5 1/2 years) and Margaret “Margie” Lane (No. 6, 104 days). She’s the one who was shot to death by her crazy boyfriend. But I’m getting ahead of the story.

Her name was Barbara and at 17, she was Miss Muscle Beach, Miss Surfestival and Miss Bay Beach for 1954. The Times noted her “winning measurements, which pleased the judges” as 5-3, 120 pounds, 36-21-35.

By 1958, she was sharing a place at 1436 Laurel Ave., with Pat Landers, a nightclub singer, and as Carolyn Mitchell had appeared in two Roger Corman pictures, “Dragstrip Riot,” featuring Fay Wray, and “The Cry Baby Killer,” starring Jack Nicholson.

Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Suicide | Comments Off on Actress attempts suicide at home of movie star, August 1958

Movie star photo mystery

Posted on August 13, 2008 by lmharnisch




 
2008_august_11_mystery_photo

Los Angeles Times file photo


Who is this week’s star? Hint: She’s was better known on the stage than in pictures.

2008_0812_mystery_photo
Los Angeles Times file photo

No correct guesses so far. Here’s another clew.

2008_0813_mystery_photo
Photograph by the Los Angeles Times

And another clew. Isn’t that a great railing?
2008_0714_mystery_picture_2
About this mystery picture. Nobody guessed who the artist was, so here it is for another 15 minutes of fame. There were some great guesses but, alas, none of them was right.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Stage | 27 Comments

Dodgers, the next generation, August 13, 1958

Posted on August 13, 2008 by lmharnisch




Dodgers evaluate young talent from the farm teams
By Keith Thursby

Times staff writer

Found a fun story looking at many of the minor leaguers who would soon
be ready to take their places with the Dodgers. With the 1958 team
struggling, the Times’ Ned Cronin interviewed longtime Dodger executive
Fresco Thompson about the team’s prospects.

"If the veterans can’t get the job done there are a lot of pretty fair
ballplayers standing around begging for a chance to show what they can
do," said Thompson, described by Cronin as "the acute head of the
Dodger farm system and one of the most intelligent men in the entire
organization."

Some of the names listed are familiar to Dodger fans–Ron Fairly, Tommy
Davis and Frank Howard. There are two future Hall of Fame managers in
Tom Lasorda (spelled La Sorda in the Times’ story) and George "Sparky"
Anderson. And there are names that, well, I have no clue about.

Jim Harwell? Thompson said he "was pitching American Legion ball this
time last year. We’re pretty high on this kid."  Al Norris? Thompson
said he had good power.

Earl Robinson, a third baseball signed out of Cal, was also mentioned.
I found his stats on baseball-reference.com and learned he made it to
the Dodgers for eight games in 1968. He was sold to Baltimore in 1960
and played there in 1961, ’62 and ’64.

keith.thursby@latimes.com



   

Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Sports | 1 Comment

Marines leave Lebanon, president seeks Middle East peace, August 13, 1958

Posted on August 13, 2008 by lmharnisch
California leads the nation in alcoholism, study finds

 
President to announce Middle East peace plan at United Nations

Cubs win over Dodgers

This dropcap is from a 1904 ad for Baker Iron Works e lead the nation in alcoholism, according to The Times’ Harry Nelson. You can just call California "the intoxicated state." But 25.73 gallons of alcohol for every resident age 15 and older? Wow.

President Eisenhower will address the U.N. General Assembly with a plan for peace in the Middle East. Sources say Eisenhower is going to request a permanent U.N. peacekeeping force in the Mideast.

Meanwhile, 1,700 Marines leave Lebanon, but 13,000 Marines and Army troops remain, The Times says … The mushroom cloud from the test of an atomic warhead over Johnston Island is visible more than 700 miles away in Hawaii … And 31 juveniles are arrested on charges of curfew violations after officers raid a drag race set up at 5th Avenue and the Anaheim-Puente Road in San Dimas. The officers hoped to catch the racers in action, but were seen by lookouts, The Times says.

In sports, the Cubs beat the Dodgers, 9-3, at the Coliseum … Defensive end Paul Miller is diagnosed with a slipped disc, ending his season with the Rams.  The Times’ Cal Whorton says Miller may never play football again. In fact, Miller returned in 1960 to play for two years for the American Football League’s Dallas Texans, who traded him to the New York Titans.


Posted in #games, Dodgers, Front Pages, LAPD, Sports | Comments Off on Marines leave Lebanon, president seeks Middle East peace, August 13, 1958

History mystery–photo detective

Posted on August 12, 2008 by lmharnisch


 
Spring Street, Main Street and Temple, Los Angeles, California

I was going through The Times’ photos of Spring Street and became rather irked that someone labeled this image in grease pencil. This is the intersection of Main, Temple and Spring before Spring was realigned.   

A mysterious inscription

Then I noticed this inscription on the back. Most of it was illegible, but I could make out "demolished by runaway team." A mystery!

Mystery of old Los Angeles solved

Voila! The Newmark Fountain!

 
 
Los Angeles Times praises donor's generosity This dropcap is from Tarzan he Newmark Fountain was a minor landmark in downtown Los Angeles between  1882 and 1892. At left, The Times praised developer Harris Newmark &Co. for its generosity.

Driving cattle and sheep through the streets of Los Angeles may be banned

I love this 1882 story! The council tables a law to regulate driving cattle and sheep through the city.

Drinking fountain has naked woman

The fountain was 7 feet, 1 and 1/2 inches tall, topped by a "beautiful female figure."

Los Angeles firefighters pull prank on drinking fountain

Actually, it was a naked female figure, which prompted a prank by Los Angeles firefighters.

Drinking fountain destroyed in crash
 In 1892, the fountain was destroyed in a
spectacular accident in which a runaway team of four horses belonging to D.F. Donegan raced down
Temple Street. One horse was killed instantly and another had to be shot,
The Times said. D.F. Donegan was a major city contractor who owned a
large stable that was often cited for poor conditions. The city tried
to collect damages for the fountain and Donegan filed a counterclaim
for the cost of the dead horses, saying that the fountain was an
obstacle in the street.

In November 1893, Donegan finally
agreed to replace the fountain. "It is a handsome piece of work and an
ornament to the section of the city in which it is erected," The Times
said.

Did the person who made the notation on the back of the photo actually witness the accident? We can only wonder.

Bonus fact: As far as I can determine, Sand Street vanished long ago, but intersected with Broadway north of Temple at the southern entrance of the Broadway tunnel, which has also disappeared.

Posted in Architecture, art and artists, Downtown, Transportation | 7 Comments

Japan, Russia stop border war, Angels win 5-2, August 11, 1938

Posted on August 11, 2008 by lmharnisch


 
Nazi Germany offers Japan moral support

This cartoon refers to Nazi Germany’s decision to offer Japan nothing but moral support in its war with Russia. Many more Axis caricatures are ahead.

 
Recall election may be illegal, court battle likely

 Attorney Frank P. Doherty says the recall election seeking to remove Mayor Frank Shaw may be illegal because of problems with the petitions that were filed … "Los Angeles is getting a bad name in the West by reason of the frequency and ease with which recall elections are obtained against public officials," Doherty says, quoting unidentified business leaders.

Below left, The Times writes a second editorial against the recall … And in sports, the Los Angeles Angels beat the Hollywood Stars in the second game of the "Civil War" series.

Recall election is unwise, Los Angeles Times says Angels win over Hollywood Stars
Posted in #courts, @news, City Hall, Front Pages, Politics, Sports | Comments Off on Japan, Russia stop border war, Angels win 5-2, August 11, 1938

Dog IQ test, August 10, 1958

Posted on August 10, 2008 by lmharnisch

August 10, 1958: Doggie IQ Test

How smart is your dog? Read the Gettysburg Address to your faithful friend and find out. No, I mean it!

Answers below. No cheating, Princess! Continue reading →

Posted in #games, 1958, Animals, Front Pages | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Judge challenges mayor in election, Pirates win, August 10, 1938

Posted on August 10, 2008 by lmharnisch


 
New Jersey couple cross country in 1904 Oldsmobile

This Oldsmobile got 30 mpg and hit 30 mph in a 4,600-mile cross-country jaunt.  But in 1938, this was a 34-year-old car, the same age as a 1974 Oldsmobile today.

New Jersey couple cross country in 1904 Oldsmobile

 
Judge to run against Los Angeles mayor in recall election This dropcap is from a 1914 headline Turr'ble Tales of Kaptin Kiddo uperior Court Judge Fletcher Bowron accepts the nomination bid to run against Mayor Frank Shaw in the upcoming recall election. Assemblyman Sam Yorty withdraws, ending a "draft Yorty" campaign, The Times says, calling him "the candidate of the left-wing labor element" of the Federation for Civic Betterment.

In Korea, Soviet artillery pounds the Japanese front … On the jump, a caravan leaves for Amarillo, Texas, to dedicate the Will Rogers Memorial Highway.

In sports, the Hollywood Stars beat the L.A. Angels, 6-5, in the opener of the "Civil War" series.   
Drivers head to Texas on Route 66 to dedicate Will Rogers Highway Los Angeles Angels lose to Hollywood Stars
Posted in @news, City Hall, Current Affairs, Freeways, Front Pages, Politics, Sports, Transportation | 1 Comment

US sub sails under polar ice cap, Dodgers win over Giants, August 9, 1958

Posted on August 9, 2008 by lmharnisch


 
Mark of the Hawk movie ad

 


Dropcap_t_tarzan
he nuclear submarine Nautilus crosses beneath the polar ice cap and surfaces near Greenland … The U.S. plans to withdrawn 2,000 Marines from Lebanon … And U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold proposes a peace plan for the Middle East … 

On the runover, Cmdr. W.R. Anderson describes the ice cap:

"At that point the ice, on the average, is in the neighborhood of 10 to 15 feet thick…..

"During the summer months it will have wasted away on the average of 2 to 3 feet by this time of year. In the winter that amount will grow back. Now, ice in the Arctic Basin is in motion. Frequently it is under pressure due to winds and currents. It piles up on each other and forms pressure ridges. You see many, many pressure ridges from the projections down from the ice. Those will measure 50 feet in draft. On some occasions they will measure considerably more."

Below, the Dodgers beat the Giants 6-3 in the Coliseum as umpire Shag (or "Swag" as we called him in this story) Crawford throws Walter Alston out of the game … and the Rams play the Eagle Rock Athletic Club and the Orange County Rhinos in a benefit game at the Rose Bowl.

Submarine commander describes historic 1958 trip by Nautilus Dodgers beat Giants at Coliseum 1958
Posted in #games, @news, Current Affairs, Dodgers, Front Pages, Science, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hundreds die as planes attack Chinese church, Angels lead league, August 9, 1938

Posted on August 9, 2008 by lmharnisch


 
Greta Garbo to star in movie Ninotchka for MGM

 
39 die as planes attack Chinese Catholic church This type was taken from a 1914 headline that read The Turrble Tales of Kaptin Kiddo
t left, Japanese planes bomb the Catholic cathedral in Canton, China …
Superior Court Judge Fletcher Bowron is selected to be a candidate in the recall election against Mayor Frank Shaw, but Bowron hasn’t given his approval. In an interesting footnote, future Judge Stanley Mosk backs "left-wing Democrat" Sam Yorty as a candidate.

On the jump, the Los Angles Public Library expands its reading program in Pershing Square–the library offers books and magazines withdrawn from the collection, The Times says.

In sports, the Los Angeles Angeles meet the Hollywood Stars … Henry Armstrong and Lou Ambers prepare for their lightweight title bout.

Los Angeles library offers books at Pershing Square Angels lead league
Posted in @news, City Hall, Politics, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Thieves take memorial plaque, Nuestro Pueblo, August 8, 1938

Posted on August 8, 2008 by lmharnisch




 
thieves steal memorial plaque from downtown LA park

Some things apparently do not change. Today, people steal copper wiring and manhole covers and sell them for scrap metal. In the 1930s, bronze plaques were apparently at risk.


 

The Fremont Gate to Elysian Park, 1549 N. Broadway, via Google Maps’ street view.

Los Angeles Times columnist writes about the city's park system

A nice little feature by Tim Turner, Times columnist and author, March 3, 1937. Turner wrote "Bullets, Bottles and Gardenias" and "Turn Off the Sunshine" about Los Angeles.


Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

US drops atomic bomb on Japan, August 6, 1945

Posted on August 7, 2008 by lmharnisch


 
US drops atomic bomb on Japan

 
US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima Dropcap_t_tarzan he beginning of the Atomic Age. Note that the Associated Press story identifies Hiroshima as a Japanese army base. President Harry Truman says the Japanese "may expect a rain of ruin from the air the like of which has never been seen on this earth." 

As far as I can tell, there isn’t a word as to how many people were killed. Just the subhead that "Man’s most destructive force, one equal to 2,000
B-29 loads, blasts Nips."

Below, who are the "Pale Hose?" the White Sox. Oh those sports guys.

1945 august 07 Atomic bomb Japan 1945_august_07_sports
Posted in @news, Current Affairs, Science, Sports | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Police pose as reporters to evict woman, baseball players fight on airplane; August 6, 1958

Posted on August 6, 2008 by lmharnisch




 
Jazz legend Ziggy Elman vanishes from his Valley home after an argument with his wife … over a chicken sandwich!

 
Robbers smash a jewelry store window and steal gems valued at up to $1
million ($7,287,702.23 USD 2007) after throwing a smoke bomb through the front door. The owner
calls it a professional, well-planned job … Five deputies disguised
as reporters trick Mrs. Lomie Puckett into leaving her home, which is bulldozed immediately to make way for the Golden State Freeway …
Note: Ziggy Elman turned up playing at a Long Beach jazz club as if
nothing was wrong–he just happened to be calling himself Red Nichols.
1958_august_06_sports
Dusty Rhodes and Joe Margoneri get into a fight aboard a Western Air
Lines plane en route from Portland to Phoenix. The Phoenix Giants
teammates were ordered off the plane during a stop in San Francisco.
Both had been drinking heavily, a flight attendant said.  And the Cards
beat the Dodgers, 13-3.
Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Music | 1 Comment

Circus pays man for elephant bite; Angels win in 12th, August 6, 1938

Posted on August 6, 2008 by lmharnisch


 
Jimmy Johnston gives boxer Bob Pastor some tips for his upcoming bout against Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom … Jack Oakie and his wife are headed for divorce … and the Angels — the Los Angeles Angels — win against the San Francisco Seals.

1938_august_05_pastor

1938_august_05_pastor02



 
1938_august_06_cover

Here’s a fun discovery. See if you can find the unknown movie star on this page … Supervisor John Anson Ford withdraws from the recall election against Mayor Frank Shaw … Superior Court Judge Fletcher Bowron is suggested as a replacement, but he is opposed by organized labor, The Times says … And a jury decides an elephant bite is worth $4,500 ($64,347.92 USD 2007).

1938_august_06_sports

Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom and Bob Pastor fight to a draw at Gilmore Stadium. Buried way down in the type: Herbie Katz "New York Hebrew" defeats Chester Parks "Los Angeles Negro" in an "eight-round slugaroo" … And Bob Feller walks 11 batters.

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments