| Larry Harnisch Reflects on L.A. History | Page 600

May 11, 1938

Posted on May 11, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, a scenario that sounds tragically familiar … Below, George Sakalis, a prosecution witness in the trial of Police Capt. Earle Kynette in the Harry Raymond bombing, is wanted in Arizona–or is he? Dist. Atty. Buron Fitts says the arrest warrant is a trumped-up charge to intimidate Sakalis, noting that the witness wasn’t even in Phoenix at the time. On the jump, the defense spends hours arguing with explosives expert John W. "Jack" Parsons about a pipe bomb he built based on fragments recovered from Raymond’s garage … Mrs. Billy Baker is elected mayor of Disney, Okla., on the "whoopee" platform–for 30 days. Then Mrs. Vera Silar, an advocate of blue laws, will be mayor for 30 days. At the end of two months, Disney residents will vote again on a mayor … [Note: In 1939, Disney elected Alice Stephens as mayor on the "let your conscience be your guide" platform. Her inauguration featured the "dance of dictators" with two men dressed as Hitler and Mussolini who wore long underwear and military jackets.] … And 17 slot machines are seized in a series of raids across L.A. County.

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Front Pages, LAPD | Tagged #Holocaust, 1938, Disney Okla., Earle Kynette, Harry Raymond | Comments Off

May 11, 1908

Posted on May 11, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, note the speed limit in downtown Los Angeles: 4 mph at an intersection. Below, everybody is engaged in reading the help wanted ads except a young lad who doesn’t appear to be too pleased. And what exactly does The Times mean by "the way of the world" in Los Angeles? ($5 a week is $109.94 USD 2007).

The Chicago Daily Tribune? This is a syndicated ad, but do you think it says that?

Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Transportation | Tagged 1908, traffic accidents, transportation, working | 1 Comment

May 10, 1958

Posted on May 10, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, the initial Jackie Robinson story, May 9, 1958. Below, the next day, when Robinson modified his remarks… Unfortunately, the Urban League’s award to the Dodgers apparently wasn’t considered newsworthy, so The Times didn’t cover it and we don’t know precisely what was said.

Posted in Dodgers, Sports | Tagged 1958, Dodgers, equality, Urban League | Comments Off

May 10, 1938

Posted on May 10, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, a little mishap on the city’s sainted streetcar system is blamed on "man failure." I think they might have done well to come up with another term. The motorman on the westbound "J" car on Jefferson Boulevard ran a stoplight because he was "overcome by nausea" and broadsided the "U" car heading north on McClintock Avenue, The Times says.

Below, a police official refuses to give a written statement in the trial of Police Capt. Earle Kynette in the Harry Raymond bombing … Meet the other Adolf Hitler, a Jewish watchmaker in Dzeidzice, Poland, whose shop was shop was vandalized.

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Front Pages, LAPD, Transportation | Comments Off

May 10, 1908

Posted on May 10, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, I’ll leave it to someone else to comment on women’s concepts of body image in the early 20th century. Below, interesting coverage of the Laporte, Ind., "death farm." The Times reported yesterday that Belle Gunness had been captured. Today’s story speculates on whether she died in a fire at the farm. Meanwhile, a separate story explains that police arrested the wrong woman. Oops.

Posted in Front Pages, Homicide | Tagged 1908, Belle Gunness, death farm, Laporte | Comments Off

Building of the Week

Posted on May 10, 2008 by lmharnisch

May 10, 1908

A century later, the church is still standing, as shown in Google’s street view feature. The building was designed by Franklin P. Burnham. The article notes that a speaker can be easily heard anywhere in the auditorium (recall that this was before microphones) because of the carefully designed acoustics.

Posted in Architecture, Religion | Tagged 1908, Architecture, churches, Pasadena | Comments Off

May 9, 1958

Posted on May 9, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, a mother who claimed she strangled her 2-year-old son when he actually died of pneumonia drives up to Mulholland and kills herself … Below, a Peruvian mob blocks Vice President Nixon as he tries to enter the gates of San Marcos University. Students spit on Nixon and pelted him with rocks, The Times said. Nixon didn’t lose his temper until he learned that students tore an American flag from a wreath he left at the statue of San Martin, the paper says. The vice president also visited a Catholic university where he found students more receptive but also encountered further protests charging that America supported Latin American dictatorships.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #Nixon, 1958, Latin America | 2 Comments

Commies

Posted on May 9, 2008 by lmharnisch

May 9, 1958
Los Angeles

By Keith Thursby
Times staff writer

Opponents of the deal to build the Dodgers a baseball stadium in Chavez Ravine apparently tried to paint the proposal in a 1950s shade of red.

According to a story in The Times, a group called the Committee for Public Morality distributed literature claiming the contract was "a plan for collectivizing city and nation" and that "we are at war at our very doorsteps with a totalitarian clique."

The story quoted E. Talbot Callister, vice chairman of the Taxpayers Committee for Yes on Baseball, as denouncing the literature as "the all-time low" in the campaign. Los Angeles voters would have their say on the city’s contract with the Dodgers on June 3. The story listed Robert M. Angier as chairman of the public morality committee but didn’t provide much else about the opponents. Readers didn’t learn where the literature was circulating or anything about the group. Angier wasn’t quoted in the story and it wasn’t clear if there had been any attempt to reach him.

Callister did get a few swings in, however. He noted all the money the Dodgers planned to spend as part of the deal and said if Angier thinks that’s communism, "He hasn’t read the baseball contract or the communist manifesto."

keith.thursby@latimes.com

Posted in Dodgers, Downtown | Tagged #Chavez Ravine, 1958, Dodgers | 1 Comment

May 9, 1938

Posted on May 9, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, a bottle of Pepsi costs a nickel (71 cents USD 2007) and is worth a dime ($1.43 USD 2007) … Below, unemployed actor and author Charles E. Royal finds another career telling tourists about City Hall in staggering detail. Royal, City Hall information clerk from 1936 to 1951, wrote more than 2,300 songs, The Times said. His wife, the former Olga Shuey, was a "child adagio dancer" … Geraldine "Gerry" Humason is chosen as a "typical outdoor coed" at UCLA … And the government is encouraging foreign-born World War I veterans who served with U.S. forces or left the country to serve with the Allies to apply for citizenship.

Posted in City Hall, Food and Drink, Front Pages, LAPD, Suicide | Tagged 1938, City Hall | 1 Comment

May 9, 1908

Posted on May 9, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, a banjo recital that makes everyone feel like getting up and dancing … Below, Belle Gunness is captured as investigators uncover more bodies on the Laporte, Ind., "death farm" … Problems at a convention for the unemployed: "Gas House" Kelley is elected to go to Washington to lobby for public works programs that would provide jobs, receiving 86 votes. Alas, only 56 eligible voters were present, prompting charges of fraud and a call for another election.

Posted in Front Pages, Homicide | Tagged 1908, Belle Gunness, death farm | Comments Off

May 8, 1938

Posted on May 8, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, an arresting and perhaps inflammatory title for a book that’s fairly obscure today. It appears to have been written by a Swedish Christian who advocated assimilation … The book also appears to have evoked a response from Rabbi Stephen S. Wise. Below, police chemist Ray Pinker–who figured in the 1947 Black Dahlia case–is under police guard because of his testimony in the Earle Kynette trial … The warden of the Nebraska penitentiary gives $5 to inmates serving 10 years or longer so they can send flowers for Mother’s Day–plus paper and a stamped envelope so the inmates can write letters to their moms.

Quote of the Day: "I am certain that for Rome as well as Germany there will result a future that will be glorious as well as prosperous." –Adolf Hitler, sealing Germany’s alliance with Italy during a visit to Rome

Posted in @news, City Hall, Front Pages, LAPD, Politics, Religion | Tagged #Hitler, #Holocaust, 1938, Earle Kynette, Harry Raymond, Mussolini, Ray Pinker | 1 Comment

Found on EBay

Posted on May 8, 2008 by lmharnisch

Here’s an image of Harvard Military School, which covered 10 acres at Western Avenue and 16th Street, an area then known as Pico Heights.
The original postcard is for sale on EBay.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged education, Harvard Military School, Pico Heights | Comments Off

May 8, 1908

Posted on May 8, 2008 by lmharnisch

At first I thought this story was left over from April Fool’s Day. Then again, maybe not. Anybody else notice a key question that hasn’t been addressed? Below, meet hard-drinking Police Officer Clarence E. Logie, a colorful character in early 20th century law enforcement.

Quote of the Day: "It took three policemen to put Logie in the [patrol] wagon and he fought all the way to the station." –The Times, on the exploits of Officer Clarence E. Logie, who was drinking on duty and spending time with a lady

Posted in @news, Front Pages, LAPD | Tagged 1908, lapd, Newspapers | Comments Off

May 7, 1958

Posted on May 7, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, in Louisiana, even the boxing ring is segregated … Below, problems for Bing Crosby’s son Dennis. A "tall, willowy, Hollywood brunette" says he’s the father of her 5 1/2-month-old daughter Denise–and there are allegations that the man who performed Dennis’ Las Vegas wedding to Pat Sheehan is no longer accredited by his church … An Illinois firm wins the contract to build the county’s Hall of Administration … And Julie Andrews marries her childhood sweetheart, Tony Walton.

Posted in Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | Tagged 1958, boxing, Dennis Crosby, Julie Andrews, segregation | Comments Off

May 7, 1938

Posted on May 7, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, theater manager Boris Posner is accused of "misconduct" while measuring young women for a beauty contest. Charges were eventually dismissed and he vanished from the pages of The Times … In Cleveland, welfare recipients overwhelm relief stations, chanting "We want food." Up to a third of the county’s residents are on some form of public aid, The Times says … Defense attorneys in the trial of Police Capt. Earle Kynette and two police officers imply that evidence was planted at the scene of the Harry Raymond bombing … Parents of Helaine Judith Colan, who was born with a tumor on one of her eyes, refuse surgery that would leave her blind but might spare her life … Note the article on William G. Bonelli and the state Board of Equalization. You may recall that Bonelli is the author of the 1954 self-published book "Billion Dollar Blackjack," about The Times. And don’t believe the stories about The Times buying up every copy–that’s just hype from bookdealers charging a fortune for the book. I picked up a first edition (with dust jacket in Brodart) for $4.95 a few years ago.

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Front Pages, LAPD | Tagged 1938, beauty contests, Earle Kynette, Harry Raymond, William G. Bonelli | Comments Off

May 7, 1938: Remembering Jack Parsons

Posted on May 7, 2008 by lmharnisch

May 7, 1938

Above, John W. “Jack” Parsons poses with his replica of the pipe bomb used in an attempt to kill Harry Raymond. Parsons, one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is an enigmatic figure who became the subject of much speculation surrounding a “mystery cult” after he died in a 1952 explosion. The blast destroyed his home laboratory on the former Busch estate in Pasadena and his grief-stricken mother committed suicide when she learned he had died. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, LAPD, Science | Tagged 1938, Earle Kynette, Harry Raymond, Jack Parsons, JPL | Comments Off

May 7, 1908

Posted on May 7, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, an influential article by Harris Dickson appears in the Saturday Evening Post … Below, the term "soul kiss" is 100 years old? Imagine that. What’s this? The term "soul kiss" is attributed to Mary Pepper, a medium who is the pastor of the First Spiritual Church of Brooklyn, N.Y. Who knew? … The Wright brothers fly 1,000 feet in their new aeroplane … Sixteen bodies are found in Laporte, Ind. … Click here for the Associated Press’ update on the Gunness "death farm."

Posted in Front Pages, Homicide | Tagged 1908, Belle Gunness, death farm | 1 Comment

May 6, 1938

Posted on May 6, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, former President Hoover speaks to people at Union Station in Kansas City (yes, the headline says "Oklahomans") … Italian troops and police quiet an angry crowd in Naples that had been waiting six hours to see Hitler and Mussolini. The crowd cheers when Hitler appears on the balcony of royal palace with King Victor Emmanuel and Crown Prince Humberto … More arrests are expected in the Harry Raymond bombing … On the jump, treasure hunter John Craig plans a dive in hopes of retrieving the crown jewels of the Empress Carlotta that were lost when a ship carrying refugees of the Mexican revolution sank 55 miles off Virginia.

Posted in @news, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages | Tagged #Hitler, 1938, Earle Kynette, Harry Raymond, Mussolini | Comments Off

May 6, 1958

Posted on May 6, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, Walter Alson has faith in Don Drysdale … Below, Vice President Nixon says it’s too early to declare whether he will run for president in 1960 … Southern California prepares for a simulated atomic blast … And Dennis Crosby is astonished to discover that his Las Vegas wedding to Pat Sheehan was performed by a Protestant minister and not a justice of the peace. Pat Crosby was granted a divorce in 1964 after testifying that Dennis drank heavily and disappeared for long periods of time … Dennis committed suicide in 1991 at the age of 56.

Posted in @news, Dodgers, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | Tagged 1958, Don Drysdale | 1 Comment

Kathy Fiscus update

Posted on May 6, 2008 by lmharnisch

My post correcting the recent obituary on a former Pasadena firefighter who falsely claimed that he rescued Kathy Fiscus brought this response from Clyde Harp, one of the five men who helped dig her out in 1949: Continue reading →

Posted in @news | Tagged 1949, Kathy Fiscus | 3 Comments