Tag Archives: 1947

June 26, 1947: Helicopter Hovers Over Clipper Ship

Posted on June 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1947: A new helicopter, nicknamed “the flying eggbeater” or “the whirlybird,” carrying passengers around Long Beach Harbor, overs over the Pacific Queen, built in 1886, Continue reading →

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June 25, 1947: L.A. Times Praises Gangland Slaying of Bugsy Siegel

Posted on June 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 25, 1947: The L.A. Times praises the gangland slaying of Bugsy Siegel: ‘The assassination of a crook is of no particular importance to a community, and grief at his passing is restricted to a minor and unselect circle.’ Continue reading →

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June 24, 1947: Death in the Ring — Sugar Ray Robinson and Jimmy Doyle

Posted on June 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 24, 1947: Sugar Ray Robinson and the fatal fight in Cleveland with Jimmy Doyle. Continue reading →

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June 23, 1947: Jim Tully, Hobo Novelist and Prizefighter, Dies at 56

Posted on June 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 23, 1947: Jim Tully, hobo author of “Shanty Irish” and “Beggars of Life” dies at 56. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren Is Hallucinating About Knowing the Black Dahlia

Posted on June 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mamie Van Doren, age 95, is hallucinating about knowing Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren’s Invented Memories of Elizabeth Short

Posted on June 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

It’s a bit sad when a superannuated actor writes a memoir about what they think they “remember” about old Hollywood. There’s no truth to Mamie Van Doren’s claim that she knew Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. It’s all imagined. Continue reading →

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June 18, 1947: Actor Jon Hall Says Tale of Being Shot Down in Plane Was a Hoax

Posted on June 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1947: Actor Jon Hall admits he was lying with a story that a bullet tore into the propeller of his plane as he and his wife, Frances Langford, were taking off from Clover Field for Tulare. Continue reading →

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June 17, 1947: Bank Robber Shot in Head During Gunfight With LAPD Officers

Posted on June 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 17, 1947: Police shoot a bank robber in the head. Jesse Houston survives and becomes the shuffleboard champion at San Quentin and a noted gardener. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for June 2026

Posted on June 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this episode of the Black Dahlia Book Club, I discussed Elizabeth Short’s FBI file, Michael Connelly’s Killer in the Code podcast, a James Ellroy sighting and more. Continue reading →

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June 16, 1947: LAPD Officers Hidden in Bar Kill Watchman Stealing Liquor

Posted on June 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1947: Two LAPD officers staked out at a bar kill night watchman Wanzy Patterson, who crawled through a transom to steal liquor. Officers said they shot Patterson 11 times after he made a move toward his pistol. Continue reading →

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June 10, 1947: Artist John Decker Speaks at His Funeral Via Recording

Posted on June 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 10, 1947: Artist John Decker leaves a recording to be played for mourners at his funeral. He recited a speech from Rostand’s “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: USC Film Student Refuses ‘Uncle Tom’ Role in Radio Play

Posted on June 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1947: USC film student James C. Johnson, a member of the Delta Kappa Alpha cinema fraternity, said he would not play a role in a student’s radio play because it depicted “the Negro as stereotype,” the Sentinel said. Continue reading →

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June 4, 1947: Television Comes to Los Angeles

Posted on June 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 4, 1947: Television comes to Los Angeles on T-Day (March 10, 1947) with KTLA and W6XAO. By June 4, the stations aired baseball, test patterns and Queen for a Day. Continue reading →

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June 3, 1947: Soldiers Fight Army’s Ban on Japanese Brides

Posted on June 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 3, 1947: In a letter to Pacific Stars and Stripes, enlisted men assigned to Japan urge the Army to lift its ban on marrying Japanese women. Congress eventually granted a one-month period in which veterans could marry Japanese women, resulting in 823 unions. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, June 2026

Posted on June 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

In the Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for June 2026, I took questions and highlighted David Oranchak’s final installment in his three-part video series on the false claims of Black Dahlia/Zodiac sleuth Alex Baber. Continue reading →

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May 31, 1947: Los Angeles Marks First Memorial Day Without a Civil War Veteran at Ceremony

Posted on May 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 31, 1947: Memorial Day is marked for the first time without a single Civil War veteran at the VA facility. There were five Union Army veterans living in Los Angeles. CSA veteran Sampson Simmons died in 1942 and was buried in Inglewood, wrapped in a Confederate flag. Continue reading →

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May 23, 1947: Lloyd Osbourne Dies; Inspired Stepfather Robert Louis Stevenson to Write ‘Treasure Island’

Posted on May 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 23, 1947, L.A. Times, Lloyd Osbourne, who as a boy inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write “Treasure Island,” dies in Glendale. Continue reading →

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May 22, 1947: Art Club Calls LACMA Exhibit ‘Subversive Propaganda’

Posted on May 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 22, 1947: The California Art Club yesterday lambasted the current Los Angeles County Museum art exhibit—the museum’s eighth annual show—as favoring “radical art” and containing “subversive propaganda.” Continue reading →

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May 21, 1947: South Carolina Jury Acquits 28 in Lynching

Posted on May 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 21, 1947: A South Carolina jury acquits 28 people in the lynching of Willie Earle, who was suspected of killing a cabdriver. The Los Angeles Times editorializes that a federal anti-lynching law is unnecessary. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for May 2026

Posted on May 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this month’s Black Dahlia Book Club, I discuss Jack Webb’s 1958 book “The Badge” and its portrayal of Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. Continue reading →

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