Tag Archives: 1953

Rocket Builder Steals Truckload of Equipment From Caltech

Posted on August 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 22, 1953: Fred Frank Wildemuth kills his wife because he didn’t want her to catch carbon monoxide poisoning from him. “I, the Jury” in 3-D at the Paramount theaters in Hollywood and downtown. A brilliant — and unidentified — … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Music, Suicide | Tagged #Caltech, 1953, comics, crime and courts, film, hollywood, Hollywood Bowl, homicide, Music, Suicide | 1 Comment

Man Held in Killing of Ex-Marine — Part 2

Posted on August 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

As strange as the tale of Michael Timothy Cavanaugh had been, the case became even more bizarre once he was arrested. After several days of denying that he knew ex-Marine Ralph Welch, even though he was driving Welch’s car and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, 1956, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged #death penalty, #Gas Chamber, 1953, 1956, crime and courts, homicide | 2 Comments

Man Held in Killing of Ex-Marine

Posted on August 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

On the afternoon of July 23, 1953, Michael Timothy Cavanaugh was drinking beer at Thompson’s Cafe in Chula Vista. Earlier that year, he had himself committed to Patton State Hospital, claiming that he suffered “blackouts” in which he wrote fraudulent … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Homicide | Tagged 1953, Chula Vista, homicide | Comments Off

L.A. Welcomes Harbor Freeway Extension With Four-Block Traffic Jam

Posted on August 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 8, 1953: An extension of the Harbor Freeway carrying traffic into downtown Los Angeles opens — and is jammed immediately. Traffic engineers say the backup was caused by the timing of the signals at 6th Street and Figueroa. Movie … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, African Americans, Comics, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, LAPD, Transportation | Tagged 1953, African Americans, comics, film, hollywood, lapd | 2 Comments

‘Mysterious Objects’ in Skies Over L.A.

Posted on August 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

Comics characters of the 1950s got to drive MGs! Edward Irving Foote was born June 29, 1861, in Michigan. Someone by that name attended the University of Michigan at Lansing, class of 1877-78, and was described as a “farmer, miner, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries, Suicide | Tagged #Skid Row, 1953, homicide, lapd, Suicide, UFOs | Comments Off

Vice Cop Kills Robber in Botched Holdup at the Roost

Posted on July 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1953: A big, screamer headline in The Times. Glenn Elbert Kingsbury, shot in the chest by an LAPD vice officer, staggered backward into the Roost Cafe, which he had just robbed, and collapsed on the floor, moaning: “Oh … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, 1953, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Nightclubs | Tagged 1937, 1953, lapd, Les Bruneman | 3 Comments

Wanda Hendrix revisited

Posted on May 21, 2008 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo Wanda Hendrix and Keith Larson look over items of Marion Davies being sold at auction, in a photo dated Jan. 13, 1953.* *Thanks to Chris Morales for pointing out that Davies was still alive in … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood | Tagged 1953, celebrities, hollywood, Keith Larson, Marion Davies, Wanda Hendrix | 1 Comment

Edmund Hillary

Posted on January 13, 2008 by lmharnisch

Here’s Dennis McLellan’s obituary on Hillary.

Posted in @news | Tagged 1953, Mt. Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary | Comments Off

John Fante file

Posted on June 7, 2007 by lmharnisch

Oct. 25, 1953Los Angeles

Posted in books, Downtown | Tagged 1953, John Fante, Malibu, smog | Comments Off