Tag Archives: African Americans

Black L.A., 1947: Willie Earle Lynched by South Carolina Mob

Posted on February 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Feb. 20, 1947: The lynching of Willie Earle drew nationwide attention. Here is the New Yorker’s 1947 account of the trial in which 28 men were acquitted.

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black L.A., 1947: ‘Milk Bottle Murder’ – Couple’s Fight Ends in Death

Posted on February 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 20, 1947: Lois Ellis, victim of the “Milk Bottle Murder.” The neighborhood of 1207 E. 47th St. via Google Street View. From his bed in the jail ward of county hospital, Sam Ellis told of killing his wife, … Continue reading →

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Black L.A., 1947: Stylish Men in Harlem Wearing Berets

Posted on February 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

At top, the home at 2443 S. St. Andrews Place is for sale at $16,500 cash or $18,000 “terms.” Above, the 2400 block of South St. Andrews Place via Google Street View. Feb. 13, 1947: Columnist Bill Smallwood says “Richard … Continue reading →

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Black L.A., 1947: ‘Why Do 14-Year-Old Girls Get Drunk and Fall Into Bed With Men?’ Judge Asks

Posted on February 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

The Sentinel runs a publicity photo of Flora Washington, who released “Broken Hearted” and “If I Ever Cry, You’ll Never Know” on the United Artist label in 1946. Flora Washington sings “Broken Hearted” via Archive.org.   Feb. 13, 1947: Municipal … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Judge Backs Racial Ban, Orders Native Americans Out of West Hollywood Home

Posted on February 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Feb. 13, 1947: Dorothy Bradley becomes the first African American cashier hired at the Safeway grocery store in Watts. She was hired as the result of a campaign by the Watts Citizens Welfare committee protesting Safeway’s refusal to hired black … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Jazz Musicians Outraged by Esquire Jazz Book for 1947

Posted on February 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Feb. 13, 1947: Coming to the Shrine Auditorium – Esquire Award winners Lester Young, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Lucky Thompson, Benny Carter, Dodo Marmarosa, Barney Kessell and Vic Dickenson. Feb. 13, 1947: Esquire magazine began an annual poll in 1943 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: Black Passenger Sues Greyhound After Driver Has Her Arrested for Not Giving Up Seat

Posted on February 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

  At left, a three-unit property at 3509 5th Ave., listed for sale in 1947 at $17,500. Above, the property sold for $600,000 in 2016, according to Zillow. Feb. 6, 1947: The Sentinel reports on a lawsuit filed by Alpha … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Architecture, Crime and Courts, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: Ascot Hills Rapist, Shot by Police, Faces 51 Counts

Posted on February 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

Minton R. Scott, the Ascot Hills Rapist, after being shot in the head by police. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA Feb. 6, 1947: Minton Robert Scott is accused of being … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Four African Americans File for City Council 7th District Race

Posted on January 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Jan. 30, 1947: An ad in the Sentinel announces a preview of a model home in Carver Manor, a housing development designed by Paul R. Williams at 135th Street and Avalon Boulevard. Stanford Avenue in Carver Manor, via Google Street … Continue reading →

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Jan. 16, 1947: Teachers Call ‘Song of the South’ Racist Propaganda

Posted on January 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Jan. 16, 1947: Chef Tubbs is opening a restaurant at 1305-7 E. Olympic Blvd. Olympic Boulevard and Central Avenue, via Google Street View. Jan. 16: Local 27 of the American Federation of Teachers, meeting in Washington, called the Disney feature … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. Laura Bowman Cast in All-Black Production of ‘Anna Lucasta’

Posted on January 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Jan. 9, 1947:  Laura Bowman, who died in 1957 after a long illness, is to appear in an all-black production of “Anna Lucasta” at the Biltmore Theater. ” Anna Lucasta,” written by Philip Yordan, was originally produced by the American … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: LAPD Detectives Cleared of Brutality Against Drunk Woman

Posted on January 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Jan. 9, 1947: The Sentinel reports on the ruling by the Los Angeles Police Commission in the case of Edythe L. Galloway, 434 E. 48th St. On Nov. 6, 1946, the Police Commission voted to investigate the allegations of brutality … Continue reading →

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Jan. 5, 1947: Two Black 15-Year-Olds Set for Electric Chair After Losing Plea

Posted on January 5, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. Jan. 5, 1947: “The majority of Americans belong to one minority group or another,” said Dr. Will Durant, author and lecturer, yesterday in outlining the scope of the … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: First African American Named to L.A. Police Commission

Posted on January 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Jan. 2, 1947: The Los Angeles Sentinel publishes the photo of Charles H. Matthews on Page 1 as part of its roundup of major stories from 1946. Matthews, a former deputy district attorney and an NAACP executive at the time, … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Racist Street Sign Removed; Advertisers, Officials Repudiate ‘The Equalizer’

Posted on January 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Jan. 2, 1947: The Los Angeles Sentinel publishes a photo of a street sign reading “Dixiana Circle” at 23rd Street and Long Beach Avenue. The Sentinel reported June 6, 1946, that the street had been renamed Staunton.  Not too surprisingly, … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Buddy Young — First African American to Score a Touchdown in the Rose Bowl

Posted on January 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

A 1947 Rose Bowl program, listed on EBay, with bids starting at $10.50.   Jan. 1, 1947: On the program’s cover, the players are white… … but the Sentinel’s sports section highlights five African Americans playing in the Rose Bowl: … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Cross Burnings and Jim Crow Trains in Los Angeles – The Biggest Stories of 1946

Posted on December 29, 2017 by lmharnisch

In its Jan. 2, 1947, issue, the Los Angeles Sentinel looked back at the major stories of 1946, a good introduction to the year ahead: Job discrimination, Jim Crow laws, segregated housing, police beatings and racial violence. We will be … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: A Two-Year Update and a Look Ahead

Posted on December 26, 2017 by lmharnisch

The second anniversary of my retirement from the Los Angeles Times coincided with lots of questions prompted by a Fox News piece on Piu Eatwell’s “Black Dahlia, Red Rose.” Even though I had blogged about the book repeatedly, people still … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1947, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, History | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, June 5, 1944

Posted on June 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, June 4 — Erich Pommer, one time high mogul of UFA productions in Berlin, became an American citizen last week and celebrated by signing for two pictures with Producers Corp. of America. Years ago, before the … Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood by Sidney Skolsky, April 22, 1944

Posted on April 22, 2014 by lmharnisch

April 22, 1944 HOLLYWOOD, April 22 — Col. Frank Capra’s “The Negro Soldier” had its premiere at the theater in the Ambassador Hotel this week and was highly lauded by all who attended. Brig. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, highest ranking … Continue reading →

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