Tag Archives: Books and Authors

Blogging the Wolfe Book — Seven Years Later

Posted on November 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: In 2006, I devoted a daily blog to  fact-checking Donald Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files” on a molecular level. The project was so time-consuming – and “Dahlia Files” is such junk – that I stopped about Page 96 and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2006, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Letter From John Steinbeck

Posted on October 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

I’m always intrigued by the Zamorano Club’s publications. The Zamorano Club was established in 1928 by Los Angeles bibliophiles, named for Augustin Zamorano, California’s first printer, and treated its members to small press runs (often from the Ward Ritchie Press) … Continue reading →

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‘Turn Off the Sunshine’ by Timothy Turner

Posted on October 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

A copy of Timothy G. Turner’s “Turn Off the Sunshine” has been listed on EBay. Turner, you may recall, was the Times columnist who worked with artist Charles Owens on Rediscovering Los Angeles. Bidding on this copy of the book … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Books and Authors, Broadway, Downtown, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Rediscovering Los Angeles — El Capricho de los Dorados

Posted on October 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 2, 1935: In this installment of Rediscovering Los Angeles, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit El Capricho de los Dorados, a tiny Mexican restaurant on Aliso “below Alameda Street.” Turner says: “These little places are generally … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Architecture, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Downtown, Food and Drink, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Rediscovering Los Angeles — El Capricho de los Dorados

Millennial Moment: Former Head of California NOW Charged in Killing

Posted on October 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

Oct. 11, 1983: Patt Morrison has the story of Ginny Foat, the former head of the state chapter of the National Organization for Women, who was charged with helping her ex-husband beat a man to death with a tire iron. … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Hollywood Tunesmith

Posted on September 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Long before Harold Arlen wrote “Lose That Long Face” for “A Star Is Born” starring Judy Garland, songwriter Carrie Jacobs-Bond practiced those words. Mostly forgotten today, Jacobs-Bond was one of the most successful composers of the 20th century. She endured … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Headline Happy’ by Florabel Muir

Posted on September 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

A copy of Florabel Muir’s “Headline Happy” has been listed on EBay for $75. Muir’s book is interesting, and tends to be priced high, but I would never pay that kind of money for a copy – especially with a … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory’s ‘Hollywoodland’ Now Available at Amazon

Posted on September 6, 2013 by lmharnisch

The L.A. Daily Mirror is very pleased to announce that Mary Mallory has collected her first entries in the Hollywood Heights series — with additional content — into an ebook that is now available on Amazon. The book is available … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The Three Lives Of Villa Aurora

Posted on September 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Cats have nine lives. People often experience second or third acts in their lives or careers. Some homes have multiple lives as well, like Villa Aurora, which has experienced three diverse lives, bringing knowledge and refuge to those who come … Continue reading →

Posted in 1928, Architecture, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Parkey Sharkey – Found on EBay

Posted on August 31, 2013 by lmharnisch

A copy of Parkey Sharkey’s “Whiskey Road” has been listed on EBay. Several years ago, the L.A. Daily Mirror acquired a copy and it occupies an honored place in the research library. There are those who assumed that Parkey Sharkey … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: New ‘Evidence’ in George ‘Evil Genius’ Hodel Franchise

Posted on August 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

Black Dahlia breakthrough! Let us suppose that there was a mathematician. A retired mathematician who once taught at a major university, who published and received tenure, and retired as a well-regarded member of the faculty. Let us further suppose that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Jean Renoir, Orson Welles and the Dim Remembrance of Things Past

Posted on August 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Journalists are fond of telling and retelling their favorite war stories. These are raucous tales of daring exploits — usually mixed with strong drink — of great personal heroism, of triumphs on deadline and other various noble achievements, often involving … Continue reading →

Posted in 1979, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Florentine Gardens Meets Cecil B. De Mille

Posted on July 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

A copy of Nils T. Granlund’s “autobiography,” written with Sid Feder and Ralph Hancock, has been listed on EBay. What makes this copy somewhat unusual is that it was apparently owned by Cecil B. De Mille. Granlund was impresario at … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Florentine Gardens Meets Cecil B. De Mille

The Real L.A. Noir – Tomorrow at The Times Festival of Books

Posted on April 19, 2013 by lmharnisch

Among the events scheduled for this weekend’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, you may especially enjoy a panel moderated by Patt Morrison titled “The Real L.A. Noir,” featuring reporters Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton — and me. The panel … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Coming Attractions, LAPD | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Los Angeles Editor Was Ahead of His Time

Posted on January 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

My latest column is about Paul Bryan Gray and his new book “A Clamor for Equality,” the biography of Francisco P. Ramirez, the youthful editor of El Clamor Público, the first entirely Spanish-language newspaper published in Los Angeles. The entire … Continue reading →

Posted in 1855, Books and Authors, Downtown, History, Latinos | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Miles Corwin – ‘Midnight Alley’

Posted on May 8, 2012 by lmharnisch

The Daily Mirror stopped by Vroman’s in Pasadena on Sunday to hear our old friend and former Times colleague Miles Corwin discuss his latest book, “Midnight Alley.”

Posted in Books and Authors, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

7|11|2011 #history, #museum

Posted on July 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 26, 1936: Ambrose Schindler in The Times as USC and UCLA prepare to play for the first time in six years. My colleague Jerry Crowe at The Timeshas a nice profile of Ambrose Schindler, former USC quarterback, stuntman on … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Fashion, History, Museums | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Blogging the Wolfe Book, Our Story So Far

Posted on February 8, 2007 by lmharnisch

Larry Harnisch (described by James Ellroy as a Dahlia scholar/Dahlia freak, take your pick) is blogging in real time as he reads Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles.” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Film, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Adios Judy!

Posted on December 16, 2006 by lmharnisch

Judith Regan, the publisher of Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files,” has found a way to make Page 1 of The Times: Get fired by HarperCollins. (The New York Times story is here.) I’m trying not to gloat. But … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Adios Judy!

Blogging the Wolfe Book, The Two-Minute Executive Summary

Posted on May 1, 2006 by lmharnisch

From Feb. 3, 2006, to April 28, 2006, I devoted a daily blog to Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles.” In dealing with the 1947 murder of Elizabeth … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment