Tag Archives: comics

Officer Kills Two, Wounds Two in Brawl at Shipyard Workers’ Party

Posted on August 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 7, 1943: A zoot suit with a drape shape, reet pleat and stuff cuff in the comics! This is a story that, as presented in The Times, seems straightforward: A Palos Verdes police officer responding to a rowdy party … Continue reading →

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Tomahawk Murder: ‘It Must Have Been the Heat’

Posted on July 31, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1943: Los Angeles — and that is Los Angeles before air conditioning — bakes in a heat wave, temperatures so hot that it’s the reason for murder. “I had a sudden impulse; it must have been the heat,” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, San Fernando Valley, Suicide, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Streetcar Strike Could Paralyze Los Angeles!

Posted on July 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1943: Labor problems threaten to paralyze mass transportation in Los Angeles. The Times says that 3,000 Los Angeles Railway workers have ended a 24-hour walkout while 2,500 Pacific Electric workers are scheduled to strike. Marion “More Curves Than … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Labor, Main Street, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Streetcar Strike Could Paralyze Los Angeles!

Black Doctor in Divorce Case Says Wife Tried to ‘Masquerade’ as White

Posted on July 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1923: The centennial of the Monroe Doctrine is celebrated at Exposition Park in the American Historical Revue and Motion Picture Exposition.. The U.S. Mint in San Francisco issued commemorative half dollars for the occasion. The Times says: “One … Continue reading →

Posted in 1823, 1923, African Americans, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fires, Hill Street, Hollywood, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Japanese Lieutenant Killed at Guadalcanal Went to USC

Posted on April 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 11, 1943: And here begins one of my favorite “Li’l Abner” episodes: Zoot Suit Yokum. The Times reports a strange encounter on Guadalcanal in which an unidentified Marine took a rifle from a wounded Japanese lieutenant. According to Torrance … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Comics, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Nell Brinkley, Queen of Early American Comics

Posted on April 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

When Americans think of classic illustrators from the early 20th century, names such as Charles Dana Gibson, Harrison Fisher, Haskell Coffin, James Montgomery Flagg, and John Held Jr. spring to mind. Forgotten by almost everyone, but in every way these … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Comics, Fashions, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Death Rolls the Dice in Friends’ Fatal Craps Game

Posted on October 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

Oct. 12, 1942: Walter Miller, a 31-year-old lumberyard foreman, and his friend Eddie “Red” Phillips, a 32-year-old mechanic, were shooting dice in the living room of Phillips’ home, 1442 E. 59th St., when they began arguing. Miller was stabbed during … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

2 Die in Fiery Crash on Arroyo Seco Parkway

Posted on September 9, 2012 by lmharnisch

Sept. 9, 1942: Two people died when they were trapped in a burning car on the Arroyo Seco Parkway in South Pasadena after the gas tank exploded in a fiery crash at the Fair Oaks Avenue exit. John Lucas and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Playwright Clifford Odets Held for DUI

Posted on September 8, 2012 by lmharnisch

Sept. 8, 1942:Playwright Clifford Odets of 8729 Lookout Mountain Ave. is arrested on charges of drunk driving and speeding on Roosevelt Highway (Pacific Coast Highway) at Topanga Canyon.  CHP officers say Odets refused to stop until they forced him off … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

30 Firefighters Escape Blaze in Box Canyon

Posted on August 24, 2012 by lmharnisch

Aug. 24, 1942: Sheriff’s deputies break up a planned fight between the Lincoln Heights Square John gang and the Huntington Park Levis gang at Central and Florence avenues, arresting 17 members of the Square John gang (no members of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Gang Members Seize Prisoners in Police Brawl

Posted on July 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1942: A brawl breaks out at Pomeroy Avenue and Mark Street  when LAPD officers try to break up a dice game involving gang members. The group took three prisoners from police officers, injuring a officer’s hand, sprayed police … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, LAPD, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hedy Lamarr’s Sarong: S’awright!

Posted on June 22, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 22, 1942: Hedda Hopper says: Joan Crawford got a mighty entertaining picture in “They All Kissed the Bride.” I’ve always liked Joan. She says, “I love being a star and everything that goes with it. I love the work, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Women Abandon Housework for Overalls and Higher Pay

Posted on June 21, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 21, 1942: Women are taking jobs formerly held by men, and they prefer them, especially the higher wages, The Times finds. “How do they like exchanging summer frocks for overalls and aprons for masculine livery? The collective and undisputed … Continue reading →

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Judge Cites ‘Right of Battle’ in Sentencing Conscientious Objector

Posted on June 16, 2012 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1942:  Robert Lee Allen is sentenced to five years in federal prison for refusing to enlist in the Army. Judge Jeremiah Neter, 80, noted that Allen had not used the available provisions to file for conscientious objector status … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Music, Religion, Stage, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

N.Y. Bans Night Baseball!

Posted on May 19, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 19, 1942: It’s officially straw hat season in Los Angeles, so men, dump that felt chapeau and get yourself a nice Panama. Lee Shippey writes that the evacuation of the Japanese has forced many (white) Angelenos to get back … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Baseball, Columnists, Comics, Fashion, Lee Shippey, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Officer in Harry Raymond Bombing Dies in San Quentin

Posted on May 18, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 18, 1942: Former Police Officer Roy J. Allen, who was convicted with Earle Kynette in the 1938 Harry Raymond bombing, dies in the hospital at San Quentin. He was 38. More on the Harry Raymond bombing Charlie Chaplin’s “The … Continue reading →

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Battle of the Coral Sea, 1942

Posted on May 9, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 9, 1942: Allied forces fight the first what would be six major aircraft carrier battles with the Japanese, the next being the Battle of Midway. On the jump, a war map by Times artist Charles Owens, whom you may … Continue reading →

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Times Wins Pulitzer for Public Service

Posted on May 4, 2012 by lmharnisch

May 5, 1942: The Times wins a Pulitzer Prize for public service. The prize was awarded after The Times fought contempt of court charges for publishing editorials on pending cases. The dispute began in 1938 when a group from the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The comics

Posted on May 24, 2008 by lmharnisch

A panel from "Buster Brown," May 24, 1908.

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The comics

Posted on May 1, 2008 by lmharnisch

May 1, 1938   Dick Tracy cautions angry Chinese against vigilante justice. He agrees to let them see the arch-criminal one more time if they put down their weapons. Alas, Tracy is outwitted by someone with a miniature blowgun. Who … Continue reading →

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