Tag Archives: hollywood

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated)

Posted on January 14, 2019 by

For Monday, we have a mystery woman. She does not approve of such goings-on.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Jan. 12, 1959: Paul Coates Confidential File — East L.A. War Hero Plotted to Kill Batista

Posted on January 12, 2019 by

Jan. 12, 1959: Paul Coates has the story of Guy Louis Gabaldon, a war hero raised in East L.A. who claimed to have plotted to assassinate Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista. Gabaldon was raised by the parents of a Japanese American … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Paul Coates, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Are There Any Good Books on the Black Dahlia Case? Oh Dear!

Posted on January 9, 2019 by

“Severed”  by pathological liar John Gilmore (d. 2016) was once the go-to book on the Black Dahlia case, but it’s 25% mistakes and 50% fiction. Are there any good books on the Black Dahlia case? No. But there are a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Jan. 9, 1945: The Making of ‘The Blue Dahlia’; Paramount Signs Raymond Chandler for Original Film

Posted on January 9, 2019 by

Jan. 9, 1945: The New York Times reports that Paramount signed Raymond Chandler to write a script. Contrast this with John Houseman’s account of making the film in “Lost Fortnight,” originally published in Harper’s magazine, August 1965, and reprinted with … Continue reading →

Posted in 1945, Blue Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Raymond Chandler | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jan. 8, 1959: Matt Weinstock ‘Dogs, Diapers, Taxes’

Posted on January 8, 2019 by

Comes now that hiatus between cries, when the feverish race begins to clear away Christmas bets in time to pay for auto license renewals by Feb. 4 and then face up to income taxes in April. “Any changes in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Radio | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jan. 8, 1939: ‘Little Buttercup’ — Baby Abandoned at Hospital

Posted on January 8, 2019 by

Jan. 8, 1939: The Times’ Edwin Schallert makes his Oscar predictions, seconding a “Warner landslide” published in The Times two weeks earlier with James Cagney (“Angel With Dirty Faces”) as best actor, Bette Davis (“Jezebel”) as best actress, Michael Curtiz … Continue reading →

Posted in 1939, Film, Hollywood, Sports | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Olvera Street, Salute to Los Angeles’ Spanish Past

Posted on January 7, 2019 by

A postcard of the Avila Adobe, listed on EBay for $1.89. “A people that has lost touch with its historical past, forgotten its traditions and wasted its heritage is as unfortunate as a man who has lost his memory. Without … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 7, 2019 by

This week’s mystery movie was the 1954 Columbia film “Pushover,” with Fred MacMurray, Phil Carey, Kim Novak (her film debut), Dorothy Malone, E.G. Marshall and Allen Nourse. Screenplay by Roy Huggings, based on stories by Thomas Walsh and William S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 29 Comments

Jan. 6, 1959: Paul Coates Confidential File – My Responsibilities as Your Reporter

Posted on January 6, 2019 by

Jan. 6, 1959: Paul Coates writes about protecting his sources, citing the case of New York Herald Tribune writer Marie Torre, who was sentenced to 10 days in jail for refusing to reveal her source for a story about Judy … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jan. 6, 1959: Errol Flynn Wounded in Cuba!

Posted on January 6, 2019 by

Jan. 6, 1959: Here’s a busy news day in 1959. Errol Flynn is wounded in the leg while “campaigning” with Fidel Castro. On the jump, Keith Thursby takes a look at The Times’ interview by Jeane Hoffman with Eleanor Gehrig. The … Continue reading →

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January 1959: Studio Exec Says They Would Have to Kill Him to Get Wallet – So They Did

Posted on January 5, 2019 by

Kenneth Savoy told holdup men “If you want my wallet, you’re going to have to kill me to get it.” So they did. The story of George Albert Scott and Curtis C. Lichtenwalter, who were robbing bars across Los Angeles. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jan. 2, 1945: The Making of ‘The Blue Dahlia’

Posted on January 3, 2019 by

Jan. 2, 1945: Paramount promotes “Two Years Before the Mast,” with Alan Ladd, Howard Da Silva and William Bendix, all appearing in “The Blue Dahlia.”  “Two Years Before the Mast” was finished in 1944, but not released until November 1946, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1945, Blue Dahlia, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Jan. 1, 1945: The Making of ‘The Blue Dahlia’

Posted on January 3, 2019 by

Jan. 1, 1945: Raymond Chandler writes to Charles Morton, mentioning his original idea for a film. “The Blue Dahlia” would become Chandler’s first original screenplay. To be continued.

Posted in 1945, Blue Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Another Fine Mess? Stan Laurel Accused of Planning to Bury Wife in Backyard

Posted on January 2, 2019 by

I have written more than 10,000 posts about L.A. history over the years and I don’t remember many of them. Like this one, which was turned into a “Then and Now” a feature that continued briefly after Cecilia Rasmussen left … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, 2009, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 31, 2018 by

This week’s mystery movie was the 1956 Columbia picture “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers,” with Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum, John Zaremba, Tom Browne Henry, Brandon Rhodes and Larry Blake. Screenplay by Bernard Gordon and George Worthing … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 33 Comments

News Quiz, 1947: How Many Stories of the Year Do You Know?

Posted on December 30, 2018 by

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. I think of it as a report card from the past. For the last few months, the 47P has explored stories that seemed important or unusual, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Labor, Middle East, Politics, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dec. 27, 1947: Youth Questioned in Georgette Bauerdorf Killing

Posted on December 27, 2018 by

  Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The last words her neighbors heard were “Stop, stop, you’re killing me!” as she fought hard for her life. The housekeeper found the body in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dec. 25, 1947: The Times Christmas Poem

Posted on December 25, 2018 by

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The Times’ front-page Christmas and Easter poems are as forgotten today as their author, James M. Warnack. I’ll leave it to my theological betters to parse … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Obituaries, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on December 24, 2018 by

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1964 film (copyright 1963) “7 Faces of Dr. Lao,” with Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, Arthur O’Connell, John Ericson, Noah Beery Jr., Minerva Urecal, Frank Kreig, Eddie Little Sky, Lee Patrick, John Qualen, Peggy … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 55 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘White Christmas’ Soothes the Home Front in 1942

Posted on December 24, 2018 by

Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale in “Holiday Inn.” Note: This is an encore post from 2015. Recognized today as one of the top selling singles and pieces of sheet music of all time, Irving Berlin’s “White … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment