Tag Archives: Los Angeles Sentinel

Black L.A. 1947: Lottie Grady, Pioneering Black Actress in Theater and Film, Visits Los Angeles

“Dat Lovin’ Rag,” courtesy of the University of Colorado Boulder Music Library. June 19, 1947: Lottie Grady, one of the first African American actors to perform on Broadway, visits Los Angeles and is interviewed by the Sentinel. Grady performed on … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: ‘Why Negro Girls Stay Single’ by Pauli Murray

Update, March 28, 2023: Pauli Murray’s essay in Negro Digest is online at Archive.org. June 19, 1947: The Sentinel publishes a few paragraphs on Pauli Murray’s essay, which appeared in the July 1947 issue of “Negro Digest.” Murray’s essay is frequently … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: The Sentinel’s Hotel Listings

The Golden West Manor Motel, 3700 S. Western, via Google Street View. June 12, 1947: The Western Motel, at 37th Street and South Western Avenue, advertised in the Sentinel that it was “clean, comfortable, modern” with “special accommodations for theatrical … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: The Case of Godwin ‘Buddy’ Bush, Who Escaped From a Lynch Mob

June 12, 1947: Juanita Washington Goodman’s columns were a weekly feature in the Sentinel. In this one, she’s writes about Godwin/Goodwin “Buddy” Bush, who escaped from a mob that had taken him from the Jackson, N.C., jail May 23, 1947. … Continue reading

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: 5 LAPD Officers Injured in 3 Fights

June 5, 1947: Christopher W. Bankhead, who was injured in a plane crash during World War II, dies of a heart “ailment” while cutting a customer’s hair at William McKinney’s barbershop, 4012 S. Central Ave. LAPD Officers S. Goldman and … Continue reading

Posted in 1947, African Americans, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: DAR Reaffirms Ban on Black Performers at Constitution Hall

May 29, 1947:  The Daughters of the American Revolution, holding its annual convention in Washington, affirms its ban on African American performers at Constitution Hall. A story by the Associated Negro Press notes that Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: World War II Veteran Kills Wife, Commits Suicide

May 15, 1947: Robert B. Hudson, 30, was “ambitious, quiet and conservative in his activities,” the Sentinel said. He was discharged from the service with the rank of staff sergeant after 27 months in the South Pacific. He and his … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: John Thomas Trains at Main Street Gym for Bout With Enrique Bolanos at Wrigley Field

May 8, 1947: John Thomas begins training at the Main Street Gym for the California State lightweight championship match at Wrigley Field on June 3. Before being drafted into the Army, Thomas was an impressive young fighter and was scheduled … Continue reading

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Black L.A., 1947: Racial Tensions at Fremont High Boost Homeowners’ Efforts to Keep Neighborhood White

March 1947: Students who walked out of classes at Fremont High School to protest the presence of six African American students stand next to a figure labeled “No Negroes” hung from a lamp post at 77th and San Pedro streets. … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: Late-Night Streetcar Service Captures the Heartbeat of the City

Feb. 27, 1947: I missed this ad for Los Angeles Transit Lines in my previous pass through the Sentinel and I just had to run it. Militant Angeleno: This is for you!

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Black L.A., 1947: Onyx Club Opens in Pasadena; Cafe Was Site of Sensational 1950 Killing

March 6, 1947: The Onyx Club opens at 109 S. Fair Oaks in Pasadena. The former site of what was variously called the Onyx Club, Onyx Cafe or Onyx Bar on South Fair Oaks in Pasadena, via Google Street View. … Continue reading

Posted in 1947, 1950, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Music, Nightclubs, Pasadena | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black L.A. 1947: Huge Blast Kills 17, Show Dangers of Industry Moving Into Black Neighborhoods

Feb. 20, 1947: An aerial view of the devastation from the explosion at the O’Connor Electroplating Corp.,  926 E. Pico Blvd.  Los Angeles Public Library Herald Examiner collection. The site of the O’Connor Electroplating explosion via Google Satellite View. The … Continue reading

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

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

  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: Jazz Musicians Outraged by Esquire Jazz Book for 1947

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

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

  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

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: Black, Jewish Protesters Picket Disney’s ‘Song of the South’ at RKO Hillstreet

Above, the “trackless trolley,” which was powered by overhead cables but used tires rather than running on rails, is coming to Central Avenue. The trackless trolleys solved streetcars’ problems of maneuverability (passengers could board and disembark at the curb rather … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: Dodgers Organization Signs 3 More Negro League Stars

Feb. 6, 1947: Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey Sr. signs three more stars of the Negro baseball league: Monty (Monte) Irvin and Larry Doby of the Newark Eagles and Bus Clarkson, formerly of the Philadelphia Stars who most recently played … Continue reading

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

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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