Tag Archives: Music

Black L.A. 1947: Thomas R. LeBlanc, Influential Figure in Los Angeles Music

Posted on May 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

LeBlanc’s Creole Band in an undated photo, via the Sentinel. May 8, 1947: I went down the research rabbit hole on the story of Thomas R. LeBlanc, who was featured in the Sentinel. This is a story that deserves more … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Bert McDonald Dies; First Black Deputy City Atty.

Posted on March 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

The latest records by Jimmy Rushing, Duke Henderson and King Perry are at 1065 N. Fairfax Ave. 1065 N. Fairfax Ave., where you got the latest hip 78s in 1947, via Google Street View. March 13, 1947: The Sentinel publishes … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Moving Picture Hero of My Heart’ Promotes Movies

Posted on February 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

  From its beginnings, the motion picture industry developed adept advertising and promotional concepts to spread the word of its film products and stars. Quick to develop cross-promotions and partnerships with magazines and newspapers, the film industry grew new fans … Continue reading →

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Jan. 6, 1947: Artist Dies While Hanging From Ceiling to Ease Spinal Pain

Posted on January 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. Jan. 6, 1947: Charles Clyde Atchison, 66, a sculptor and stone mason, had back problems—at least that’s what he told his sister Leona of 1110 W. 30th St. … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Organist C. Sharp Minor, Major Talent

Posted on October 30, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Music was an integral part of silent films, giving emotional texture or humorous voice to the films’ precious images. Different types of music and musicians accompanied them: orchestras, bands, photoplayers, pianists and … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Nigel De Brulier — Soothsayer From the East?

Posted on June 5, 2017 by lmharnisch

Nigel de Brulier, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2014 For decades, Hollywood typed actors for their looks, personality, temperament, a shorthand telling audiences what they could expect whenever the actor appeared. Some personalities like … Continue reading →

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

Eve Golden’s Radio Theater: Rich Conaty’s ‘Big Broadcast’

Posted on January 3, 2017 by lmharnisch

Photos of Rich Conaty courtesy of WFUV.     I am hijacking the usual YouTube Theater for a tribute to Rich Conaty, who hosted The Big Broadcast radio show—playing hits of the 1920s and ’30s—since 1973. He died of cancer … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Take Your Girlie to the Movies’ Promotes Film and Romance

Posted on March 7, 2016 by lmharnisch

   “Take Your Girlie to the Movies,” as recorded by Billy Murray, 1919. Popular songs often speak to issues of the period in which they are written, providing commentary on political, social, and cultural issues. Most of the songs in … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 4269 Lankershim Blvd: Evolution of an Address

Posted on July 27, 2015 by lmharnisch

Club Indigo matchbook courtesy of Mary Mallory. While some proprietorships remain in business for decades at one address, most often, occupancy at the site frequently changes due to economic and cultural cycles. Following owners usually continue in the same vein … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: ‘Black Dahlia’ Composer Bob Belden Dies at 58

Posted on May 21, 2015 by lmharnisch

Adam Parker of the Post and Courier is reporting the death of composer Bob Belden, who wrote the orchestral suite “Black Dahlia,” which was released on CD in 2001. If you’re not familiar with the suite, here’s a selection. I … Continue reading →

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Ray Bradbury’s Unrealized Opera: ‘Leviathan ‘99’

Posted on December 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

Since Ray Bradbury died in 2012, I have been rummaging around the Daily Mirror archives in a frustrating search for a copy of his libretto for an opera titled “Leviathan ’99,” which I obtained many years ago when I was … Continue reading →

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1944 on the Radio — Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge

Posted on December 6, 2014 by lmharnisch

Dec. 6, 1944: Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge. Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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1944 on the Radio — NBC Symphony Orchestra

Posted on December 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

Dec. 3, 1944: Arturo Toscanini conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra in three movements of the Beethoven Septet in E flat and the Symphony No. 2. Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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The New Rapper: Li’l Fatty Alias DJ Roscoe

Posted on November 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

Dear ProQuest: No, I did not. Perhaps you are thinking of Nipsey Hussle.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Libraries, Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

1944 on the Radio — NBC Symphony Orchestra, November 5, 1944

Posted on November 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

November 5, 1944: Arturo Toscanini conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, followed by Glinka’s “Caprice Brillant Jota Aragonesa.”  Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Nigel De Brulier — Soothsayer From the East?

Posted on October 20, 2014 by lmharnisch

Nigel de Brulier, courtesy of Mary Mallory. For decades, Hollywood typed actors for their looks, personality, temperament, a shorthand telling audiences what they could expect whenever the actor appeared. Some personalities like Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

1944 on the Radio — Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge

Posted on October 20, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oct. 20, 1944: Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge. Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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1944 on the Radio – NBC Symphony With Marian Anderson, October 15, 1944

Posted on October 15, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oct. 15, 1944: The NBC Symphony Orchestra, with guest Marian Anderson, conducted by Frank Black. Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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1944 on the Radio — Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge

Posted on October 11, 2014 by lmharnisch

October 11, 1944: Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge. Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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1944 on the Radio — Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge: September 27, 1944

Posted on September 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

September 27, 1944: Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge, with Phil Harris filling in for Kyser. Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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