Tag Archives: photography

Jan. 2, 1958: Photographer Edward Weston Dies

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

Here’s a blog post I wrote for the Daily Mirror blog in 2008, when it was hosted by the Los Angeles Times. Edward Weston, one of the great photographers of the 20th century, received a one-paragraph obituary in the Los … Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Obituaries, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Follies Theater’s 1927 ‘Hot Mamma’ Show Led Court to Overturn Law on ‘Indecent Shows’

Posted on December 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

A EBay vendor posted this photo of a woman named Aline or Alene Carberry, and I could not resist unleashing the hounds of research. Bidding on the “Hot Mamma” photo is currently at $34.50.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — A. L. “Whitey” Schafer Simplifies Portraits

Posted on October 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

“Thou Shalt Not,” “Whitey” Schafer’s most famous image. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. In the very early days of the motion picture industry, stills photographers meant nothing to the moving picture companies. They asked their feature cameramen … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Bert Longworth and ‘Hold Still, Hollywood’

Posted on August 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. In the last forty years, movie collectors and photography connoisseurs have recognized the art and value of Hollywood still photography, most particularly in the gloriously lit and composed portraits of glamorous stars. … Continue reading →

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Sept. 30, 1886: ‘An Orgie Such as Even the Most Salacious Pen of Ancient Rome Never Dared Describe’

Posted on June 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Sept. 30, 1886: We decided to dig out the original quote from Joe Mozingo’s history of the Los Angeles Times in Sunday’s paper. And let it be said that the editorial pages of frontier newspapers were not known for their … Continue reading →

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Christmas Past: A Cincinnati Family Celebrates the Holidays 100 Years Ago

Posted on December 24, 2017 by lmharnisch

I picked up these photos in a Pasadena thrift store years ago. There is no information on them except the stamp on the back: Moser & Son, Cin’ti, O. Aside from the tree (seen below) and what seem to be … Continue reading →

Posted in 1916, Photography | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

In Memoriam — Johnny Fox | Sword Swallower (1953 — 2017)

Posted on December 23, 2017 by lmharnisch

We were saddened to read an obituary in the New York Times this week about sword swallower Johnny Fox, who died of cancer in Maryland at the age of 64. We snapped this picture of Fox, about to swallow a … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Junius Estep and Alfred Lindstedt, Early but Forgotten Stills Photographers

Posted on July 24, 2017 by lmharnisch

Bessie Eyton by Junius Estep, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2015 In the early days of silent film production, moving picture companies promoted their brand names to consumers, selling films around the quality and … Continue reading →

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

Black Dahlia: Random Old Crap Listed as ‘Black Dahlia Clone’

Posted on April 29, 2017 by lmharnisch

I’m continually surprised by the ingenuity of some EBay vendors in stretching to impossible lengths to find a link to the Black Dahlia case The vendor in question has listed some random old flea market find as “Beautiful raven haired … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: K.O. Rahmn, Mary Pickford’s Photographer

Posted on April 24, 2017 by lmharnisch

  Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in “The Taming of the Shrew,” photo by K.O. Rahmn, from Close Up. Probably the only actor/stills photographer in early Hollywood, K. O. (Knute Olaf) Rahmn worked for Kalem Co. at its Glendale studio … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Nelson Evans, Hollywood’s Early Forgotten Portrait Photographer

Posted on April 10, 2017 by lmharnisch

Photo: Nelson Evans Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Unlike the theatrical world, the early motion picture industry was slow in recognizing the importance of photographs to help publicize and sell its films. While Broadway producers hired great … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — AMPAS Awards Stills Photographers

Posted on February 13, 2017 by lmharnisch

“A close second as the Best Production Still Out-of-Doors, is this beautifully composed and lighted scene from “Song of Bernadette,” 20th-Century-Fox production, by Stax Graves,” Courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore of a post from 2014. Over … Continue reading →

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

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Celebrities’ Sons Become Photographers

Posted on November 28, 2016 by lmharnisch

Carlyle Blackwell Jr.,Bryant Washburn Jr., Elsie Ferguson II and Erich von Stroheim Jr. shown in Motion Picture Herald, 1933. When it comes to careers, many children follow in the footsteps of their parents, either through family tradition or because it … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Max Munn Autrey, Texas Stillman

Posted on October 10, 2016 by lmharnisch

Max Munn Autrey, from Pictures and Picturegoer, August 1925 “In Hollywood, photographers spring into fame overnight. They are, for a time, a fad—and only become recognized as established worth when they prove that their ideas are not limited. All an … Continue reading →

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Olympics: Scenes From the 1932 Los Angeles Games

Posted on August 3, 2016 by lmharnisch

Several years ago, I bought a group of German images showing the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and the 2016 Rio Games seemed like a good time to share them.

Posted in 1932, City Hall, Photography, Sports | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Russell Ball — An Eye for Glamour

Posted on July 18, 2016 by lmharnisch

Doris Kenyon by Russell Ball, Motion Picture Magazine, 1928. Motion picture still photography, just like any brand marketing, is all about creating a recognizable and attractive product appealing to consumers and leading to sales. Going a step further, stills photography’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coming Attractions: Mark A. Vieira’s ‘Into the Dark’

Posted on April 19, 2016 by lmharnisch

Mark A. Vieira writes that he will be signing advance copies of his book “Into the Dark” at the TCM Classic Film Festival. “Into the Dark,” published by Running Press and TCM, won’t be officially released until May 24, so … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Jack Freulich, Universal Still Man

Posted on February 8, 2016 by lmharnisch

Laura La Plante in a photograph by Jack Freulich, Motion Picture Classic.  History is written by survivors, so those who die young often seem to recede into memory, forgotten or ignored as time passed them by. While often great artists, … Continue reading →

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Vandalized Church Needs Help

Posted on December 1, 2015 by lmharnisch

Somewhere in Los Angeles, young men with too much testosterone and spray paint are spending what is apparently their abundant spare time vandalizing an abandoned church. Judging by my Instagram feed, abandoned classrooms, theaters, auditoriums and other unsecured sites in … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Margaret Bourke-White, Motion Picture Photographer

Posted on November 2, 2015 by lmharnisch

Margaret Bourke-White and Michael Curtiz during filming of “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” Renowned photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White fearlessly documented battles on land, air, and sea, surviving combat zones, strafing during a bombing run, torpedoing at sea, and the bombardment of … Continue reading →

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