Monthly Archives: October 2009

Matt Weinstock, Oct. 31, 1959

Posted on October 31, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Still another panel you'll never see in the legacy version of "Peanuts." Eccentric? Us?     Deserved or not, people in Los Angeles have acquired a reputation for eccentricity.  Today there's evidence that we normal, ordinary folk may be the … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Oct. 31, 1959

Posted on October 31, 2009 by lmharnisch

    Sparrow Just Not Columnist's Dish     TOKYO — I hope you're fine, but me? I'm a bit under the weather.  Got this kind of queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.      You see, I have good … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movies

Posted on October 31, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Oct. 31, 1958: “The Spider/Earth vs. the Spider” and co-hit “Terror From the Year 5000” play in Los Angeles. (Oh come on! TFTY5K only gets two stars on imdb? Nothing gets less than six stars on imdb! And only … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood | 2 Comments

U.S. Approves Project to Clear Bunker Hill

Posted on October 31, 2009 by lmharnisch

Guess what happens after a plumber connects a butane line to Crestview, Fla.'s water supply Someone, we're not sure who, reminisces about Halloweens of the past. I figured out how to make the "ticktack" the woman describes, but the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | Leave a comment

Black Soldier Refuses to Pass as White

Posted on October 31, 2009 by lmharnisch

“You don’t have to pass as a Negro in California. If you aren’t black you can pass for anything.” Oct. 31, 1919: A fascinating glimpse of African American life in Los Angeles surfaces in divorce proceedings. A black soldier says … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Countdown to Watts, Politics | Leave a comment

Halloween Pranks

Posted on October 31, 2009 by lmharnisch

 A cheese elephant from “The Terrors of the Tiny Tads” by Gustave Verbeck/Verbeek. A five-passenger Cadillac is stolen – police say it’s a prank. Oct. 31, 1909: Three motorcyclists are charged with going almost 30 mph, in violation of the … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, Comics, Downtown, LAPD | Leave a comment

Matt Weinstock, Oct. 30, 1959

Posted on October 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

      In case you’re too young to understand Matt Weinstock’s reference, Crest toothpaste had a famous – and frequently satirized – ad campaign in the 1950s. Seized by Indians*     Last Saturday as Hildred M. Hodgson, a lively grandmother, … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Leave a comment

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Oct. 30, 1959

Posted on October 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

Columnist's Face Saved at Low Cost TOKYO — In today's lesson, boys and girls, we will turn our rapt attention to the strange Japanese preoccupation with "saving face."     All we've known about it in the past, of course, is … Continue reading →

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KNX’s Mornings With Bob Crane

Posted on October 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 9, 1959: The Times profiles KNX announcer Bob Crane, who became the star of “Hogan’s Heroes.” Somewhere at the Daily Mirror HQ, I’ve got an LP that KNX released with Bob Crane on one side and Pat Buttram … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Film, Hollywood, Television | Leave a comment

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movies

Posted on October 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

   Oct. 30, 1957: “The Cyclops” and “Daughter of Dr. Jekyll.”

Posted in Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Movie Star Mystery Photo

Posted on October 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo Update: Josephine Dunn in an undated photo Update: This is actress Josephine Dunn (1906-1983). The Times evidently didn’t publish an obituary on her. Just a reminder on how this works: I post the mystery photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | 25 Comments

Shostakovich Visits L.A.!

Posted on October 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Shostakovich meets the press at the Ambassador Hotel. Wouldn’t it be great to go see it? Oh, wait, we let L..A. Unified tear it down. Oct. 20, 1959: Dmitri Shostakovich leads a group of Soviet composers on a tour … Continue reading →

Posted in classical music, Front Pages, Music, Sports, Stage | 1 Comment

Stocks Dive in Frenzy, 1929

Posted on October 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale notes the role of politics in criticism of Police Chief James Davis.   Oct. 30, 1929: “An incredible stock market tumbled toward chaos today despite heroic measures adopted by the nation's greatest bankers.” What do … Continue reading →

Posted in @news, art and artists, Current Affairs | Leave a comment

Attorney General Rules Against Using Bibles in School

Posted on October 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Elgin watches are the timepieces of choice for job-seekers.     Aug. 1, 1947: U.S. Webb dies at the age of 82. Oct. 30, 1909: California Atty. Gen. Ulysses S. Webb says: “When we force our citizens to pay for and … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Education, Religion | Leave a comment

Matt Weinstock, Oct. 29, 1959

Posted on October 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

      No Boredom Today     The girls in classified are a little dewy-eyed today over a Public Announcement ad.  It states simply, "Happy birthday, pretty Beverly."  But there's more to it than that.    Beverly, whoever she is, frequently remarks … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Oct. 29, 1959

Posted on October 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Women of Japan Enjoy Their Liberty LADIES DAY IN TOKYO (Part Two) — When General of the Army Douglas MacArthur returned, as he had somehow hurriedly promised to do, Japan got its first taste of democracy.    In the manner … Continue reading →

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Lili St. Cyr Remarries

Posted on October 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Charles Van Doren reportedly confesses to getting answers for the TV game show "Twenty-One.'     Oct. 29, 1959: Americans are ashamed that the U.S. is behind the Soviets in the space race … And Lili St. Cyr is … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Front Pages, health, Television | Leave a comment

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movies

Posted on October 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

    Oct. 29, 1956: “Friendly Persuasion” will premiere at the Fox Wilshire Theatre … introducing Anthony Perkins. The film was reviewed twice in The Times, on Sept. 16, 1956, by Philip K. Scheuer and again on Oct. 31, 1956,  … Continue reading →

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Catching Up With ‘Twilight Zone’

Posted on October 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 4, 1959: I almost didn’t post this Cecil Smith column because it’s not terribly well done and is mostly Smith rambling to great length about ghost stories.  But I reminded myself that at this point, very few people … Continue reading →

Posted in books, broadcasting, Television | 1 Comment

Sgt. Kutz Questions Barefoot Woman

Posted on October 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Oct. 29, 1909: Lucretia Ruis attracts attention in Long Beach because she doesn’t wear stockings or shoes. She’s an intelligent and refined woman, but shoes and socks cause her too much pain. 

Posted in Fashion | Leave a comment