Monthly Archives: September 2021

Mary Mallory/ Hollywood Heights: First Permanent Film Studio Was an Abandoned Roadhouse

Posted on September 29, 2021 by lmharnisch

When early moving picture companies set down roots in the farming community of Hollywood, they employed simple structures like barns, warehouses, and even an abandoned roadhouse as studios. These early production entities ventured west in 1909 and 1910 to escape … Continue reading →

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

Black Dahlia: Halloween and Why Murder Victim Cosplay Is Wrong

Posted on September 29, 2021 by lmharnisch

Halloween is coming up, so I’ll issue my annual warning: Don’t dress up like “The Black Dahlia.” It’s not honoring the memory of Elizabeth Short. It’s not “Justice for Beth,” however you might define it. Just don’t do it.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood’s Long Struggle for a Movie Museum

Posted on September 28, 2021 by lmharnisch

The Motion Picture Museum and Hall of Fame, about 1932. Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker, Bison Archives. On September 30, 2021, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures finally opens to the public. Long a dream of many in the Hollywood … Continue reading →

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

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 27, 2021 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery entry was The Last Letter, Season 5, Episode 7 of Death Valley Days from 1956, with William Pullen, Clint Eastwood, Forrest Stanley, George Pembroke, Russ Todd, John Sargent, Gregg Barton and Robert Sherman. Directed by Stuart E. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1956, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Television | Tagged , , , | 32 Comments

Found on EBay: A. Victor Segno, L.A.’s Greatest Charlatan

Posted on September 27, 2021 by lmharnisch

A. Victor Segno is my favorite Los Angeles charlatan and I’ve written about him several times. His scam was to have people send money to him at his HQ in Echo Park and in return he would send out a … Continue reading →

Posted in Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 20, 2021 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1957 RKO film The Girl Most Likely, with Jane Powell, Cliff Robertson, Keith Andes, Kaye Ballard, Tommy Noonan, Una Merkel, Kelly Brown, Judy Nugent and Frank Cady. Screenplay by Devery Freeman.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 62 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Slavko Vorkapich

Posted on September 20, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Many people come from all over the world to try and make a new start in Hollywood, particularly in the film industry. Among these over the years have been many artists from … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Myrtle Gonzalez – Early Latina Movie Star

Posted on September 14, 2021 by lmharnisch

An autographed photo of Myrtle Gonzalez by the Martel-Carruthers studio, inscribed to Jean Herscholt, listed on EBay at $250 Mostly forgotten today because of her untimely death in the 1918 influenza epidemic, Los Angeles native Myrtle Gonzalez began singing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 13, 2021 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1947 Twentieth Century-Fox film The Brasher Doubloon, with George Montgomery, Nancy Guild, Conrad Janis, Roy Roberts, Fritz Kortner, Florence Bates and Marvin Miller. Screenplay by Dorothy Hannah. Adaptation by Lenoard Praskins. Based on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 54 Comments

Found on EBay: ‘What Actors Eat (When They Eat!)’

Posted on September 10, 2021 by lmharnisch

A copy of the Lymanhouse cookbook “What Actors Eat (When They Eat!)” by Kenneth Harlan and Rex Lease has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $79.88. This book, by the L.A.-based publishing house, features recipes by movie … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Books and Authors, Food and Drink, Found on EBay, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Cinecon 57 – Brightening Days With Classic Film2

Posted on September 8, 2021 by lmharnisch

For the second year in a row, the Cinecon Classic Film Festival occurred virtually, bringing a respite from ongoing COVID struggles with entertaining and informative movies and television kinescopes. Overflowing with music, heart-tugging animals, and even issues society is wrestling … Continue reading →

Posted in 2021, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 6, 2021 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1960 film Tunes of Glory, with Alec Guinness, John Mills, Dennis Price, Kay Walsh, John Fraser, Gordon Jackson, Duncan Macrae, Percy Herbert, Allan Cuthbertson, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Richard Leech, Gerald Harper and Peter McEnery. Introducing … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 53 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – the Photoplayer

Posted on September 6, 2021 by lmharnisch

Photo: Joe Rinaudo with his Fotoplayer.  Credit: Joe Rinaudo. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. For a short time in the 1920s, 8,000-10,000 photoplayers ruled the roost at medium-sized motion picture theaters. Basically organs with player piano rolls … Continue reading →

Posted in 1912, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music, Stage, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment