I neglected to get the date of this photo, which was apparently taken in the early 1960s. Here's a previous post about the lawsuits over lighting a cross in the windows of City Hall.
Life seems to be full of holiday recommendations and the Daily Mirror
doesn't want to be left out. Let's put on "Elvis' Christmas Album"
(Victor LOC 1035) and look at what might be wrapped up in paper and
ribbons at the Daily Mirror HQ.
In truth, those things might be
under the Daily Mirror's aluminum tree, but they're not. The philosophy
here, like everything else here, is old school: "Don't spend money you
don't have on things that people don't need."
Here's the Daily Mirror's low-cost guide to holiday giving:
If your parents are still living, tell them how much they mean to you. They won't be around forever.
If you have children, tell them how much you love them. They grow up so fast.
If you're estranged from someone, make peace. Life is too short to carry a grudge.
Search terms that lead to the Mirror offer daily entertainment for me, so why not share?
search last name Tousseau
pat boone, jay leno, smoke on the water
"harry chandler" quote
Missing teenage girls form Santa ana california
jim murray + LA Times + christmas.
caltech 37 percent women site:latimes.com
police down payment riverside act
Inspector Mcclay City of Los Angeles californi
Mickey Cohen Gatsby's restaurant
NINA HILT AUTOPSY
"eugene, OR" "nancy o brien "
ALAN J FRIEDMAN WAS ARRESTED IN LOS ANGELES YESTERDAY DECEMBER 19, 2007
Verdin Brothers V Robertson [1871]
San Angelo Standard Times car bomb 1950's
los angeles times 1955 car accident on telegraph road
she took over the long branch on gunsmoke
son had just found lying around on the street another picture of this
woman in the buff. A few days ago, I found yet another picture. She is
a married woman with two young daughters (This is from Slate, believe it or not--lrh).
Faustino Abella, 31, was hurrying back to his ship, the Navasota, a tanker at the Long Beach Navy base, when it happened in the morning darkness, about 5:30 a.m.
His wife, Jennie May, 30, was driving the car when it stalled on the approach to the Ocean Street Bridge over the Los Angeles River.
A woman in another car offered to give them a push. But when the
Abellas' car started, the gas pedal apparently jammed. The car roared
up the bridge, jumped the curb, tore out 37 feet of railing, hit a
concrete abutment and plunged 20 feet into the water, landing
upside-down.
As Navy divers worked to recover the bodies from the overturned car at
the bottom of the river, four children were waiting for their mother's
return: Faustino Abella Jr., who was 18 months old, and three girls
from her previous marriage, Gloria Jean, 12; Mary, 10; and Susan, 9.
The home at 2100 W. Willard St., in Long Beach, was sparsely decorated for the holidays with a small Christmas tree in a corner and a single package.
Several hours later, Long Beach police officers told the children their
parents were dead and took them to Juvenile Hall because there was no
one to care for them. "With anguished tears, the girls gathered up a
few belongings, their little brother clutched a toy truck in both arms
and they went along," The Times said.
Mrs. Sam Novak, a great-aunt living in San Diego, took custody of four
children, saying: "I'd have gone to them if I'd have had to crawl."
The next day, Jennie's parents, Samuel and Minnie Icke, arrived after
an all-night drive from St. Louis, where they were raising four more of
her children: Claude Capps, 15; Charles, 13; Susan's twin brother
Bobby; and Sammy,
8.
Samuel began disposing of the few pieces of furniture in the home and
settling Jennie's affairs before taking the children back to St. Louis.
Faustino's funeral was held in the Philippines, where he was born,
while Jennie's was held in St. Louis.
The Lafayette Hotel hosted the family for Christmas dinner and gave
them a check, but beyond that, we don't know what became of the
children. We can only hope for the best.
Mary Lange left UCLA Medical Center for the little house at 3351 W. 117th St.
in Inglewood, knowing that the cancer treatments had failed and praying
that she would live to see one more Christmas with her children.
Lange, 42, and her husband, William, 60, had seven children before he
died of cancer four years earlier. She went to work as a supermarket
checker to support the family, ignoring the lump that had formed on her
leg. A year later, a doctor found that it was cancerous and she began
cobalt treatments at UCLA.
As her illness progressed, her oldest son, William Jr., 17, quit St.
John Vianney School (now Daniel Murphy Catholic High School) and took a
job in another supermarket in the chain that employed his mother. Jack,
15, also began working for the supermarket chain part time. Mary Ann,
13, took over the household chores and continued getting good grades,
although she often missed school. They all took care of their younger
siblings: Thomas, 11, Joan, 10, Robert, 6, and Jerry, 5.
Stella DeVault, Lange's mother, stayed with the family until she, too,
died of cancer in June. Nell Madigan, a cousin with eight children of
her own, also provided help.
Lange never complained, but finally the pain became too great and she
had to quit her job at the supermarket. She came home Dec. 14 after
three weeks in the UCLA hospital, where she was known as the "fight and
faith" girl, receiving daily visits from the neighbors.
But with Christmas still a week away, the cancer was too strong and
Lange was failing quickly. "She was in pain but she seemed to overlook
it--until she just couldn't any longer," Madigan said.
"Mary said, 'Keep the family together, please,' " her cousin told The
Times. "She went so fast at the end. Those were her last words. She
complained of a numb foot. She sat up and sighed.... That was all."
William, The Times said, was too busy for tears because he had to
arrange the Rosary, funeral Mass at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church
and burial at Holy Cross Cemetery.
After the funeral, the seven children trailed Lange's gray casket as it
was taken to the cemetery. Their "young heads were tearfully bowed in
sorrow," The Times said.
The children's plight prompted a huge outpouring of aid from Los
Angeles residents, who offered money and gifts. An unidentified Good
Samaritan showed up at the front door with a check for $300 and an
Inglewood Boy Scout troop brought a Christmas tree and decorated it.
Madigan's unmarried brother, R.E. McQuiston, left his home in Omaha to
stay with the youngsters so that his cousin's wish would be
fulfilled--the family would stay together.
On Dec. 29, 1957, The Times published a letter from Madigan, McQuiston and the Lange children:
"We wish we could thank the writers of many anonymous letters and those
who called but this being impossible, we shall ask God in our prayers
to bless all of you.
"Today, the world is in such upheaval, it is consoling to feel the
warmth of friendly and loving people. May we with the help of God be a
good example to other nations."
After that, we don't really know what became of the family. According
to The Times, William Jr. was involved in a car accident seven months
later in which a 10-year-old died when he was thrown from the other
vehicle.
If anyone knows the rest of the story, I'd be interested in hearing it.
A crush of 3,500 newsboys gather in the Ambassador Auditorium at the
11th annual banquet for youths who sell newspapers on the corners of Los
Angeles.
The Times said that by 9 a.m., tens of hundreds of newsies had arrived
at City Hall for the trip to the Ambassador. "Twenty-five cars provided
by the Los Angeles Street Railway took them to the auditorium," The
Times said. "They made a regular Yellow Car parade down Spring Street
and out 9th with about every occupant yelling along the way."
"They raised the roof of Ambassador Auditorium," The Times said, "their
joyous enthusiasm finding expression at times in sailing paper plates
through the air and even in an occasional byplay of fists. Two bands
provided music but at times it could not be heard."
Mayor Porter helped take tickets and the prominent guests included Judges Roth and Taplin, both former newsboys.
Entertainment was provided by the Police Band, James Moreno's Hollywood
Carolers and Jack Smaltz, the singing waiter of the B.B.B. Cellar Cafe.
In addition, there was "William Borsage with his power-driven accordion," The Times said.
Attorney Isadore Gralla, a former newsboy, loaded his car with food and took it to the young vendors who were unable to leave their corners, The Times said. Other leftover food was given to the Salvation Army, Midnight Mission, St. Joseph's Church and the Rev. Ethel Duncan.
Bonus fact: Ray Bradbury used to sell newspapers at the corner of Norton and Olympic.
I let it pass when we first ran this photo a few weeks ago, but I couldn't help noticing something unusual about Al Seib's picture of Jay Leno delivering doughnuts to striking writers walking the picket line. But here it is again today.
Why, Leno is wearing a badge. It looks awfully authentic, too. I managed to get a detail shot from my colleague Robert St. John on the photo desk:
Notice that the badge says: "Special Agent" and "Division of Criminal Investigation."
A little online sleuthing finds that it is apparently a badge from the state of Wyoming. A real one.
Behold:
Hm. I somehow suspect it's unwise for a civilian to tool around Los Angeles wearing an actual law enforcement badge even if he is Jay Leno (did I mention he has a great car collection?).
It's hard to believe a column by the late Art Buchwald ever made anyone angry. In fact, it's hard to imagine that he ever accelerated anybody's pulse even modestly.
But he hit a nerve in the Eisenhower administration with this satiric item about the president's visit to the NATO conference in Paris. I mean, Art Buchwald, controversial? Are you serious?
To me, this reads like any other Buchwald column in all his innocuous, nonthreatening glory. But Press Secretary James C. Hagerty was furious. No wonder America was stunned by Vaughn Meader's "The First Family." I wonder what these men would make of today's political commentary.
Here's some fun: I'm combining Christmas past with the mystery photo.
Update: We have a winner. Jack Hannah correctly guessed Santa as Dodger pitching coach Red Adams. Nice going!
Photograph by Harry Chase / Los Angeles Times
Who are Santa's helpers in this 1975 photo? Bonus points: Identify Santa.
Davey Lopes and Ron Cey from the Dodgers (Chris Morales). Absolutely.
As for Santa: (Update--this is a tough question. I put it in as a throwaway gag, but people--even my co-workers at The Times--have become obsessed with whom this might be, far more than I ever imagined. Clue: He was part of the Dodger organization).
"Another member of the magical infield, Steve Garvey?" (Three people) Sorry, no.
Were there any 100th birthday events at the site this year?
Let's take the easy one first:
Were there any events held at the site this year to commemorate the centennial of filming commercial movies in Los Angeles?
As far as I know, there were not.
And now we turn to the history of what the Daily Mirror has named "Charles Bukowski Square," in which we find that it was a notorious spot for intoxication, suicide and horse theft in early Los Angeles.
And in 1910, you might visit if you had tapeworms.
First of all, the building at the southeast corner of 7th and Main didn't begin life as Dearden's. It was the home of Overell's. If that name seems familiar, give yourself bonus points on Los Angeles' history for knowing about the Bud Gollum and Louise Overell double murder case of 1947. (Bud and Louise were lovers who were accused of beating her parents to death and blowing up their yacht in the Newport Beach Harbor--and yes, they were found not guilty).
The Times' display ads show that Overell's moved into the Dearden's building in 1906, raising the question about filming atop a tinsmith's shop purportedly there a year later. But I'm getting ahead of myself
Very well, Sherman, set the Wayback Machine for 1887. We find that the Fourth of July parade began at 7th and Main. In fact, Bukowski Square was a popular starting point for parades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including President William McKinley's visit in 1901:
The next year (Sept. 20, 1888), we find that Jacob Altoff (or Adloff) was seeking a license to open a saloon at the intersection, an early milestone in the colorful, 90-poof history of Bukowski Square.
In 1889, it was clearly a place to go for interesting medical procedures.
We can infer that by 1891, the Roberts Building (possibly the Robart, Robart's or Robarts Block) had been erected on the northeast corner (now the site of Craby Joe's et al) because a nasty attempted murder-suicide involving a .44-caliber British bulldog occurred there. (I love going through the turn-of-the-century newspapers; the headlines take my breath away. "Blew His Head Off" comes close to my all-time favorite: "Says Bad Words Into Phone").
And in 1891, we find a livery stable victimized by a drunk Swede and his companion:
In 1895, we find references to a drugstore and a dentist's office.
In 1897, bad things happened at the Castle Saloon, 7th and Main, and author Horace Bell's son Albert was arrested on suspicion of "having tapped a till."
June 5, 1897: A morphine fiend burglarizes Paul Vignes' saloon on the northeast corner of Bukowski Square. This was apparently the Castle Saloon.
In 1902, there was attempted double suicide by morphine addict E. Percivale Baker and his wife at the St. Lawrence rooming house.
Aha! Now we're getting somewhere.
On June 17, 1902, a spectacular fire destroyed the Heywood Bros. and Wakefield Co. furniture store on the southeast corner of Bukowski Square, currently the home of Dearden's.
"Nothing remains except the four walls and the lower floor," The Times said of the building, which was planned as early as 1898 and erected about 1901. A few days later, a workman was injured when a 35-foot-high scaffolding collapsed due to the weight of salvaged bricks at what The Times identified as the O.T. Johnson Building.
In the next few months, thousands of chairs as well as many pieces of fire- or water-damaged furniture were sold at auctions held in a large tent on the site.
In 1903, a market was apparently located on one corner.
And we find a car dealer at a corner in 1904:
Finally, in 1906, we find this. Look familiar? Notice that there are no fire escapes. Oops.
Photograph by Larry Harnisch / Los Angeles Times
This would seem to eliminate at least part of the story: A tinsmith's shop (later variant: Chinese laundry) at 7th and Main, at least at this corner of Bukowski Square.
But we have three others to explore.
In the June 10, 1906, Times, we find that the northeast corner (146 1/2 feet on Main and 147 1/2 feet to a 20-foot alley) were sold by J.W. Wolfskill to the Union Trust and Realty Co., representing "a local syndicate." The Times notes that there was a three-story brick building on the property and that the buyers planned six or eight one-story stores.
Later that year, a Pasadena engineer who killed his wife committed suicide with carbolic acid at the Fairmount Hotel, somewhere on Bukowski Square.
As for the southeast corner (now occupied by the restaurant with the smiling signage, a bit like the billboard with a giant pair of eyes in "The Great Gatsby") we find that in June 1907 it was occupied by the Gem Furniture store. No trace of a tinsmith's shop or Chinese laundry so far. In fact Bukowski Square sounds downright metropolitan.
Now for the northwest corner. We find that when it was sold in 1904 it had a one-story brick building. The Times notes that when the current leases expired, the new owners planned a building at least eight stories high. Some sort of construction was going on in 1906 because The Times reported a contract for 125,000 bricks to be used in a two-story building on Bukowski Square planned by S.M. Quimby.
Hm. I found a building permit for a one-story brick building at 109-111 W. 7th on Sept. 6, 1903.
In 1923, there was a hardware story on the property.
Here's one mystery cleared up at least, the mystery building now at the northwest corner is the Board of Trade Building, 117 W. 7th, which opened in 1926.
Nothing listed anywhere about a Chinese laundry or a tinsmith's shop. And I'm out of time for today.
To anyone who thinks traffic is a new problem here: Los Angeles studies elevated trains in an attempt to relieve congested streets--nearly a century ago.
Larry Harnisch. The leading Black Dahlia expert and a collaborator in the 1947project, Harnisch has been a copy editor at The Times since 1988. He has appeared on many TV shows discussing the Dahlia case, notably "James Ellroy's Feast of Death."
Join him for a spin through old Los Angeles in the Mirror's radio car. Keep your eyes open for Mickey Cohen and Tempest Storm. It's quite a ride.
The reporter's badge belonged to Sid Hughes (1908-1958), legendary reporter who worked at nearly every newspaper in Los Angeles.
Keith Thursby. Keith has been an editor at The Times in news, sports and design since 1986. The Rams moved to St. Louis on his first day as assistant sports editor of the paper's Orange County edition. He grew up in Norwalk and lives in Irvine.
Blogs
Larry Harnisch. The leading Black Dahlia expert and a collaborator in the 1947project, Harnisch has been a copy editor at The Times since 1988. He has appeared on many TV shows discussing the Dahlia case, notably "James Ellroy's Feast of Death."
Join him for a spin through old Los Angeles in the Mirror's radio car. Keep your eyes open for Mickey Cohen and Tempest Storm. It's quite a ride.
The reporter's badge belonged to Sid Hughes (1908-1958), legendary reporter who worked at nearly every newspaper in Los Angeles.
Keith Thursby. Keith has been an editor at The Times in news, sports and design since 1986. The Rams moved to St. Louis on his first day as assistant sports editor of the paper's Orange County edition. He grew up in Norwalk and lives in Irvine.