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Carole Landis--RIP

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I discovered something interesting in trying to enhance this photo.
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I was fiddling around with the contrast and brightness when the labels suddenly became readable -- at least the larger type. Imagine my surprise. (No, I didn't salvage this out of the photo above; someone sent me a scan.) The labels appear to say something like "Western Drug" or "Westwood Drug." Aha! Western Drug. Co., 5500 Hollywood Blvd., GLadstone-8192.

Update: According to an informal inquiry held in lieu of an inquest, the envelope shown with the pill bottles said (apparently in Landis' handwriting):

"red--quick--2 hours

yellow about 5--can take 2"

Note that only one of these four bottles looks like the three found on the bureau, at left. That's a total of six pill bottles at least. Maybe seven.

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Carole Landis--RIP

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Above, the photo of Carole Landis published in The Times.
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Dropcap_s_vadisomeone was kind enough to send me a scan of this photo. Here are the items on the bathroom counter: a book of matches, a comb and several bottles. It's a bit difficult to tell, but I think a pill bottle is visible behind the large bottle in the center of the photo. If so, we have found four pill bottles so far.
Carole_landis_lhand And we get a closeup of her left hand. I noticed right away there's no wedding ring. She had filed for divorce, so that's not terribly surprising -- but worth noting. Also notice that the bathroom appears to be carpeted.

Update: Now this is interesting. According to news reports, Landis was holding a satin ribbon bearing the Lord's Prayer in her left hand. But I don't see any ribbon, just a shadow from the leg of the bathroom sink. Unfortunately, her right hand is obscured.
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Of course, we're snooping, so we're going to look into this locking cabinet. What's in here? On the top shelf, we find a small box and what appears to be a small pouch or portfolio-type cover with a snap.
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This is the item that interests me the most. On the bottom shelf of this locking cabinet, closest to her head, we find some sort of typed or printed document. Unfortunately, I can't get any more detail by enhancing the photo. But it's clearly a document. Presumably this is not a will as there was confusion after her death about where it was located.

What seems evident, though, is that she was using the locking cabinet to store valuables.

In fact, someone sent me another photo of the scene in which the cabinet door isn't blocked by Detective Jones. At left, there's the lock.

Someone who has more time than I do might find it productive to get a copy of her probate records from Los Angeles County. Because there was a legal dispute over her estate, it's fairly likely there's a large file that should include a detailed inventory of everything she owned when she died.

Observations? Thoughts?

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Nuestro Pueblo

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Below, Spring and Alpine streets via Google maps' street view feature.

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Carole Landis--RIP

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Above, the Carole Landis crime scene photo as it was published in The Times, July 6, 1948.
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Dropcap_o_bonnieclyde nce again, here are our two detectives, John Laymen and Emmett Jones, looking at poor old Carole Landis on the bathroom floor. I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that nobody mentioned what I find to be the most interesting detail in this photo.

Dropcap_b_bonnieclyde elow, let's get a closer look. Sure enough, there's a set of keys hanging from the door of the cabinet where she's lying. I can't claim to be an expert on fancy Los Angeles homes of the 1940s (a shout-out to Nathan Marsak), but I have never encountered a bathroom that had a cabinet that locked with a key (perhaps I have led a sheltered life). I suppose there are several reasons for having one.

One possibility is that it was an early attempt at baby-proofing; Lord knows the old newspapers are full of stories about children poisoning themselves with ant paste or their parents' medicine.

Dropcap_w_bonnieclyde_2hatever the reason, I'm beginning to suspect that Landis was using this locking cabinet as some sort of home safe. The inventory of her estate listed quite a bit of jewelry and the fact that she was found resting her head on a jewelry box makes much more sense if she kept her valuables in this cabinet.

Wouldn't it be fun to look in the cabinet? Maybe we can.
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Carole Landis--RIP


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Photograph by the Los Angeles Times

Here's the overall shot again. So far nobody has mentioned the item almost in the center of the photograph.
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A piano bench and an old movie script. Voila!


At first I thought it was some sort of ledger. But on closer examination I decided it might be a script.

Below, here's what a 1940s movie script looked like in its original binder. (This is the script for the MGM production "The Arnelo Affair," dated Nov. 5, 1946, purchased by me at the Salvation Army store in Pasadena for $4. The binders, by the way, came from The Loose Leaf House, 1240 S. Main St.)

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July 4, 1908


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Ken Reich--in memoriam

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Photograph by Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

Former Times reporter and columnist Kenneth Reich, who died in his sleep Monday.
This is a recording of Ken's memorial service, held July 3, 2008, at Mount Sinai, Hollywood Hills. This is a field recording and I've reduced it to monaural for streaming purposes, so it's a lo-fi experience.  The speakers were Rabbi Sheldon Pennes, Ken's longtime friend Anton Calleia, former Times Sports Editor Bill Dwyre and Ken's son, David.

And I couldn't resist posting this sound clip from a 2006 gathering of the Old Farts of The Times on its 30th anniversary. The speakers are moderator Jerry Clark, Ken Reich, former Times National Editor Ed Guthman and Only in L.A. columnist Steve Harvey, discussing former President Nixon's "Enemies List" and former Times political reporter Richard Bergholz, who had recently died.
 
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Carole Landis--RIP


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Los Angeles Times file photo

Let's break down the photograph by segments. First, we'll  inventory everything on and around the bureau.
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Starting from the left, here's the camera. I'll leave to the experts to determine the precise model. My first guess is that it belongs to the police crime scene photographer or to a news photographer.

Update: Howard Decker asks whether this might be some sort of "flash slave unit" with a large battery pack. I don't know enough about 4x5 equipment to comment. I'm quite curious about how the photographer lit the bathroom.
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Then there's the flowers. Interestingly enough, the vase seems to be sitting on a metal tray--or perhaps it's an ashtray. There's also something that looks like a hankie to the left of the vase.
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And her purse. Note that it's reflected in the mirror.
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And the three bottles that everyone has mentioned. Unfortunately, the labels are unreadable, but the bottles look like drugstore prescriptions to me.

At the moment I'm more interested in what's behind the bottles. Is it a clipboard? A large envelope? I can't quite tell.
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Finally, we have what appears to be a trunk or suitcase to the left of the bureau. One of the men in the picture is obscuring the object so we can only see a corner of it.

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Above, the photo that turns up in so many crime books and on the Internet--usually not credited to The Times (ahem). Unfortunately, I cannot locate this print in The Times archives, so a clip from ProQuest will have to do.  It would be interesting to examine exactly what's on the counter.
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This is what we see in the mirror above the bureau. Of course, everything is reversed, so let's flop it.
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Notice that it's daytime and one of the windows is open. There are heavy drapes and we can see out into the yard.
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And here's the fur coat that everyone has mentioned. Nathan is correct in saying that Los Angeles gets cool at night, even in July, and for a stylish movie star like Carole Landis, a fur coat in the summertime doesn't strike me as being out of place. According to a story about the auction of her estate, Landis owned 11 fur coats, as well as stoles, capes, jackets, hats and muffs.
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Isn't this a wonderful hair dryer? Art Deco meets the Space Age. I'm sure there is someone, somewhere who collects antique hair dryers and can identify this for us.

And there's a doorstop on the molding at the bottom of the picture. Presumably it's for the door that's behind heavy drapes to the right.
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Notice that the label is visible. I flipped the image to make it right side up.
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One reader commented on the door knob and the lock. Here's a more detailed image.


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Carole Landis--RIP


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Photograph by the Los Angeles Times
Detectives John M. Laymen, top, and Emmett Jones examine the body of actress Carole Landis in a bathroom (one of four) at her home at 1465 Capri Drive, July 5, 1948. Below, the approximate location via Google maps' street view feature.



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Carole_landis_photo_1940 Dropcap_t_pontiac_2he 60th anniversary of Carole Landis' suicide is coming up, so I thought it would be interesting to post a Times photo of the crime scene. I noticed several unusual things right away, but just to make this a bit more interesting, take a look at this photo and tell me what you see. There is at least one detail that I find extremely odd. At left, Landis in a 1940 studio photo

(Note: Some Neanderthal at The Times cut this print into a bizarre shape, so I filled in the black background to make it a rectangle.) OK, mystery lovers... what do you see in the crime scene photo?
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July 3, 1938

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Above, a panel from "Buck Rogers."
1938_0703_boom Dropcap_t_hamilton_2 he editors of the Daily Mirror have several sayings: "We cannot forget the past, but also we cannot live there," "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts," and my new favorite saying: "Don't store fireworks in the oven."

Then again, when was the last time you lit your kitchen stove (apparently a wood-burning stove at that) with a match?

Presumably Mrs. Cote had decided that July was too warm for baking, so the oven was taking a little summer vacation.
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July 2, 1958

1958_0702_voteBy Keith Thursby
Times Staff Writer

The Times published detailed results of the Chavez Ravine ballot initiative that showed just how close the vote was.

The June 3 measure to approve a baseball stadium for the Dodgers passed by nearly 26,000 votes and was favored in nine of the 15 City Council districts. Four of the six districts that voted against the stadium contract were in the San Fernando Valley where, according to The Times' story, "sectional opposition to downtown attractions is fostered by some interests."

That sure seemed like a line better suited for an editorial.  But anyone reading the coverage had to realize by now that The Times was clearly on one side of the debate.

Councilmen John Holland and Patrick McGee, two frequently quoted opponents of the stadium deal, served districts with the biggest margins against the Dodger contract.

Holland's 1970 obit by Times staff writer Doug Shuit included a quote that summed up his view of the contract. "It was the biggest steal of public lands and money since the trade for Manhattan Island with the Indians for a basket of beads," Holland said.

keith.thursby@latimes.com

July 2, 1938

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Dropcap_m_1931_02 ayor Frank Shaw congratulates hundreds of city employees on their retirement, notably 90-year-old Robert Carr, above. The Times says that Carr worked in the street maintenance division for more than 20 years, meaning that he would have started with the city in his late 60s. Unfortunately, The Times doesn't say exactly what he did.

Also, Earle Kynette tells the grand jury he can solve the Harry Raymond bombing. He doesn't offer any new details, just a new theory, which The Times doesn't describe. 

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July 2, 1908

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Dropcap_h_rose_tattoo er name was Fanny (or Fannie) and she had everything a young wife could want, at least according to her husband, Walter F.W. Stock, a grading contractor from Long Beach. The Stocks enjoyed a happy home and had two children. At least that was Walter's story.

All was content and "prosperity was smiling on them" until Fanny went for a ride in a motorcar with one of Walter's employees, Edward Abril, a "prepossessing young Mexican," according to The Times. 

"This one little taste of life seemed to sow seeds of discontent in the mind of the little wife and mother," The Times says.

The day after the story was published, The Times heard a very different version from Fanny, who had fled to Santa Barbara:

"My life has been a living hell," she told The Times.

"I was married in 1901 when I was 16," she said. "I have had seven children in seven years. Two of them are living. Walter is a good fellow, with no bad habits, but I never loved him. I was not allowed by my father to marry the man I loved and I practically had to marry Walter to prevent me from marrying the other.

"My husband is a contractor but has no business head. He knew I didn't love him when we were married. I frequently told him I would leave him as soon as his business affairs were straightened out. I figured on his building jobs, big ones, too, as any Los Angeles contractor will tell you. I went with him to his grading camp in Lancaster and cooked for his men, got up at 4 o'clock every morning and fed horses and did other menial work. But I was not happy -- I could not be happy. Walter was good in his way, but he made himself repulsive to me in a way that made me shrink from him."

At left, The Times reports that she returned to Walter twice before leaving again in 1910 with their two surviving children, Emily and Dora.

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Nuestro Pueblo



 
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Even allowing for artistic license, it's difficult to see how Charles Owens could have City Hall looming in the background from our blacksmith shop on Garey Street. Below, a view from 1st Street and Garey via Google maps' street view. Owens would have been several blocks farther away for this July 1, 1938, entry.

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Mystery photo

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Los Angeles Times file photo
  • William Desmond Taylor? Alas, no.
  • Harry Houdini? I'm afraid not.
  • George Raft? Sadly, no.
  • Tod Browning? Alas, no.
  • Bud Abbott? Sorry, no.
  • Jose Ferrer? Alas, no.
  • Charles Butterworth? Sorry, no
  • Erich von Stroheim? I'm afraid not.
  • George Burns? Say goodnight, Gracie.
  • Danny Kaye? Sorry no.
  • Irving Berlin? Alas, no.
  • Kirk Douglas? I'm afraid not.
  • Irving Thalberg? Alas, no.
  • Walter Winchell? Sorry, no.
  • Valentino? I'm afraid not.
Steven Bibb guessed the answer yesterday, but I'm having so much fun that I think I'll post another photo as a clue.

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And just to make it a little more challenging, who is the actress doing the Batusi?

Yes, this is Franklin Pangborn, above, with Caryl Lincoln and Ethel Wales in "Cradle Snatchers," directed by Howard Hawks.

He's better recognized here with the funny glasses:

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And here's one final picture.... any guesses on Mr. Pangborn's companion?

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  • Zazu Pitts? Sorry, no.

Hint: She was a WAMPAS baby. (Now I've given it away).





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Kenneth Reich, RIP


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Above, Ken Reich interviews Watergate figure Donald Segretti. Ken had terrific stories about covering Watergate. In fact, one of my favorite recollections was an occasion when I got to listen to him and the late Anthony Day, former editorial page editor, discussing their experiences with various Watergate figures. 
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June 30, 1958

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June 30, 1938

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Rodney "Gipsy" (or "Gypsy") Smith, famous evangelist, takes a wife. He died in 1947 while sailing from England to New York on the Queen Mary. He was 87.
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Dropcap_l_1928_02 APD "squadmen" (now there's an interesting coinage) are questioned before a police board of rights on allegations that they obstructed the investigation of the Harry Raymond bombing. The first three officers to testify say that they refused to answer questions because they considered themselves under technical arrest and acted upon the advice of their attorneys.

Also, the tale of an oft-married woodcarver charged with bigamy, a progress report on fundraising for Jewish relief and an oil painting of Mayor Frank Shaw is to be presented at City Hall. I wonder where it is now. 
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June 30, 1908

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Above, early coverage of the the Times Cup, a race that dates to 1903. The Los Angeles Times Trophy is still awarded by the Los Angeles Yacht Club
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Dropcap_a_napoleon t left, trouble in Whittier at the state school for juvenile delinquents. Supt. G.P. Greeley is accused of failing to enforce discipline, creating "a shocking, immoral state of affairs" at the school.

Evidence includes "obscene letters, indecent postals and notes," The Times says. Several young female inmates report overtures and "mistreatment" from school officers while male inmates tell of vicious beatings, the story says.


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And the Bethlehem Institution, with its El Club Belen branch at 618 New High St., reports success in teaching English to immigrants, notably Italians, Poles and Slavonians, The Times says.

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Nuestro Pueblo

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Union Station under construction in 1938 and as it appears in Google maps' street view feature. We can only wonder what became of the palm trees planted by Don Mateo.

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Anti-gravity house



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An anti-gravity house? You may laugh, the author says, but remember "atomic control" seemed impossible a mere 20 years ago. And no more hassles with dusting!

       

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Larry Harnisch

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.

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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.