Jim Murray, April 26, 1961

April 26, 1961: Jim Murray writes about pitcher Jim Brosnan’s book “The Long Season,” calling it "The best book on baseball ever written and one of the best on any subject."

Found on EBay – Louis Adamic

Louis Adamic’s “The Word of Satan in the Bible” has been listed on EBay in a lot of 40 Little Blue Books published by E. Haldeman-Julius. This is an intriguing item from Adamic, best known for “Dynamite,” which is frequently cited for its account of the 1910 bombing of The Times. Bidding on this lot starts at $23.99.

LAPL Is Hiring!

Photograph by Carolyn Kellogg / Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Public Library website says: “We are accepting applications for the positions of as-needed Librarians, Clerk Typists and Messenger Clerks.  Interviews will be conducted during the month of May 2011.” Three cheers from the Daily Mirror!

From the Stacks – 'Dancing Bear' (1968)

Out of curiosity, I picked up Gladwin Hill’s “Dancing Bear” at the Southern California Library’s book sale.  I never met Hill (d. 1992), the New York Times bureau chief in Los Angeles, but I had heard about him at luncheon gatherings of Times retirees who call themselves the Old Farts.    I tend to avoid reading about politics in my spare time. I get a healthy dose of it at work, and the minute dissection of old political intrigues – stiffly written prose about half-remembered names and long-forgotten battles  – isn’t terribly interesting to anyone but the most confirmed political junkie. With expectations that “Dancing Bear” would be nothing but a stale time capsule, I was quite pleasantly surprised by Hill’s engaging account of California politics, and his insights not only on the state’s curious history, but especially his perspective on the early career of Ronald Reagan.

Kennedy Names First Black U.S. Attorney

April 16, 1961: President Kennedy nominates Cecil F. Poole (d. 1997) as U.S. attorney for the Northern District California. He was the first African American U.S. attorney in the Continental U.S., the first black federal judge in Northern California and served on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.  Books on the local bestseller list include “The Agony and the Ecstasy,” “Hawaii,” “Fate Is the Hunter” and “Winnie Ille Pooh,” which is A.A. Milne’s children’s classic translated into Latin. Candidates for the Zombie Reading List: Gene Fowler's "Skyline" and Gavin Maxwell's "Ring of Bright Water." The Times also publishes more on the Adolf Eichmann trial, a feature on the defense and another on courtroom decorum.

From the Stacks -- 'Ride the Pink Horse'

Out of curiosity, I picked up this paperback for 50 cents at the Southern California Library’s book sale because the 1947 movie based on Dorothy B. Hughes’ novel is often mentioned as a classic film noir, and of course  it’s not on DVD except as a bootleg. Hughes may be best known for the novel  “In a Lonely Place,” which was also made into a dark, brooding film noir. She was a prominent author of the 1940s and early 1950s who quit writing for family reasons, although she continued to review mysteries for The Times.  I was ready for a major sit, with a fire in the fireplace, a cup of coffee, music, a comfy chair and – oh dear.  “Ride the Pink Horse” was a huge disappointment.

Matt Weinstock, April 13, 1961

April 13, 1961: The Mirror publishes a tough editorial on Robert Welch and the John Birch Society. A sample: "Welch's spurious reasoning went the full circle and came back to the familiar cry -- if you are not for me you are against me."    Matt Weinstock says: A slip of paper found in a library book had this message, unsigned and in a woman's handwriting: "You have to jiggle the handle to make the water stop. Your lunch is in the icebox. I love you." DEAR ABBY: To get right to the point, I am pregnant. I know you get lots of letters like this, but I feel my problem is special because my boyfriend is a real fink. I mean the whole bit. He works in a library for $180 a month and his idea of a good time is to read a good book over again, listen to long-hair music or play chess.

Matt Weinstock, April 10, 1961

April 10, 1961: Lawrence Clark Powell, head of UCLA’s library school, surveys students’ attitudes on reading and touches off an interesting exploration of their reading habits. Many say they don’t have time to read for pleasure or that they opt for magazine condensations or book reviews. Some say that J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” is “teenage stuff” and a passing fad – like existentialism.  Someone else says that college students are mostly buying paperbacks: "Kon-Tiki," "Caine Mutiny," "1984," "The Old Man and the Sea," "Anne Frank's Diary" "Giant," F. Scott Fitzgerald's books and James Hilton's "Lost Horizon."  More on the upcoming Adolf Eichmann trial on the jump.   CONFIDENTIAL TO SALLY: A young lady should not accept gifts of intimate apparel from a young man. And the article you mention IS intimate.

Paul Coates, April 10, 1961

 

April 10, 1961: Notice the Spade Cooley story. It vanished from later editions, and I couldn’t find the jump, just the Page 1 portion. Paul Coates writes about two Beverly Hills police officers' problems with Police Chief Clinton Anderson. You might put Anderson’s “Beverly Hills Is My Beat” (1960) on your Zombie Reading List.  Anderson has chapters on the Johnny Stompanato and Bugsy Siegel cases.

From the Stacks -- 'City of Angels'

Rupert Hughes’ “City of Angels,” 1941.

How much of a book must one read before deciding that it’s going to be a dog? Does an author deserve a running start of the first chapter? Can one truly tell that a book is going to be a stinker after one page -- or maybe the opening line, especially if a columnist like Lee Shippey recommends it? In this case, yes.

Found on EBay -- 'Headline Happy'

Los Angeles Times file photo

A somewhat distressed copy of “Headline Happy” by Florabel Muir  has been listed on EBay. You may recall that Muir, above, has a terrific description of the Busgy Siegel crime scene and, yes, she’s the reporter who got hit in the rear during the attempted killing of Mickey Cohen at Sherry’s in 1949. Trivia note: The Times’ only mention of Muir being shot is in a Hedda Hopper column that says Muir was sporting an “Italian sunset.” Judging by the vendor’s description, this copy is not in pristine shape, but it’s difficult to find “Headline Happy” for less than $50 and the price (bidding starts at 50 cents) makes it sound interesting for those who are looking for a reading copy.  ALSO Mickey Cohen on the Daily Mirror Florabel Muir on the Daily Mirror

Spade Cooley Held in Wife's Death

Los Angeles Times file photo

April 4, 1961: Western music star Donnell “Spade” Cooley is accused of killing his estranged wife, Ella Mae,  in a jealous rage after listening to tape recordings of her phone conversations about what the defense would call “a free love cult.” I have not had much exposure to the Cooley case, which occurred in Kern County, except that James Ellroy used to talk about it all the time and it is certainly one of the notorious killings of the early 1960s. The details of the killing are particularly gruesome and part of it was witnessed by the Cooley’s teenage daughter, Melody, so I’m a little reluctant to dredge up all the gory details. A purported affair with Roy Rogers (yes, that Roy Rogers) — which he and others denied -- was also dragged into the courtroom. It is a nasty, lurid case.