Stocks Dive in Frenzy, 1929

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 you suppose the chances are that this sentence could be written today?

Coming Attractions – Fourth Annual Archives Bazaar

William Dotson of USC sends along a reminder of the fourth annual Archives Bazaar, which will be held Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to 5  p.m. at USC’s Davidson Conference Center. Admission is free. The bazaar, presented by L.A. as Subject, is an essential introduction for anyone planning to research Los Angeles because the city is a vast subject and historical materials have been preserved in astonishing places. Many times, the location of an item has nothing to do with its origin. To cite one of my favorite examples: Material on the early history of USC’s Medical School is at UCLA Medical School’s Special Collections. In the same way, material from the Los Angeles Times can be found at UCLA Special Collections (photos) and the Huntington Library (documents). More information is here>>> And there’s a Facebook page>>> The list of representatives attending the bazaar gives an idea of how many resources there are in Los Angeles: Academy Film Archive All the Saints of the City of the Angels Autry Library and Braun Research Library, Autry National Center of the American West Beverly Hills Public Library Historical Collection Robert S. Birchard Collection California African American Museum California Council for the Humanities California State University Dominguez Hills California State University Fullerton, Center for Oral and Public History California State University Northridge, Geography Map Library California State University Northridge, Special Collections & Archives Chinese American Museum Chinese Historical Society Of Southern California Classic American Photos Inc. County of Los Angeles Public Library Resource Centers Culver City Historical Society El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument Filipino American Library Gazin Contemporary Cultural Archive Getty Research Institute Glendale Public Library Special Collections Historical Society of Centinela Valley Historical Society of Long Beach History Day L.A. Japanese American Historical Mapping Project Japanese American National Museum La84 Foundation Sports Library La Señora Research Institute In Collaboration With Adamson House and Santa Monica Conservancy Los Angeles City Archives Los Angeles City Historical Society Los Angeles Public Library Los Angeles Unified School District Art & Artifact Collection/Archives Loyola Marymount University Archives And Special Collections Mayme Clayton Library and Museum Occidental College Library One National Gay & Lesbian Archives The Orange and the Myth of California Orange County Archives Orange Empire Railway Museum Pacific Palisades Historical Society Pasadena Museum Of History St. Vincent Medical Center Historical Conservancy Santa Monica Public Library Image Archives Seaver Center For Western History Research, Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles County Shotgun Freeway: Drives Thru Lost L.A. Society Of California Archivists Southern California Genealogical Society The Studio For Southern California History UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center UCLA Department Of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive UCLA Film & Television Archive UCLA Library’s Center For Oral History Research USC Libraries Special Collections USC Warner Bros. Archives Wally G. Shidler Historical Collection of Southern California Ephemera Workman & Temple Homestead Museum The bazaar will also include appearances by authors: Alex Moreno Areyan Mexican Americans in Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach David G. Brown Watts Towers: A Tale of a Vision The Historical West Adams District: Street of Dreams Stan Chambers KTLA’s News at Ten: 60 Years with Stan Chambers Jenny Cho Los Angeles Chinatown Judith Freeman The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved Florante and Rose Ibanez Filipinos in Carson and the South Bay Errol Wayne Stevens Radical L.A. And there will be seminars: Robert S. Birchard One Hundred Years of Film in Los Angeles Avery Clayton, Steve Ross, and Sue Tyson Illuminating History through Archives: The Role of Primary Sources in Historical Discovery Colleen Fitzpatrick Photo Forensics: What You Can Learn from Old Photos Michelle Light Preservation 101: Basic Tips for the Household Archivist Two documentaries will also be shown during the event: “On These Shoulders We Stand” and “Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times.”

Khrushchev Scolds L.A. Mayor

Sept. 20, 1959: Mayor Norris Poulson makes headlines for his remarks to Khrushchev. Photograph by Art Rogers / Los Angeles Times Sept. 19, 1959: Los Angeles Mayor Norris Poulson, above left, greets Nikita Khrushchev at Los Angeles International Airport. Are you tired of Khrushchev yet? At this point, even Khrushchev was getting tired of Khrushchev. In one day, he had flown from New York, addressed a Hollywood luncheon, watched staged scenes from "Can-Can" and toured the San Fernando Valley. Now, followed by a throng of reporters and photographers, he went to the Ambassador Hotel, where he was to make another speech. Photograph by the Los Angeles Police Department Khrushchev's limousine (a Chrysler Imperial) at the Ambassador Hotel. Photograph by the Los Angeles Police Department A crowd of news photographers covers Khrushchev.  Photograph by the Los Angeles Police Department From left, Khrushchev and Andrei Gromyko at the Ambassador Hotel. I believe the man just behind Khrushchev is Mikhail Menshikov. Photograph by Wayne F. Kelly / Los Angeles Times Khrushchev and translator Oleg Troyanovsky at the Ambassador Hotel. In an appearance at the World Affairs Council and Town Hall, Khrushchev was introduced by Mayor Norris Poulson, who said: "We do not agree with your widely quoted phrase 'We shall bury you.' You shall not bury us and we shall not bury you. We are happy with our way of life. We recognize its shortcomings and are always trying to improve it. But if challenged, we shall fight to the death to preserve it."  Khrushchev finished his speech and then scolded Poulson, saying that he had already addressed that issue in previous remarks before arriving in Los Angeles and asked Poulson, in essence, "Don't you read the newspapers?" Khrushchev told Poulson: "At least in our country, our chairmen of cities read the press or risk not being elected next time." The audience roared, The Times said. The entire text of Khrushchev's speech, back in the days when newspapers had the space to run such things. After a banquet that lasted until 11:30 p.m., Khrushchev retired for the evening. Next stop, Union Station, tomorrow!

CIA 'a Farce,' Khrushchev Says

Oct. 4, 1959, Republic Corp. President Victor M. Carter describes comments made by Nikita Khrushchev during a tour of housing developments in the San Fernando Valley. Khrushchev told ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge that the Soviets had intercepted and read secret messages between President Eisenhower and foreign leaders.

Los Angeles Mayor Norris Poulson asked Carter to serve as a guide because he was Russian-born and spoke the language fluently. However, there was evidently friction between Carter and Khrushchev. The Soviet leader remarked that Carter could not be a true American, apparently because Carter was a Russian Jew and was born in Rostov, the site of massacres by the czar's cossacks, according to a 1959 analysis by The Times. According to The Times, Khrushchev's motorcade visited a housing tract centered at 16200 Rinaldi St.  View Larger Map Next: The Ambassador Hotel.

Khrushchev Arrives in L.A.!

Sept. 19, 1959: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev arrives in Los Angeles. Photograph by the Los Angeles Police Department Four tiers of scaffolding are set up for photographers and TV cameras, which are already in place. Khrushchev's travels required three aircraft: One for the Soviet leader and his entourage, another carrying the press and a third hauling luggage, The Times said.  Photograph by the Los Angeles Police Department Reporters and observers (is that Paul Coates  on the left?) stand along a chain-link fence, separated from the U.S. military plane carrying Khrushchev and his entourage. Because the State Department failed to send press credentials to Los Angeles in time, only reporters with LAPD press passes  were admitted, the Mirror-News reported. Photograph by the Los Angeles Police Department Police Chief William H. Parker, center-right, inspects the Cadillac Fleetwood limousine that will carry Khrushchev to Twentieth Century Fox studios for lunch. The Cadillac (note the whip antenna on the rear bumper) was replaced with a Chrysler Imperial for Khrushchev's trip to the Ambassador Hotel. Photograph by the Los Angeles Police Department With a row of officers lining the interior perimeter, a Chevrolet station wagon leads the plane carrying Khrushchev to the reception area. The aircraft is now at the Museum of Flight south of downtown Seattle. Photograph by Art Rogers / Los Angeles Times Nina Khrushchev receives a bouquet of bird of paradise, the official flower of Los Angeles. Photograph by Ben Olender / Los Angeles Times Khrushchev stands near a microphone that has been set up for him.

Photograph by the Los Angeles Police Department Khrushchev at the microphone.   Los Angeles Times file photo Translator Oleg Troyanovsky, center, delivers remarks on behalf of Nikita Khrushchev as Nina Khrushchev listens.  Photograph by Art Rogers / Los Angeles Times Khrushchev waves his hat to the crowd. Next stop: Twentieth Century Fox!

Thug Clubs L.A. Woman

Sept. 2, 1949: Cub Scout wins cake contest!

I thought it would be fun to dip into the 1949 editions of the Mirror, if only briefly. At that time, Paul Coates was mostly covering nightclubs and had yet to become the columnist we know from the 1950s. I don't plan to run many of these columns because they are fairly dated, but I figured a week's worth would offer an interesting insight on a writer in progress.

Ignore Khrushchev, VFW Leader Says; Koufax Strikes Out 18!

Sept. 1, 1959: Vice President Nixon addresses the VFW convention being held in Los Angeles ... VFW Commander in Chief John W. Mahan says of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's upcoming visit: "We ask Americans to ignore, with dignity, this man. There should be no demonstration of any sort. Frankly, we're unhappy that he is coming here." Bernard Abrams, national commander of the Jewish War Veterans, says: "Khrushchev comes to these shores with bloody hands."  Notice the plans for the $800-million monorail.

In the 1950s, The Times used to run brief digests of New York film reviews, such as this one of "North by Northwest."   Jack Smith writes: "All roads in the state of California are under construction ... Don't expect to find anyplace where there isn't already somebody else ... No matter how fast you drive, somebody will pass you like a cannonball."

Sandy Koufax struck out 18  to break the National League record and tie the major league record, leading the Dodgers past the Giants in front of nearly 83,000 fans at the Coliseum. And he almost was overshadowed. Wally Moon hit a three-run homer in the ninth to provide the difference in the 5-2 victory. Koufax and Jim Gilliam singled to set up the Moon shot. As for Koufax, he said the Giants "must have been anxious. I never saw so many bad pitches swung at in one game." Even The Times' Frank Finch noted that was "a curious observation." The victory pulled the Dodgers within a game of the first-place Giants. --Keith Thursby

Deputies Raid Spahn Movie Ranch; Booed by Fans, Wills Hits Grand Slam

Aug. 17, 1969: I suppose we at the Daily Mirror HQ should be talking about "Amerika" and how the military-industrial complex sucks the blood of the Woodstock Nation. But we're not. The only thing up against the wall here are the filing cabinets. Coming up in October: The Moratorium peace march! South African golfer Gary Player is pelted with ice by civil rights protesters at the PGA championship ... and the Fire Department has fewer blacks than it did in 1956.

"Frykowski [fixing the original error] and Miss Folger were involved with strange people. She was interested in witchcraft, Black Masses, that sort of thing, and she and Frykowsky would go to weird, kinky places." At left, an odd juxtaposition: Dial Torgerson's "tick tock" story on the Manson killings next to the arrests of a group of people "living like animals" at George Spahn's Movie Ranch.

Nancy becomes a stalker.

"Somehow the business details were worked out and the Ash Grove not only survived but became the biggest and busiest showplace for folk music in America." "...the artist does not have to stand up on the stage and look at the audience, as in a nightclub, and ask himself how he can please those people out there. He can reach deep within his soul to find his deepest values and, hopefully, bring the audience along with him."

Maury Wills returned to Canada for the first time since leaving the Expos so he could return to the Dodgers. There were plenty of boos to go around, almost all of them directed toward Wills, who in the long run didn't let it bother him. ""It's as if the fans here thought I played poorly because I wanted to be traded and now I'm playing good because I was traded," Wills told The Times' Ross Newhan. "Unfortunately I'm not that good of a player to do one thing one day and another thing the next. I also have too much pride." There was plenty to be proud about against the Expos. Wills singled twice, scored two runs and stole a base in the Dodgers' 9-2 victory in the first game of the series. Then he hit the first grand slam of his career in a 9-3 victory. Gene Mauch, the Montreal manager and future Angel manager, had an interesting perspective on Wills' short stay with the Expos: "When Maury first came to us from Pittsburgh the fans expected him to be perfect. They booed him when he wasn't and he became tense. Then he tried to meet it with indifference and that certainly isn't Maury Wills." --Keith Thursby

Nixon Quits!

Aug. 9, 1974, Paul Conrad on Richard Nixon's resignation. Nixon's resignation comes at an interesting time for the Daily Mirror because we're gearing up for the 1960 presidential race, awkwardly putting the end of the story before the beginning. In the 1940s and '50s, under the influence of political editor Kyle Palmer (Nixon was a pallbearer at Palmer's funeral); James Bassett, who took leaves from The Times to work on Nixon's 1952, 1956 and 1960 political campaigns; the editorial board; and anonymous columns by "The Watchman," The Times was not only a Nixon supporter but a powerful ally. And then ... but I'm getting ahead of the story. Scroll down and take a look at the masthead in 1974. Aug. 9, 1974: The Late Final leads with Gerald Ford being sworn in as president.

Aug. 9, 1974: Home edition, Nixon Resigns in "Interests of Nation." The Times' editorial on Nixon's resignation says: "He departs in disgrace, the victim of a thirst for power that was his strength and his frailty. It was a power he used with effectiveness and imagination in many areas, including development of the new relationships for the United States and China and the Soviet Union. But it was a power that corrupted him, leading him to abuse his authority to the point of obstructing justice, encouraging him to justify any means for the end of maintaining himself in office."

Russian Leader to Visit L.A.! A.L. Wins All-Star Game

Bruce Russell's editorial cartoon is appalling today, but this style is typical of the 1950s, when artists frequently relied on a small repertory company of characters that included the Peace Dove, the Russian Bear, Mr. A-Bomb, Uncle Sam, the Taxpayer, etc.  Aug. 4, 1959: Nikita Khrushchev is coming to America! He'll be in Los Angeles -- but he's NOT going to Disneyland.

The Times editorial page takes the announcement of Khrushchev's visit as an opportunity to lead the cheering for Vice President Richard Nixon: "This is not to say that Mr. Nixon was a mere instrument or expendable pawn. As a trial balloon, he is of the dirigible kind, and his magnificent steering in the tumultuous winds of Russia probably did much for the prestige of his country as well as for himself. From his preliminary exchanges with Khrushchev at the fair to the savage conference with the Soviet reporters that closed his visit, Nixon had himself and his materials in wonderful control." The editorial ends by saying: "The wise American will not conclude that the time is near for reducing the defense budget." At left, an opinion/analysis piece by Polyzoides on the Soviet leader's upcoming visit. I rarely run any of these because they're not especially interesting or insightful, but they were a staple in The Times for many years.  The Times sends reporters to the streets to get the views of average people. Somewhat miraculously, nobody interviewed a taxicab driver, a bartender or someone in a laundermat. Construction worker John Lewandowski said: "I don't know. That fellow has been ranting and raving about us so much over there ... no, I don't think I like it." Florist Edgar Berens said: "Khrushchev has been fighting capitalism. Perhaps if he is shown what we've got over here, how much better off we are, it might be effective. So I think it's a good idea. Of course, though, we don't know what he'll tell the Russians when he gets back." The head of the American Council of Christian Churches denounces the visit: "It is morally wrong to extend an invitation to the bloody butcher of Hungary who has announced his intention to bury us." Sol Hurok schedules extra performances by Soviet artists at the Hollywood Bowl.

The all-star game came to Los Angeles and the town greeted the event as if, well, it was the only all-star baseball game of the season. More than 55,000 were at the Coliseum to watch the American League win, 5-3. This was the first time two all-star games had been played in one season. Don Drysdale, who was the top player in 1959's first all-star game, took the loss in this one. He gave up home runs to Yogi Berra of the Yankees and Frank Malzone of the Red Sox. I think baseball should return to the days of two all-star games. Pick a charity each season, raise some money for a good cause and let fans in two cities see baseball's best. I'd also like to see World Series games played in the day, at least on the weekend. And bring back Sunday doubleheaders. And the 154-game schedule. And I wouldn't mind seeing another baseball game at the Coliseum with 115,000 of my closest friends. --Keith Thursby

U.S. to Accept Division of South Vietnam; Airport Proposed at Anaheim Stadium

NASA says a manned trip to Mars could be possible by 1981 ... Dist. Atty. Edmund Dinis wants an inquest into the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, who drowned when Sen. Edward Kennedy's car went off a narrow bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Mass. Other authorities have said the case was closed ... and the Nixon administration is ready to accept the division of South Vietnam as part of the price for settling the Vietnam war.

The Angels hoped a plan to build a runway in the Anaheim Stadium parking lot never got off the ground. The proposal surfaced at a meeting between Angels officials and city administrators. According to a story in The Times, the project would include a passenger terminal and possible facilities for air freight. Needless to say, the Angels didn't like the idea of flights coming and going while they were trying to play baseball. The Angels were the primary tenants of the ballpark but weren't exactly making millions in 1969. The air plan certainly would bring in more revenue to the city. Who cares if you couldn't watch the game because you were too busy worrying about the traffic patterns above your seat. Safety was one worry but parking was another. City officials estimated about 2,000 spaces would be lost if the runway was built. The Angels were guaranteed 12,000 spaces on game days --Keith Thursby

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Elite Spy Agency

 

July 30, 1952: Look, the also-ran weekly rival to Life, runs a story about the elite, super-secret Central Intelligence Agency. The title, "Inside CIA," is a play on John Gunther's book "Inside USA" and its successors.