Thanksgiving 1910

Thanksgiving 1910: President Taft declares the annual holiday. “The records of population and harvests which are the index of progress show vigorous national growth and the health and prosperous well-being of our communities throughout this land and in our possessions beyond the seas. “These blessings have not descended upon us in restricted measure but overflow and abound. They are the blessings and bounty of God." The Times’ School for Housewives says: As Thanksgiving day is the family festival, we lay aside the latest fads and "wrinkles" that belong to present-day whims and have the good, old-fashioned dishes in which we rejoiced as children. We dispense with French entrees, elaborate salads and many courses. We feel that on this occasion "old things are best" and turn with delight from what is known as "fancy cooking" to the roast turkey and homemade pies. On the menu: Cream of corn soup, oyster pie and Spanish rice.  On the jump, a Bethany College football player is charged with murder after a West Virginia player dies of head injuries,  and a Thanksgiving editorial notes: “Standing beside the blackened walls of The Times, and under the sheltering wings of the brave old eagle that symbolizes its dauntless spirit, we breathe a prayer for the repose of our murdered dead.” Also on the Daily Mirror: Thanksgiving 1908 Women Postpone Thanksgiving Dinner to Meet Militant Feminist, 1909 Thanksgiving With a Microwave, 1975

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 22, 1940

Nov. 22, 1940: Talk about a divided nation! Part of the U.S. celebrated Thanksgiving on Nov. 22, as declared by President Roosevelt, while 16 states waited a week. From 1939 to 1941, Roosevelt moved the holiday ahead to give businesses an extra week of sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but this was abandoned because there was no noticeable benefit, The Times said. HOLLYWOOD AFTER DARK: Mickey Rooney gloomily leaving the Legion Stadium before the main bout when his date, show girl Jean Wallace, grew faint at the sight of blood, Jimmie Fidler says.

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 19, 1940

Nov. 19, 1940: CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNIQUE to Vivien Leigh: Be smart and quit giving out interviews about your great love. Three are people who disapprove, Jimmie Fidler says.

Pages of History

Longtime reader Jenny Lerew mentioned this recipe in a recent comment about “What Actors Eat When They Eat!” so I thought I would share it. Also on the jump, Jimmie Fidler’s recipe for Boston baked beans. Wot’s this? They misspelled his name?

Found on EBay – What Actors Eat When They Eat!

Certain books with a Los Angeles or Hollywood connection have taken on ridiculous prices -- “Thicker ‘n’ Thieves” comes to mind – and this is another item that usually carries an inflated price, although I have never seen it this high. Lymanhouse was a small Los Angeles publisher that went out of business during World War II after releasing about two dozen books,  including “They Call Them Camisoles.” The most common Lymanhouse item on EBay is “What Actors Eat When They Eat!” which is a collection of recipes from the late 1930s (W.C. Fields provides his method of making brandied peaches). The vendor has listed this book at $195 or Buy It Now for $300. Even inscribed to Times columnist E.V. Durling, it’s not worth that kind of money.

Charles Lummis, Columnist

Sept. 13, 1917: I thought I’d take a little detour to 1917 after visiting the Southwest Museum the other day to go through Charles Lummis’ materials on the 1910 bombing of The Times. You may recall that “Charlie” Lummis was The Times’ first city editor. One thing I came across was  correspondence between Gen. Harrison Gray Otis (referred to as the Chief or  the Old Chief) and Lummis over a column titled “I Guess So.” Lummis was being paid $25 [$414.61 USD 2009] per Sunday column and shortly before Otis died in 1917, he agreed to pay Lummis $20 [$331.69 USD 2009] for another installment of “I Guess So” that would run midweek. After Otis died, Harry Chandler withdrew the agreement, explaining after a long series of protests by Lummis that the government had imposed wartime restrictions on newsprint, noting that newspapers were weighing whether to cut the comics, rotogravure sections and anything else that wasn’t news.   I have no idea as to the artist on this editorial cartoon, which is unsigned. Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale was the usual editorial page artist in this era, but he always signed his work. Lummis’ entire column is on the jump –- plus an editorial against saloons. The Times says it doesn’t oppose serving liquor with meals and calls “bone-dry prohibition” a failure. But the “stand up  and take a drink bar” should be closed, it says.

Found on EBay – One More Scoop

A 9-foot neon sign from C.C. Brown’s ice cream parlor, a  Hollywood landmark that closed in 1996, has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $5,000.

L.A. to Celebrate the Fourth of July in Many Languages

Maybe beer is something other than “liquid bread.”

July 3, 1910: Los Angeles prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July with a parade in the downtown business district followed by a ceremony at the Plaza with a reading of the Declaration of Independence and -- what's this? A speech in Spanish? A speech in Italian? A speech in French? A speech in Portuguese? In the meantime, the city's Scottish population will gather at Schuetzen Park for -- what's this? A bagpipe competition? And a highland fling contest? And Joseph Scott will be the orator of the day at the Hibernians' celebration, which will feature red, white and blue bunting and ... an Irish flag? At left, the Herald’s coverage of the Fourth of July. Notice that along with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Kammermeyer’s band played “The Marseillaise” and the Mexican national anthem.

Pinball Raids in South Gate

Women’s swimsuits are on sale for $11.99 [$85.89 USD 2009].

June 30, 1960: Bad news for the Buzz Inn, 3025 Tweedy Blvd., and the Chug a Lug, 3042 Tweedy Blvd. And yes, the Chug a Lug is still there. It’s  now known as El Salon Juarez, according to Google maps.

A Scientific Way to Make Coffee

June 22, 1960: A Chemex! The scientific way to make coffee. On the jump, “The Apartment” or “Macumba Love?” Tough choice.

Wife Spanks Husband for Being a Drunk

June 15, 1910: Linen suits at Hale’s, $4.95 [$112.56 USD 2009]. On the jump, The Times has another court story in dialect, this time about Olaf Swanson and his drinking problems.

Homemade Bread Is Slavery!

June 2, 1910: Husbands! Homemade bread is slavery! A loaf of Holsum (10 cents/$2.27 USD 2009) is better anyway. On the jump, a pincher gets pinched.