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Photograph by the Los Angeles Times
Carole Landis, July 27, 1937
Form 3.11
(Revised 10-3-47)
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DEAD BODY REPORT
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Type SUICIDE
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DR No. 486 592
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Victim SCHMIDLAPP, Carole Landis (Mrs.) Residence Address 1465 Capri Dr., Pac Pal. Business Address Eagle Lyon Stud.
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Date and time of death 7/4-5/48 9PM-3PM
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Place and Address 1465 Capri Dr. Pac Pal Radio Dist 84
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Date and Time Death Reported 7/5/48 4:15 PM
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Div. Reporting West LA Clerk jlb
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Location of Original Illness or Injury 1465 Capri Dr. Pac Palisades
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Date and time 7/4-5/48
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Div. of Original Occurrence West L.A.
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Type of Original Report This report
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Cause of Death (Poison, Heart Failure, Drowned, Traffic, Gunshot, etc.) App. sleeping tablets.
Motive or Reason (Revenge, Rape, Ill Health, etc.) App ill health
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Time discovered 7/5/48 3PM
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Removed to Wilshire Funeral Parlor
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Discovered by Mr. Rex Harrison
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Address 1928 Mandeville Canyon
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Phone AR 98549
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Reported by Mr. Rex Harrison
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Address 1928 Mandeville Canyon
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Phone AR 98549 |
Identified by Mr. Rex Harrison
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Address 1928 Mandeville Canyon
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Phone AR 98549
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Sex Fe Race Cauc Age 27-28 Height 5-6 1/2 Weight 120
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Build Small Hair Auburn Eyes Unk. Complexion Dark
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Identifying marks None
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| Clothing White blouse, black & white plaid skirt, moccasin type sandals gold and wht in color. Occupation Actress Descent American |
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Relative's name Dorothy Ross
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Address 1506 E. 64th St., Long Beach Phone LB 27131
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Relationship Sister
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To be notified by Brittingham, West LA Det.
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Witness Mrs. Wasson
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Address 856 S. Bundy Dr. WLA
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Phone AR 72630
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Witness Dr. N.K. Forster, M.D.
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Address 1339 N. Capri Dr. Pac Pal
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Phone SM 57747
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Witness Fannie Mae Bolden
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Address 155 E. 51st St., LA
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Phone CE 21747
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Witness Rex Harrison
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Address 1928 Mandeville Cyn
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Phone AR 98549
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Witness
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Witness
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Further details
Coroner's Office noticied (cq) Deputy Gooch. Homicide notified.
A note written and left by the deceased; to wit:
"Dearest Mommie,
I'm really, really sorry to put you through this but there is no way to avoid it.
I love you, darling, you have been the most wonderful mom ever.
And that applies to all our family. I love each and every one of them dearly.
Everything goes to you. Look in the files and there is a will which decrees everything.
Goodbye, my angel, pray for me.
SGD/Your baby."
Mr. Rex Harrison visited the deceased on 7/4/48 and left her residence at approx. 9PM. The following day, 7/5/48, Mr. Harrison telephoned twice and the second time the maid informed him she was unable to arouse the deceased. Mr. Harrison went to the house and arrived at approx. 3:00 PM. Accompanied by the maid, went to the deceased's bedroom and found her lying in the bathroom on the floor. The maid went next door and called the police and notified Mrs. Wasson as to what they had found. At that time, Dr. N.K. Forster was called. At the time of our arrival at 3:55 PM, Mrs. Wasson and Mr. Harrison and the maid, Fannie Mae Bolden, were present. Dr. Forster came in shortly after our arrival. He immediately pronounced victim dead. Deceased was
CONTINUED ON CONTINUATION FORM 15.9
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Signature H.W. Brittingham Serial No. 2724
Signature M.J. Layman Serial No. 2606
Approved by (illegible).
If Additional Space Is Required Use Continuation Report Form No. 15.9
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The Daily Mirror would like to thank a reader for sharing a photo of the first page of original LAPD report, which was too murky to reproduce.
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 | Above, the photo of Carole Landis published in The Times. |
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 omeone 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. |
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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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| Above, the Carole Landis crime scene photo as it was published in The Times, July 6, 1948. |
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 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.
 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.
 hatever 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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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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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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 he 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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ometimes one can only sigh. At his sentencing in the Harry Raymond bombing, former Police Capt. Earle Kynette speaks for half an hour in defense of his conduct.
Unfortunately, The Times didn't quote a single line of his remarks. Instead, we summarized them in one paragraph:
"The onetime head of the police intelligence squad immediately launched into a recital of his accomplishments, including his education, military experience and record as a police officer. He accused most of the state's witnesses as perjurers and wound up with the statement that he presumed that because of the political background to the case Judge Ambrose was loath to grant him a new trial."
Also on the jump, Mayor Frank Shaw says a group of Methodists acted in an un-Christian, un-American manner by endorsing his recall and in criticizing his brother Joe and Police Chief James Davis.
And two city analysts begin an audit of the Police Department. "Results of the survey, expected to require one to two months, may presage a complete or partial reorganization of the department," The Times says.
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A panel from "Buck Rogers," Sunday, June 26, 1938. |
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arry Raymond finally goes home after 163 days in the hospital, The Times says. He promises a $1-million lawsuit against Mayor Frank Shaw, Joe Shaw, Police Chief James Davis, several subordinates and members of the police intelligence squad.
"It's swell to be home," Raymond says.
Also, 140 Civil War veterans leave Los Angeles by train for a reunion marking the 75th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. More than 1,600 Union and Confederate veterans are expected to attend the event. The travel expenses are being paid by the U.S. government, The Times says.
On the cover of Part 2, a group of Methodist ministers supports the recall of Mayor Shaw, criticizes Joe Shaw and Chief Davis, and censures the governor and attorney general for failing to help expose corruption in government.
And federal narcotics agents confiscate 50 pounds of marijuana seeds from Japan marked as "prepared food."
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Someone apparently doesn't like Dorothy Adamson's fox terrier, which is missing after her apartment at 1034 Hilldale was bombed. An unidentified caller had complained about the dog's barking, The Times says. Alas, the paper never followed up on this story.
And wedding bells ring for Jack Webb and former Miss USA Jackie Loughery, who met when Webb was casting "Pete Kelly's Blues." The couple are going to live on the Republic Studios lot, The Times says. They divorced in 1964.
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 e have more fallout from Earle Kynette's conviction in the Harry Raymond bombing. On the jump, The Times reports that seven officers will face a police board of rights on charges of obstructing the Raymond investigation.
Mayor Frank Shaw sends a letter to members of the county grand jury noting the achievements of the Police Department ... but more important, he also tries to remove Police Commission Vice President Charles W. Ostrom. An attorney, Ostrom has clients who include Milton "Farmer" Page, a leading underworld figure. Shaw says Ostrom should either quit the commission or stop representing Page. Ostrom, however, says he will "go out fighting."
Shaw was unable to remove Ostrom, who remained in office. But the victory was temporary... (Bonus fact: Ostrom died in 1959 at the age of 77).
Milton "Farmer" Page, above, was a major underworld figure in early Los Angeles and was among the defendants in the case against Tony Cornero's gambling ship, the Rex. I'm going to have to dig up more about him; he sounds like quite a character.
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 t left, a nine-room home in an all-white neighborhood is heavily vandalized after being sold to an African American doctor and his family.
The Times says vandals caused $15,000 ($109,315.53 USD 2007) damage to the newly redecorated home at 4240 Cerritos Ave., Long Beach, by putting a garden hose up on the second story letting the water run all night; splashing bleach on the new carpeting; and cutting a huge hole in the carpet.
Dr. Charles T. Terry said he still intended to move into the home, noting that he believed the vandalism did not reflect the feelings of his neighbors.
The next day, 150 neighbors joined a nonprofit organization that would decide whether people were eligible to buy homes in the area. The group condemned the vandalism to the Terrys' home but said they needed to protect their property values by deciding who could buy a house in the area.
The City Council, meanwhile, passed a resolution saying that "people of all colors and creeds are welcome in Long Beach."
Also note the killing of Police Officer Thomas Scebbi after he and his partner, Ramon Espinoza, pulled over about 2 a.m. on June 20 in front of 332 S. Kingsley Drive to question a man wearing white gloves about a series of liquor store holdups. Espinoza (The Times also called him Espinosa) was badly wounded and expected to die of his injuries, but he recovered to testify against James Eugene Hooten. Hooten was executed in the gas chamber for the killing, May 13, 1960.
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uestro Pueblo is a new discovery for me, and a very happy one. The Times began the feature by writer Joe Seewerker and artist Charles Owens in June 1938, publishing installments Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The series ended in October 1939 after Seewerker and his young son, Joe Jr., were badly injured in a car accident. The last installment bids farewell with a jaunty "hasta la vista." The series was published as a book with an introduction by The Times' Lee Shippey.
And never mind the fallout from the Harry Raymond bombing, here's really important news: The two leads of "Gone With the Wind" have finally been cast, The Times says. The movie will star Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Norma Shearer as Scarlett O'Hara.
The Times says three supporting roles have been cast: Walter Connolly as Scarlett's father, Gerald; Maurice Murphy as Charles Hamilton, Scarlett's first husband; and Margaret Tallichet as Scarlett's sister Carreen.
Of course, we know GWTW didn't quite turn out this way.
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 ne thing you have to say about Los Angeles Mayor Frank Shaw: He has a sense of humor.
Upon returning from Washington, where he spent the final days of the Earle Kynette trial, Shaw was given a list of written questions.
He was asked for "any comment he cared to make on the conviction of Acting Police Capt. Earle Kynette and Lt. Roy Allen; his position in reference to a resolution by Councilman Hyde asking the mayor, the chief of police and the Police Commission to resign; whether he intended to ask for a reorganization of the Police Department, particularly as to the intelligence squad; an investigation of the squad; will his brother, Joe Shaw, remain with the administration; the $90,000 secret service fund; Dist. Atty Fitts' announcement that he is going after the 'higher-ups' in the Raymond bombing case; and other items."
Shaw said, in part: "Out of 18,000 city employees, three have been charged with crime and two of them have been found guilty. As a public official, sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the charter of the city of Los Angeles, I was required to regard these men with the same presumption of innocence as the law grants to every other citizen....
"Councilman Hyde's resolution calling for resignation of myself, the police commissioners and Chief Davis was clearly the gesture of a candidate for office who must use sensational means to get his name before the voters. The City Council refused to take it seriously. Upon the face of it, it is ridiculous."
Note: On Sept. 16, 1938, it won't be so funny.
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 ermany begins the systematic roundup of Jews on the pretext of putting them in "protective custody" or claiming that they are foreigners "without proper papers."
"At Buchenwald Concentration Camp, near Weimar, it was reported that 65 army buses were arriving nightly from Berlin, filled with Jews," The Times says. "Other centers sent smaller contingents."
... In the case of two youngsters who are Jehovah's Witnesses, a federal judge rules that it is unconstitutional to force students to salute the American flag if that violates their religious beliefs.
On the jump, a brief follow on the conviction of Earle Kynette in the Harry Raymond bombing ... The American Medical Assn. is divided over a campaign to treat the needy. Dr. Hugh Cabot is calling for the government to pay for preventive medicine, healthcare for the poor and scientific research for the good of the people as a whole, The Times says. The AMA concedes the need to treat the poor, but balks at anything that resembles socialized medicine, The Times says ... A woman says she left her 10-week-old baby in a cafe because she wanted to go to a dance. She says she has three other children, two of whom have been adopted while the other is being cared for by a friend.
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irst, we have tragic news from Berlin: Panicked Jews wander the streets in hopes of avoiding mass arrests in which entire families are hauled away in the middle of the night.
"...officials explained that the anti-Jewish activities were necessary because 'the Jews' behavior lately has become provocative, resulting in growing indignation among the population,' " The Times says.
The Times leads with a story about repercussions of Earle Kynette's conviction in the Harry Raymond bombing. The most significant story is on the jump: Councilman Hyde introduces a resolution calling for the resignations of Mayor Frank Shaw, Police Chief James Davis and the entire Police Commission. The resolution was sent to a committee, where it was expected to lie dormant. But by the end of the year, a recall election will have changed the landscape.
Also note Betty Rowland, the "Ball of Fire," at the Follies.
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he Times concludes its series on traffic in Los Angeles with a call to action: "Are the beaches and the sea to be separated by impenetrable masses of congested cars? Is mankind to stagnate in Southern California, fettered by its own lethargy when a means of release is offered? Those are the questions that must be answered either willingly or unwillingly. They cannot be escaped."
"...The monster of Frankenstein--the motorcar which has wrestled free from its master--must be made a willing and useful slave again!"
To emphasize his point, Ainsworth cites some figures from the Auto Club: Going from 1st to 10th on Broadway took 14 minutes, 12 seconds by auto and 12 minutes, 2 seconds by streetcar. The Auto Club re-created a horse and buggy trip that took 10 minutes, 21 seconds.
Ainsworth also talks about funding the freeways, a subject that I will leave to interested readers.
And yes, the contrast between the Holocaust in Germany and Southern Californians worrying about traffic is pretty stark, isn't it?
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he upcoming election on whether to recall Mayor Frank Shaw is one of the key moments in Los Angeles history. So where does The Times play the story? Page 8 of the second section. Granted, this is only a prelude (Roy Smith announces that he will file the recall petitions tomorrow), but one still has to wonder about the editors' news judgment. 
