Family Killed in Kansas Farm Town

"The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call 'out there.' Some seventy miles east of the Colorado border, the countryside, with its hard blue skies and desert-clear air, has an atmosphere that is rather more Far West than Middle West. The local accent is barbed with a prairie twang, a ranch-hand nasalness, and the men, many of them, wear narrow frontier trousers, Stetsons, and high-heeled boots with pointed toes. The land is flat, and the views are awesomely extensive; horses, herds of cattle, a white cluster of grain elevators rising as gracefully as Greek temples are visible long before a traveler reaches them." --Truman Capote, “In Cold Blood.” Nov. 16, 1959: Intentionally avoiding a direct endorsement until the Republican National Convention, Republican leaders show their support for Vice President Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential race.

Monte Montana! Ty Hardin! Jerry Mathers!

Ferd’nand invents the Man Cave.

Back when stock cars were really stock. Elmer Musgrave wins a 100-lap race at Ascot Stadium in a 1958 Pontiac. Rodger Ward is second in a 1958 Ford.

Reporters Walk Out on Rockefeller

 

New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller’s plan for separate news conferences for print and broadcast reporters backfires when the TV and radio crews in Los Angeles walk out on him.   Louie Malle’s New Wave film “Lovers” is just plain immoral, Philip K. Scheuer says. “Bruins Tiff Wolfpack?” Keith, can you translate that for me?

Nov. 13, 1959: Smog clouds the view on Broadway, looking south from 1st Street ... And a temporary employee with the U.S. Forest Services admits setting the Angeles Crest fire that burned 14,000 acres and killed two firefighters.

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Nov. 12, 1959

The Mirror follows the Lillian Lenorak story. Below, Paul Weeks profiles suspect Tord Ove Zeppen-Field. This Mother Wonders Why Her Son Died     Many eyes -- including those of some U.S. senators in town for public hearings this week -- see the juvenile delinquent.     But somehow, the focus, the image, is never the same.     To the policeman, the juvenile delinquent isn't just a bad boy, or a bad girl.  They are potentially dangerous criminals.  A boy's age -- the fact that he's not yet 18 -- doesn't make him any less dangerous.  Experience has taught the policeman that an immature punk, paired with a loaded gun, is as deadly an enemy as he can face.     Through the eyes of a probation officer, a juvenile delinquent is a kid who's made a mistake, or two, or more.  He's an anti-social, but not beyond redemption.  The probation officer's job is to straighten the kid out and keep him straight.  He's got to see him in a kindly light.      Other people see the juvenile delinquent in other shades of vision.     The judge, the neighbors, the "nice" kid who has to take the long way home from school to avoid being beaten up by a gang, the j.d.'s parents ("He's really a good boy."), the preacher, the rabbi, the father -- each has his own definition.      Today, I'm going to give you another definition -- as applied by a housewife whose concern is a tragic one.     Her name is Mrs. Lembersky.  She live son L.A.'s east side.     On Oct. 17 of this year, her 15-year-old son, Larry, left the house at 6 p.m. to attend a church bazaar seven blocks away.     Mrs. Lembersky, and some other people I've talked with since that day, described Larry as a very popular, real fine kid.      He'd been a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, an honor student at Hollenbeck Junior High, and was, at the same time he walked out the front door that evening, a member of the "B" football squad at Roosevelt High School.     At the bazaar, when he and a friend were playing a dart game, a 14-year-old kid approached them and said that somebody wanted to see them outside.     The "somebody" turned out to be nearly a dozen members of the Little Eastside gang.  One of the gang's members, it turned out, had taken Larry's joking comment about a "squeaky bicycle" (made more than a month before) as a personal insult.     Larry and his friend walked innocently outside.  They were encircled, jumped, slugged, kicked.  As they fought their way through the circle and started to run, Gilbert Roque, 17, plunged a 7-inch knife into Larry's heart and killed him.     "Gilbert Roque killed my son," Mrs. Lembersky told me yesterday.  "He's a murderer.  A cold-blooded murderer."     "But you watch," she said, "He'll be treated like just another juvenile delinquent.  He'll be back on the streets in a year or two."      Gilbert Roque's story reportedly is that he'd been threatened with a shotgun in the face the week before by a rival gang.  He was just a bystander the night he killed Larry Lembersky .  He carried the knife for "self-defense," and when he saw Larry and his friend running toward him, he thought they were after him and he used the knife for "protection."     The dead boy's mother told me: "After my son fell down, his friend rushed back and bent over him.  Then the same boy knifed him in the back."     "Is that self-defense?" she asked.     In panic and pain, Mrs. Lembersky called Gilbert Roque's mother after the killing. Why, Why, Why?     "Why," she demanded, "did your son kill my son?"     Mrs. Lembersky told me: "The boys mother said she didn't know why.  She said that her son was  a good boy."     "He's not a good boy, Mr. Coates," Mrs. Lembersky cried.  "Good boys don't murder people."     Juvenile delinquents.  Juvenile killers.  I hope the senators come up with some answers, but optimistic I'm not.

Former Nixon Aide Kills Family, Self

Lifeguard Duffie Fryling pries his arm out of a shark's jaws while swimming near Paradise Cove. Fryling, who was treated for cuts on his wrist, says he eluded several other sharks in rushing to the beach. “The Lovers” is opening at the Beverly Canon. Jeane Hoffman takes a look at Rocky Marciano’s future.

Nov. 12, 1959: Charles Richard Gardner, 38, is found dead at his Pebble Peach home next to the bodies of his wife and two children in an apparent triple murder and suicide. Unfortunately, we don’t have the rest of the story, so there’s no explanation of Gardner’s connection to Richard Nixon.

House Committee to Investigate Payola

Nov. 7, 1959: A U.N. group finds no proof that Laos had been invaded by communist troops from North Viet-Nam but discovers that Laotian rebels were supplied by Viet-Nam Reds. You may hear more about Viet-Nam in the days ahead -- much more.   A House committee investigating rigged TV quiz shows turns its attention to payola. Here's a clip from a wonderful satire by Stan Freberg (with Jesse White). Stan Freberg, Payola Blues

Students swarm Vice President Richard Nixon during an appearance at Los Angeles City College, The Times says. A little more than a week later, Vincent Stones' father, Kenneth, was killed in a car accident. In March 1960, Joanne Elizabeth Selby was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning of her nephew.

Girls go bad in two foreign films, "Night Girls" and "Flesh and the Woman."

Carving a turkey is more difficult than it looks for Ferd'nand.

"Powell 47-Sec. Kayo Victim" and "Indians 4-Point Pick to Scalp Bruins Today." Now there's two headlines you won't see anymore ... and "Cuppers?"

Dodgers Deliver Plans for Stadium

Nov. 5, 1959: An artist’s concept of Dodger Stadium. Look at all the parking!

"We have submitted plans for what we believe will be the most beautiful sports stadium in the world, in keeping with the best interest of the community," Walter O'Malley says.

Richard Nixon goes golfing with, from left, Bernard Weinberg, Danny Kaye, Eric Monti and Danny Thomas.

Vice President Richard Nixon buys neckties and plays golf. The Times puts its Team Nixon in high gear.

Student reporters are thrilled to cover the vice president. The Times truly went to extremes to boost Nixon. Notice the artwork on the ad for “The Untouchables.” Truly remarkable for the 1950s.

Jeane Hoffman interviews firefighter Richard Hunt about Olympic skating.

A Jovial Nixon Tells Strangers He’s Bob Hope, Makes Prank Phone Calls

Vice President Richard Nixon interrupting early morning walk on Wilshire Boulevard to watch sidewalk repairs, lingers to talk sports with Vic Salazar, left and another worker. It's easy to find weird stories about Richard Nixon, before and after his presidency. Even in a paper like The Times that for years boosted his political career, it doesn't take much investigating to locate something worth rereading. Today's example is a story of Nixon walking along Wilshire Boulevard, having a hamburger for breakfast and...wait for it.... talking to real people. The headline even announces, "Nixon Takes Stroll and Talks With Strangers." "Normally I have hot cereal for breakfast but this is the equivalent of 11 a.m. Washington time and I feel like having lunch," he said. At least he wasn't over-analyzing it. What else did he have for lunch? Would you believe buttermilk and coffee? His waitress didn't recognize him. "He looks like a nice gentleman," she told The Times' reporter. "I'm Bob Hope," Nixon said. --Keith Thursby

The sad story of Jean Baptiste Poulin, local musician, who almost lived to be 100.

The Board of Supervisors asks why the MTA is switching from streetcars to buses while Los Angeles is trying to reduce smog. It’s a good question. Let’s see if I can find the answer.

Dean Martin, Anthony Franciosa and Shirley MacLaine star in “Career.” And it’s not on Netflix!

USC President Norman Topping apologizes for an incident during the USC-Berkeley game in which USC guard Mike McKeever hit Cal halfback Steve Bates with a rolling tackle while they were out of bounds on the sideline. The referees didn't call a penalty on the play.

Nixon and Kennedy Visit L.A.

Vice President Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, arrive in Arcadia.   Nixon voices confidence the Republican Party ... And the MTA is increasing fares on buses and streetcars from 17 cents to compensate for raises granted to union workers. Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-Mass.) says Americans have it too easy … Former Mayor Frank Shaw is back in the news ... And the last Civil War veteran is in failing health, The Times says.  "What has happened to us as a nation?" Kennedy asks. "Profits are up, our standard of living is up, but so is our crime rate. So is the rate of divorce and juvenile delinquency and mental illness. So are the sales of tranquilizers and the number of children dropping out of school." Look who’s traveling with Nixon: Herbert Klein and Rosemary Woods. And he plays the piano!   Coming soon: “A Summer Place.”   The Dodgers name Bobby Bragan as coach, replacing Charlie Dressen, who went to the Braves.

Nov. 3, 1959: Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy are both evasive in answering questions about the 1960 presidential race. It’s interesting to contrast the idealism of Kennedy’s speeches, in terms of banning nuclear weapons tests, with Nixon’s comments assessing his political career to date. Kennedy seems to be looking forward while Nixon is looking back. Of course, Nixon is meeting with his earliest supporters so his retrospective makes sense. But it's still interesting.

Fidel Castro Survives Assassination Attempt

Oct. 23, 1959: The courts refuse to halt the steel strike ... And Shostakovich is coming. Farah Dibah, on a shopping trip to Paris, refuses to confirm reports that she is engaged to marry the shah of Iran. Harper Poulson, an "unsuccessful writer but a fairly successful machinist," describes his disillusionment with the Communist Party. Paul Zimmerman writes about the problems Rome faces in preparing for the 1960 Olympics.

A Gallup Poll finds that most Republican county chairmen prefer Vice President Richard Nixon over New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater and U.N. Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge in the 1960 presidential race.

Matt Weinstock, Oct. 12, 1959

Here's another panel you'll never see in the sitcom legacy version of "Peanuts." A cynical Snoopy? Vox Populi        A man phoned Lee Warburton the other day and complained indignantly about his failure to expedite the street work which was blocking the caller's driveway.  "If I'd known this was the way you handle things," he exploded, "I wouldn't have voted for you last election!"     "Last election?" Warburton echoed.  "I didn't run for office last election."     "Yes you did," the caller insisted.  "I distinctly remember voting for you."     And so Warburton patiently, despairingly informed him that it was six years ago that he retired voluntarily as a councilman representing the east section of San Fernando Valley and that since then he has been a private citizen in public relations work.   ::        A MAN I KNOW was pleasantly surprised a few days ago to discover that his unemployment insurance check was for $55 instead of the usual $40.  For those who registered after Sept. 15 the increased fee is in effect.  As he brought it to the cashier he remarked happily , "That's a lot of money, isn't it?"  And the cashier, who wears his thumb to the knuckle daily counting out money for the jobless, replied wistfully, "I wish I was in that bracket -- it's more than I make."   ::       A CHEVIOT HILLS tycoon drove home the other day in a 1960 Cadillac and, as he got out, the lady next door, working in the garden, admired it.  "C'mon," he said, "I'll give you a ride around the block."  When she declined he said, "Hey, if this car isn't any good on the pickup the heck with it."   ::   BEHAVIOR SELF If your offspring is a hellion, Full of impudent rebellion, Try precept; if you demonstrate, It just might set your demon straight.     - DON QUINN   ::             WHEN Bob Bowden answered his phone a woman asked, "Is this HAphazard 2-1998?"  He said no it was 2-1994.  With an exclamation of disgust, she hung up.  The phone immediately rang again.  It was the same woman, asking if it was 2-1998.  Again Bob said no, it was 2-1994.      "You answered too soon," she said accusingly, as if he'd picked up the phone four numbers prematurely.   ::       WHAT WITH disputes over World Series bets, romantic involvements and just plain alcoholic perversity, things became rather rowdy in a southside bar at 1:30 a.m. the other night.  When the last brawl was finally settled, the weary bartender observed sadly: "That's what a guy gets for hanging around saloons!"    ::       FASCINATING if irrelevant remark overheard by A. Blum, apparel company executive, at 9th and Los Angeles Sts., one disgruntled man to another: "I'll never work for a firm that begins with an S again!"   ::       OOPS, an announcement of a meeting in Pasadena Oct. 22 "aimed at the prevention and reduction of alcoholism, the nation's No. 3 health problem," states, "Dinner will be at 7, cocktails served from 6 o'clock."   ::       AT RANDOM -- Pasadena City College has four night classes in the Russian language.  A year ago hardly enough students showed up for one . . . Message on a postal card.  "In looking over your account we find there is 2 cents postage due us.  If this money is not received by Friday we will be forced to set the dogs on you.  Sincerely, Barbara Jumping Bull.  White Horse, Yukon Territory."  But the post mark is Inglewood, Cal.  So beware, the pixies are loose and Halloween is coming . . . An unmarried lady in Laguna Beach received a brochure from a store with the message in heavy print on the envelope: "Win a $2,500 scholarship for your child."  "They could at least use a plain envelope!" she says . . . "Don't gaze at the stars while driving or you may never see them again."