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Above, 6th and Hill streets via Google maps' street view feature. "Prison Farm" ... now there's a title that leaves nothing to the imagination. According to imdb, Horace McCoy was an uncredited writer on the picture. Not on Netflix! |
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 olling Fork, Miss., reports the most unusual story of African Americans joining a lynch mob. The violence inflicted on the victim was especially gruesome. Local Sheriff M.C. Ewing denied knowing anything whatsoever about the matter.
John N. Crane, 43, an oil well driller, kills his wife, Edith, and tries to commit suicide after leaving the offices of an attorney where they discussed a divorce ... And an American company announces a deal to buy oil from Mexico, which nationalized U.S. and British oil production March 18, 1938.
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 aybe you remember him as Al Sleet, the "Hippy, Dippy Weatherman with the hippy, dippy weather ... man" or as Rufus in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" or the author of an incredible number of jokes that are eternally circulating on the Internet. Or perhaps you have heard of his bit on the "Seven Dirty Words." Here's a transcript of the skit that got him in trouble.
Below, an interview with Carlin last year.
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Oct. 4, 2007
By Mike Flaherty
Special to The Times
 he acerbic stand-up comedian and social commentator is celebrating 50 years in show biz -- and last week's release of "George Carlin: All My Stuff," a 14-DVD collection of his HBO specials spanning 1977 to 2005. Although he shows no sign of slowing down, he did take some time to chat about his career, his healthy pessimism and our commander in chief.
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So, 50 years in show biz, huh? Does that number date from a specific gig?
It dates from the day I took the air at a radio station in Shreveport, La., in 1956. You know what? It's really 51 years; we're fudging it a year just for convenience's sake.
I was 18, and they had me do newscasts first, then I became a DJ two or three months later.
Do you have a favorite among the 12 HBO specials on "All My Stuff"?
Yeah, "Jammin' in New York," 1992. Prior to that period, I'd refer to myself in interviews as a comedian who wrote his own material. But that was the point where I probably became more of a writer who performed his own material. The material became more like essays, they became more socially conscious, and it was just a major jump from being what I think of as only an entertainer to being an artist-entertainer.
I'm looking at the titles of your last few -- "You Are All Diseased," "Complaints and Grievances," "Life Is Worth Losing." If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a pessimist.
 ell, I am a pessimist as far as the world is concerned. I have absolutely low prospects for the human race; I have very low prospects for this country. For myself, though, very high prospects. I'm a personal optimist.
How does one keep pessimism from making them miserable, souring their outlook, preventing them from embracing life?
You can't care. You see, I don't care about the outcome in this country [or] on this planet because I know this is all temporal b.s. It's not a religious point of view, it's just realism. I like living somewhere detached from all of this emotionally. I don't really have a stake in the outcome anymore.
 bout 30 years ago, I became a person who said, "You know something? People aren't worth worrying about and caring about." One by one, yes; any time I'm with one person, I'm fine. There's all sorts of compassion and empathy in my heart. But when you consider them as a group, from a distance, I don't give a . . . about them.
How about George Bush?
Just a product of the American system. People always blame the politicians, and I say, "Well, where do you think they come from?" They are products of American culture, American society, schools, churches, communities, businesses, families, homes. So what are you complaining about? This is you, the government of the people, by the people and for the people. So, I don't let them off the hook by attacking the people they put out front. But clearly George Bush is an electrifyingly incurious man.
I'm guessing the notion of retirement doesn't appeal to you.
No, no. I get a great deal of joy out of this. An artist is never really satisfied; you just keep scratching underneath the surface trying for more.
When is the next HBO special, and what's it called?
The next one is March 1, called "It's Bad for Ya."
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Above, vaudeville and movies at the Orpheum ... At left, an automobile and a streetcar collide at 9th Street and Flower.
Also note the Latin American Republican League--and that in 1908 this group included Spanish, French and Italians ...
"Although there are 5,000 Spanish American voters in the county, there is not a single Spanish American holding a county office and there are very few of them employed at the courthouse."
--Frank Dominguez, president of the Latin American Republican League.
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Above, Yiddish theater in Los Angeles! Below, the Harry Raymond bombing case is about to go to trial. Prosecutors say they plan to seek the death penalty ... The bishop of Los Angeles has a Holy Week message on the front page of the B section ... Youngsters out of school for spring break head to the city's parks ... On the jump, a pair of coati mundis foil a burglar at the San Fernando Valley home of George Palmer Putnam ... And Joseph Grimes strangles himself rather than face charges of molesting a child in the Union Pacific railway yards. Quote of the Day: "I wish the restaurants would give you one good cup of coffee instead of all what they call coffee you can drink. Oh 'All the Coffee You Can Drink,' what crimes have been committed in your name!" E.V. Durling
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Above, David Belasco's play, which closed on Broadway in 1906 after 224 performances, is staged in Los Angeles. Sadly, leading lady Alice Treat Hunt will die of pneumonia June 8, 1908, in her apartment on 9th Street near Figueroa. Below, a couple of lynchings in Alabama and Mississippi. John Burr was lynched by 30 men for killing the 12-year-old son of a planter and Walter Clayton was lynched by 75 men for raping a woman while he was being held in a lumber company stockade on a manslaughter charge, The Times said. As late as 1938, The Times editorialized against a federal anti-lynching law, saying it wasn't needed. Quote of the Day: "He was quickly hanged from a tree and several shots were fired to hasten his death." --The Times, on the lynching of John Burr
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Above, Joseph Greenwald, who played Nick Papadakis in the original Broadway production of "The Postman Always Rings Twice," dies on stage. Below, the Vatican condemns Austrian bishops' endorsement of the union with Germany because they didn't get the pope's permission. "This is the sort of Catholicism that is condemned by all good Catholics," a Vatican radio broadcast says ... The Vatican also reports that 50 monks were slain by Spanish loyalists at a monastery in Catalonia. [Note: Today's full page is especially blurry and I can't seem to correct it--lrh] Quote of the Day: "The unmarried, childless woman of the of the 'individualist type' can hardly hope to escape functional derangements somewhere in her system. She never abandons hope for marriage and children" --Dr. Russell L. Roles, on Depression-era unemployment that has prevented men from marrying, producing a generation of single women who are competing with "their younger sisters."
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Feb. 26, 1938
Los Angeles
Above, now playing at the Mason Opera House. Below, Harry Raymond's wife identifies Police Capt. Earle Kynette as a prowler she saw near their garage before the bombing that nearly killer her husband ... Charges of accepting money in return for influencing legislation? ... Dark times in Austria ... On the jump, the rest of the Kynette saga.
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Feb. 4, 1908
Los Angeles
A performance of Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" at the Mason Opera House is reviewed by The Times' Harry Carr, an institution at the paper for many years ... Carr also wrote "Los Angeles--City of Dreams" ... Firefighters were unable to extinguish several recent blazes because one of the horses refused to pull the steamer. The Times says that the area around the Sunset Boulevard and Mohawk Street station is hilly and the horse is too light to pull the load. The ASPCA has investigated charges that firefighters have brutally beaten the horse in an attempt to make it pull the vehicle ... More cells are being added because the jail is badly overcrowded ... Above, the Great Fer-Don, one of my favorite early Los Angeles charlatans. Note: Puccini's "La Boheme received its American premiere in Los Angeles.
Click here for the full page: Download 1908_0204_cover.jpg
Click here for the runover: Download 1908_0204_butterfly_RO.jpg
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Feb. 3, 1938
Los Angeles
Paul Wright collapses on the witness stand ... A car plays "Nearer, My God, to Thee" when it reaches 60 mph ... A member of the LAPD Intelligence Unit surrenders in the investigation of the Harry Raymond bombing ... Germany's Marshal Werner von Blomberg resigns after marrying a woman who is "socially impossible," clearing the way for the rise of Nazi leader Hermann Goering ... Japanese Foreign Minister Koki Hirota's informal remark that a state of war exists between his nation and China prompts U.S. senators to demand that President Roosevelt invoke the neutrality act ... And longshoremen's union leader Harry Bridges is in court ... On the jump: 25-cent highballs at Al Levy's Tavern.
Click here to download the full page: Download 1938_0203_cover.jpg
Click here to download the runover: Download 1938_0203_ro.jpg
Jan. 30, 1958
Los Angeles
Recognize these young movie stars? I read about lots of Hollywood marriages as I go through the old papers--and even more Hollywood divorces. So as Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward celebrate their 50th anniversary, I thought I'd run a few pictures from the early days.
Los Angeles Times file photograph
Woodward and Newman in "The Long, Hot Summer," 1958.
Los Angeles Times file photo
Newman (reviewing the script of "Rally Round the Flag, Boys") and Woodward at home, November 1958.
Los Angeles Times file photo
Newman and Woodward--isn't this a great picture? (Even though it's unidentified). A reader tells me this is a scene in "From the Terrace."
Photograph by the Los Angeles Times
Woodward and Newman arrive for the 1962 Academy Awards, when he was a nominee for his role in "The Hustler."
Photograph by R.O. Oliver / Los Angeles Times
Woodward and Newman at the funeral of Jerry Wald, producer of "The Long, Hot Summer," 1962.
Photograph by Fitzgerald Whitney / Los Angeles Times
Newman and Woodward arrive for the 1969 Academy Awards, when "Rachel, Rachel" (produced by Newman) was a contender for best picture and Woodward was nominated for best actress.
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George M. Cohan's "45 Minutes From Broadway" ... R.F. Outcault at performances of "Buster Brown" ... Victor Herbert's "The Tattooed Man" ... At least 167 die when the Rhodes Opera House burns in Boyertown, Pa. in what will be deemed the ninth-deadliest fire in U.S. history.
Men's clothing... women's shoes... Herbert Witherspoon sings... and the Friars Club holds a meeting...
Los Angeles Times file photo
Pat Collins, left, Edward G. Robinson and Julian Eltinge for a performance by the Dominos Club, Nov. 25, 1935.
Well, that explains it.
Yes, I was trolling EBay again in my continual search for reasonably
priced items from the Mason Operahouse. What should I find but a
program from a 1917 benefit performance for the family of Maitland
Davies, featuring our old friend Julian Eltinge. Plus Charlie Chaplin,
Leo Carrillo, William S. Hart, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., and an audience
that without exaggeration was an array of the era's stage and screen
luminaries.
A little research reveals that Davies was a dramatic critic for one of
The Times' competing papers. But having been a critic at one point in
my career, it is difficult to imagine such an outpouring of goodwill
for someone who reviewed the performing arts.
Aha! Further research reveals that before going to the dark side,
Davies was a singer and actor of some renown, although given the
sketchy resource material in the early online newspapers, it's
difficult to tell whether he was particularly prominent.
Although he died in Los Angeles, he apparently wasn't worth an obituary
in The Times, but Davies received a few lines in the New York Times, which
noted that he died during an operation "at his home." His obituary in
the Chicago Tribune says that Davies was a well-known singer before
becoming a dramatic critic for the Los Angeles Evening Express and the Los Angeles Tribune. The
Chicago paper also noted that Davies was the brother of the late Acton
Davies, for many years the dramatic critic of the New York Sun.
Another EBay mystery solved.
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I had never heard of Julian Eltinge until I came across some material for sale on EBay. I dug out his photo file and over the weekend found his former home in Silver Lake.
Los Angeles Times file photo
Here's Eltinge in his prime in an undated picture. He performed frequently in Los Angeles and appeared at the Mason Opera House in a play titled "The Fascinating Widow," which received rave reviews. In fact, the critic compared it favorably to the annual New Year's show at the Jonathan Club.
Los Angeles Times file photo
Julian Eltinge in "The Fascinating Widow," 1913.
He was also a boxing fan.
And he built this house in Silver Lake.
 Photograph by Larry Harnisch / Los Angeles Times
Here's the former home of Julian Eltinge, 2328 Baxter St. Warning! Baxter is one of those extremely steep streets around Silver Lake. Because of the mature trees, it is quite difficult to see the home from the street. But it is still there. Note: In his later years, he lived in North Hollywood. He died in New York in 1941, somewhere in his mid-50s. The Times noted that he was a "lifelong bachelor," a vintage code phrase for "gay."
Email me Ps. The Times clips are full of interesting accounts about Eltinge. I'll try to post a few as I get time. So many stories, only one Larry Harnisch.
I stumbled across this story while looking for something else. Notice that it mentions the Main Street Gym and the Hippodrome. As published in The Times, Oct. 2, 1983.
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Los Angeles Times file photo
Here's a photo of South Main at 4th Street looking north. The theater on the right is the Hippodrome and the title "Shifting Sands" on the marquee allows us to date the image to February 1924.
The Times reported that when it was built in 1913, the Hippodrome had the largest stage on the West Coast. It was torn down in 1952 to make way for, yes, a parking lot.
May 5, 1968
Update: The 1947p's/LAPL's own Mary McCoy delves into ProQuest and turns up some ready answers, noting: "Gotta leave some for the rest of the kids to answer - no one likes a
ProQuest-it-all!"
Update II: I'm going to start filling in some of the answers--but very slowly just to give people one more chance to show off their expertise in Presleyana.
Update III: OK, here are the rest of the answers. Hope you had fun with that--I sure did.
And in case you're wondering, as I was, The Times apparently never shot Elvis in the 1950s. All we have are handout pictures. I would love to know the reason behind that.
I had so much fun doing yesterday's post on Elvis Presley that I had to share some of these wonderful factoids:
 1. In 1957, columnist Hedda Hopper listed Elvis Presley among the worst-dressed male personalities of the previous year. Who else was on the
list?
- Marlon Brando? (David Andrews) Bingo! He was one of them.
- James Dean? No. He died in 1955.
- Tab Hunter, at right. I should dig up some of the 1957 profiles of Hunter to show what he was trying to contend with. He told Hopper: "I'm a product of Hollywood publicity." Fairly astute for a young man of 24.
- Dennis Hopper (Gee, ya think?)
- Pa Kettle (Oh don't pick on poor Pa Kettle. That's as bad as saying Tugboat Annie is a slob. Oh wait, she says Tubgoat Annie is a slob).
- Bing Crosby, whom she singles out as a particularly notorious offender. He wears a shirt that looks like an Italian sunset with his best suit!
She also listed the worst-dress female personalities, including:
- Jayne Mansfield? (David Andrews) Bingo!
- Marilyn Monroe? (David Andrews) Absolutely.
Hedda Hopper's fashion tips for gals: "Some of them prefer slacks and turtle-neck sweaters, which are all right in their place, but not walking down Wilshire Boulevard, Fifth Avenue or Bond Street." That's it, ladies, no slacks and sweaters on Wilshire!
 2. On what campus was Presley performing when someone threw eggs at him from the balcony?
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University of Alabama? No. But an interesting guess.
- Villanova University? (Mary McCoy). Bingo! Juniors William Quinn, William B. Oates, James Stark and John Edit denied egging Presley.
3. What was the name of the neighborhood where Presley bought Graceland in 1957?
- Graceland was near Whitehaven, a suburb south of downtown. (Mary McCoy). Exactly right. According to The Times, Graceland was in Whitehaven.
4. What polite, modest, young TV personality emerged in 1957 who was described as a wholesome alternative to Presley?
- Pat Boone? No. Boone was offered as a wholesome alternative, but this man was described as representing a wholesome, literate, intellectual alternative to Presley.
- Charles Van Doren? (David Andrews) Incredible but true. "It's a long time--if ever--since the public has been so impressed by an intelligent, courteous, modest young man such as Van Doren." Charles Mercer, Associated Press.
5. 
What future movie star was kicked off the university track team for refusing to trim his Elvis-like sideburns?
- Michael Landon? No, but that's a great guess!
- Bruce Dern? (Mary McCoy) Bingo! Bruce Dern, star of Penn's two-mile relay team, quit rather than shave his sideburns. (At right, tragedy at the Dern home, 1962).
6. Bootleg Presley recordings were selling for 50 rubles ($12.50 USD 1957)
in the Soviet Union in 1957. These bootlegs were not vinyl but on
another medium. What was it?
- Reel-to-reel magnetic tape? No. The Soviets used a nontraditional recording medium.
- Shellac? No. The Soviets were using an improvised medium never intended for recording.
- Used X-ray film? (Mary McCoy). Absolutely. This was known as "music on bones."
7. What folk music expert said: Elvis Presley is "a crime against society.
Rock 'n' roll is going to die. In fact the process has already started."
- Pete Seeger? Interesting guess. No, but I wonder what Seeger thought of Presley.
- Alan Lomax? Excellent guess. But no.
- Burl Ives? Excellent guess! But no.
- Woody Guthrie? Excellent guess. But no.
- Dorothea Dix Lawrence? (Mary McCoy). Absolutely right. Lawrence cataloged 378 verses of "Frankie and Johnnie" (a.k.a. "Frankie and Albert").
8. Two young women making a promotional tour of the country ran into
Presley as he was parking his Cadillac at the Beverly Wilshire. What
were they promoting and what scary prop did they have with them?
- National Mothproofing Month? (Mary McCoy) Bingo! Mary Hall and Cherry Gordon (at right, behold the fearsome terror of proto-Mothra) were carrying a 35-pound giant prop moth nicknamed "Max the Monster." Elvis said: "What's that?" They replied: "Pat Boone."
9. What famous Presley movie was briefly given the working title "Treat Me Nice?"
- "Jailhouse Rock?" (Delilah Schelen) Exactly right.
10. What rumor about Presley was hotly denied in a 1957 magazine article? (Note: There may be many rumors, I'm thinking of a specific rumor listed in The Times).
- That he had left the building: "One rumor even had it that he was dead," The Times said May 2, 1957. "You may think he's out of this world or down the tube but you'll have to agree he's far from dead!
11. What actress wasn't allowed to visit Presley while he was filming in 1957?
- Natalie Wood? No, another actress was specifically banned from visiting him, according to The Times.
- Debra Paget? No. Interesting guess, but no.
- Mae West? Interesting guess. But no.
- Tura Satana? Well that's different. No, but interesting guess.
- Vampira? Oh very interesting guess. But no.
- Jayne Mansfield? No. Unless you are a total Elvis freak you have never heard of this woman.
- Yvonne Lime. "Another studio spokesman said Miss Lime was refused admittance this week to the set where Presley is working." (Don't tell me you've never heard of her! She appeared in "High School Hellcats" and "Dragstrip Riot," and was Policewoman Gloria Harbor in "Dragnet 1967").
12. What was the name of the manager at radio station KEX who fired disc
jockey Al Priddy after he played Presley's recording of "White
Christmas?" What was the reason?
- Nobody even tried this one. How sad. KEX manager Mel Bailey said Al Priddy was fired because he played Presley's recording of "White Christmas." The record was banned at the Portland, Ore., station because "it is not in the good taste we ascribe to Christmas music. Presley gives it a rhythm and blues interpretation. It doesn't seem to me to be in keeping with the intent of the song," Bailey said.
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Oct. 6, 1957
Los Angeles
Add this to your trivia file on Keaton. There's no further word in The Times on Alum Jones. I'd love to know what the rest of his life was like.
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olling Fork, Miss., reports the most unusual story of African Americans joining a lynch mob. The violence inflicted on the victim was especially gruesome. Local Sheriff M.C. Ewing denied knowing anything whatsoever about the matter. 
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Larry Harnisch. The leading Black Dahlia expert and a collaborator in the 1947project, Harnisch has been a copy editor at The Times since 1988. He has appeared on many TV shows discussing the Dahlia case, notably "James Ellroy's Feast of Death."
Join him for a spin through old Los Angeles in the Mirror's radio car. Keep your eyes open for Mickey Cohen and Tempest Storm. It's quite a ride.
The reporter's badge belonged to Sid Hughes (1908-1958), legendary reporter who worked at nearly every newspaper in Los Angeles.