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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, January 2025

Here’s Boxie and I with this month’s “Ask Me Anything” on George Hodel. In this session, I went over the basics of Steve Hodel’s claims about his father in deference to any new subscribers I may have picked up from Reddit. I emphasized that everything people think they know about George Hodel comes from one source: Steve Hodel, either directly through Steve’s books and interviews or indirectly…

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Women Brought Color to Early Films and Photos

Olive Borden / Edward Curtis, hand-colored by Emma G. Hoffman, courtesy of Revere Auctions. Early cinema captured the attention of filmgoers through its realistic depiction of everyday life, enhanced by gorgeously crafted images and heart tugging acting. It grew out of what was called real photo postcards, those providing a documentary look at a place and people, as well as stereoptican cards…

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Movieland Mystery Photo

For Monday, we have our mysterious leading lady.

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Black Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on Jan. 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short

Today is Jan. 15, the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death. As is the custom, the Daily Mirror will be dark. Trim your roses in her memory.

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Movieland Mystery Photo

For Monday, we have a mysterious foursome.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 1961 Bel-Air Fire Burns 450 Homes

The 1961 Bel-Air fire in a time exposure. Photo by Alan Hyde/Valley Times Collection, courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library. Sadness and disbelief pervade Los Angeles looking over the tragic remains of the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires. People have been wondering, how could this happen? It already had, 64 years before in the cataclysmic 1961 Bel-Air fire, which burned more than…

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The Three Lives Of Villa Aurora

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Cats have nine lives. People often experience second or third acts in their lives or careers. Some homes have multiple lives as well, like Villa Aurora, which has experienced three diverse lives, bringing knowledge and refuge to those who come through its doors. Opened in 1928, the Villa began life as a Los Angeles Times Demonstration Home, later housed…

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, January 2025

In the January 2025 Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, I talk about my work in progress, Heaven Is HERE! and my current focus on the Los Angeles Examiner’s phone call to Phoebe Short, claiming that Elizabeth Short won a beauty contest. Reminder: Trim your roses on January 15 in memory of Elizabeth Short, and consider a donation to an agency that provides services for the homeless/unhoused…

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Movieland Mystery Photo

For Monday, we have a mystery woman.

For Monday, we have a cheerful mystery woman.

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Mary Astor’s Lost Film ‘New Year’s Eve’

Note: This is an encore post from January 2020. Since TCM is featuring Mary Astor, here’s a brief post on her lost movie “New Year’s Eve.” (A tip of the hat to Lou Lumenick, who tweeted about the movie on — New Year’s Eve.) I also uploaded a version of this post to IMDB, in case you see it there. Fox originally announced the film under the title “Strong Arm,” based on the story “$100” by Richard…

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — Pisco Punch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Just in time for New Year’s, we’ll take a look at a “lost drink,” making a brief inquiry into San Francisco’s Pisco Punch, made famous by Bank Exchange saloon owner Duncan Nicol (often spelled Nichol or Nicoll), who  died in 1926 without revealing the recipe. Continue reading L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — Pisco Punch

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Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is January 7

Boxie and I will be doing a live “Ask Me Anything” on the Black Dahlia case Tuesday, January 7, at 10 a.m. Pacific time, on YouTube and on Instagram. Continue reading Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is January 7

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide – The Queens Cocktail

After the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Bronx cocktails, we have the Queens!

Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Joe Vogel asks if there was a Queens Cocktail. The answer is yes. According to the Jamaica Long Island Daily Press, Jan. 24, 1935, the Queens Cocktail debuted at the Hotel Commodore in a toast to President Roosevelt. Via Fultonhistory.com. (No word yet on the Staten Island Cocktail — and boy that sounds like a straight line). Continue reading L.A. Daily…

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Pickford Headlines 1933 Rose Parade

Photo: Mary Pickford in the 1933 Rose Parade. Courtesy of Mary Mallory Note: This is a 2012 post with a slight update. The 136th Rose Parade is Wednesday. Tomorrow sees the 124th annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena,  welcoming the new year with magnificent garlands of fresh flowers. It also acts as the 80th anniversary of Mary Pickford serving as the first female grand marshal of the…

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Movieland Mystery Photo

For Monday, we have a mystery fellow.

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — The Bronx Cocktail

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Dec. 20, 1934: In case you doubted me (but you wouldn’t, would you?), here’s a recipe for the Bronx Cocktail, from the Amsterdam Evening Recorder, courtesy of FultonHistory.com. In case you plan to mix one up, a Bronx Cocktail is one part Italian vermouth, three parts brandy and a dash of orange bitters. Shake well! Notice that there are also three…

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide — The Brooklyn Cocktail

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Yes, the Manhattan cocktail once had competition from drinks named for the other boroughs. Here’s a recipe for the Brooklyn Cocktail, from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 7, 1937. The Brooklyn Cocktail as made by Brad Dewey consisted of Two parts Jamaica rum One part lime juice Dash of grenadine We won’t be toasting the new year with the Brooklyn Cocktail…