The Daily Mirror

A Sad Tale in Divorce Court

Larry Harnisch — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Hamburger’s has a special on coveralls.

Nov. 8, 1919: "When I came home from working 18 or 20 hours carrying 100-pound sacks I was hungry and wanted something to eat," William E. Davis says. "I had to do the washing, take care of the children and wash the dishes. My wife would start for church in the morning and not return until late at night."

The Case of the Thankful Thief

Larry Harnisch — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:00:00 -0800

Nov. 8, 1909: The yearly season of petty crimes opens in Los Angeles, according to The Times, with a burglar who ate half a loaf of bread, some peach preserves and helped himself to $3 in a savings bank.

It’s hard to match “Blows Out His Brains” as a one-column headline.

Matt Weinstock, Nov. 7, 1959

Larry Harnisch — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0800

The Fight Against City Hall Continues

    It's an old adage that you can't fight City Hall. Nevertheless, some people keep trying, whether they get anywhere or not. Today's candidate for head bumping is Kenneth Reiner, who writes in a letter to City Council:

    "For the past several months citizens of Los Angeles have witnessed a struggle between the Department of Building and Safety -- which was determined to tear down a group of artistic structures called the Watts Towers -- and a band of citizens dedicated to their preservation.

"AT THE HEARING city engineers testified the towers could not withstand more than 1/12th the force of a 70-mile wind, the code requirement. It was agreed to subject them to a load test, simulating the 70-mile wind. The towers withstood the test with ease. In addition, the test demonstrated that the city engineers had understated the strength of the towers by a ratio in excess of 12 to 1.

"For years we have been hampered by rigid codes compounded by arbitrary administration; as a result the development of modern building methods in Los Angeles have been stifled.

    "The fundamental lesson to be learned is the need for revision of our code if our city is to remain abreast of advancing construction technology. The time to make this change is now while attention is focused on the problem."

A MAN NAMED Bob went to see his doctor, who also has a patient Bob's father-in-law, a cantankerous old gentleman. They were discussing the old boy's eccentricities, particularly his resistance to modern ideas, when the doc said, "He certainly has a whim of iron."

    STAREY NIGHTS
Our technical knowledge
    and our skill
Created a monster, gri-
    macing and hideous,
In turn, it has bent us to its
    will,
Creating a race of be-
    dumbed televidiots.
        -ED LYTLE

    ONLY IN L.A. -- Eli Ressler, KNXT news cameraman, was waiting for the signal to change at 3rd and La Brea when a Rambler rammed his 1959 Cadillac in the rear.

    Not only that, the irate driver rushed up and exclaimed, "There out to be a law against big battleships like this menacing us drivers!"

    Ressler pointed out he'd been stopped and the other guy had smacked him.

    "That makes no difference," was the reply. "these big cars shouldn't be allowed on the streets!"

    So, another one for the insurance companies.

   ONCE UPON a time, Mattie Rae relates, there was a husband and wife team of taxidermists. They worked happily together for many years but there came the time when the husband began to stray. At first it was one night a week, then several nights, then week ends.

Finally the wife could stand the anguish no longer and she killed him. She stuffed him neatly, dressed him in a comfortable outfit with smoking jacket and slippers, stuck a pipe in his mouth, a book in his hands and sat him in an easy chair before the fireplace. Now she had him home and he was all hers and she was content.

    In time the police discovered her stuffy performance and she was brought to justice. She testified it was a natural instinct for a woman to want her husband by her side. The judge called it justifiable homey side and dismissed the case.

FOOTNOTES -- The Red Cross here received a $50 contribution the other day from a Harry Sahl in S.F. with a note of appreciation for help given him by the L.A. chapter in 1919 -- 40 years ago. He didn't state what the assistance was, merely apologized for his tardiness . . . Variety's only coverage of a certain headlined hegira was in its Who's Where column, as follows: "Evelyn Rudie to Baltimore" . . . In announcing that the American Youth Symphony Orchestra will give its first concert tomorrow at Sun Valley Junior High, Victorde Veritch , music department head, invited students to come and bring their parents. One youngster asked, "Do we have to bring our parents?"

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Nov. 7, 1959

Larry Harnisch — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0800

Public Unexcited About Rigged Shows

I'm home.

    And if you've been following my dispatches from the Mysterious East, I'm sure you're aware by now that there is really nothing mysterious about it at all.

    I suspect that Commodore Matthew C. Perry, who started those shy rumors about the intrigues of the Orient, was -- as are many men of the sea -- prone to exaggerate.

Actually, all that the people of the Mysterious East needed was a good Ugly American like me -- with notepad, copy pencil and a vague knowledge of what Freud was trying to get across -- to unmask them.

    But as I say, I'm home now. And that's all water under Toko-Ri.

    And in the land of the Occident, the topic of the day is quiz shows.

    Or, to be more specific, "deceptive" quiz shows.

    I see by the large type on the front pages that a U.S. House subcommittee is in a state of shock over the lost morals of our nation. It's members are righteously indignant.

    But from what I've learned by talking to people of much less prominence, there's very good evidence that the public just doesn't give a damn that the programs were rigged.

    They more or less expected it. The revelation was barely greater than it would have been if they'd been informed that professional wrestling isn't on the up-and-up, which I hope by now everybody knows it isn't.

    To support my rather hasty theory, I found an article yesterday in the Nov. 2 issue of Broadcasting magazine. It's title: "The Public: Calm in Eye of the Storm."

    It reveals the results of a Sindlinger survey on public attitudes toward the quiz show investigations.

    To the question "Did you watch any of the quiz shows when they were at the height of their popularity last year?"   89.2% answered yes.

    And 85.9% of those who watched said they enjoyed them.

    Next came the significant question:

    "Even though contestants on quiz shows are helped, have you found the quiz programs educational and entertaining enough to want to see them on television again?"

    Here, five persons answered yes to every three who answered no.

    And only 39.2% of those surveyed felt it was a good idea to take quiz shows, rigged or not, off the air.

    Somehow, in these answers, shines a reflection of our times.

    We are -- no doubt about it -- living in an age of deception, an era of sham. Everything isn't what it seems to be, but we know it and we're not concerned. We expect it.

Commercial 'Gamesmanship'

    In fact, we've particularly based our economy on it.

We don't really believe the ads that say one cigarette has less harmless ingredients than another cigarette, but that a company is spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to make us believe it doesn't offend us in the least. That's commercial "gamesmanship."

But now that a Congressional investigative team has dragged our morals and ethics out of the closet for an airing, I can't help but get the feeling that, as a nation of supposedly intelligent people, maybe we've been rationalizing our mores a little too much.

A Kinder, Simpler Time Dept.: Your Movie Columnist

Larry Harnisch — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

Nov. 7, 1944: Gracie Allen performs her new work, “Concerto for Index Finger.” Some of Charles Laughton’s recordings of the Bible are too hot to handle or at least they're too hot for Decca.

Yes, you can find the record on EBay. At least the commercial release.

House Committee to Investigate Payola

Larry Harnisch — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800

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?"

Policewomen Experiment a Success

Larry Harnisch — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Clare Briggs takes another look at golf in “Conceding Yourself a Putt.”

Nov. 7, 1919: London retains 100 of the women police officers who were put into service during World War I. Part of the force was disbanded after the war, but 100 policewomen were retained to keep order out of fears of "an orgy of dissipation" among ex-soldiers in the "night life sections." The policewomen are particularly on the lookout for young women who might be attracted to such places and get in trouble.

Confessions of a Horse Thief

Larry Harnisch — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:00:00 -0800

"Buster Brown" visits Athens.

Nov. 7, 1909: A 25-year-old man describes his downfall, including stealing horses and betting money on baseball games. "Tell the young men that sin always brings suffering," Robert Perry says.

Found on EBay – 1883 L.A. Directory

Larry Harnisch — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0800

Here’s an unusual item: An 1883 Los Angeles city-county directory has been listed on EBay. As the vendor notes, there is only one copy listed in online catalogs and that’s at UCLA. As the vendor also notes, a copy from the Dawson collection was sold in 2007. That copy (item 228) sold for $5,175.

Bidding starts at $3,750.

Matt Weinstock, Nov. 6, 1959

Larry Harnisch — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0800

Racing the Stork

A woman in the throes of becoming a mother was being driven to General Hospital by a neighbor one night recently and as they reached the Civic Center it became apparent they weren't going to make it.

    On a frantic impulse the neighbor swung into the parking lot of the City Health Building at 1st and Main Sts., and burst into the lobby seeking a doctor. The building guards, James W. Payne and Aaron F. White, told him everyone was gone.

    Informed of the crisis, one guard phoned the Receiving Hospital and asked what to do. A doctor there said he'd send an ambulance right away, meanwhile to keep the mother warm and clean.

     The ambulance arrived eight minutes later but not in time. With the help of the two guards a lustily howling boy had been brought into the world and was wrapped in the final edition of The Mirror News, a matter which is herewith referred to the promotion department.

RETURNING HERE recently by plane from San Francisco, Gene H. Costin, playing-card firm executive, noticed the "Fasten Seat Belts" sign was kept on all the way although it was a smooth flight. Just before landing he asked the stewardess how come.

"Psychology," she replied. "Up front we have 25 sorority girls from Berkley going to L.A. for the week end. In back are 17 Coast Guard enlistees." The wolf whistles at the unloading platform proved what she meant.

    QUIZZICAL REMARK
These wealthy TV quiz
    winners
I view with emotions
    mixed.
Not having been on,
    I'm well off.
While they, it appears,
    are well fixed.
    --RICHARD ARMOUR

THE SAGA OF Evelyn Rudie reminded Peter Breck, TV Black Saddle man, of the thing that happened last Saturday when he performed in bull-whip and ax-handle duels with a stunt man at the Girl Scout Jubilee at the Sports Arena.

Afterward a tiny Brownie came up to him and asked, "Mr. Breck, can you tell me where they keep the lost Brownies?" Meaning herself.

NOT LONG AGO I sent a query into the air -- how did Mt. Disappointment get its name? Now it has come back answered, by Jo Ann Metzenheim of Altadena. She found the explanation in an article written by Frank J. Coleman in the book "Pasadena in the Gay Nineties," as follows:

“Hiking to Mt. Disappointment with Switzer one day, I asked him how the peak got its name. He replied, 'I'll show you when we reach the top.' On the summit, as other hikers will remember, was a cairn of loose stones. From a covered can which he took from an opening on the side, he handed me a U.S. engineers report which read as follows, as I remember it: 'We approached this range from the west and thought that this peak was the highest in the range. After an arduous climb, we found that it is not the highest. Therefore, we hereby name it Mt. Disappointment.’ ”

ONLY IN L.A. -- A cleaning shop on Broadway near Manchester has the eye-catching sign. "Will fur-line your Dodger cap for winter wear". . . When she sat down to lunch the other day, Ena Skvarla , deputy county clerk, was chagrined to discover she'd brought a bag of garbage. In hurrying to work she'd put her lunch, packed in a similar bag, in the garbage pail and, you guessed it.

AT RANDOM -- A gal prevailed upon her long time boyfriend to help her move to a new apartment. After an hour of hauling furniture and boxes, he said, "Honey, why don't we get married so I won't have to do this stuff?" What a dreamer . . . Recommended listening: Errol Garner's version of "Misty," a fine tune, also done admirably by Johnny Mathis. A few more like this and there'll be a breakthrough to sanity in music, away from r&r . . . Following a discussion of the TV quiz show scandals, lawyer Frank Crowley, as an afterthought, gave his secretary, this memo: "However, it is not true that Van Cliburn uses a player piano."