LADailyMirror

July 15, 1957: Abbott and Costello break up the act. Abbott was going to retire to his ranch in Ojai. Costello was going solo -- he wouldn't work with anyone else.

Mary Mallory has a word for everyone celebrating the Hollywood Sign's anniversary in July: It was in November-December 1923.

Reminder: The next installment of the Black Dahlia Book Club is next Tuesday, July 21, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch

July 14, 1907: Los Angeles prepares to mark its founding, with celebrations at the Plaza. Gen. Jose Aguilar, nearly 100, will fire the cannon when the flags of Spain, Mexico and the U.S. are raised.

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow.

July 13, 1908: Four Chinese men dressed as Mexicans try to cross the bridge over an irrigation canal marking the border, guided by at least one smuggler. Immigration agents and the smuggler exchange shots before the smuggler jumps into water and escapes. The four Chinese are jailed in Los Angeles.

July 9, 1947: Rosenda Mondragon is found murdered. The Times and the Examiner have different accounts of the killing and the actions of her husband, Antonio.

July 9, 1907: The city rents an abandoned church for a temporarily jail.

July 8, 1908: Marion Jones died owing $29.45 in doctor bills (more than $1,000 in 2026 dollars), so her body was sent to the USC dissection lab.

My Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for July 2026. Did filmmakers really find the hidden room where Elizabeth Short was killed? (No, they did not).

July 7, 1947: Hollister, California, cleans up after the Highway Patrol chases thousands of motorcyclists out of town. The occasion was a "gypsy tour" of the American Motorcycle Association. The incident inspired the Marlon Brando movie "The Wild One."

Mary Mallory profiles Eleanor Jones, head of the Hollywood branch library for 18 years.

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow (no worries, it all works out in the end).

July 5, 1927: The prison warden replies to Christine Collins regarding parole for her husband, Walter. Christine Collins' tragedy inspired the Clint Eastwood movie 'Changeling.'

July 5, 1907: See here, you pesky temperance workers, beer is "liquid bread!" It's good for you!

The Fourth of July in Los Angeles: 1863: Pic-Nics and fireworks! 1889: Coursing (dogs chasing a live rabbit)! 1907: Cricket matches and a bagpipe contest! 1910: Speeches in Spanish and Italian, race riots over the 'fight of the century' between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries.

July 3, 1947: Flying Saucers Over Beverly Hills!