WWII recruits gather to hear Air Marshall Bishop speak at Grand Central Air Terminal, Glendale, California, 1942
Completed in 1930 and combining Spanish Colonial Revival with Art Deco, the Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale became Los Angeles’ first commercial airport when American Airlines established services there. It was also used by legendary figures in aviation like Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes. This photo was taken in 1942 and we can see hundreds of recruits gathered to hear Air Marshall W.A. Bishop speak what I’m guessing was a rally-the-troops speech. Note that the tower has already been painted with camouflage.
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Wonderful image. I think I already know it’s not the Bob Hope airport, but is it?
Hey Stephen – no, the Bob Hope airport is “next door” in Burbank. And in fact, they’ve dropped the Bob Hope name and is now back to being called the Burbank Airport again!
If you’d like to see what the lobby of this building looked like, Google the “Hooray for Hollywood” YouTube clip from the movie “Hollywood Hotel.” The Grand Central Terminal (AKA Glendale Airport) is a stand-in for the “St. Louis Airport” in the film. A beautiful “compass rose” is shown in the terrazzo floor of the entryway.
Thank you Gail! I’m going to go looking for it right now!
I found even more interesting photos (and information) you’d enjoy at the website
http://www.airfields-freeman.com, Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields. Choose the state of California; then choose Central Los Angeles. About two-thirds of the way down the scroll are some interior shots of the terminal. And don’t miss the photos of how the runways were camouflaged during WWII.
Oops–my bad!
At the beginning of the scene, the “St. Louis” airport terminal shown was actually Alhambra Airport, not the Glendale Airport. However, at the end of the scene, the airport shown is Glendale.