The graininess of this photo adds to the atmosphere it captured when someone took a nighttime photo of the Melody Lane restaurant on the northwest corner of Hollywood and Vine some time during the 1940s. The Melody Lane was there from 1940 (replacing Coco Tree Café) until 1955, when it became a Hody’s. The intersection is controlled by two-light semaphore traffic signals and they were phased out in the 50s, so I’m guessing this photo is circa 1940s. I don’t think the White King soap brand is still around but the Knickerbocker Hotel in the background is still with us.
These days, that corner is a parking lot. This image is from April 2019:
White King was ubiquitous on store shelves for many years. The Los Angeles based company closed operations after 127 years in 1987. Here is a link to an LA Times article noting its passing: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-14-fi-19280-story.html
Their story goes to show that you can’t assume your business will go on forever just because it’s over 100 years old.
Is that a somewhat simple pre-Santa Claus Lane Parade decoration hanging over the intersection?
It’s quite possible that this was taken during WWII when the metallic Christmas trees were melted down because the metal was needed for the war effort.
My grandmother and her sister traveled to the west coast from rural northern NY in 1948 to have an adventure in LA. She kept a detailed journal and listed Melody Lane as the place they had Christmas dinner. She kept a record of everything they ate and the whole dinner for three came to $8.48!
Oh wow, Laura, I bet that made for some interesting reading! Did they enjoy their time in LA?
Manray, the artist, lived across the street. I think there was an all night grocery store next to where the parking lot is now.