It’s not often we get precise information on when a photo was taken, but we do with this photo taken from the balcony of the Wiltern Theatre at the corner of Wilshire Blvd and Western Ave at 8.30am on Thursday May 2, 1946. That line of cars along Wilshire is, I suppose, 1946’s version of peak hour traffic. Those cars are heading east into, I’m assuming, downtown Los Angeles. That circular building on the far right was Carpenter’s drive-in, which stood on the northwest corner.
This is the NW corner of Wilshire and Western in March 2021. Yet another skyscraper has replaced a charming drive-in restaurant.
I like that Roma Sherry billboard. You can see how small the glasses were back then. I remember watching an old Thin Man movie not that long ago. Since the movie’s so familiar, I started paying attention to the details. The martini glasses were minute — like nearly thimble sized. Martini glasses these days are HUGE in comparison.
Noticed same thing about now verses then liquor glasses. Wine glasses look more like soup bowls on stems now; cartoon ostentation, to me anyway. Also need to consider people were considerably smaller in the ’30s. Think 5’6″ was considered average tall for men.
Yes, my mom was 5’6″, and she always complained about being too tall. I think she only married my dad because he was 6′! Heh, j/k.
At least that nice building farther east on Wilshire is still standing.