In this rather atmospheric photo, we’re looking west along Hollywood Boulevard from Cahuenga Blvd in 1928. From the electric Christmas trees lining the street, we know it’s Christmastime when the boulevard was known as “Santa Claus Lane.” We can see the vertical sign for the Warner Bros. theater which would have been playing one of the early talkies that Warners were making during the year after they had changed the game with “The Jazz Singer.” On the billboard we can see Charlie Chaplin shilling for Old Gold cigarettes, who apparently guarantee “Not a cough in a carload.” Sounds like a rather dubious claim, if you ask me.
Looking west along Hollywood Boulevard as Santa Claus Lane from Cahuenga Blvd, Hollywood, Christmas 1928
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Was not aware that Ligget’s Drug Stores could be found out west. They’re one of the old ones in the world of soda fountain/counter grills leaving behind some patterns in china and silverware that have become collector items. (Rexall was tied in to them through the drug supplier.) Not sure what’s at that first small doorway to the left, but the storefront past that looks to have Atlas Steamship Tickets signage on the facade. In other photos, the Santa Fe Railway agency was in this area before it went down to Vine Street. (This was how they got so many movie stars riding on their name trains for all that snappy publicity, before Desi & Lucy showed how fun trailer life could be on the highways.)
In that previous “pioneer era” posting of the building that became Melody Lane, Hody’s, etc., we could see signage about a soda fountain. If Liggett’s targeted this corner a few blocks down to put in their own service, that may explain why that early fountain at Vine just seemed to disappear. Owl and Ligget were both part of United Drug’s Rexall related system, and both had locations in downtown L.A.. After a bunch of changes, Rexall became the main corporate name replacing Drug Inc., and the headquarters moved to Los Angeles. During this flipping, we find fountain/drugs opening all down the Hollywood drag at prime corner spots like Vine, Ivar, & Highland to list a few. Then you have to throw in the Sav-On name, and that’s a lot of ice cream up for grabs. No wonder United Fruit needed so many banana boats.