I do enjoy coming across a vivid Kodachrome photo, especially when it was taken at an iconic LA location. In this one, we’re looking north up Vine St across Hollywood Blvd toward the Capitol Records building, back when the American Airlines ticket office filled the northeast corner, and DuPars restaurant was just up the street. I have it on good authority that the newest car in this image is the salmon-colored 1957 Lincoln Premiere, so I’m pegging this photo at circa late 1950s.
Remarkably, this view hasn’t changed much. This image is from June 2021:
You’re probably dead on with dating as that billboard up by Capitol with the guy in the hammock (?) has that looney-kartooney look that became very populuxe in the decade. Unfortunately, even the railroads had stooped to such lowest common denominator illustrations for advertising. By 1959 we begin to see the greater move toward “realism” with color photography coming to replace the Inky & Sketchy Show. Only Western Airlines was able to keep up the character showmanship with any entertainment quality in the Wally Bird ads. That American Airlines office had some great displays of “Travel Agent Models” of airliners into the ’60’s. What’s the story on TIP’S..a coffee shop chain?
Tip’s caught my eye, too. I don’t recall that coming up before. I don’t have definitive information, but it appears there were at least three locations from what I’ve found so far, listed on a wooden menu. Steaks and chops were the specialties. The Coffee Jardine is “delectable and different.” !?! There was this one in Hollywood, one on Wilshire in Santa Monica and one in Newhall Ranch/Castaic. Apparently the owner, Tip Jardine, had been operating restaurants off and on since 1925. A website says he had five restaurants at one time or another in the Santa Clarita Valley area. Further, a matchbook lists the Santa Monica one as well as one in Westwood Village and at Orange-Fairfax.
From a couple photos I can say the one on Vine Street was there in 1955 (before that I don’t know) and from a 1960 photo, that same space was The Red Fox Restaurant.