I’d love to know what was going on that night in 1950 when this photo was taken outside Schwab’s Pharmacy at 8024 Sunset Blvd. Was something momentous happening along the boulevard to draw the crowds out of Schwab’s? Or had the place been evacuated? Either way, I bet all the gossiping, schmoozing, flirting, laughing, and networking that was a constant part of the Schwab’s scene still went on regardless.
** UPDATE ** – Someone sent me a Getty’s Image post which said: “The scene outside Schwab’s drugstore, Hollywood, where people gathered to congratulate Sidney Skolsky on his film The Jolson Story.”
On the IMDB listing for that movie, which came out in 1950, Skolsky is listed as one of the producers. Skolsky was famous for writing his movie gossip column from Schwab’s.
These days, a nice-but-forgettable mall stands where Schwab’s once stood. This image is from August 2020.
I only ate at Schwab’s once, in 1977, after I was here for only a few days. I had recalled watching the Tonight Show the previous week or two when Shelley Winters was a guest that she said she’d stopped into Schwab’s to pick up the trade papers and I remembered that when I was there.
I just looked up the Tonight Show guest list for episodes in 1977 and, sure enough, Shelley Winters was a guest on the March 21, 1977, airing with guest host David Brenner, along with Cleveland Amory and singer Janis Ian.
One wishes landmarks like this might still be around, but in any city most nightclubs and restaurants are rather ephemeral.
Does anyone know when Schwab’s was torn down?
It closed down in 1983, which isn’t to say when it was *torn* down.
after it closed in ‘83 it was a vintage clothing store to about ‘85.
I remember the long counter being stacked with vintage denim.
Thanks, Jerry. I hadn’t heard that before.
Yes…I was only 22 at the time, I knew it was the former schwabs, just didn’t fully appreciate it back then.