Most photos I find are looking north up Vine St in Hollywood are taken standing at Sunset Blvd, so it’s nice to see this circa early 1950s one taken little farther south down the block. Not only can we see Wallichs music store, but also a place rarely photographed because photographers usually have their back to it: on the southwest corner of Sunset Blvd and Vine St stood the Radio City Pharmacy and Fountain Grill. It took on that name because opposite on the northeast corner were the NBC radio studios aka “Radio City.”
This is roughly the same view in May 2022.
The NBC building on Sunset was always special to me. On my first trip to Los Angeles in 1952 that building was what impressed me the most. It symbolized all the entertainment I had enjoyed in my short 9 years so far, especially Bing Crosby. When I moved here in late 1964 it was gone. Recently demolished. Shocking! But I had no idea, as I’d never seen the rest of the building or the inside. I just stumbled onto your NBC archive. Wow, that place was an art deco dream. Looks like it was designed by Cedric Gibbons. That mural! Omigod! Why in the world would they tear it down? What a travesty! I’m upset all over again. But thank you so much for making all those amazing images available to us.
You’re very welcome, Mary. I’m glad you enjoy them, but am sorry they make you sad for their loss. They make me sad, too!
Mary, one of my holy grails for such a long time is to find a color photograph of that mural in the NBC Lobby. (I’ve mentioned it to Martin T., as well, to be on the lookout for one.) I’d asked quite a few sources if they knew if it was saved or not. Some say yes, some say no, but no one knows exactly. I’d think if it was saved we’d know about it.
What I can’t believe is that no one at NBC ever thought to take a color photograph of this mural, so I have to believe there’s one out there somewhere! It’s not like the person who painted it was obscure, either. It was a 25 x 40 ft. mural painted by Edward Trumbull. His work includes the mural “Transport and Human Endeavor” which is on the ceiling of the lobby of the Chrysler Building (1930), the largest ever painting at the time it was installed.
In my searches I’ve noted the NBC Radio City mural in Hollywood was known as The Genie of Radio, The Power of Radio and recently saw it noted as The Spirit of Radio.
P.S.: I’ve never come across anyone in person or online that actually saw the mural, either.
That’s incredible. There’s got to be photos somewhere. One would think NBC should have something in their archives, especially of that mural, especially as it was created by someone known. But then I remember my days at MGM where it seemed like we were the only department interested in saving anything. People were always coming down from the ‘front offices’ asking if we had anything on such and such a production, because they could find nothing on it anywhere else on the lot. There is something in the corporate nature that’s only interested in looking ahead and not behind.
Mary, I too am heartbroken about all these gems of Hollywood being destroyed. I don’t understand why the people who live there do not fight harder to end this trend. We will never again see these magnificent structures again and these young people seem to care less. What a world we now live in!!!!
Yes John, unfortunately whether it’s beautiful buildings or family photos, the young ones don’t get interested until it’s too late.
It is a shame they tore down the NBC building. I think of all the fabulous radio shows that were put on from there. Such a waste. Doesn’t anyone in LA want to save these historical places? And from reading the comments about the beautiful mural that was there, why didn’t they save that? They demolish buildings to put up ugly monstrosities. So sad.