I’m always up for a photo of the Vine St Brown Derby in Hollywood—especially if it’s color. It went through various stages, but we can date this to around early 1950s because around then, two things happened. The restaurant was painted the brown color we can see here. (Later in the 1950s, it went back to being white again.) And also their Bamboo Room was renamed the Record Room and decorated with works by an artist named Nicholas Volpe. The Derby commissioned him to do around 200 portraits of recording artists (possibly because Capitol Records was just up the street? But that’s just a guess.)
Color photo of Brown Derby restaurant with Record Room, Vine St, Hollywood, circa early 1950s
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Don’t forget RCA was almost next door. Heck, it’s Radio City, Music City, Drum City and what not around there.
Yes, you’re right. Sunset & Vine and RCA weren’t far away. I didn’t know about Drum City, though.
I’m still on the hunt for a photo of my mom and dad’s six stool hamburger stand at 6251 Hollywood Blvd, just around the corner from the Brown Derby.
It was actually abutted to the east side of the Equitable Insurance building smack dab at the northeast corner of Hollywood and Vine. Anything in your archives?
I google-mapped that address and it looks like it was next to the Frolic Room, next to the Pantages. Do you know what years your parents hamburger stand was there?
Try Los Angeles Theaters blogspot for Pantages Theater views from 1956 onward. The hammy stand had a red & white awning and was along the backside of the E. Building where cars originally parked. (It was apparently the site of a Mexican Foods stand in later views.) I think there might be red lighting above it in night shots.