Many of the photos of Hollywood Blvd decorated for the holidays with electrified Christmas trees are in black and white, so it’s always great to find one in color. Those Christmas trees changed from time to time, so we can see in 1964, when this photo was taken, they were triangular with giant white stars on top. We’re looking west along the boulevard, and that cross street is Ivar Ave. On the left is the orange neon sign for Leeds, which was a popular shoe store. Does anybody reading this remember it?
Carron L said: “I loved Leeds while I was growing up. Cute knock off shoes from the higher end lines. Affordable prices. They did a good business and dyed to match wedding and bridesmaids shoes.”
Gayle C said: “There was a different shoe featured each week. The pumps were $7.99! They would look good today, but heels were not 6″ stilettos at that time! I liked Mandel’s and CH Baker because they had AA widths.”
This is what Leeds looked like during the day. Next to it is a store called Marty’s at 6358 Hollywood Blvd. I don’t remember seeing before. Does anybody remember what they sold? This shot is circa mid-1960s.
This is how the Leeds shoe store corner building looked in August 2022. While it’s now a restaurant, the shape of the building is still—miraculously—the same.
I saw a video not too long ago that showed that those Christmas trees revolved.
Ooooo, that sounds purdy!
I remember and loved the look of Hollywood Blvd during Christmas in the 60’s. The streetlights all had 3 lamps in them that would light up during the early evening then cut down to only one being lighted after about 11PM. They looked very cool. Very Hollywood. A one of a kind fixture with stars on the sides. They should have kept them.
The green plastic Christmas trees all rotated at a slow rate. Really looked great! They have now planted trees on Hollywood Blvd. Pretty stupid in a business district in any city as they block the signage of stores and signage you need to find stores. Non thinking people running the ship.
You are so right Bob. What kind of knuckle heads are making such dumb decisions in your city? It used to be so welcoming on the streets back in the day. Those of you out there who remember it like it looked in the 50s and 60s are so lucky.
I like that you got to see those revolving trees, Bob! I do happen to like the planted trees on Hollywood Blvd., especially when it’s hot, and that’s more usual than not. Greenery is good!
Does anyone remember this: In 1986 I noticed that they’d put up Christmas decorations on Hollywood Blvd. in October. People kept wondering why? A year later I found out why. They were for the filming of sequences on Hollywood Blvd. for Lethal Weapon, released in 1987. Here’s a screenshot from the film (notice the trees are there then, too):
https://www.imcdb.org/i001529637.jpg
The trees you see in Lethal Weapon are real planted trees, not the plastic rotating ones. There is one shot of Hollywood Blvd in an Episode of Lost in Space from the Mid 60’s. It is just some stock footage they had. I think it was a time travel episode. I will see if I can track it down. For now, look at this shot of the trees and the 3 lamp streetlight with only the Center lamp illuminated. The photo must have been taken late in the night when they turn off the other two. Note that EVERY street light had a rotating tree! Notice the Pantages movie theater across the street showing Cleopatra
with the make spelled out in NEON over the PANTAGES letters on the vertical sign.
https://twitter.com/alisonmartino/status/1604714044476243968
I never knew that information about the streetlights dimming later in the evening!
Van Nuys Blvd is still lined with 3 lamp streetlights. This design is one street light pole with three arms that fan out at the top with a lamp head at the end of each arm like a single traditional pole. Those too would dim down to 1 lamp after say 11pm. They were originally the mercury vapor type like on Hollywood Blvd. Now they have been replaced with the cheaper LED type that look ugly in their plain square design, not like the cobra shape mercury vapor type. Looking on Google Maps, I saw one pole that had one lamp head replaced that did not match the other LED heads. NO Class looking and Cheap maintenance.
See the new Van Nuys streetlight heads on the old 3 arm poles here…
https://www.dailynews.com/2015/02/19/in-la-streetlight-repair-problems-more-shining-examples-of-inefficiency-editorial/
See the old Hollywood Blvd streetlight head here close up…
https://www.flickr.com/photos/65215866@N00/487798062
This head was BEAUTIFUL! Had Class. Built to last! What a waste of money to replace them.
I shopped at Leed’s all the time in my teens and twenties, but not at this particular one.They weren’t the tippy top quality, but a step up from the cheaper shoe stores.
I’d love to know where the fellow who’s checking his watch was headed.
He’s walking toward Rectors Admiral Theatre (later to be the Vine Theatre) so maybe he’s trying not to miss the next Double Feature!