This vibrant color photo gives us a glimpse of what it was like to cruise along Ocean Blvd in Long Beach sometime during the early 1960s. This was back when the Red Cars were still running, and they stopped in 1961. I don’t know what model that orange/red car and that blue convertible were, but they sure popped with color, didn’t they? Even that yellow fence on the shoulder does! (I couldn’t determine where on Ocean Blvd this photo was taken, so if anyone can figure it out, I’d love to hear from you.)
Dave M on Twitter says: “The red is a Mercury and the blue is an Oldsmobile. Specifically, they are a 1955 Mercury and 1956 Oldsmobile.”
This is how that intersection looked in February 2023:
The blue convertible is an Oldsmobile. The red car is a Lincoln, I believe. The little blue one with a white top is a Mercury. All are circa 1954.
Thanks, Gordon.
My dad had a red 54 or 55 Mercury or Montclair like the pic, except his had a black top. He talked about that car a lot. I think it just reminded him of his younger days cruising LA and Hollywood before being married.
The building with blue windows is the old LA County courthouse at Magnolia & Ocean. Coming towards the camera is where World Trade Center Long Beach and the Hilton Hotel are. Today that intersection is Golden Shore on the right and the left side is the Northound onramp to Shoreline Drive which becomes the 710 fwy
Thanks PDQ!
Ya gotta love Kodachrome! Boy do I miss it.
Yes! Kodachromes REALLY pop, don’t they?